Tuesday, October 3, 2023

MOVING FORWARD

When you let go of religious beliefs, you may discover and openly embrace a dormant, rebellious, or defiant aspect of your personality. There's no need to feel guilty about this transformation. Unfortunately, religion often molds individuals into polite, compliant, repressed, shy, inhibited, mannerly, obedient, fearful, and amiable people. It's worth noting that these words wouldn't typically describe Jesus. You can embody love, compassion, respect, and kindness while also being a rebellious, defiant, passionate, disobedient, subversive, nonconformist, mischievous, self-determined, fully expressive, free-thinking, heretical, and free-spirited human being.

PRETENDING

 Pretending is akin to the childhood game of separation and hide-and-seek, a play that persists into adulthood. 


Religion can often reinforce and fortify this pretense, offering promises of a glorified body, a mansion on a hill, a starry crown, and the esteemed status of being chosen for eternal life.


However, there's another perspective to consider: "He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit," eliminating any division among us. Love serves as the force that eradicates any sense of separation between individuals.


In the words of scripture, we are "seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," highlighting our unity.


There's a place deep within you that you call heaven...

But you think it's some place off in the sky somewhere...