The important and fundamental question we must ask is this: “When is the real life?” “Now!” the modern materialist would say—the good life, the real life is now and then it ends. Many reincarnationists, pious Christians, and mainline religious people in all denominations believe that the real life is later, after death. This falsehood has framed the Christian religion more than anything else, despite the fact that Jesus clearly said the kingdom of God is now, and in the Lord’s Prayer, we ask it to “come” here!

Once Jesus’ great and good news became a reward-punishment system that only checked into place in the next world instead of a transformational system in this world, Christianity in effect moved away from a religion of letting go and became a religion of holding on. Religion’s very purpose for many people was to protect the status quo of empire, power, war, money, and the private ego. So in many ways, we have not been a force for liberation, peacemaking, or change in the world. One thing for sure is that healthy religion is always telling us to change instead of giving us ammunition to try to change others. Authentic Christianity is a religion of constantly letting go of the false self so the True Self in God can stand revealed—now.

Adapted from The Art of Letting Go (CD)

Prayer:
May I learn to let go.