False and Unhealthy Religion

One of the signs of the times today is that many people, although not interested in organized religion, are in fact “spiritual” and interested in spiritual things. 

There are many reasons for the loss of interest in organized religion, but one of the causes is because of the history of institutional religion with its dualistic application of either/or, judgement and exclusion, who is right and who is wrong, who is in and who is out. This lifeless theology has caused so much damage over the centuries. In contrast, and we can know intuitively (and with quantum physics!), is that the Divine reality is unitive in nature, it is inclusive and non-judgemental, it is both/and. There is no outside of God!

Inherent in Lent is an invitation to clean up our spiritual houses, both personally and corporately, so that they can be lovingly inclusive with spiritual depth.

Jesus’ cleansing of the temple in John’s gospel is about a letting go of false and unhealthy religion, and entering into and living out of deeper and inclusive spirituality. 

The cleansing of the temple is about making room for God in our lives. It is about recognizing that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, and that God abides in us - in ALL of us.

Intentionally spiritual people spend their life time cleansing their inner temple and opening up to God’s larger life of Love within. 

The spiritual life is not about being morally perfect and pure. But it is about changing and opening up more and more to a larger love and life. 

As our hearts and minds grow in intentional love, we come to know more and more the truth that we actually live IN Christ, we live inside of the Divine and eternal flow of Life, we live inside of Love.

Christ is our Temple. We are Christ’s Temple.

Jesus says “I am in you, you are in me.”

The Divine Image is enthroned within the temple of our souls. Through spiritual practice and works of love, as we cleanse away the debris that is in the way of us being more fully aware of God’s image in us and others, we become the very likeness of God to the world around us.

As we continue our Lenten journey, let us  - with the help of the Holy Spirit - cleanse our spiritual houses, and allow the Love that is Christ to live more fully in us, and in our communities.