Insert the misinterpretation of the word, “repent.” In the religious context, “repent” usually means acknowledging and grieving your sinful condition, turning from your wicked ways, throwing yourself on the mercy of God, and pledging to do better… or else! “Repent” is one of those religious words that conjure up images of judgment, condemnation, and fear. Jesus often said in the gospels, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” For years it troubled me that Jesus so often used this word because it represented everything that repelled me about religion. But then I learned its true meaning and significance. I discovered that the word “repent” (metanoia) actually means a change of mind or having a new mind. The word suggests a radical transformation of how we process reality. Metanoia literally means “beyond the mind.” It’s the idea of stretching or pushing beyond the boundaries with which we normally think and feel. It often involves pressing beyond our religious conditioning about ourselves, God, others and life itself. When Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” he was saying that peace, freedom, fulfillment, and wholeness is present in every moment but it can’t be accessed or grasped through the religious mentality. “Repentance” as a way of life would mean acknowledging that what you most deeply want in life lies beyond what you already know or think you know. It involves approaching life from a place of “not knowing” and becoming more grounded in that inner voice that woos you toward what is truly good, beautiful, and liberating. This idea of repentance became the modern “gospel,” along with a host of other doctrines, which was conveniently labeled “orthodoxy,” implying that you could not even be a “Christian” unless you signed off on this doctrinal litmus test, which Jesus himself would not have supported. Just a cursory reading of church history raises some suspicion of how “orthodoxy” came to be… a few other things for that matter.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 14:11:46 +0000
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