By Gonny 
Today I’d like to talk about… religion.
Yes, I know. Not the first thing you want with your morning coffee. But still. This thought just came up, and when that happens, I’ve learned to listen.
I was baptized Catholic. No trauma, luckily. My parents were gentle in their beliefs. Not fanatical churchgoers, more like, “This is just what we do.”
Until I was ten, we went to church every Sunday. And confession was part of it too, every two weeks, organized through school.
What you’re supposed to confess as a child, I still don’t really know. “I pushed my sister” or “I was disobediend.” That sort of thing.
I didn’t feel very guilty (next day I did the same), but I do remember being relieved when, without warning, it all stopped. No more church, no more confession.
As if someone whispered, “You’re allowed to start thinking for yourself now.”
What’s stayed with me are those phrases you hear as a child — the ones that settle deep in your subconscious. Phrases that sound like warnings but feel like threats. Like:
God will punish you for your sins if you don’t confess and if you don’t and you will die your soul might burn in purgatory, but if you pray enough he will save you.
The worsed was: if you commit a mortal sin, you’ll go to hell. And also: At the end of time, God will judge you and decide: heaven, hell, or… the fiery waiting room (purgatory)
It’s like God was a celestial accountant keeping tabs on every slip-up.
Or worse, a cosmic surveillance camera, watching you 24/7: what you do, what you think, what you feel, especially what you do wrong.
What is a mortal sin, anyway?
I looked it up on internet (for anyone who’s forgotten, like me, or blocked it out):
According to Catholic doctrine, three things are required for a sin to be “mortal”:
It must be about something serious (like murder, adultery, theft).
You must be fully aware that it’s sinful.
You must do it anyway , freely and deliberately.
The seven mortal sins are :
Pride
Greed
Envy
Wrath
Lust
Gluttony
Sloth
If you meet one of these and you are aware and do it anyway ? Boom. You’re officially in a state of mortal sin.
Not exactly something a few Hail Marys can wipe away.
Fortunately I found ACIM that offered the biggest relief.
It offers a completely different picture of God.
No judge. No punishments. No hell.
No purgatory with a burning waiting line.
Not even a final judgment. Because judgment is just a projection of the ego-mind.
ACIM says:
“God does not forgive because He has never condemned.” (T-2.V.A.16)
Ouch. And what a relief.
The whole idea that God punishes? That’s not God.
That’s our own ego, terrified of Love.
Because real Love doesn’t judge. It embraces. It heals.
It waits patiently behind every little cloud of guilt.
According to ACIM, sin isn’t sin — it’s a mistake.
A thought error. And a mistake doesn’t need punishment — it needs correction.
The Holy Spirit is our internal correction system.
No fire, no brimstone, just a soft inner GPS that gently says:
“Recalculating… return to Love.”
And Jesus?
To me, Jesus isn’t some figure nailed to a cross, he’s a loving big brother.
Not a classic savior, but a guide who shows us how to wake up from the dream of separation and return to Oneness.
He’s not angry. He’s clear.
Not condemning…just awake.
And he’ll gladly hold your hand when you’ve convinced yourself (again) that you’ve lost your Light.
Maybe it’s time we update our image of God.
A bit like updating your software.
Hell? Outdated.
Purgatory? Unnecessary.
Final Judgment? Cancelled due to lack of evidence.
God 2.0 does not judge.
God 2.0 does not punish.
God 2.0 only knows Love.
And you?
You’ve already been accepted.
No point deductions.
No waiting list.
No fire hazards.
Just one simple, ancient reminder:
You are not a sinner.
You are a miracle.
With love and light,
G.
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13Jij, Jan En Leonie Nater Smulders en 11 anderen