To be born again is to let the past go

When I was growing up, my best friend’s parents were born again Christians. I didn’t really understand the concept of “born again” but I got the gist of it from their behavior and perspective on life. Especially their focus on “sin”.

For me, the term “born again” held a very “religious” and somewhat oppressive feeling to it, particularly from adherents who staunchly advocated that their way was the way. If you didn’t follow the proper “way”, you were damned. This seemed as crazy to me as my first introduction to Judaism at a young age. While I was born into a jewish family, it was impossible for me to accept many of the tenets. How could this so-called infinitely loving presence known as God have a chosen race - as if one group of people were more preferential or better than another? The whole concept seemed so silly and childish. Until I realized that the God of all these religions was not the infinitely loving presence of oneness, but rather a “god” that we created in our own image.

Love can’t be anything other than love. Real love can’t have preferences or sects or conditions for entry.

But when we define love from an ego perspective, then we get exactly what we have. Separate interests, divisions, hate, conditional love, lack, fear, guilt, and, of course, sin. We get the whole package of damnation.

It’s all wrong. A crazy dream. A tiny, mad idea. One we can escape by letting go of the past.

I love this line from A Course in Miracles: “To be born again is to let the past go, and look without condemnation upon the present.” If we carry the past with us, even from five minutes ago - even five seconds ago - then we are denying and obscuring the present.

But by letting the past go, we see everyone as they truly are. Infinite oneness, of which we are all a part. In that moment we are born again into the oneness we never left.

Support the Show.