good religion

good religion
Rev Dr Durrell Watkins

“The search for truth is our constant star. We pledge our hearts, minds, and hands: To challenge injustice with courage; to find hope in times of fear; and to live out our [progressive] values every day as a beloved community.” Jay E. Abernathy, Jr.

I am not religious to avoid an afterlife concentration camp. Nothing could make religion cheaper for me than using it as metaphysical pepper spray against a cosmic foe, or as a fragile peace treaty with a volatile deity. I am religious because when religion is at its best it brings people together, it confronts injustice; it summons hope even in seemingly hopeless situations. I am religious not to hedge my bets in the next life, but to do all that I can to make this life as good as it can be.

In the name of Good Religion, I pledge to live a life of hope and joy, working for peace and justice, trying always to share blessings with the world. Amen.

{published in Sunshine Cathedral's Spirit & Truth magazine}