A popular criticism of Christianity has been that it is “the opium of the people.” That’s a powerful metaphor and even a few movies about drug addiction puts you in touch with the criticism — the image being one of people who are out of touch with reality and incapable of getting there.
The Christian faith is, however, precisely about getting in touch with reality. It is about confronting and confessing our spiritual weaknesses. It is about surrendering the false selves we use to protect our egos. And the central assumption behind the on-going conversion and change in our lives is predicated on the kind of honesty that you cannot exercise when you are stoned, zoned out, or in denial.
If Jesus had been using modern language, he might have told his hearers, “if the shoe fits, wear it.” Transformation begins with anything but opium.