“If you died tonight, why should God let you into heaven?” Thus begins an uncomfortable examination of conscience that Ulrich L. Lehner launches like a dart in his book Dios no mola. The question is as brutally simple as it is unbearable. Because the usual answer—that secular litany of “I’m a good person, I don’t kill, I don’t steal”—turns out, upon close inspection, to be as flimsy as a house of cards in the middle of a gale.
The mirage of modern “goodism”
We live convinced that it’s enough to accumulate good intentions, smiles on social media, and occasional donations to “be on the right side of history”. But what do we do with the shadows we drag along? What about that discreet pride, that systematic indifference, that petty calculation that taints our noblest actions? Believing that God keeps a ledger of merits to reward those who pass with a scraped approval is a heresy disguised as common sense.
The trap of self-deception
Lehner reminds us, with the irony of a teacher who knows his students well, that the problem is not the neighbor’s morality but one’s own heart. And that God is not a teacher taking roll call nor a distracted judge who signs absolutions automatically. Divine justice, as hated as it is feared, cannot be bought with bargain good works. The modern man, however, insists on dressing his emptiness in “cool” humanitarianism and confusing courtesy with sanctity.
The scandal of grace
Lehner’s provocation is radical: we don’t enter heaven because we “earn” it, but because we open ourselves to an undeserved grace. An idea that strikes head-on at contemporary arrogance, convinced that everything is achieved through one’s own effort. The Christian, on the other hand, confesses his indigence and allows himself to be loved to the core. Salvation is not a trophy: it is a gift. And gifts are either accepted with gratitude or rejected with pride.
A dangerous invitation
This book, far from showcase religious sentimentality, places the reader in front of the most uncomfortable mirror: on what foundation does my hope rest? Whoever dares to answer sincerely will find that what seemed obvious—“because I’m good”—crumbles like wet paper.
In Dios no mola, Ulrich L. Lehner discomforts the modern reader, that one who considers himself “spiritual but not religious”, and forces him to face the question he would prefer to silence. A book that does not limit itself to refuting, but awakens a hunger to go further. Perhaps too uncomfortable for those seeking a “light” Christianity.