Yeah, But They Did.... (Page 3)

III. But What About Those Others?

   What comes to your mind when you think about organized religion? People in robes? Set shows, I mean rituals? Incense smoking, prayers by rote, people acting as intercessors? Hierarchies that one must answer too to approach Divinity? Established sets of icons and images? The idea that if you just do _____, or do as the ____ says, that you can achieve enlightenment/salvation/attainment? That you have to go through classes, or rely on someone elses interpretation to become?

   Those are indeed matters of "religion". Yes, some churches adhere to those but not to loving as G-d wishes us to. But is it what the Christianity teaches? Hardly, as shown above. I dig the Amplified Bible because it dispenses with perceptions of error, and enhances understanding of the original texts. Which I guess brings us to the first point.

   About religious 'authorities' who would set themselves above you the Bible states:

   In fact, in Matthew 23 Jesus the Messiah gives a more thorough indictment of organized religion than any other I have ever read. Where He was addressing scribes and Pharisees, we can rightly interject priestesses, priests, those who have been called "prophets in Armani suits", and the self righteous with their noses stuck up in the air. He refers to them as hypocrites and even a 'pit of vipers".

13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do so."

   So much for those man made ordinances that shut people out of Heaven. It isn't about set icons and images (Exodus 20:4-5). And G-d hates hollow empty rituals; pomp done for the sake of a ritual show; including incense and special days (Isaiah 1:11-17). And He certainly isn't empressed by people in robes putting on the airs (Luke 20:46). And this with equal certainty also applies to those prophets in Armani suits you see on TV.

1 Timothy 2:5 "For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,"

   The only infallible human being that ever was, is the Messiah Yeshua, known in the English as Jesus the Christ. And He is the only intercessor between G-d and humans. So all the little cult leader wanna be guys and galls need to be recognized. We come to, and pray to G-d through Christ. It is through the Messiah whom G-d sent that we can get through the barrier we put up and again approach the Almighty. We speak to Christ as we would our friend, our attorney sometimes, our savior all the time. There are no works we can do to be relieved of our responsibility. Though, good works is evidence of sincere faith. However, being absolved of our guilt is a gift of G-d given solely on account of our faith as individuals.

   In modern Paganism there is the profession that "all paths are sacred." To we Christians there is an injunction against judging others. And we certainly cannot say that one person is really a Christian while another isn't. That is between the believer and G-d. Though, people with authority in the Church are supposed to live Christ-like lives before they are even considered for their positions. Furthermore, we can discern that some who claim to be Christians don't act as a Christian should. Judgement on evil acting Christians "Christianess" is something we can only leave up to G-d. But if someone can consistently live in a manner that does not match up to the example of Christ, then that person really should examine themselves to see if they are really Christian. Likewise, if you see a person who consistently does not live as the Messiah taught, then you might reconsider thinking of them as being Christian. It is no more correct to think of the inconsiderate nose in the air hypocrit as typical of a Christian, than it is for a Christian to think of every Pagan as a drugged out pedophile. In fact, our Messiah Himself told us that there would be people who claimed to be Christian who weren't. In Matthew 7:22-23 the Messiah directly states that he will publicly disavow them.

22 Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?

23 And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].

   Truly, a real Christian is known from a "churchian" by their works.

IV. Conclusion

   In this I have shown you just how I was able to get past the atrocities that have been committed in the name of Christianity. Though, it wasn't that I was able to, it was surely that I had to. To do otherwise was hypocritical. Seeing that there were (and are) evil doers everywhere, including Christianity and all branches of Neo-Paganism. I was then compelled to look for what Christianity really taught. What I found was a religion of love; that nurtured a real relationship with our Heavenly Father; and that the relationship was predicated upon true and sincere faith in the Messiah sent by the Father. The good works weren't what saved. The good works were, and are, the by product of that sincere faith. It was, and is, the natural manifestation of G-d working in the lives of the believer. Not an instantaneous thing much of the time, but a real consequence of faith in Christ. The honoring of life, and living of love, called to this now former Pagan. If you put aside preconceived ideas about the guilt of the Faith, you just may find that you to no longer have to seek, because the Father has been seeking you since before you were born.

I love you,

Iain

'aloveoffering.org' is a registered trademark.
©2008 aloveoffering.org, all rights reserved.

Web Site Based on a Design by Heather