[u]Chapter IV
[size=150]Christianity in Crisis[/size][/u]
Nobody disputes that Jesus was a devoted Jew, and he lost his life for Jewish causes. While Jesus was alive he did not change any of the Jewish laws, and he whole heartily believed in Judaism in its entirety. Then, how can we accept that “in the name of Jesus” all these changes have been done to the Judaism that this is not Judaism any more!? And all these changes were revealed after Jesus was gone!? This does not make any sense. This is quite unlikely that Jesus lived his entire life with certain beliefs and after he died his spirit reversed all his beliefs in major ways.
All of those early CRUCIAL CHANGES were initiated ONLY by Apostle Paul, who claimed he had seen a vision of Jesus on the Road to Damascus. After seeing Jesus vision Paul whole heartily was devoted to Jesus brotherhood movement. Barnabas, who was a friend of Paul, helped him to be accepted into the Jesus Community in Jerusalem. Jesus community in Jerusalem was the Headquarter of the Jesus movement. The leaderships in Jerusalem were consisted of the Super Apostles, who had been with Jesus when he was alive. After that introduction in Jerusalem, Apostle Paul joined his friend Barnabas who already had established a Jesus community at the city Antioch, about 300 miles north of Jerusalem.
From the beginning Apostle Paul was seeking to promote Jesus brotherhood to the Gentiles. Apostle Paul convinced the leaderships in Jerusalem to authorize him to recruit the Gentiles into the Jesus brotherhood Movement. Paul acquired a letter from the Jerusalem leadership to pursue his vision in recruiting the Gentiles.
Apostle Paul knew he had to make it easy for the new recruits in order to convert them. Paul was very open-minded in this issue. He had much bigger ambition for the Jesus brotherhood movement. So Apostle Paul relaxed the Jewish bloodline requirement, circumcision requirement, and kosher food requirement for the new Gentile recruits. So in Antioch Jesus community, there were two tables for their meals, one for Jews with kosher food and one for Gentiles. To improve the community fellowship Paul was persuading the two groups join each other’s table and ignore the formality of the setup. At this point Apostle Paul was also living in Antioch community and he did not object to any of the rules which Apostle Paul was implementing.
Everything was fine, until couple observers from the Jerusalem leaderships arrived to examine the progress in the Antioch community. These observers were astounded to see how grossly Judaism had been ignored. They strongly objected to the Antioch community arrangement. They totally dismissed Paul for such a setup. They charged that the Sacred Laws of the Judaism had been violated to its core. Apostle Peter who was participating in Gentile meal table, then he withdrew and Joined to the Jewish kosher meal table. The following Passage is from Galatians which it describes Apostle Paul’s outrage of the incident:
[b]Paul Rebukes Peter
Galatians 2:11 But when Cephas(This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter ) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he had clearly done wrong. 2:12 Until certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this and separated himself because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision. 2:13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray with them by their hypocrisy. [/b]
In Jesus community in Antioch Paul’s views were totally pushed aside. This incident very clearly indicates that all the surviving Super Apostles unanimously rejected Paul’s position and Paul’s revelations. [b]Now that the entire surviving Super Apostle rejected Paul’s revelations then how can we accept them as genuine instructions from Jesus? This proves Paul’s revelations are void.
It defies any logic that Jesus for such Major Reversals in his own belief system and the initiation of such Critical Changes to the Judaism he would have completely ignored all his beloved Disciples, and he only had communicated such Earth Shaking Changes just with Apostle Paul. It is inconceivable that we ignore Jesus personal beliefs when he was alive along with all the Super Apostles beliefs and just simply depend on Paul’s words. How did Paul acquire such a prominent position which he even over-rides Jesus? Apostle Paul was a very clever man. He knew absolutely there was no chance for him to suggest those changes on his own account then he implemented them in the name of Jesus.[/b]
After the confrontation in Antioch community Paul was very disappointed and he traveled to the cities in Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor to establish his own version of Jesus movements fresh. Paul was promoting a version of Judaism which would bring Jews and Gentiles together for a unified brotherhood without emphasizing on the Jewish laws and Jewish bloodline. This is the version which at the end succeeded and was labeled as Christianity Faith. Paul’s letters and his vision of making the brotherhood movement easy for the new Roman converts were the keys for the creation and the success of the Christianity. We can confidently claim that Apostle Paul on his own initiative used Jesus’ Fame to establish the new Christianity Faith.
Paul’s revelation: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Here, Jesus is telling Paul, that those Jesus followers are his disciples. And he approves of them. Then, when the Super Apostles rejected the changes which Paul was trying to implement in the Antioch community, that meant they rejected Paul’s view altogether. This is a straight forward logic, which impeaches Paul’s revelation.
We can not accept that those changes happened maybe because after the crucifixion Jesus changed his mind and he realized Judaism was no good any more! Or, claim that maybe then, the Resurrected Jesus got in charge of the divinity, and he changed some of the sacred laws which God had sent earlier! Then, we need to ask; did God approve of what his beloved Son was doing to his sacred laws!? Did God approve his Chosen People being cursed like that!? Or maybe we supposed to believe that by then God was retired!? We can not act like a retarded person and ignore all these revealing accounts.
[b]It is ironic for the people who scientifically are the most advanced civilizations they follow such incoherent theology! It seems when it comes to digest their spiritual beliefs the Dark Ages has never left them. Where is the Logic which has achieved them so much glory? A high school student would have stronger Logic and shows far more Intelligence than this!
I do feel the pain and the distress which this view would inflect on the followers of the Abrahamic Faith. And I do sympathize with their dilemma. This is very disorienting for them to lose the safety of their familiar Faith. But all of us are empowered to endure and to absorb these challenges for our growth. Mentally our lives are not meant to be easy. Sometimes through the hardship we learn the most enlightening messages of our lives.[/b]
Even though most Christian groups emphasis that Gospels are word of God but in 1965 POPE PAUL VI held Vatican 2nd Council for the affairs and the theology of the Catholic Church. That Council adopted NOSTRA AETATE. That document rejects any ill-feelings towards non-Christians. The document reversed the Christian doctrine of hatred toward the Jews, who were blamed for the crucifixion of Jesus. Also, on March 2000 POPE JOHN PAUL II apologized for the Church’s prosecution of Jews throughout the Church history. Also, in 1969 the Protestant Church repudiated Martin Luther teaching on the Jews, and in 2002 a new revision was announced.
ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/v2non.htm
jcrelations.net/en/?item=1468
christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/111/23.0.html
So, the Christian Church does not really consider the Gospels as words of God. Otherwise how could they alter the words of God?
Gospel of Mathew regarding Jews: 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!†27:25 In reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!â€
Gospel of John regarding Jews: 8:44 You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
The Synod of ELVIRA was held in 306 AD, and was attended by bishops, and presbyters, mostly from Spain. The Synod passed eighty one Latin canons. The Synod also defined the Christian position against the Jews. The Church seized the opportunity to please the Romans at the expense of the Jews. Christians were forbidden to marry Jews. By issuing a hate doctrine against the Jews the church authorities were trying to put all the Jesus crucifixions blame on Jews’ shoulders. This verdict left the Romans innocent of any evil deeds, and this paved the path toward Emperor Constantine conversion to Christianity. In 306 AD Emperor Constantine Converted to Christianity. Any conscious human beings would utterly resent this ugly politics. I suspect at this time Church also altered the content of the Gospels to justify its new doctrine.
The doctrine that Jesus crucifixion was caused and was blamed on Jews were resonant by other revelations all throughout the Christian history, here I would like to mention the views of SAINT HILDEGARD VON BINGEN (1098-1179) and Martin Luther (1483-1546):
Hildegard’s revelations revealed Jews’ conduct on Jesus crucifixion was the Haynes crime against God and the humanity. Hildegard revelation gave the idea wiping out the Jews from the surface of the earth would prepare for the second coming of Christ and establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth. That caused the crusaders’ mass killing of thousands of Jews all over Europe.
In 1938, on Martin Luther’s birthday, Nazis and their supporters went throughout Germany and broke Jewish shops, destroyed Jewish synagogues. It was the “night of broken glass,” the Kristallnacht. At the same day, one of the Nazi bishops published a treatise with excerpts, some of the most horrible excerpts from Luther’s anti-Jewish writings. And in the preface, he said, "At the time the western democracies are criticizing us for the treatment of the Jews, it is time for the Germans to hear from that great German hero, Martin Luther, the great prophet of his people against the Jews.
Martin Luther: “Therefore be on your guard against the Jews, knowing that wherever they have their synagogues, nothing is found but a den of devils in which sheer self-glory, conceit, lies, blasphemy, and defaming of God and men are practiced most maliciously and veheming his eyes on them.”
Martin Luther: “However, they have not acquired a perfect mastery of the art of lying; they lie so clumsily and ineptly that anyone who is just a little observant can easily detect it. But for us Christians they stand as a terrifying example of God’s wrath.”
fordham.edu/halsall/source/luther-jews.html
In 1969 the Vatican formally repudiated the false image of Mary Magdalene. In search for truth, the Christian Church straightened up the image of Mary Magdalene as one of the prominent Jesus disciples and not the repented prostitude.
Vatican declaration 1999: "In his new Paschal glory, Jesus tells her to proclaim to the disciples that he has risen: “Go to my brethren†(Jn 20:17). For this reason, Mary Magdalen could be called “the apostle of the Apostles"
vatican.va/holy_father/john_ … ca_en.html
the-tidings.com/2006/0512/marymag.htm
Mark Gospel 8:2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out,
Also in Mark 16:9 Early on the first day of the week, after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons.
On 321 AD Emperor Constantine decrees Sunday as official Roman Christian day of Rest.
Saturday is a very IMPORTANT Day in Judaism; it is the Sabbath Day.
Nobody can claim that Emperor Constantine had any mandate from God to switch the REST DAY from SATURDAY to SUNDAY. This is a vivid example of the nature of the material in the Holy Bible.
We saw that Church changed its position on Jews, on Mary Magdalene, on polygamy, on Galileo, on Switching Saturday with Sunday for Day of Rest, on selecting Dec 25th as Jesus Birthday, on Selecting April as Easter, on consumption of pork, on circumcision, and few other issues, these changes prove that the Bible and the Gospels are not infallible and they can not be considered as word of God, otherwise how could they alter the contents of the Holy Bible?
In the First Council of Nicaea the Church authorities were persuaded to adapt the Roman religious model for the Christian church. So [b]similar to the Roman pagan religion, in Christian church Jesus is revered as God:
“… being of the same substance with the Father, through whom all things were made both in Heaven and on Earth; …”[/b]
Now, let us observe few verses from Gospels:
Luke Gospel 18:18 Now a certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?†18:19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
John Gospel 14:28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.
John Gospel 5:30 I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.
Mark Gospel 13:32 “But as for that day or hour no one knows it neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son except the Father.
Mathew Gospel 24:36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it not even the angels in heaven—except the Father alone.
These verses are clearly indicates that God status is totally different from that of Jesus. But the Christian Church doctrines defy these verses and mostly they try to follow the Romans’ Pagan Religion’s model.
In Old Testament we read: Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.
Here we see God explicitly has forbidden Israelites to worship any other Gods. Then how can we reconcile this explicit commandment with the idea of the Trinity in Christianity?
Such a crude, confused, and contradictory theology!
We are civilized and intelligent enough to reject these kinds of False and outrages claims. The Trinity theology goes totally against the First Commandment, and it is degrading to the image of our Creator, and it is an insult to our own Intelligence. Only gullible people could fall for such a primitive and phony theology. Our human dignity deserves better than this.
But some would argue that we draw our Moral Laws from the scriptures. To answer these believers let us examine few passages from Genesis:
Genesis 12:10 [b]There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to stay for a while because the famine was severe. 12:11 As he approached Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman. 12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 12:13 So tell them you are my sister, so that it may go well for me because of you and my life will be spared on account of you.â€
12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife was taken into the household of Pharaoh, 12:16 and he did treat Abram well on account of her. Abram received sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Here is your wife! Take her and go!†12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.[/b]
Even though I might sympathize with Abraham’s dilemma, but I can hardly valued the scripture as an authority for Moral guideline! Frankly, according to our today society laws, Abraham would be arrested for being a pimp of the worst kind. By contrast Pharaoh showed such civilized behavior!
Let us examine another passage:
Genesis [b]19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby to have sexual relations with us, according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine so we can have sexual relations with him and preserve our family line through our father.â€
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine and the older daughter came and had sexual relations with her father. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 19:34 Then in the morning the older daughter said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.†19:35 So they made their father drunk that night as well and the younger came and had sexual relations with him. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up.
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today. [/b]
It is quite clear that town of Zoar was spared during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot lived in town of Zoar for awhile, and later on because he was afraid to live in Zoar he moved to a cave in mountain. So Lot’s daughters saw other people who were living in Zoar. But the daughters’ sole intention to get pregnant by their father was to preserve their father’s blood line: "so we can preserve our family line through our father." The Jews pride themselves to be the blood line of Abraham. Judaism is based purely on blood line and Judaism is not an open religion which the other people could join them. Jews own the oldest race club in the world!
Let me give another example of this concept.
Genesis [b]34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me I’ll give. 34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, and I’ll give whatever you ask of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!†. . .
34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: you must become like us by circumcising all your males. 34:16 Then we will give you our daughters to marry, and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves . . .
34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and went to the unsuspecting city and slaughtered every male.[/b]
As you see Jacob and his sons had no intention to let their sister to marry an outsider and mess up their blood line.
These are the examples of the Moralities which have been approved by the scriptures. Then, what can we say about a society who has these kinds of passages for their Moral Guideline!? Is this the best Moral guideline that our society can offer!? Such a waste for our superb Intelligence! Can we still call such society as a civilized society? Certainly not! There are certain rational and behavior a society must adopt in order to be called civilized, and these kinds of Moral guidelines are for sure contrary to the criteria of a civilized society.
The scriptures do not even reach to the level of today’s Human Intelligence. So, how does it justify to be labeled as the verses from the Creator of this Magnificent Universe!? After all, what kind of God is this who has made so many stupid assertions? For sure our own intelligence has out-grown this stupid image! Have we lost our mind!? It might be alright that we shamelessly remain passive and dumb, but it is Ultimate Sin to associate so much stupidity to God! God would be very disappointed by the extent of the stupidity in his Prized Creation!
We SCOFFED at the ancient Egyptians mythologies for being so absurd, but in all fairness to the Egyptians, logically their theologies fitted perfectly with their knowledge of their environment. But what can we say for our own ignorance?
[b]Beside of the Faith issues, the Churches, Synagogues, and Mosques are playing an important role administering fellowship and social functions. These functions and community supports are vital for the mental health and stability of many individuals who are the followers of these institutions. Think how much more effective these institutions would become if ideologically they join together in practicing the Civility doctrine.
May God Bless us All,[/b]
