Killing God - Part 37: Positive Christianity

Positive Christianity:

                The Church is the threshing floor of the souls. Threshing, is a spiritual sense, means judgment. The Church is where God offers a new birth but also the same place it can be rejected. Of course, the building is of no consequence being merely a gathering place of the Church. God calls everyone to come to the threshing floor but only the meek answer the call. Everyone is welcome. In fact, those who sin the worst and are forgiven love God the most. ⁶⁹¹ The Church is where God casts out devils – and determine the fate of those whose “father” is the devil. ⁶⁹² Those “unprofitable”, rejecting their own spiritual value – are to be “cast out unto utter darkness where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ⁶⁹³

                That sounds mean but it is fair judgement. Remembering that God forgives seventy times seven (actually rhetoric for unlimited times), His grace is boundless. Everyone can accept Jesus all the way up until the last breath! That is unmerited justice and grace. ‘Choice” is the deciding factor! There were four men who were charged with crimes: Barabbas, two malefactors, and Jesus – God Himself! All those around his cross killed God. They became gods in their own eyes. Calvary was having Church. It was the best Church service ever to be preached. The preaching was silent. The Passion was reality and certainly not a play. There was no music, the rock bands were on the road. There was no loud preacher, the Word spoke his own sermon. However, the Holy Ghost was there!

                Who was to be freed as was the Passover tradition? Was it to be one of the two thieves, Barabbas, or Jesus? Let this be clear: Jesus freed himself in death as he did all mankind! His death was part of the threshing. It was for mankind.

                First to be freed was Jesus Barabbas – “Jesus, the son of the father”. ⁶⁹⁴ This man was likely a Zionist zealot still fighting the Romans for independence. He indeed, would have been a threat to Pilate and to Caesar. Releasing one who was guilty is called the Paschal Pardon (Passover Pardon which later became Christianized Easter). Just as the first-born was “passed over” in Egypt, on this feast day, the tradition was the show mercy.  Passover is a “picture” of the crucifixion. ⁶⁹⁵ Moses knew that. It seems the Word informed Moses of His own death!

                For the occasion of God “passing over” the innocent Hebrew first born but not the Egyptians’ eldest, a Korban Pesach – Paschal Lamb – was to be set apart and slaughtered, not by coincidence, at dusk. That “Lamb” was representative of Jesus, and the slaughter was a picture of God dying for mankind! The Passover was God having Church. He threshed out the sinners – the Egyptians – and brought the Hebrew people to safety across the Red Sea. ⁶⁹⁶

                Barabbas represented Pharaoh’s son who died, but in this case the sinful one was freed. Probably unknown to the Jews, they were deceived into releasing the wrong Paschal Lamp – “Jesus, the wrong son of the Father”! That release was a positive action and would not have happened had it not been God’s will. (Notice that when “will” is mentioned in reference to the Deity, it is always God’s will. Jesus had the same “will” but the Father is the omniscient “Mind”. It is not necessary to have both God’s will and Jesus’s will because the will of Jesus is the will of God.)

                Then, there were three! Evidence of God’s Plan is that there were only three crosses. ⁶⁹⁷ The Romans would not have planned things according to Jewish Passover traditions. Barabbas had to be freed as the grossest injustice of mankind. He didn’t die right then, as Eve had not but his soul died there on Calvary. There is no evidence of God’s reprieve. Barabbas was the “goat” which escaped and represented the “ram” which didn’t back on Mt. Moriah with Abraham’s sacrifice. Jesus Barabbas could never have been the efficacious sacrifice because he was blemished. Like Moses, who also was blemished, Barabbas killed for “good”. ⁶⁹⁸ I believe Barabbas represents those who think they are safe but are not!

                Another person on a cross beside Jesus was a thief. He was an evil person – a malefactor. He scoffed at the idea of Jesus’ Divinity. He represents the atheists. He failed to believe in God, nor apparently Heaven or Hell because he doubted all the way to the end. On the other hand, the other thief was enlightened – he asked Jesus to save him; he trusted God! ⁶⁹⁹ Right before he died, the thief was born-again. He represents those who have the hope of salvation whether it early in life or later! He was nearer the time of salvation, immediately near, because he first believed when his death was eminent. As with the parable of the vineyard workers, those who come late in the “day” are paid the same as those who came early! ⁷⁰⁰ That is not a lesson to wait until the end but is a demonstration of God’s grace. That thief knocked and Jesus answered. When he saw the wood, he knew the punishment but he also knew the correction.: submission. He knew he couldn’t save himself but believed Jesus could save him. That is the rebirth!

                Jesus was having Church! Satan was there. Because Jesus is worthy of attention, Satan attended Church that day. In fact, he was directing traffic, deciding who would be there and not. He selected the hammers and nails and picked out the soldiers who would hammer them. Likewise, Satan picked out the chief priests and mockers. He even picked out Jesus’s crown of thorns!

                On the other hand, Satan was only fulfilling God’s purpose for him! He was only doing what God allowed him to do. God picked the place of the skull centuries before when he said to the serpent: ⁷⁰¹  

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

That was said in the beginning, but on Golgotha it came about! God had Church with Adam, Eve, and the serpent, and had grace on two of the three right then. The serpent was threshed from the Church but was invited back to Calvary to actually watch himself die!

If Adam was buried under Golgotha as many believe he was because it was “the place of the skull of Adam”, then Adam was redeemed that day. God’s seed – Jesus – crushed Satan’s head that day! ⁷⁰² Calvary was the threshing floor of the Church. One escaped death for a time but had to deal with later (Barabbas), one went to Hell that day, (the proud thief), and the other to Paradise that day (the repentant thief). And Jesus went to the grave for all of them! They all killed Jesus but one repented of it. God by grace redeemed him. At the same time, by grace, Jesus acknowledged their foolishness -
“they know not what they are doing.” ⁷⁰³ That is grace. God knew who did know. Satan knew. He thought he was the mind behind the scheme but all along, from day one, it was God’s Plan to die for mankind! Satan was God’s stooge. His only purpose was as the tool, or fool, to test God. This wisest angel on earth was a mere stooge to fulfill God’s Plan. The joke was on Satan. He was really the one who died that day! God still lives!

The Church, as the threshing floor where God judges is Satan’s enemy. Satan wants everyone to perish but propagates what Dietrich Bonnhoeffer called “cheap grace”. ⁷⁰⁴

“Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing.”

I believe cheap grace is half-way born-again. As the enlightened creature crawls forth, his or her head is stuck in the birth canal, never quite crowning – “almost persuaded”, as Herod Agrippa said. ⁷⁰⁵ God’s propitiation seems logical, and his death real but sacrificing oneself, although a “reasonable service” is not worth the price God paid. ⁷⁰⁶ That is cheap grace and is one of the most virulent killers of the Church! Costly grace, is empathizing with the agony of God to the extent that one is ashamed to be amongst His killers and become new creatures – like Christ. What would Jesus do for mankind? Die for us! What can we do in gratitude? Crucify our own flesh by conversion. 707 Unlike God, mankind is required only to submit part of the flesh – the heart. ⁷⁰⁸

The Hebrew people were confused; they circumcised their penises without circumcising their hearts. Their mistake! Christians get off easier, we can circumcise the heart, not with water, but with pure water! Baptism seals the Covenant of Grace!

Grace seems to forgo punishment. Although given the choice, many reject it. There must be justice! God’s own death met His own justice. Although innocent, never having sinned, God chose to die that mankind may live! There are two possible outcomes of God’s death: acceptance or rejection. Cheap grace is believing it but without accepting. The half-converted believe in the grace part of it, but no enough to cease the sinfulness. Punishment awaits them! Not believing in Hell does not make it not real! Believing Heaven is for real does not mean that one believes that Hell is. I have known many “Christians” who accept the concept of Heaven but reject the idea of Hell. There must be a Hell for Jesus to save mankind from it! Without Hell, God’s death was for naught! Hence, just as the creation is paramount for belief in God, the belief in Hell is essential to be saved. Hence, God’s role as Savior is diminished if there is no Hell from which to be saved! A doctrine without Hell diminishes God and His reason for dying. I firmly believe that is “taking God’s ‘Name’ in vain – or His death frivolously!

Cheap grace, then, amounts to receiving the pardon but not reforming – making a spiritual transformation from the old sinful creature to a righteous one. Obedience is not the redeeming quality but the gratitude for redemption. For modern kids, cheap grace is like receiving an iphone© without paying for the wi-fi. It has little value. One can call but not do much communing!

Rather than the obedience as a test for the second birth, it is a validation of it. ⁷⁰⁹ The idea of “works” isn’t a positive thought! Sola gratia denigrates “works” as non-essential. It is not essential to be born-again, but for the assurance of salvation it is! Works validates hope. What is it mankind hopes for? Not necessarily that Heaven is the reward but that Hell does not become home in the afterlife!

                Positive Christianity, therefore, rejects sin, works, judgment, punishment, Satan, and Hell. Since negativity is myth, there is no law of sin, no Law of God, and not even a Satan nor God. Positive Christianity kills God by denying His justice. The expression, a good God would never send anyone to Hell, leads to the Satanic doctrine for mankind, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole Law.” ⁷¹⁰ That’s what unrighteous people espouse. “Doing what is right in their own eyes.” ⁷¹¹  Being controlled from self-appeasement is negative in Positive Christianity.

Modern-time doctrine, especially among some of the mega-churches have a degree of Positive Christianity. Joel Osteen admitting to not preaching against sin nor on Hell is an admission of that doctrine. Only God knows his heart but we can test his doctrine. ⁷¹² He did apologize later for which he receives some credit. However, if one seeks truth, the Bible is a much better place! Any preacher is merely that. Preaching and doctrine must always be tested by scripture. Culture seems to imbue modern doctrine rather than the Holy Spirit. Buyer beware of what is read and taught!

The ultimate on Positive Christianity was the Nazi version of German Christianity which mixed racial purity, Germanic uber-ism, Nazism, and Christianity. Positive Christianity is the perversion of the Doctrine of Christ. Much of it came from Druidism, legend, myth, bad philosophy, ethnocentricity, nationalism, theosophy, and Gnosticism. ⁷¹³ Nazism was much more than an ideology, it was an inheritance; rather than the Jews, it was the Germans who were God’s “chosen people”, and like Christianity, it was to have a thousand-year reign.

Of course, as semi-human parasites, all things Hebrew were removed from their worship. Even the Jewishness of Jesus was replaced in practice! Rather than faith in Christ, it was the Nazi Party to which they owed allegiance. ⁷¹⁴ The German Church was taken over by the Nazis and since the Third Reich was continental Europe, God about died out there. What was at one time, the hotbed of Christianity became the deathbed of God, or at least in the hearts of the people.

Modern-day Positive Christianity is not as vengeful as it was in the Third Reich. Therefore, those who espouse many of the views of that cult are humanistic in practice. I believe the UU continues a sort of Positive Christianity although they would be the first to deny it. Christ has taken a big “hit” in that faith… er lack of faith. Now only a small percentage of the adherents are said to be Christians. Using the Doctrine of Christ, it would seem few of the “Christians” are even Christian from an evangelical standpoint. Their doctrine is reason rather than the Doctrine of Christ. ⁷¹⁵

As heretical as the UU and the German Church was in the Third Reich, the greater problem, it seems, is modern thought within the modern Church. For the most part much of mainstream Christianity is of the Doctrine of the Church at Laodicea. They are about to be cast out from the true Church as God heaves His spiritual “judgmental” spit. ⁷¹⁶

What is worse than that is the onset of Islamic influence in the modern Church.

⁶⁹¹ Holy Bible; Luke 7:47.

⁶⁹² ibid; Mark 1:38-9.

⁶⁹³ ibid; Mat 25:30.

⁶⁹⁴  New Cambridge Press Commentary; “Matthew”; Evans, Craig A.; New Cambridge University Press; 2012, p. 453.

⁶⁹⁵ Holy Bible; Exod 12.

⁶⁹⁶ ibid; Exodus 14.

⁶⁹⁷ ibid; Mat 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19.

⁶⁹⁸ ibid; Mark 15:7.

⁶⁹⁹ ibid; Luke 23:37-43.

⁷⁰⁰ ibid; Mat 20:1-16.

⁷⁰¹ ibid; Gen 3:15. 

⁷⁰² The Skull of Adam; Herrin, Larry R., Christian Faith Publishing: Meadville, PA; 2017.

⁷⁰³ Holy Bible; Luke 23:34.

⁷⁰⁴ The Cost of Discipleship; Bonnhoeffer, Dietrich.

⁷⁰⁵ Holy Bible; Acts 18:13.

⁷⁰⁶ ibid; Rom 12:1.

⁷⁰⁷ ibid; Gal 5:24.

⁷⁰⁸ ibid; Deut 10:16.

⁷⁰⁹ ibid; James 2:26.

⁷¹⁰ The Book of the Law; Crowley, Aleister.

⁷¹¹ Holy Bible; Deut 12:8.

⁷¹² “Larry King Interview”; Osteen, Joel & King, Larry; 2005.

⁷¹³ The Occult Roots of Nazism; Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas; NYU Press; reprint 1993.

⁷¹⁴ Wikipedia; “Positive Christianity”.

⁷¹⁵ Wikipedia; “Unitarian-Universalism”.

⁷¹⁶ Holy Bible; Rev 3:16.

Killing God - Part 36 Unitarian-Universalism

Unitarian-Universalism:

                Sin is anything which separates man from God. Iniquity is having a lifestyle of sin and reprobation is so entrenched in unwillingness to change that the person is damned. Grace is the antidote for iniquity. Rather than the commission of the sin which damns, it is the willingness to displease God. If one looks back to the original sin again, Eve entered into temptation – on her own – and ate of the fruit. She was deceived. Adam ate because he was willing to disobey knowing it was sinful. He believed the serpent over God. God said that eating of the tree would result in death. Eve ate and didn’t die, so Adam ate. Sin is willingly believing the lie over truth. It is knowing better but not caring! It is knowing that God will be jealous but flirting with Satan anyhow. In fact, living in sin is spiritual fornication. ⁶⁷⁵ Revolting against God is fornication with other gods; the worst of which is self-worship.

                All sins are not equal in severity. That is a ploy of Satan to mislead. For instance, if someone lies, then the thought occurs, I have sinned already; I may as well sin in worse matters.  People are entrapped with in their own faulty reasoning! Satan does not make anyone sin! His is the law of sin. Mankind always chooses whether to sin or not. Some preface their excuse with, the devil got into me, or the devil made me do it. Those thoughts bestow power on Satan which he does not have! Essentially, that is elevating Satan to godhood; he smiles at that. Satan is not omnipotent, omnipresent, nor omniscient. His only powers are invisibility, manifesting, and subtly! He must go to and fro to communicate; quite limiting especially since he must walk in the world, not fly around freely! ⁶⁷⁶

As weak individuals, Satan would not waste his time on us. He would send one of his contemporaries if need be but would spend his time where it counts. It would seem that Satan attends many ecumenical councils because that’s where he is most effective!

All repented has the same outcome if not born-again. That is eternal damnation. On the other hand, there are degrees of sin. Stealing a loaf of bread is likely not as severe to God as is killing someone out of convenience. Murdering an innocent baby would be more obnoxious to God than punishing a murderer with a death sentence. When Christ was crucified, he told Pilate that the Jews sinned greater than him by delivering him to his death. Thus, the instigator of sin may be more guilty that the facilitator. ⁶⁷⁷ People defiling themselves are abominations – disgusting – to God. ⁶⁷⁸ The unpardonable or greatest sin is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost – denying the efficacy of Jesus’s death. ⁶⁷⁹

Unity in Christianity is excellent! Paul admonished his contemporaries to be one in Christ, and to put away personal contentions: ⁶⁸⁰ Of course, the unity must be in the doctrine of Christ: ⁶⁸¹

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Thus, the uniting doctrine is not only God but God incarnate – Jesus the Christ – who is the Way to salvation; faith makes on whole and is going the Way of Jesus.  ⁶⁸² By no other person than Jesus can anyone be saved! ⁶⁸³ That straight gate is what makes Christians peculiar people: faith is the right Way which path is narrow. Unitarianism is the wide gate, and Universalism is the broad way to destruction. ⁶⁸⁴ Unitarian-Universalism (UU) is the epitome of New Age doctrine but hide in plain view within the ecumenical movement. Notice that anytime community worship is held, UU is always there, and of course nearly interviewed by the media.

Unitarianism in practice is that all “gods” are the same God. Universalism is that everyone will enter into their heaven. That doctrine is blasphemy and damning! Originally, Unitarianism was believing in monotheism which is truthful but rejected the notion of the Holy Trinity. Jesus was a normal human being and not God incarnated. It has grown to mean that all gods are God. This heretical doctrine denies original sin and the infallibility of Holy Scripture. ⁶⁸⁵ As such, it is not Christian Doctrine but antichristian.

Universalism is that most religions have universal principles and is inclusive and that in the end all religions will enjoy the same reward. ⁶⁸⁶ Univeralism seems to be an outcome of eastern thought; the Rig Veda (one canon of Hinduism) says, "Truth is one; sages call it by various names." ⁶⁸⁷

                Hinduism seems so much like early Gnosticism that possibly it may be one form of it! Likewise, UU has its commonality. Of course, the schools of comparative religions may argue that but common sense would reveal their biasness.

                UU and eastern thought are indeed great threat to Christianity. Eastern religion has already entered the doors of Christianity through UU and the New Age. It has entered academia through immigration, philosophy, and psychology, and now even medicine. Holistic medicine incorporates harmonization of the forces within (yin-yang) and “natural” healing. Much of what seems natural to them is the god/goddesses who are in everything.

                My own daughter who practices yoga shared a conversation with me. When she went to a yoga session, their priestess – disguised as a Yoga instructor – chastised her for not removing her shoes. She was told it was disrespectful. My daughter asked, “to whom?” That is an intelligent question because Yoga is more than an exercise program; it is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice in Hinduism. Buddhism, and Jainism. ⁶⁸⁸ This ritual is UU in practice, hiding behind the misconception of “natural” health. 

                Some have told me, “I don’t do the spiritual part, I just do the exercises.” Tell that to God. How many Hindus do you see stretching for Jehovah? Obviously, they balance their forces for Vishnu! Christians are easily deceived. On he other hand, other hand the others are more intolerant, even refusing to consider Christ. Christians are called to convert the world with the Great Commission. It is the world converting Christianity by perverting the Doctrine of Christ.

                Just look at some of the eastern religious practices. The focus is on whom? On the surface it seems that their practices are for self-improvement, which to a large extent can be wrong. However, in reality, eastern religious practice is syncretism – having other gods besides God. Imagine the indignation which God feels when people pose to Vishnu or stretch for Buddha!

                Of course, syncretism is widespread. Even the martial arts are spiritually focused, and even government sanctioned in the U.S. for military training. ⁶⁸⁹ It is hard to separate UU from theosophy from New Age from eastern religions and so on because they are all part of the same religious philosophy. They are doing what is right in one’s own eyes, and that is a greater sin, perhaps a cornucopia of more than one cardinal sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and slothfulness. ⁶⁹⁰

⁶⁷⁵ Holy Bible; 2 Chron 10-12.

⁶⁷⁶ ibid; Job 1:7.

⁶⁷⁷ ibid; John 19:10-12.

⁶⁷⁸ ibid; Lev 18:30.

⁶⁷⁹ ibid; Mat 12:31

⁶⁸⁰ ibid; 1 Cor 1:11-13.

⁶⁸¹ ibid; 2 John 1:9.

⁶⁸² ibid; Mark 10:52.

⁶⁸³ ibid; Acts 4:12.

⁶⁸⁴ ibid; Mat 7:12-14.

⁶⁸⁵ Wikipedia; “Unitarianism”.

⁶⁸⁶ Wikipdia; “Universalism”.

⁶⁸⁷ Harmony of Religions; Vedanta Society of Southern California.

⁶⁸⁸ Wikipedia; “Yoga”.

⁶⁸⁹ Letters between the author and Congressman Ron Lewis of Kentucky.

⁶⁹⁰ Summa Theologica; Aquinas, Thomas.

Killing God - Part 35: The Disease Model of Sin

Disease Model of Sin:

                Iniquity is an inborn trait, thus the way we are is how we are born! King David, in his repentance and confession of faith said, “I was born in iniquity,” ⁶⁵⁸ and added “in sin did my mother conceive me.” There are two different ideas therein: (1) David was born perverse, and (2) in some manner, his conception was in the condition of sin. ⁶⁵⁹ My personal interpretation is that reproduction was ordained by God before sin but after the original sin, coitus was more for pleasure. Obviously, the lust for sexual pleasure has always been a spiritual burden. Sexual knowledge is of God but can be abused by mankind. To this day, lustful pleasure is spiritually poisonous to many, and sexual sins are plentiful! Mankind is personally responsible for killing the Spirit when the focus becomes on pleasuring oneself. Mankind is our own worst enemy, and many a ministry has been destroyed because of the lust for pleasure!

                The argument that mankind is born “good” and learns “evil” has merit. On the other hand, David said he was born perverse.  They both are sort of right. Obviously, a newborn baby is without sin. However, infants become selfish with their first breath. They demand appeasement and scream if it is not received. Is that iniquity? Not by itself but mankind is born more like beasts than angels. ⁶⁶⁰

His (man’s) power of speech, his discriminating intellect, his upright walk, the glance of his eye--they all make an angel of him. But, on the other hand, he eats and drinks, secretes the waste matter in his body, propagates his kind, and dies, like the beast of the field. Therefore, God said before the creation of man: "The celestials are not propagated, but they are immortal; the beings on earth are propagated, but they die. I will create man to be the union of the two, so that when he sins, when he behaves like a beast, death shall overtake him; but if he refrains from sin, he shall live forever."

                This passage is pseudepigrapha but is accurate commentary. The first four attributes are what makes man human. The latter four attributes make man no more than the beasts. Original sin made mankind beast because the angel within him died, leaving him (and her) beasts. Grace restored the angelic qualities. When men are born-again, we they are still beasts but God overlooks the beast because he sees the angel-likeness within. On the other hand, the beast itself are like dark angels, and the greatest beast is described in the Apostle John’s Revelation.  ⁶⁶¹ 

                With his sexual urges, attempt to cover his own sin, and the murder itself, David, a man after God’s own heart, became a beast. Some part of him was “good” because he desired to please God. On the other hand, the desire to please himself was dominant. Paul referred to that internal conflict as “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. ⁶⁶² That was the “disease” which David had, and that each and every newborn baby has. ⁶⁶³ 

                Infants’ sins are accidental since they are ways to communicate. Better than accidental, they are natural sins because even the beasts demand nourishment and attention! Thus, they are inborn sins because mankind has flesh. (Some of the sacred texts relate that before the fall, mankind nor the beasts in the Garden ate, drank, excreted, multiplied, nor died. Somehow the herbs within the Garden sustained them).  While in the Garden, indeed, man was in the image of God. Once one sin came about, man became iniquitous – more like the beast(s) than God.

                Hence, the inherited nature of mankind is the disease, but yet it’s not truly a disease; it’s iniquity or perversity. With the first breath, humans have yet to sin. Once they experience the world, the next acts are of self-interest: usually either crying or seeking appeasement of some sort. Thus, men are born with the propensity to sin, and that propensity is genetic. All men are “born this way”, as Lady Gaga’s song is entitled. Let’s examine the biological definition of disease (We shouldn’t care what the psychological definition is because it is more of a competitive religion):

An abnormal condition of an organism which interrupts the normal bodily functions that often leads to feeling of pain and weakness, and usually associated with symptoms and signs. A pathologic condition in which the normal functioning of an organism or body is impaired or disrupted resulting in extreme pain, dysfunction, distress, or death.                

                Sin is normal; all men are born that way. Disease is “abnormal”. The normal condition of the body is corruption. ⁶⁶⁴ Hence, mankind is “sick” even when they are seemingly healthy. Pathology is what is changed by disease. Mankind is born in sin, there is no change from the original condition, and hence sin is not pathological. The body of a person is not impaired or disrupted; it is its original condition as at birth. Sin is spiritual, and it too destroys. Sin is so intense that it can cause pain, stress, and even death. It looks like a “disease” but it’s not! It’s considered a disease but its not! That sinful behaviors are a disease is a rationalization. It is a repetition of the serpent who lied: “Ye shall not surely die.” ⁶⁶⁵ 

                Rationalization is not justification. When people do wrong things, they attempt to “justify” their wrongs – make them appear to be innocent. That is rationalizing – making excuses. My Christian friend, Pete, said to me, “They found out in 1956 that alcoholism is a disease.” “They” apparently were the APA. I asked, “What does your Bible say, Pete?” He did not reply. He took the truth to be what another religion said! The disease model of sinful behavior is a denial of Truth. Scripture criticizes drunkenness many places and admonishes people to remain sober and vigilant. Why? Satan seeks to devour you! ⁶⁶⁶

                Consider a disease: it is pathological – a change to the organism. Doctors can treat pathology, and very successfully so, but the doctor only treats the condition; the patients heal themselves, or so we think! Just as God created, He is the Healer. Unless it is God’s will, then healing will not occur. ⁶⁶⁷ Not just sickness but spiritual healing, even unto death. ⁶⁶⁸ The physician cannot even heal himself. Psychologists admit that they can’t fix what’s broken; only the patient can. However, it is faith which heals the sick. Those who rely on others or themselves to heal them are of little faith.

                Examine how a Christian has been born-again. (I refer back to Moses and the bronze- brass - serpent). The poisonous vipers were biting he Israelites. Those who sought to protect themselves were bitten and died. Those who trusted God by looking up at the raised serpent, depended on the blood – the red brass – to save them. Healing is not of oneself; it is always from God. Sickness or sin can only be cured by faith in God. God can fix anything! To depend on oneself to deliver from sickness or sin is elevating oneself on the pole.

                If an addiction, which sin is, is a disease, then there is little hope that the pathology can be changed back to normality. However, if it’s merely a behavior, then it can be more easily changed!  That healing power from God is a gift, as was mentioned before, and it is faith. Once the gift is given, then the recipient must exercise the faith. If there is an addiction, then self-control must be practiced: ^“…be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” ⁶⁶⁹ Since the Holy Spirit is there to Comfort, it is not really self-control, being more like self-submission, ⁶⁷⁰ which is submitting oneself to the will of God. It is not God’s will that anyone be addicted except to serve Him.

                The disease model of sin – behavioral addictions – is deception. That notion removes from the addicted person, the motivation and hope for change. Rather than accepting the responsibility of needed change, disease is blamed. It is rationalizing sinful behavior, implying it can’t be helped! 

                I’ve never used illicit drugs or even drank alcohol to excess because wise people prevent addictions. God delivers me from temptation in all respects. Only when I ignore God do I sin. For instance, I do not consume alcohol because it is Russian Roulette. I don’t know that I would become addicted if I consumed, however, if I never consume, I do know that I will never be addicted. God is into holistic medicine” “be ye holy for I am Holy”. ⁶⁷¹ Peter quoted that too! Holiness was not only for the patriarchs, it is for contemporary people. It is not merely law-keeping if done for right reasons – to demonstrate love to God. ⁶⁷²  

                On the other hand, I was a cigarette smoker from about six years of age (sneaked them). I was not accountable because my knowledge of them was limited. However, I smoked long after I knew that I was addicted. (I quit on my 35^th birthday). Did I cease to smoke due to my own self-control? Not at all! I prayed for God to deliver me from sin, and He did. God healed my addictive behavior, and completely took away my urge to smoke. I didn’t need a psychologist because their unknown god is not my God! 

                How about addictions to heavy drugs? Many of my Detroit Christian friends were not only addicted to cigarettes, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and other drugs but were drug pushers as well. When they were born again, God delivered them all from all their sins spontaneously. God took away their urge to sin. They were made new creatures who were willing to submit to God. They exchanged their will for God’s will and He healed them just as promised! There was no need for a psychiatrist because they cannot heal.

                Addictions are much more than those which are chemical. Sure, the ingredients in drugs provide excessive pleasure and beg for more, but the spiritual sins are as addictive! The voyeur is addicted. The gambler has an addiction. Even the promiscuous have a sex addiction. For all those so-called “diseases”, God is the healer. It does take self-control but with faith the addicted is not alone. Sin compounds itself and is addictive. People become slaves to sin. ⁶⁷³ Addictions are spiritual slavery. To call them “diseases” is an affront to God. It denies the Law of God and minimizes the law of sin: ⁶⁷⁴ 

That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

                To deny sin and its treatment is to deny the Healer. To think that man can heal themselves is a delusion. To believe that another person can heal is misplaced credit. To call sins diseases is a lie! Why does that even matter? God is more than a superstition. God is for real. “Gods” are gods because they can create. Yahweh is the Creator. If God can create He can heal what is broken. I’ve dealt herein with addictions but faith in God can heal anything, even eternal death. Just as mankind must look up to God for eternal life, we must look to him to heal us from our sins.

⁶⁵⁸ Holy Bible; Psalm 51:58 

⁶⁵⁹ Strong’s Dictionary; “`avon “; “chatta'ath”

⁶⁶⁰ Sacred Texts; Chapter 2; Adam-Man and the World”.

⁶⁶¹ Holy Bible; Rev 11:7.

⁶⁶² ibid; Mat 26:41.

⁶⁶³ ibid; Rom 3:23.

⁶⁶⁴ ibid; 1 Cor 15:53.

⁶⁶⁵ ibid; Gen 3:4.

⁶⁶⁶ ibid; 1 Pet 5:8.

⁶⁶⁷ ibid; James 5:15.

⁶⁶⁸ ibid; 1 Pet 2:24.

⁶⁶⁹ ibid; 1 Pet 4:7.

⁶⁷⁰ ibid; 1 Cor 16:15-17.

⁶⁷¹ ibid; Lev 11:44.

⁶⁷² ibid; John 14:21.

⁶⁷³ ibid; John 8:34.

⁶⁷⁴ ibid; Mark 7:20-23.

Killing God - Part 34: Psychology and the New Age

Psychology:

                Because therapy seemed to helped my son with his addiction issues, I developed somewhat of a dependence on them. They gave me hope, albeit it was false hope. As it turned out, my son was cleverer than the therapists were wise. He gave them the outward appearance of sobriety because, according to him, that was their barometer of change. With a sigh of relief, as a middle-age parent, I enrolled in a psychology class at Western Kentucky University. Before long, I was a regular student majoring in family counseling. My idea of psychology was that they had secret knowledge above the normative. I put my trust in psychology.  Fortunately, for me, as I worked on my graduate degree in counseling, I read my Bible cover to cover. Sublimely, my mind was constantly comparing. One day in class I blurted out, “Psychology seems to be just another religion!” Dr. Fong smiled, and replied, “Are you just now figuring that out?” Later on, she mentioned, “it’s not only our job to teach but to remold.” Dr. Fong is an honest lady.

                Psychology means “study of the soul”. ⁶²⁹ The psyche is the Greek term for soul or spirit. ⁶³⁰ It seems that I was studying the unknown god without even realizing it! Hence, psychology, posing as a science, lacks transparency. It belongs in the Religious Studies Department. That is not to say that psychologists never do “good” things because they do just as humanists also do “good”. It’s just from a spiritual stand point “goodness” without hope is an effort in futility! 

                Why psychology? To provide hope to messed up people. Why Christ? To provide hope to messed up people. At best for psychology, hope is a fiction.  Since all people face death, and psychology has no solution for death, their hope can never be fulfilled. On the other hand, guilty people who have been spiritually enlightened have the hope of salvation, ⁶³¹ and if the faith is firm enough, the assurance of it! ⁶³²    

                Psychology, like Christianity, seeks to change cognition and behavior. Unlike Christianity, psychology has no solution to genetic predispositions. Thus, with reluctance, they submit: they are born this way, and have no solution. The Doctrine of Christ is that mankind only has a genetic propensity to do wrong, and that the desire can be controlled. ⁶³³ Christianity is behavior therapy. Like the cripple who can learn to walk with the aid of the nurse, the spiritual cripple is aided by the Holy Spirit. 

                Cognitive therapy is the tool for both neurotic or psychotic patients. Those terms are psychological jargon for those unhappy with distress and severe mental disorders, respectively. In spiritual terms, they are the ordinary people dissatisfied with their lives, and those who are reprobate. The former can experience guilt and desire change. The latter is satisfied and often unconcerned with their malicious behaviors and thoughts.

                From a psychological standpoint, guilt as a disorder, is a bad thing from which to seek relief. Counseling is usually to not feel guilty for “bad” behaviors. For instance, if one is promiscuous, just act on the impulse rather than restrain oneself and feel relief from stress. From that standpoint, the only law against behavior is one imposed on oneself. Scripture, on the other hand, teaches that sin leads to death. ⁶³⁴ That refers to spiritual death but can be physical as well. Those who remain in guilt, ironically, walk deathlike throughout life. Such people need to change. Behavior therapy may help with life but it is worthless for the afterlife. Most people can never truly be joyful knowing that this life will end someday. The religion of psychology offers no eternal hope, hence it’s a band-aid when healing is available! If one desires merely a less stressful life, and contentment with bad behaviors, perhaps psychology can satisfy that. If they want a cure, it cannot, and does not even claim to be the cure!

                My own text book on abnormal psychology said that there is no evidence that those with counseling had any improvement over those without counseling. That is an honest assessment. With the cornucopia of tools in their psychological bags, accountability is difficult. If a patient gets worse, was it because of the malady or from the therapy. Christianity has one “tool” and He is reliable and trustworthy. He is the Doctor and the Cure! 

                Psychologists can change non-productive or abnormal thinking or behaviors by merely changing the diagnosis. The Law of God is immutable. Before one is saved, the sickness must be cured. Changing the rules is not effective. Unless there is change, the sickness remains! In regard to the abnormal behavior of homosexuality, the American Psychological Association (APA) merely changed the diagnosis. In DSM-I and II  (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), it was an abnormality. In DSM-III (1973) it changed to normality, and homophobia became he abnormality! ⁶³⁵ God’s Word doesn’t do that! God has expectations: he desires that the old person become new. ⁶³⁶ The DSM rationalizes one’s sickness as incurable. In fact, some laws exist making it illegal to treat homosexuality as a disorder.

                The attack is on psychology, not the persons.  Psychology is not what it appears to be. There is no mystical knowledge at all. Any ethical psychologist will warn that they can’t “fix”anyone. The person is responsible for their own mental well-being. On the other hand, efforts to change oneself is fruitless according to the Doctrine of Christ. He will do the changing for you! With God, all things are possible. With psychology, you must make it possible and change yourself. As scripture warns, curing yourself assigns you as the healer. God is the Healer; mankind is the sick! ⁶³⁷  

                Psychology is an offshoot of philosophy. The latter is based on observation and the former on scientific analysis. Both are studies of human thought and behavior. Psychology’s start is generally recognized as 1879. William James, a philosopher, is recognized as the father of psychology. Within a short time, Sigmund Freud entered the picture with the new field of psychoanalysis. ⁶³⁸   

                It is wise to examine the religious origins of those in new fields and ideologies. For James, his background was Swedenborgian, ⁶³⁹ which is that the old Church with its three persons be replaced with a new church which worshiped God in a single person. ⁶⁴⁰ For those not into theology, from a Christian perspective, that is heretical. Not only that, but Swedenborg’s clairvoyance had an influence on Carl Jung’s analytical psychology which is based on Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Taoism, and others. Analytical psychology is the venture of meeting the divine in the self. ⁶⁴¹ 

                Allow me to take a moment for explanation. Much of what is written herein relative to psychology is from memory. Although my training was from recognized textbooks, they are long gone. Wikipedia entries are merely summaries, essentially commentary, of these specialists and their field. Each is much more comprehensive than what Wikipedia or I present. I never practiced family counseling as a profession, but many times conducted family counseling as a friend. Because I am a nouthetic counselor, when I do, I would use very little of psychology; only the commonsensical ideas available without training in the field. I can no longer rattle off all the eclectic and opposing ideas of the theorists because I am apathetic to their ideas. All my counseling is scriptural based. Who better to consul than the Counselor Himself, ⁶⁴²  who “shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I (Jesus) have said unto you.” 

                Several years back I went to a revival meeting at an evangelical church. The guest speaker was identified as a psychologist. Afterward, the minister was to present a message. Before the service started, those in attendance were given instructions: those needing spiritual help were to gather at the right altar for help, and those seeking psychological help were to gather at the left side for counseling. I was astounded! This meeting was syncretism at its worst. I left but not before leaving about three handwritten pages of scripture in my pew. I never went back!

                We are to go to God in all things! ⁶⁴² That includes problems within the psyche – the soul! When a relative of mine was faced with a broken marriage, I suggested nouthetic or even Christian counseling. He responded, “this one is too hard for God.” Of course, God is Almighty. His marriage was broken, and men could not fix it. God could have! 

                A huge problem with psychology is that therapy is not based on Christianity or even morality. The troubled people establish their own values. The therapist only suggests that they not feel guilty for violating their own code of conduct; perhaps establishing a new code without guilt. In a class, which we referred to as “Porno 101” (Sex Therapy), those who were inhibited in their sexual encounters with their mate were to have a sex therapist free them from their inhibitions with actual coitus! I never ceased to be astounded. When I was asked to join group therapy, obviously because of my perceived Puritanism, my response was, “if it aint broke don’t fix it!” God is my Fixer and I counsel with Him continually.

                If each field of psychology was examined in light of Scripture, one would not find a good fit. Personally, I consider “Christian Psychology” as oxymoronic. All fields of psychology require the patients to "fix" themselves, oftentimes guided by psychologists who have neuroses themselves! What’s more, metrics for fixed don’t exist because there is no way of knowing if the problem is fixed. The patient self-determines whether the fix was effective or not. Time may show that it was not!

                Satan’s way is chaos. He throws in enough “good” and partial truth to confuse the person. Like most secular doctrines, many can help. Of course, “help” is abstract. They may begin to function better but real help is happiness and hope. Those are difficult to measure. Psychology is by definition not even secular as it’s the study of the soul. Theology is not required to be a psychotherapist. How can they know the soul unless they have studied God?

                Eastern religions have had a strong influence on psychology, particularly Carl Jung who seemed to have successfully made Vishnu scientific. The west has accepted many of the precepts of the oriental philosophies as healthy. Of course, Christian living is healthy but few would dare to equate righteousness with good health! Honoring parents is a command with a promise – to live a long life. ⁶⁴³ Practicing reverence is serene, and serenity is spiritually refreshing. Stress can and does kill. Mankind bargains for stress with the amount of rebellion in their hearts. When my own parents died, with each there was a kind of peace which came on me because I honored my parents. There was no need to rush home to make amends because there had never been discord.

                Because harmony is an attribute of eastern religions – balancing the forces in oneself and to be in balance with others, is an attractive thing. Harmony, however, is not just a Buddhist goal; it is a Christian responsibility. In the former, it’s the person who is the source of harmony, but in Christianity it is God! There are some parallels between the religions. “Cosmic consciousness” is something beyond simple self-consciousness and is attributed to God. It does sound very much like the Mind of God but is much different. God is so much more than Mind!  People can attempt to be at one with the universe but they miss the mark! One must be at peace with Jesus and comforted by the Holy Spirit. 

                Even many Christians blend in eastern religious practices, not really abandoning God, but taking another in His face which is contrary to the first commandment. It is done subtly. That is the way the serpent works. The thought is, as long as I am a Christian, this (activity) is just for fun, interest, health, or whatever. Revering God is serious business! It leads to an eternal life just as having reverence for one’s parents increases longevity on this earth. There is peace in revering God and parents, and should not be interrupted by practicing pagan rituals.

                Scripture commands that God’s people not do what the pagans do: “you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations” with which you associate. ⁶⁴⁴ What first comes to mind is yoga. When one is mellowing out balancing their non-existent forces, that pagan religious ritual stresses God! I’ve heard many say, “I don’t do it because of that; its just for fun!” Fun things which distress God is sinful. It’s taking God’s godhood in vain.

                Of course, there are many more sublime things which have been incorporated into psychology from the philosophies of the east which originated with Vishnu – the Supreme Being of eastern religions. The doctrines of Vishnu have been written down and are extremely meticulous. If one does all these things the doing leads to inner peace. Ironically, Brahmanism is complex but Christianity simple. Psychologists are too wise in their own eyes to accept the simple way to peace! Mediating on the navel or even nothingness has no efficacy for eternal life. Opening one’s mind to whatever comes in is a recipe for someone or some thing to control. Much of psychology, specifically through Jungian doctrine, has operationalized Brahmanism. No longer is Vishnu a god but a philosophy for healthy living. Christians don’t need Vishnu and don’t need much of analytical psychology! 

The New Age Movement:

                Carl Jung is revered by New Agers. As Jesus is the face of God, Jung is one of the several faces of the New Age. When a “religion” is thought of, usually there is a god associated with that faith. The New Age has the “unknown god” which Paul rebuked in Acts 17. Their God is any God but Yahweh. Thus, the New Age religion is unitarian-universalism in practice. Although the latter doctrine claims to be the most tolerant, intolerance of Christian peculiarism is their hallmark. The New Age has condemned the Doctrine of Christ as intolerant. 

                Christians indeed are “peculiar people” because of the Doctrine of Christ. ⁶⁴⁵ Jesus is the one who gave himself to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify us, to paraphrase what peculiar people are. No other religion has a god who sacrificed himself. Christianity does! He is called Jesus, and he and he alone is the Way to salvation. ⁶⁴⁶ 

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.                

                This one passage is why Christianity is hated so intensely! Of course, those in the New Age movement profess love. Christians are God’s “elect”, ⁶⁴⁷ and God will use His angels to gather us from “the four winds” to take us to Heaven. That is called rapture, and is the promise to God’s special people: ⁶⁴⁸ 

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

                Because Christians are special people others are jealous. All the other “tribes of the earth mourn”. Those are all the other religions. Christianity is anathema to the New Age movement. They see Christ as intolerant. Truly, Jesus – God – is the most tolerant of all! Because he admonishes others to forgive seventy-times seven times, ⁶⁴⁹ he sets the example by being willing to forgive until the end!

                I was told by one in the New Age movement that Christianity must die. I asked him why. He said, “Christ was too intolerant”. Using “was” in his response, was a clue that for him, Christ is dead and was only a bigoted man! 

                In a similar incident my psychology professor was asked by another student, “To what church do you belong?” He said, “I am a Unitarian-Universalist but was a member of the Church of Christ.” When queried why he switched, Dr. McFarland responded, “because the Church of Christ is too dogmatic”. 

                True, Christianity is dogmatic. It is only the Doctrine of Christ which leads to salvation. Dogmatism is orthodoxy – right doctrine! Why would anyone waste their time with wrong doctrine?

                Self-esteem is the essential doctrine of psychology. That’s not surprising since Christ-esteem is the Doctrine of Christ. I was tempted the write, the doctrine of the Church, but that would be wrong because the liberal Church has added to that: the doctrine of the self. For some reason, theologians accept the premise that people despise themselves even though most of their worship is of and for themselves!

                A friend of mine was narcissistic. Even a greeting such as how ya doin’ would summon fifteen minutes about her personal accomplishments. She would bore people and drive them away with her self-absorption. Much to my amazement, one after the other would say, “she must have low self-esteem.” On the contrary, she esteemed herself highly!

                Abraham Maslow developed the “need pyramid” the hierarchy of needs from the most basic to the more abstract: physiological, safety, loved/belongingness, esteemed, self-actualization, with an apex of a peak experience. ⁶⁵⁰ Most of what’s there is obviously true up to a point. That level is the need to be esteemed. God’s have that “need”. People are not gods! What’s worse than the need to be esteemed by others is the need for the person to esteem themselves. Of course, we all want respect from others, so there can be levity there, but to focus on oneself at a conscious and conspicuous level is prideful! In fact, the theme of God’s Doctrine is self-sacrifice to lift up Christ! ⁶⁵¹ 

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

                As with loving ourselves, God knows how much mankind esteems themselves! He calls man’s attention to others and are to give them the esteem. That attribute is called “meekness”. The meek are to be lowly in heart (desires) and find peace. ⁶⁵² Life is not all about us. However, if we live life to God’s standards, we receive the benefits. The next is one of the most pertinent passages in the New Testament: ⁶⁵³ 

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

                This Scripture should make it clear: esteem of ourselves is mankind’s problem, not the lack thereof! If mankind lifts up the Lord as Moses did in the wilderness, the Lord will lift man up from the snakes! When the poisonous snakes were killing the Israelites, when they quit elevating themselves to protector level, the Lord lifted them up as they looked up to the Lord. The born-again experience is when one humbles themselves and lifts up the Lord! Self-esteem dies right there in the dust along with the self-aggrandizing!

                Self-esteem is a psychological fruit put on the forbidden tree which naïve people consume. The Church has hung that fruit on the Tree of Life, and doubters, it is not to be there! Charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity are all fruits of the Spirit. Where is self-esteem? Obviously, it’s not there but modesty and self-control are! ⁶⁵⁴ Immediately preceding those fruits in Scripture are the “works of the flesh”. ⁶⁵⁵ The former attributes – virtues - are mostly others-centered while the latter disconnects are self-centered.

                Unfortunately, the what’s in it for me attitude is a detriment to the Church! Self-esteem is for you. The ritual is for you. Now even the music and the doctrine are for you. All you kill the Church. We all kill God because nearly everyone stands under the other tree! I keep thinking of the rock concert of antiquity which was featured earlier in this book; the big party back in the days of Noah. Even the Church on God’s Holy Mountain looked down on sin, and desired to have what the world had! That desire killed the world but it didn’t kill God! God will destroy the world before he lies down as if dead.

                Psychology, in general, is all about us: how to make us happy, how to placate us, how to esteem ourselves, how to have pleasure, how to cope, and what to think. Putting the focus on ourselves is our problem! Mankind’s priorities are all wrong! Listen to the Word: ⁶⁵⁶  

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

That means do God’s will and all “these things” will come about. What things? All your needs! Scripture flips the need pyramid upside down. Rather than having some psychological peak experience after you self-actualize, be spiritually enlightened, and those needs in the hierarchy will be met! God will lift you up! Who else do we need to esteem us other than God? Esteeming oneself is as futile as trying to kill the poisonous vipers when we are unable to do that!

The New Age is an outcome of ancient pagan religions and modern philosophy/psychology. The New Age Movement is the reincarnated old time false religions. It is the Age of Aquarius, thus of the same astrological background as those who babbled in Babel! The New Age is focused on the mind, body, and spirit but not from God’s image. The mind is the cosmic consciousness, the body is mankind not Jesus, and the spirit is fallen angels. Many people describe themselves when asked as, spiritual but not religious. That is New Age thinking! The New Age Thinking is summed up very clearly in Wikipedia: ⁶⁵⁷ 

As a form of Western esotericism, the New Age drew heavily upon a number of older esoteric traditions, in particular those that emerged from the occultist current that developed in the eighteenth century. Such prominent occult influences include the work of Emanuel Swedenborg and Franz Mesmer, as well as the ideas of Spiritualism, New Thought, and Theosophy. A number of mid-twentieth century influences, such as the UFO religions of the 1950s, the Counterculture of the 1960s, and the Human Potential Movement, also exerted a strong influence on the early development of the New Age.

Clearly, it is obvious that cultic thought, mysticism, Theosophy and the positive thinking crowd resuscitated the old pagan religion. Some of these had a hefty influence on the Third Reich’s German version of Christianity, and the mysticism and paganism of the Third Reich.

⁶²⁹ https://www.etymonline.com/word/psychology

⁶³⁰ Wikipedia; “psyche”.

⁶³¹ Holy Bible; Jer 29:11.

⁶³² ibid; James 1:12.

⁶³³ ibid; Gal 5:1.

⁶³⁴ ibid; Rom 6:23.

⁶³⁵ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/therapy-matters/201104/scientific-homophobia

⁶³⁶ Holy Bible; 2 Cor 5:17.

⁶³⁷ ibid; Isa 3:7.

⁶³⁸ https://www.verywellmind.com/a-brief-history-of-psychology-through-the-years-2795245

⁶³⁹ Wikipedia; “William James”.

⁶⁴⁰ ibid; “Swedenborgian”.

⁶⁴¹ ibid; “Carl Jung”.

⁶⁴² Holy Bible; John 14:26 (parenthesis the author’s).

⁶⁴³ ibid; Exod 20:12.

⁶⁴⁴ ibid; Deut 18:9.

⁶⁴⁵ ibid; Titus 2:14.

⁶⁴⁶ ibid; Acts 2:12.

⁶⁴⁷ ibid; Mat 24:31.

⁶⁴⁸ ibid; Mat 24:30-31.

⁶⁴⁹ ibid; Mat 18:22.

⁶⁵⁰ Wikipedia; “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”.

⁶⁵¹ Holy Bible; Phil 2:3-4.

⁶⁵² ibid; Mat 11:29.

⁶⁵³ ibid; James 4:7-10.

⁶⁵⁴ ibid (Latin Vulgate); Gal 5:22-23.

⁶⁵⁵ ibid; Gal 5:19-21.

⁶⁵⁶ ibid; Mat 6:33.

⁶⁵⁷ Wikipedia; “New Age”.

Killing God - Part 33 Enlightenment: The Age of Reason

Jews have always been hated just because they are Jews! Jerusalem – the foundation of peace – has never had peace. Unknown to many, righteous people are all chosen by God - Jew or Gentile. ⁶⁰⁵ Since the Jews were wrong about Jesus, were they really chosen people? The righteous were not wrong about him but those less enlightened were! Note that Abraham was in Heaven. That is because he trusted Jesus who provided the sacrfice so that he need not! ⁶⁰⁶ Abraham was enlightened because the Word spoke to him. We know his words from Scripture but what people miss, is that the Word who spoke to Abraham was the Voice of pre-incarnate Jesus. Abraham went to heaven because he trusted Jesus long before it was in vogue to do so!

Enlightenment is the born-again experience. ⁶⁰⁷ When it occurs to a person that he or she is powerless to save themselves but Jesus can, that is crowning in the spiritual womb. Suddenly, the reborn creature emerges from the darkness of the maternal cave, the mind emerges from the cloudy amniotic fluid, and suddenly is immersed in Light as the spiritual eyes take a peek at truth! The water and the blood are much more than the by-products of birth but the produce of the Savior! ^{608 609}

True enlightenment is realizing the truth. What is truth? That’s the question philosophers have always asked! God’s Word is truth. ⁶¹⁰ Recently a young woman challenged me by saying, “over the years the Bible has changed.” That infers, the Bible – God’s Word has changed. Of course, I advised her that the Bible has never changed but new versions have because language is fluent and inexact. The Bible was written primarily in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament). The latter is called the textus receptus – Latin for “the received text”. ⁶¹¹ In their wisdom the Romans accepted the Greek language as the received text. Greek was the common (koine) language at the time. How was the text received? By divine inspiration! ⁶¹² 

Failure to accept the textus receptus is a rejection of God’s claim. In fact, it is rejection of Jesus – God Himself - because he is the Word! (Note: I struggle with capitalizing personal pronouns referencing Jesus because technically since He is God they should be!)

Enlightenment, then, is discerning how the Word applies to the individual. Everyone desires eternal life providing it is blissful. Many forsake that because of pride. They must be right! If men are right about God’s non-existence, then He must not exist. How wrong they are thinking their thoughts control God’s Existence. That is prideful. Prideful people refuse to believe in Heaven or Hell because their existence cannot be proven. The concept of faith cannot be operationalized, so skeptics reject faith in God as efficacious for salvation.

Hell is an abstract concept that skeptics believe was created by man so as to avoid punishment. Salvation would not exist if it wasn’t for Hell because Hell is from what Christians are saved! If skeptics deny Hell, then there is no need for salvation. Since mankind enjoys pleasure, Heaven is more believable. However, with Hell there is no need for Heaven! That is where Christians go when they are saved from Hell. Denial that the unseen isn’t real does not make it less real!

People desire not to believe. Unbelief is the way they perceive they will escape Hell. Enlightenment is when one comes to realize that unbelief does not make Heaven or Hell less real. Thus, the enlightened person desires to belief that Hell is for real so Heaven must be as well. Ironically, people are born-again to be saved. Because they are their own perceived gods, the Great God must come to their aid. For instance, the Herrin god is powerless to save Larry. Therefore, I sacrifice my own god – me – for the One True God – Jehovah, called Jesus. Salvation is a contest between two gods; the real one and the fictional god we create in our heads. Failure to submit our weak gods to God is darkness. Prideful people prefer to remain in the dark instead of bowing to the Light who is God.

The Enlightenment -The Age of Reason:

                Humanists stole enlightenment from God! “The Enlightenment”, also known as “The Age of Reason” dominated Europe and the western world in the eighteenth century. That period was “The Century of Philosophy”. ⁶¹³ When and where was “reason” first introduced? In the midst of the Garden when Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The fruit thereof was to make one wise. ⁶¹⁴ Not by coincidence, philosophy is “the love knowledge; pursuit of wisdom” ⁶¹⁵ The Enlightenment was a change in where people stood. The Church was the source of wisdom up until that time in the western world. The scholars again, as Adam, stood under the forbidden tree rather than the Tree of Life. God, in His jealousy, was killed all over again! The movers and shakers dimmed God’s Light in favor of their own!

                The Age of Reason was when all mankind with the exception of a few, stood under the forbidden tree eating the fruit thereof. Endowed with wisdom, as their forebears were warned, they would surely die!  Mankind ate of wisdom, and didn’t die, so they began to believe more until now philosophy takes precedence over faith. To the world faith is foolishness because of their own self=perceived brilliance.

                Scripture urges mankind to seek wisdom, ⁶¹⁶ so what is the problem with wisdom? The wisdom from above – God is pure and beneficial. ⁶¹⁷ The Book of Proverbs is wisdom literature and is advice from the very finger of God. On the other hand, worldly wisdom is of a different flavor: ⁶¹⁸

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

                Mankind accepts the ideas of man over the truth of God. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church neglected truth for quite some time in many instances. Following suit, the Anglicans did as well:  Isaac Newton was a heretic ⁶¹⁹ in an age where heresy was threshed out by death.  Before him Galileo Galilei who both had theories on falling bodies. Although their theories proved true, the Church rejected their findings because of the novelty of the ideas, not that what they believed about physics was ungodly; ⁶²⁰ they merely discovered God’s Laws of Physics! On the other hand, in private, according to Snobelen in the source material, on the sly, Newton did have unnamed heretical ideas. Guess what? We all do!

                Again, orthodoxy is right doctrine . On the other hand, non-orthodoxy is wrong doctrine and is heretical.  In my twenties, I failed to correctly understand the nature of God – that he is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Because that concept is essential doctrine, even I was a heretic! Many Christians are heretical because of certain misconceptions. Because no one person has pure divine revelations because of spiritual limitations, we all are heretics with regard to some things.

                It’s important to realize that science, philosophy, anthropology, nor psychology is all bad. The problem lies in what’s wrong more than what is right. All those “ologies” place the knowledge of man supreme to the knowledge of God. Because they are seemingly correct in so many areas, most of their doctrine is accepted even when contradictory to divine truth. Seemingly enlightened men, rather than having cognitive dissonance, decided to serve another master. Many, such as Newton, were still faithful churchgoers but inside they were filled with doubt. Doubt kills the notion of God. Imagine the inner conflict as “enlightened” Christians sorted out the dualism in their minds! Modern man must do that even to a greater extent because academia has fallen for the lie of false enlightenment!

                There are many cases where Holy Scripture and sacred writings reveal scientific knowledge thousands of years before the enlightenment: (1) that the earth is spherical,  ⁶²²  (2) evaporation; (3) the hydrological cycle, ⁶²³, (4) world geography ⁶²⁴, and (5) astronomy. ⁶²⁵ Thus, intelligent men discovered what God created. The misappropriation of that is the problem; either seeking spiritually dangerous knowledge or denying God’s work. For instance, astrology is misuse of astronomy. Rather than the wisdom of God, in Babel, as people still do, they seek wisdom from the cosmos. ⁶²⁶

                Astrology is a combination of philosophy and astronomy (science). Because of that, astrology is a false religion because it seeks wisdom elsewhere from God. Rather than looking to God for answers to the questions of life, it looks to the unknown; that unknown god of whom Paul spoke. For those who demand super-enlightenment they turn to the stars. The space age is a continuation of the enlightenment. Mankind doesn’t look to the stars strictly for advice but to refute God by searching for extraterrestrial life. If it is found, what results? God did not create life; it evolved. The space age brought many benefits but its search for life has raised many doubts about God. The very idea that mankind is searching for life elsewhere, is a confession of doubt! It is heretical because all scripture is mankind, world, and heaven focused.

                The enlightenment caused people to question God. Evolution, coming from freedom from Church constraints, resulted from the enlightenment. Of course, in his time, Darwin never questioned the origins of the universe but the theory of evolution led to that. The Bible is the source not only from whence matter came but the void in which it was placed. ⁶²⁷ Science is still working on the source of the matter with no attempt to explain the void! The notion of evolved or created void is stupendous. How could anything even exist before void? What “substance” could lack of void be? My answer to that is Jehovah speaking His Word – Jesus - all alone in existence!

                With unlimited freedom even from the Church to explore man’s notions, the world and even the Church has become more heretical. Evolution has been nicely synthesized with the divine plan and the notion of a Creator effectually killed. The modern God of the Laodicean-type Church is a weakened demigod subservient to the unknown god of enlightened people! Few Christians are born-again. Few even know what that means! I believe in God is a small step for mankind but stopping short of a converted philosophy is a giant leap for Satan. That is half-way enlightened. The spiritual eyes are still dim-lit. One cannot be half-safe; it’s either safe or unsafe. Most people who have never been spiritually enlightened are not safe at all; their salvation is a fantasy no better than Newton, proclaiming faith but doubting God.

                It is heretical that rebirth is spiritual enlightenment but the world chose that to mock. The enlightenment put the world more in spiritual darkness! How can scientists even believe in God? How can they believe in creationism? Because science will never provide and answer but Scripture has! One reason I believe in a Creator is because the physical laws and the science of probability support God’s premise. That is enlightenment! Self-enlightened people kill the notion of a Savior God.

⁶⁰⁵ Holy Bible 1 Pet 2:9.

⁶⁰⁶ ibid; Gen 22:8.

⁶⁰⁷ ibid; John 3:21.

⁶⁰⁸ ibid; John 19:34.

⁶⁰⁹ ibid; 1 John 5:5-7.

⁶¹⁰ ibid; Psalm 119:160.

⁶¹¹ Wikipedia; “textus receptus”.

⁶¹² Holy Bible; 1 Tim 3:16. 

⁶¹³ Wikipedia; “Age of Enlightenment”.

⁶¹⁴ Holy Bible; Gen 3:6.

⁶¹⁵ https://www.etymonline.com/word/philosophy

⁶¹⁶ Holy Bible; James 1:5.

⁶¹⁷ ibid; James 3:17.

⁶¹⁸ ibid; Col 2:8.

⁶¹⁹ British Journal for the History of Science; “Isaac Newton, heretic: the strategies of a Nicodeite”; Snobelen, Stephen D.; Dec 1, 1999.

⁶²⁰ Wikipedia; “Galileo Gallilei”.

⁶²¹ Holy Bible; Isa 40:22.

⁶²² ibid; Job 36:27.

⁶²³ ibid; Isa 55:12

⁶²⁴ ibid; Isa 40:12

⁶²⁵ Secrets of Enoch (numerous chapters).

⁶²⁶ Holy Bible; Gen 11.

⁶²⁷ ibid; Gen 1.