The False Teachings Of Christian Dominionists

Dear Christian:


You're blessed. You're holy. You're extra special to God. He wants you to have everything. Nothing makes God happier than to see Christians surrounded by material things. All the angels in heaven rejoice when Christians build massive churches - and it's even better if they incorporate.

We Christians are destined to take everything that is now in the possession of the non-Christians. It's our God given right. It's not greed! It's not materialism! It's not selfishness! Just  read the Old Testament, this is how it's supposed to work. God ordained it! Christians are destined not just to rule the US, but to rule the entire earth. 

God said we should take all of the wealth and not allow people who don't believe what we believe to have it. Remember, if they have wealth than they will also have power. Think about that. If we allow non-Christians to have wealth and power then we're the ones who are sinning against God. As Christians it's our duty to take charge of the government, the schools, the media, the arts, the family, businesses and religion too. These are the seven pillars that God has placed us in charge of. Here me now, we are destined, yes destined, to control everything. It's our heritage!

Sincerely...
Your friendly neighborhood Christian Dominionist

What is Christian Dominionism?

"The Christian dominionists — a term loosely used to describe a sect of Christians who want to take over "seven mountains" of culture including (1) government and the military, (2) business and finance, (3) religion, (4) family, (5) education and science, (6) arts and entertainment and (7) media — can be entertaining and not taken very seriously by casual observers.  These "apostles and prophets" of the New Apostolic Reformation, who are surrounded by godly communication portals called "glory clouds,"say that they have "anointed" future presidents and have really cool super powers that allow them to raise the dead, defy gravity and get rid of demonic spirits like insanity.

As special friends of God in a divine endgame, they predict that they will take over the world by 2032, aided by mighty angels whose wings are made of "razor sharp razors" instead of feathers — angels that have vowed to help Christians defeat the Nephilim, the scary and demonic spirits of giants that once roamed the earth and who now disguise themselves as powerful men cloaked in suits and ties and employed in high places in the media and government.  The worldwide evangelical association, the Lausanne Movement, announced in the summer of 2011 its 10-year plan to accomplish seven mountains-like objectives.   In their quest to transform all nations on earth into Christly kingdoms ready to receive Jesus Christ as ultimate ruler, some dominionists are forming a Christian Intelligence Service (sort of a godly counterpart to the CIA) that will report un-Christian activity. 

They will rule like kings, says C. Peter Wagner, founder of the New Apostolic Reformation.  "Dominion has to do with control.  Dominion has to do with rulership.  Dominion has to do with authority and subduing and it relates to society [...] dominion means being the head and not the tail.  Dominion means ruling as kings," Wagner proclaimed to his followers in August 2011 — the same month that leaders of the Christian dominionist movement gathered in prayer with Texas Governor Rick Perry at "The Response" prayer rally in Houston." 

source the God Discussion

Watch:





Watch: Ted Cruz's father preaches about 'the end times transfer of wealth.' He claims that Christians are 'anointed kings' and are therefore entitled to take the wealth from the rest of the world. Also, in this grand illusion, bankers are blessed, especially the corrupt ones who rob the poor and the needy in the name of Jesus.



OK, now we have to talk. I know this all sounds appealing. Let's face it, it's much more appealing than humility, sacrifice and being called to give up everything to follow Christ. It is massively more appealing than having to lay down our lives for Jesus, or being persecuted, tortured and killed for His sake. 

It may be appealing, but it is not Christianity. 

“I know that’s why God got Rafael’s son elected – Ted Cruz, the next Senator. But here’s the exciting thing – and that’s why I know it’s timely for him to teach this, and bring this anointing. The rabbinical teaching is, especially amongst gentiles, who God opens their eyes, that in a few weeks begins that year 2012, and that this will begin what we call the “End Time Transfer of Wealth.

And that when these gentiles begin to receive this blessing, they will never go back financially through the valley again. They will grown and grow and grow. It’s said this way – that God is looking at the church, and everyone in it, and deciding, in the next 3 and 1/2 years, who will be his bankers. And the ones that say, “Here am I, Lord, you can trust me”, we will become so blessed that we will usher in the coming of the Messiah. This message if for you. Would you welcome our good friend Rafael Cruz? What a tremendous man of God.”

Not one word of this is from the Bible. There is no Biblical prophecy about Christians growing in wealth or ruling the world. In fact, the Bible says the EXACT OPPOSITE of what these people are teaching. Christians have to GOT to stop being suckered in by this false teaching. More so, you have to stop voting for and sending your money to, the people who are promoting this twisted and distorted version of Christianity.

Can you really be a Christian and build an entire religion around Genesis 1:28, while ignoring everything that Jesus Himself said? I don't see how.

Either you believe Jesus or you believe some whacked out interpretation of Genesis 1:28 (in which man is given dominion over the animals, not other men).

"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth"

In context, this verse was written before the fall of mankind, before the commandments and way before Christ. Why use this verse as the foundation of a supposedly Christian religion, then? 

I can tell you why. Because Christianity is hard. 

Read John 6:60:

"But hearing it, many of his disciples said 'This is a hard saying. Who can accept it?

The fact of the matter is that being a Christian is not supposed to be an easy thing. 

It's also not supposed to be about seeking to dominate other other people. Jesus said:

"He who humbles himself will be exalted and he who exalts himself will be humbled."

What about that says 'Go out and take over the world' to you? 

Philippians 2:3 makes it very clear:


"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

Christians are supposed to be servants, not masters. Nowhere in the New Testament does Jesus, or any apostle call on us to lord ourselves over anyone. The very root of the word 'Dominionism' is to 'dominate'. That is exactly what Jesus told us not to do. 

Mark 10:45

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 Luke 22:26 and 27

But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

What Christian Dominionists promote is the false idea that Christians are better than other people and are therefore entitled to take from them, in contradiction to what Christ said and did. I say this because Jesus served sinners (everyone on earth) and He laid down His life for them. 

And then there's the part about how Christians are destined to rule the world and be blessed with earthly things. Certainly that is what some people WANT to have happen, but it's not what the New Testament says is going to happen.

You have not been granted dominion over all the other people of the earth. What have you been granted then?

Phillipians 1:29:

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

The fact is there are a lot of people who can't accept that Christians are called to give up everything and follow Jesus. They can't accept that they are called to serve, to sacrifice, to suffer or even to lay down their lives. To sum it up, they can't accept Jesus or his teachings.

Those people want to believe that they understand Christianity but they don't. They've chosen to reinterpret every Christian principle, because they can't understand or accept a religion that requires services, sacrifice and selflessness. Sure they want to be Christians, but not if it means obeying the commandments of Christ. Not if it means they're called to humbly serve people they think of as 'below themselves. Not if it means that they're called to sacrifice worldly possessions or luxuries or comforts or their false sense of security. Instead they angrily demand that others make sacrifices for their sake. 

They want to be Christians, but not if they're called to suffer for Christ's sake. Instead of obedience, they've come up with an entire list of justifications to explain why that part of what Jesus said is not applicable to them. Sadly, unlike any true martyr of Christianity, when they're called to lay down their lives for Christ, they'll go for their assault weapons instead.

They might reject everything that Christ said, but in order to still be able to convince themselves and others that they're really Christians, they had to come up with own religion, which is Dominionism. They attached the word Christian to it to make it seem like it has something to do with Jesus. It doesn't.

It wouldn't be so bad if this false doctrine hadn't invaded so much of mainstream Christianity. It wouldn't be so bad if so many people who don't even realize that they're Dominionists weren't following right along with this idea, cuz gee, who wouldn't want that kind of Christianity, right? 

Forget all that stuff about serving and suffering and giving up everything to follow Christ. Give me all the money and feed me this 'rule the world version' any day of the week. If only it were real. If only we could keep all of our fleshly desires and our sinful lusts, our greed, our egos, our superiority complexes, our idolatry and bigotry and violent nature and still claim Jesus as Lord.

But if Jesus is Lord then we emulate Him, not Michele Bachmann or Ted Cruz or Rick Perry. We get our Christianity from the New Testament, not Genesis 1:28.

If you believe that Christians are going to take over the world, then you don't believe the Gospels or the apostles or the book of Revelation. 

Jesus said that many will say to Him, 'Lord, Lord' and He will say "Depart from me, I knew you not."

If you are one of those Christians who thinks we need a Christian government, then shouldn't you be somewhat concerned about whose version of Christianity you're even talking about? Just because someone says they are a Christian, that does not mean they believe as you believe. That does not mean they understand the Bible as you understand it. When they talk about 'God' it doesn't mean they're talking about God as you know Him. 

I believe that Dominionism is a very dangerous cult. I do not want their want their version of Christianity shoved down my throat or the throats of my children and grandchildren. I believe 100 percent in the separation of church and state because I do not want or need to get my spiritual teachings from politicians or the government. I find especially frightening that the very same people who claim to hate the government most, are completely supportive of giving the government control of their spiritual lives. 

You have to learn to watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing.

Demented, Sickening And Purely Evil; A Rant About Right Wing Attacks On An American POW

I cannot express enough how disturbed I am by the way this country is treating our own returning prisoner of war. Have we lost all sense of right and wrong America? Are we so far gone that we can't imagine what the hell this kid has gone through in the past five years?

I don't know why I should be shocked or surprised at anything we do anymore. All I know is that I spend a good deal of time reading and writing about the news, current events, politics and policy, and very, very few things still bring tears to my eyes, but reading some of the callous, heartless, shameless comments that are the American response to Bowe Bergdahl's release from captivity - this is for the assholes in the world that can still make me weep with despair for what we have become as a nation.

We had a choice, we could save an American soldier or we could continue to spit on our own Constitution by holding men who have been pronounced guilty of crimes that still remain unnamed, men that have been locked away for more than a decade, without a trial or the right to present a defense against their accusers. I am so sick of us pretending we care about things like the Constitution or the Bible, for that matter. Why keep up the pretenses? We don't practice what we preach. We don't do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We don't behave with decency, not to the foreigner at our gates nor to OUR OWN.

I am SICK of hearing Christians claim that they are better than the Taliban. The American TEAliban makes my stomach turn and my heartache. The Gitmo prisoners will return home as heroes. They will be welcomed with open arms. Our own son, who has been tortured and imprisoned, will come home to the hate and the bigotry and the condemnation that has come to represent this country. I can't even put into words how much I despise what is happening to America. I can't even begin to describe the anger and the anguish I feel for this kid and his family.

How do you sleep at night? What kind of sick fantasies and twisted delusions of yourselves as decent human beings make it so that you feel OK getting up in the morning and looking at yourselves in a mirror? I can't imagine how you spin your vile existence to yourself, in order to justify the evil thing that you have become.

And as for you, fellow soldiers of Bowe Bergdahl, this is how you treat a comrade in arms? Go ahead and get your two minutes of fame on Fox News. All I can say is that you're damn lucky the same didn't happen to you. It takes a lot of gull to sit on TV and speculate about things you don't really know.

WE LEAVE NO-ONE BEHIND. That is the code of the US military. I guess you've forgotten it. Or maybe you just need to believe certain things, to alleviate your own feelings of guilt about having left a fellow soldier behind? I could almost understand that, if you had kept it to yourself, instead of going on TV to broadcast a lot of baseless speculation, which does nothing but serve to dishonor a brother in arms. I'm having a hard time forgiving you for that. I'm sure there were things you did while overseas that you'd prefer not to have broadcast all over the country prior to your homecoming, had you been taken captive instead. Do those things define you? Should they be used as an excuse for the country that sent you over there in the first place, to just abandon you, as if you were less than a human being?

Every day I struggle to believe that there is still good left in this country, in spite of the teabaggers, in spite of the hate rhetoric and the shameless, disgusting behaviors of some of the humans that we've chosen to represent us as nation. Do these people really represent half of our population? If so then we're on a fast path to Hell and nothing we tell ourselves about why the things we do are 'justified' is going to stop that.

Could there be any clearer sign of hearts that are 'altogether hardened'? People with empathy or remorse or shame or sympathy for others; in other words full blown sociopaths, are rising to positions of power all around us.

 If this isn't who we are and isn't who we want to be as a country, WHY do we allow this kind of discourse into the national conversation? Think about it, this is what some people call a media? This is what they now think of as a News organization? It's a shameful display of all of the ugliness that mankind can and does possess. We exalt it and put it on a pedestal for the whole world to see.

I am not often at a loss for words. I am often disgusted, revolted and ashamed by the actions of some of our politicians and media representatives, but I can generally put the level of disgust I feel into some kind of organized rant. But this is just too much. HOW DARE THEY treat a United States prisoner of war with such hate? HOW DARE THEY spew this kind of hate toward a family who has not seen their son in five years?

I am outraged, appalled, shocked, sickened, horrified, disgusted, repulsed, saddened, ashamed, and a whole lot of other things, all at the same time. But I take hope in knowing that I am not alone in those feelings. Have they finally gone too far, for even some of the most brainwashed of their fan base

Don't you feel better than the Taliban now? Don't you feel more righteous?

How dare they convict this kid without a trial?! How dare they accuse, judge, shame, blame... I just pray that we are better than this. I pray that we as a country rise up and demand this stop right now. Do we have a line? Don't you think we should draw it HERE?

The Corporate Church: Confusing Dogma With Devotion And Capitalism With Chrisitanity

There are a lot of confused 'Christians' out there. I'm talking about the ones who believe in the prosperity doctrine and the ones who are following the false teachings of the Christian Dominionism movement, many of them without even knowing it.

The sect of Christians who think that Michele Bachmann and Ted Cruz and Rick Perry are 'good Godly type folk' is mainly comprised of older people, uneducated people and people who just really want to believe in ideas like 'American exceptionalism' and "Christian Dominionism' because these philosophies feed the ego and soothe the conscience. Both the prosperity doctrine and the doctrine of Christian Dominionism are false, if you compare the teachings to what the Bible actually says.

Let's start with the prosperity doctrine. The basic idea here is that God rewards those who are 'good' with good things and He punishes those who are bad, by making bad things happen to them. It's a philosophy that says the poor are poor because God doesn't like them. It teaches that the sick are sick because God is punishing them. If you are robbed, raped, hit by a car or some other bad thing happens to you, well you must have done something to deserve it. 

Strictly from a psychological perspective, belief in the prosperity doctrine provides people with a sense that they are in control of what happens to them. If they're good, if they go to church, send their money to the preachers, say their prayers every night and don't behave like those evil sinners, God will provide them with all the earthly comforts that the world has to offer. Nothing bad will happen to them. They'll be healed of all their diseases. Money will fall from the clouds.

What the prosperity doctrine teaches is a doctrine of works. I am not going to go into all the ways that the teaching of legalism and the teaching of works is contrary to what the New Testament says, because I wrote about that here. Beyond the fact that the prosperity doctrine teaches people that they can earn stuff from God by being good and doing good works, the teaching is based on several other false ideas. 

Let's just start with the concept that anyone is good. For some this is going to hurt. 

Mathew 18:

18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

No-one is good. Only God is good. All of the rest of us are not good. Notice that Jesus didn't put people into categories of goodness, he put every person on earth into the same class, NOT GOOD.

He went on, saying:

20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”

21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

But, but... he kept all the commandments. He followed all the rituals. He did everything he was supposed to do. Or did he?

The conversation illustrates the difference between ritualistic service and strict obedience to the law, and love for God. It shows that a person can adhere to the commandments of God, without ever making Him Lord. It also shows that the accumulation of wealth and material things is not a sign of salvation. It's a sign that other things in your life are ruling your life.

The next few verses are interesting as well. All their lives the Jews had been taught to believe that by keeping the commandments, they would be able to enter the kingdom of God. So they were, not surprisingly, shocked to hear this.

26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

That seems very clear to me, with man it is impossible. Jesus was saying that men cannot save themselves. They cannot earn there way into heaven.

Now let's consider the commandments that the rich man said he obeyed. He didn't commit adultery. He didn't kill. He didn't steal. He didn't lie. He honored his father and mother. But the first commandment, to love God with all your heart, wasn't mentioned. Nor was "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.'

Instead of coming out and saying "You haven't kept all of the commandments" Jesus simply chose to expose this person sins. He was not willing to give up all of his material possessions to follow God. Wealth and material possessions had been set up in his heart and mind as idols.

At this point the disciples are completely confused. They gave up everything to follow Jesus.

28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

So this seems like a conundrum, because Jesus is saying that those who follow Him will receive 'many times as much' as they've given up, in this life and in the next. It seems like a conundrum, but it's really not. The difference is in the heart. There is a difference between those who follow God for the sake of following God and those who follow God hoping to enrich themselves. 

Mathew 6:19 - 21 clarifies this even more:

"19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

If I am praying to ask God for material things, is God really what I'm seeking? No. The same thing goes if I am praying to ask God to heal me or to bless me or to fix some problem in my life or whatever else I am seeking when I pray, that isn't God. The prosperity doctrine teaches people that they can use God to gain what they really want, which is generally stuff. That's not how it works.

It's a two-fold problem, either I am at the center of my prayers or what I want is at the center of my prayers, or both things are at the center of my prayers. But neither of those things is God, who should be at the center of my prayers.

The accumulation of stuff is actually one of the most obvious displays of a lack of faith that there is. I've heard some right wing Christians try to justify their need to hoard wealth by quoting the parable of the talents. That parable has nothing to do with money. Not too long ago I had started into an explanation of this with right wing Christian, but when trying to talk to people about spiritual things, you can pretty quickly tell who is seeking truth and who is seeking justification for themselves. Like Jesus said, 'he who has ears will hear.'

Some people are not open to discussing their interpretations of the scripture, mainly because they're not interested in finding spiritual truth, but rather are interested in finding something that they can use to justify what they're doing to themselves. Again, the difference is in the heart. Are you seeking God or are you seeking something else? If you're seeking God then you aren't afraid of discussion or consideration of His word, because you might learn something and grow from it. If you're seeking other things from God's word, there's no doubt you'll find them, even if you have to take them completely out of context and twist their meaning until it fits your purposes.

When it comes to the prosperity doctrine, there are a few more points that I want to make about why it doesn't stand up to Biblical scrutiny.

Reading the Beatitudes, one gets a sense that the majority of humans have no understanding of what it means to be blessed.


Mathew 5:


Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him,2and He began to teach them, saying:3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There is a huge difference between spiritual blessings (the kind that last) and material blessings (the kind you can store in the bank). Unfortunately many people are under the impression that those who have material wealth are spiritually blessed and those who don't, are not. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

If the Bible is true then the Lord chastises the ones He loves. Those who sail through life without want or care are the most spiritually crippled. If you don't believe this is true, then you don't pay a lot of attention to people like Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan, who are clearly consumed with their own works. You can hear the false pride and self righteousness really clearly, every time they speak. 

Just let me give one example, "I built that" was the entire theme of the 2012 republican convention. The whole thing was just so Nebuchadnezzar...

Daniel 4:29 - 30As the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”

After he said that he was driven into the wilderness and made to live like a beast because of his ego. So yes, it seems very odd to me that the 'God party' would take words straight out of the book and use them in the exact way that Nebuchadnezzar used them, which resulted in the wrath of God coming down on his head.


Those who are surrounded by material wealth usually lack empathy and compassion, not to mention humility. These are the people whose hearts have become 'altogether hardened.' (This is the worst thing that could happen to a person, from a spiritual perspective.)

On the other side, there are those who struggle endlessly, the poor, the sick, the oppressed, those who have been tried by fire, whose spirits have been molded by God.

If the prosperity doctrine is true and God rewards the good with material wealth, why would God have commanded the people to care for the poor over and over again? Why would Jesus have told the rich man to sell all he owned and give the money to the poor? If that was the case, then Jesus was advocating for taking from the good and blessed people, and giving to the bad and 'not blessed' people, which would also be contradictory to what the prosperity doctrine teaches. 

Either way, the teaching does not stand up to Biblical scrutiny. It's time for the Christian community to wake up and realize that the organized churches in the United States are all corporations. They are multibillion dollar enterprises. There are a lot of people getting paid a lot of money to distort the teachings of the Bible. Please note that all of them are storing up their treasures on earth, that should give you a clue as to where there hearts are.

I'll address the lie of Christian Dominionism more thoroughly in my next post, but for now, keep in mind that the prosperity doctrine is the foundation of that belief system. 

A little water on the sand and the whole house crumbles...

If your pastor lives here... photo credit counterlight

What The New Testament Really Says About Enforcing Religious Laws

KEETSA.com

I am just fed up with the false teachings of the Christian right. 
This week I am going to focus on exposing the lies of right wing Christians, starting with what the Bible says about forcing others to follow the law. 

What does it say? 
Don't do it. 
              

Galatians 2:

 11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even  Barnabas was led astray.

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line  with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

 There is a very large segment of our 

Campus Book Rentals

population that would love to impose

strict laws on the country. They claim that

it's God's will, but in fact it is the exact

opposite of what the Bible says to do. 

First of all, this passage explains that 

Christians are not going to get to heaven by following the law. 

Anyone who is actually familiar with the teachings of the scripture should know that the law brought sin (there was no sin before the law because the law was not given) and then it brought death ("for the wage of sin is death"). The law was intended to condemn, not save. All men are equally convicted of sin under the law. (" Whoever has kept the whole law, and yet stumbled in one point is guilty of ALL" and "There is not one who is righteous, NO NOT ONE".)   

Not even the patriarch Abraham was righteous in his own accord. Righteousness had to be credited him, because righteousness isn't something any person is in possession of - and that means you, right wing Christian. (Self-righteousness, which is just false pride, isn't righteousness, by the way.)                

the autism site

I am not just saying this because I am fed up with the false teachings and the lies and the dogma that is being sold to the masses. 

I am saying this because Jesus said "Woe to you Pharisees and teachers of the law." 

"Woe to you" do you get that? 

In case you don't know what that word means, I googled it for you:

I'm saying that spiritually you are in big trouble if you think that you are going to be saved by works. I am also saying that if you are of the group that wants to enforce the law on others, you are also in really big trouble spiritually. You've missed the entire point of the New Testament. Salvation does not come from the law, it comes from Christ. If you're teaching or following the preachers of the law, then you're on the wrong path. 

the rainforest site

Read Galatians 3:

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 

4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law. 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

There are a couple of things I hope Christians will take away from this. First, the Apostle Paul was disgusted by people who tried to force the law on others. Second, if you are trying to earn your way to heaven then you are still under the curse of the law That's a problem. Third, by teaching others that they have to follow the law, you're placing them under a curse, as well as yourself. Fourth, if you are trying to force others to follow the law because you think that's what God wants, you need to turn off the right wing propaganda and tune into your New Testament.

I just want you to stop misleading people. I also want you to stop embarrassing me by giving all Christians a bad name. I just want you to stop teaching false doctrine. I want you to stop repeating what you hear on the radio or from your corporate sponsored mega-preachers. I want you to stop claiming that we need to be a Christian nation with Christian laws, because according to the book,  if you are a Christian, the only law you are bound by is the law of LOVE and you're not doing a good job of following that law at all.

"Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

Your job is not to make sure that everyone else on the planet is living according to the law. Your job is not to place heavy burdens on others, binding them to the law, which you yourself are unable to keep (if you claim that you are able to live according to the law of Moses, then you need more help than I can give here). Your job is to LOVE everyone. That's it. 

I know that right wing Christians try to get out of that New Testament commandment by claiming that you aren't supposed to love 'sin.' Again, you're focused on the law of Moses, so my question is are you a Christian or are you really a Jew? If you are a Jew, that's ok, so were all of the patriarchs. Still, maybe I should remind you that, according to Old Testament scripture, there are a lot of animal sacrifices you should be performing, along with burnt offerings, ritual prayers and observances etc... If you are a Christian, then you are not a servant of sin or a servant of the law, but a servant of Christ, who said:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?"

And don't even bother trying to tell me that loving someone means that you have to run around convicting them of their sins all day long. That's not love, according to the Biblical definition of love, which says that love keeps no record of wrongs (read more on that here). 

Mostly I am tired of you rewriting the Bible and reinterpreting the scripture to support you in your quest to lord yourself over others (also something Jesus told you not to do.) Have you forgotten that the Jews also wanted Jesus to take control of the government? And what did Jesus do? He went away and hid from them.

"Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

Doesn't it seem like Jesus would have set up a Christian government while He was on earth, if a Christian government is what He wanted? Why wouldn't Jesus want to pass a bunch of religious laws and then punish people for breaking them? Um, because that had already been done remember? (*see Old Testament) Which is why Jesus had to come in the first place. Jesus did not come into the world to be a lawmaker or a law/enforcer. It's hard to imagine how someone can claim to be a Christian and still be ignorant of something that is so very basic to Christianity. He wanted nothing to do with the idea of a religious government that would go around enforcing religious laws on people. 

So stop trying to control everyone. Let go and let God. He's perfectly able. And contrary to what you think, Jesus can save whomever he wants to save, so you should start eating with sinners now, that way you'll be prepared by the time you get to heaven. It's not those who think they're righteous that God takes pity on. Remember Jesus said that with the measure you have met, so it shall it measured onto you. So if you're going to go around demanding that everyone else keep the law, why should you expect that God is going to forgive you for being a sinner?

Mathew 18:23-35

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 

31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed."

Someday I am going to count the number of times in the New Testament that Jesus asked someone "How could you not understand this?"

Stop trying to take over the government. Stop trying to force the law and your religious dogma on other people. Stop listening to false teachers who keep telling you that it's your job to judge and condemn others. PLEASE stop believing that Christians are going to take over the world, because that's not what the scripture says at all.

More on that tomorrow.