Modern Religion of Today Who is your God?
By C. J. Dry
Have you ever wondered why we, mankind, follow traditions and customs that are passed down to us from our ancestors, generation after generation, without questioning them? Have you ever wondered why we do the things we do simply because our mothers and fathers did them, and their mothers and fathers did them before them, and so on, throughout time?
From the time we are born, we are brought into our families’ customs and traditions, which usually adhere to similar customs and traditions of our particular part of the world. Occasionally we venture into other areas of our great universe and experience cultures different from our own, which usually, while we find it quite interesting to experience, would not feel comfortable implementing these differences into our own thinking and way of life. We get comfortable with our personal and familial customs, and don’t often like to change them.
In religion, we tend to follow the same course of logical (or illogical) thinking. A Christian is born a Christian because his or her parents follow that way of thinking, as does a Jew or a Muslim. Very few of us grow up and study and figure out for ourselves what we truly believe. We tend to just stick with what we learned as children from our parents. But what if our parents were wrong?
I remember when I was a child, approximately twelve years old, finding out that Santa Claus was not real. I was devastated. I thought to myself, “If Santa Claus is not real, and the Easter Bunny is not real, then maybe God is not real either”. Do parents ever consider the psychological mind game they are playing with their poor unsuspecting children? Is this fair? What kind of signal does this instill in their poor developing psyches?
What if you found out that the customs and traditions that you adhere to actually go against your core beliefs and faith in God? If you discovered that the very things you believe in today were at one time in long ago history part of some ancient ritual that you find unappealing, and downright appalling, would you stop? Would you reject what you have always known and are accustomed to? Or would you rather continue to do and believe what you have always done and believed simply because it is “tradition”, regardless what your God of faith calls you to do.
What I am about to explain to you might make you quite uncomfortable. The words you are about to read, should you choose to continue reading, are real and proven fact. What you are going to learn will astound and perhaps even shock you, but, I feel, needs to be said.
Do you call yourself a Believer? Are you a Bible-believing, holy-rolling, God-fearing believer in the Christianity of today? Do you celebrate Christmas, Easter, and your birthday, and if so, why? What basis do you have to follow the traditions of the Christian faith of today? Do you believe you are doing and believing exactly as God and Jesus, would have you to believe, at least to the best of your ability? Let’s examine your beliefs, as far as mainstream Christianity goes. Whether you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, or any other faith, you will find these words fascinating and surprising to say the least. Please keep an open mind and have your Bible, Torah, and/or Qur’an handy for reference.
From long ago, God sent prophets unto the people with one clear message – worship the One GOD, and no other. From the beginning of time, man has listened to that message, and then abruptly, even after having seen many amazing miracles, turned back to their gods of wood and stone, and paganism and idol worship ran rampant across the lands, out of control, like a wildfire. The same story rings true for Moses and his people, Abraham and his people, and even Jesus and his followers. Satan was given dominion over the earth by God Himself, and mankind was given free will, until the Day of Judgment when all would be judged according to his/her deeds on earth. This belief holds true in the monotheistic religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Even in the time of the teachings of the Christ, false teachings were still among them, swallowing up the words of Jesus almost as quickly as he could teach them. The Pharisees of that day were a blue collar people who tried hard to follow the oral Law of Moses, but were at times closed minded in their interpretation of that law. The Sadducees were an elite group who implemented some pagan rituals into the written law. They, however, did not believe in an afterlife. The Scribes were teachers of the Mosaic Law. They also were in charge of handling issues concerning legal matters of the day according to the law. They were the most elite and the most respected. In fact, they wore special robes to stand from among the rest of the citizens of their time, and were referred to as Teacher, Rabbi (Hebrew), Rabb (Arabic), and Great One or Lord (English).
Jesus’ message was no different than the prophets of old, and he regularly quoted scriptures from his “Gospels”. To clear up any confusion, in the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was heard to have said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17.
Jesus was seen by the people as more intelligent and more highly revered regarding his knowledge of the law of Moses than was the normal scribes of his time. He taught as God had commanded from the beginning of time, to worship God alone; but he taught to obey the law with much Ehsan. (Ehsan is an Arabic word which means to go above and beyond what is expected of you in your duties, expect less than your right, do it with much grace and dignity, and to do it with a smile.)
Jesus went on to say in Matthew 5:18-20: “For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus did not come to teach whatever he wanted to say for his own benefit, as was the custom of the scribes and Pharisees for political or some personal gain, but rather continued teaching as the prophets of old had done, which was his purpose for being sent by God, to teach the same message as Moses taught to his people, Noah to his people, and Abraham to his people; there is no god worthy of worship except GOD. Worship Him only. Unfortunately the message fell on deaf ears. The Pharisees practiced their religion to be seen of men, being proud and boastful, with hypocrisy, and not from their heart. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-6: And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your closet and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” And in John 12:43: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” He then continued on to teach them the way to pray to God.
The people were warned by Jesus regarding false prophets in Matthew 7, referring to them as “ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothes”. The Pharisees at that time were like such wolves, in that they appeared outwardly to be men of God, righteous in word and deed, but inwardly were disobedient, not adhering to the laws that were handed down centuries ago. The Sadducees were a sect of Judaism that had become tainted by pagan rituals and beliefs, and they too appeared to be saintly but were in no wise adhering to the laws handed down by God through prophets of old.
Nowhere in Jesus’ teachings do we see him thwarting or trying to sidestep the original teachings sent by God. He came, as he said in John 13:49, “I come not of my own power but by him who sent me”. One other proof that Jesus came to fulfill the law was in John 7, when the Jews were speaking and judging him, some saying he is a good man, while others said he deceives the people. Verse 13- “Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.” Jesus went up and taught, saying, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory: but he that seeks his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keep the law? Why go you about to kill me?” Jesus strongly rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in Mark Chapter 7, when even though they seemed to be following the law, their heart was not with God. And he did not come with a new doctrine, but was teaching the one already in place, since Adam.
Whether we are Christian, Jew, or Muslim, God commands us to worship Him and only Him. We are taught time and time again to “not have any other gods, and to not make any graven images”, yet time and time again, that is exactly what people have done, even after having experienced miracles and signs from God Himself.
Now at the time of Jesus’ teachings, some of the Jews were still practicing vile pagan rituals that had been passed down from generation to generation since the time of early man. Can you believe, still today those very same abominable pagan rituals are being practiced in the name of God. Let’s have a look.
Whether we read from the Torah, the Gospels, or the Qur’an, the story of Noah and the great flood is the same. The people grew impatient, fell away from worshipping the One God, and began carving idols of wood and stone and worshipped them. Can mankind not see how ridiculous it is to worship the created rather than the Creator?
Noah had three sons – Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham, according to the Old Testament, looked upon the nakedness of his father and shamed both himself and Noah. Because of this, Noah cursed Canaan . Ham had sons – Canaan , Cush and others. Cush had a son name Nimrod. (Gen 10:8)
Nimrod was referred by God as “a mighty hunter in his kingdom”; his kingdom – Babel , now Iraq near Baghdad . Legends and ancient writings tell of the tyrannical rule of Nimrod over his people in the Babylonian Empire. He is said to be responsible for the building of the Tower of Babel , meant to reach the heavens. The book of Genesis does not say that God destroyed the temple, but stopped them by confusing their language. In Islam, the story is told further by Al-Tabari in History of the Prophets and Kings in the 19th century, that Allah destroyed the tower and confounded the people with numerous different languages, making it difficult to continue on their atrocity.
According to the Jewish Midrash, Nimrod was a very wicked man. Abraham was very close to God and despised Nimrod’s pagan and idol worship. When Abraham verbally fought Nimrod regarding idols, he was thrown into a fiery furnace by Nimrod, who asked him who would save him. Haran , brother of Abraham, was witness to the incident. Abraham walked out of the fire unharmed, but Nimrod then through Haran into the fire, where he perished. (Genesis 12:28)
When the name of Nimrod is mentioned, it conjures up reflections of pagan rituals and worship of false gods, other than the One True God. Nimrod was known in ancient times as the “Father of all Babylonian gods”. Nimrod’s purpose was to rebel against God and turn people from worshipping Him. While he worshipped God in his younger years, Nimrod grew obstinate, and wished for his people to see him as god and ruled them as such. Some tales say that when he was tried by the courts as being rebellious against God, he was cut into tiny pieces and spread across the land. After that, legends formed, creating Nimrod as a god, with names such as Baal, Tammuz, and Kronos. How does Nimrod play a role in religion today? Let’s take a look at the effects of Nimrod’s rebellion against the One True God.
Saturnalia was a winter solstice ritual in ancient paganism, in remembrance of the fire god, Saturn, the god of sowing (harvest); also know as Baal, also know as Kronos, also know as Nimrod. This holiday was celebrated in December 17-24. Its ritualistic practices included decorations of lights and colors on the houses and trees, holly, merriment, singing, and giving of gifts to children and the poor. What had originally only been a celebration of one day a year became so popular that it was celebrated for several days. Sacrifices were also made to this god, sometimes in the form of children. Its followers were so dedicated to its worship, that even their own beloved children were not spared, but rather looked upon as the perfect sacrifice.
Jeremiah 8: 31-32: And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire: which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter; for they shall burn in Tophet, till there be no place. Jeremiah 19: 5: They have built also the high places of Ba’al, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Ba’al, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind. Jeremiah 32:35: And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
This valley was infamous for the worship of the god Moloch (Molech) by the Druids, a priestly clan in Celtic Societies. In its worship rituals, children were slaughtered as a sacrifice, and a drum, called toph, was used to drown out the screams of these innocent children. The Druid priests were in charge of carrying out these sacrifices, eating of the offerings made to the gods worshipped there; hence, cannibalism was practiced. Druids also used mistletoe for healing powers for many conditions, including infertility. This is how kissing under the mistletoe came to be.
Sol Invictus, “The undefeated sun”, or Deus Sol Invictus, “The undefeated sun god”, was a birthday celebration festival held by the Romans on December 25th. The Roman god Mithras also shared this birthday, and was allowed to share in this same festive day, along with other sun gods of the time. December 25th also marked the day of the Winter Solstice.
On December 25, 274 AD, the festival of Natalis Solis Invicti, birth of the unconquered sun, was Christianized as the date to celebrate “Son of Light”. Constantine I, Emperor of Rome, named Sunday a day of rest. While pagans celebrated the birth of the sun god, Mithras/Saturn/Kronos, Christians competed with the celebration of the birth of Christ, in order to hide their unpopular practices, thus leading to a watered down version of the gospel.
Figure 1 Coin of Constantine I with Sol Ivictus, circa 315
Figure 2 Third Century Mosaic on the Vatican grottoes under St. Peter's Basilica,
representing Jesus as the Heleos/Sol Ivictus, the sun god, riding in his chariot.
Many emperors up to and including Constantine bore the Sol Ivictus on their money.
The celebration of Christmas bears no coincidental resemblance to the days of sun worship. *According to Bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi,
Syriac scholar
of the twelfth century,
"It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December
the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In
these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when
the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this
festival, they took counsel and resolve that the true Nativity should be
solemnised on that day."
(cited in "Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries", Ramsay
MacMullen. Yale:1997, p155). *
*(Wikipedia)
In Christiandom, the birth of Jesus is celebrated on December 25th. But was Jesus really born in the cold of winter on December 25th? See the story of the nativity scene in Luke. Luke 2:8: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Shepherds of the time would send their flocks out from March to October for grazing, not in the dead of winter; therefore, Jesus would have to have been born in the summer or early fall, not December.
God warned about the heathen practices of the people of the day. Jeremiah 10:2-5: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must nees be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.This verse apparently came after Nimrod died, as he was referred to in literature as a dead stump, but was resurrected as a new evergreen in the form of the god, Tammuz. This life-death-resurrection diety is a common theme in paganism of the day.
Does this kind of holiday sound familiar with its decorations of lights and holly, decorated trees, singing in the streets, and gift giving?
Let’s now have a look at a one of the West’s most popular celebrations – Easter.
Before Christianity, Easter began as a spring festival in honor of the goddess of spring, Eostere. She is also know as the goddess of fertility, and oftentimes went by the name Astarti, or Ashtoreth, and Cybele. She was the counterpart to Baal. Ashtart means “woman that made towers.” Many of these gods and goddesses were called by different names but were the same gods.
Remember that Baal is also known as Tammuz, and they came about because of Nimrod, who attempted to build the tower up to the heavens, in defiance of God. Ashtoreth became Ishtar, goddess of love and fertility. The worship of these gods included sacrifice of animals, dancing, homosexuality, prostitution and ritualistic meals. Judges 2: 11-13 – And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
Cybele was a goddess of fertility; also known as Mother of the Gods. She was a ruler over wild beasts, and was also known as goddess of bees. Most of her worshippers were men who often castrated themselves, then wore women’s clothes, assuming the female role. The festivals included the celebration of the virgin-birth of her son, Attis, a god of vegetation, known as a god of life, death and rebirth. Attis later became a lover to his mother Cybele, as was often the case in god worship.
These celebrations took place in March, and the Roman calendar was set to celebrate the burial of Attis on March 22, followed by a day of mourning on the 24th, then celebration of his rebirth/resurrection on March 25th.
Cattus, a Roman poet, born 84 B.C.E., wrote a poem (Catalli Carmina LXIII) regarding the life, death and resurrection of Attis, which gives some clarity to the legends surrounding the cult of Attis and his mother/lover, Cybele.
Ishtar (Eostre) was the wife/mother of Saturn, the sun god, also known as Kronos. In keeping with the celebrations of new life and fertility, hares were often a theme of the festivities, as were decorations of colored eggs. These Easter eggs were died and hidden in the grass for the children. It was believed that all life comes from an egg, keeping with the tradition and celebration of Eostre, the spring goddess, and goddess of fertility. Christians mixed their practices with paganism in order to blend in and not be spotted so readily.
In 325 A.D. Easter was formally called by the Nicene Counsel to be celebrated on the same day as the Christians celebrating the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, on Sunday. Sunday, as mentioned earlier, was the day chosen to worship the sun god, Saturn, also known as Kronos. A sunrise service was commemorated in his name every Sunday and especially during the festivals in Spring, March-April. So, the next time you sit in a sunrise service on Easter morning, remember these things. Did God call you to these actions, services and beliefs?
For as many times as God sent prophets and Messengers for mankind to worship Him only, having given them signs and wonders through these prophets, mankind and his lack of faith, continues till this very day to worship false gods.
2 Corinthians 11: 3-4: But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corruted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him.
Matthew 24: 23-24: Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mark 7: 7-9: Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do. And he said unto them, Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.
We know that the tradition of men was idol worship, but what was the commandment of God? The message has been clear from generation to generation, from prophet to prophet, and God doesn’t change. His message has been sounded out loud and clear – Worship God alone, and have no other gods.
Deuteronomy 6:14: You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you: For the Lord your God is a jealous God among you, lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and destroy you from off the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 6: 17: You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statues, which he has commanded you.
Deuteronomy 8: 11: Beware that you forget not the Lord your God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command you this day. See Deuteronomy 12-16, as these are laws and commandments set forth by God regarding idol worship. And remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17-20: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 7:21-23: Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have cast out devils? And in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
The message is the same message throughout all time - from Adam, Noah, Moses, and David in the Torah, to Jesus in the Injeel (Gospels), and then to the final prophet Muhammad in the Qur’an - worship the One True God, and worship no others.
Qur’an 112: Say: He is Allah, (Arabic- the God), The One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.
Qur’an 5: 69: Those who believe (in the Qur’an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians – any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness – on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
Qur’an 5: 72-77: They do blaspheme who say: “Allah is Christ the son of Mary.” Bus said Christ: “O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord”. Whoever joins other gods with Allah- Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrongdoers be no one to help. They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. Why turn they not to Allah and seek His forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah does make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth! Say: “Will you worship, besides Allah, something which has no power either to harm or benefit you? But Allah – He it is that hears and knows all things.” Say: “O people of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by – who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the even Way.
When you celebrate these holidays that your parents taught you and their parents taught them, celebrate them knowing you are utterly going against the commandments of God and the teachings of all the Prophets he sent to each generation of people. When you sit in your Sunday sunrise service next April for your Easter celebration, can you participate in what clearly is a pagan celebration, remembering that what you are practicing was hated by God? Can you allow the practice of hiding colored Easter eggs for your children to hunt, knowing that along with these rituals, children were slaughtered in the name of false gods?
When you celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th, can you do so, knowing that it is false, that it follows the customs of idol worship in practice well before the time of Jesus. When you decorate your Christmas tree, will you remember clearly that God commands you not to do that as the pagans did? Can you sit there knowing the true meaning of what it represents, in which, absolutely not one of the great Prophets condoned, but strongly condemned, as being the true message of God. Can you serve God and practice pagan rituals, even with the best of intentions? How will God look on those actions on the Judgment Day? You know the truth. How will you act upon that knowledge?
References:
http://pointsoftruth.com
http://wikipedia.com
http://religionresearchinstitute.org
To contact C. J. Dry, email
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