False Religion, True Religion series Jesus was big on truth. What did he mean by truth? He spelled it out in a couple of verses, but I wanted to know more about what he meant by “worshiping in Spirit and in truth.” It took a lot of study back into the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father... Read more
False Religion, True Religion series Vladimir Putin has been raining down destruction and death on the country of Ukraine, demolishing entire major cities because he wants to own it. He quoted the Bible: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends,” from John 15:13 Perhaps Putin was talking about the sacrifices the Ukrainian people are making for their friends. The conqueror often wraps himself in the flag of greater ideals to make his... Read more
Whether it’s something humorous you want to say from the pulpit, a joke you want to tell to your friends, or a stand-up comedy act, it can get you in trouble. As our culture changes, sensitivities change. Humor can always be taken the wrong way. Is this why the words “Jesus smiled,” and “God smiled” are not in the Bible? I write humor, among other things. I love to exaggerate the differences between men and women, but that’s not very... Read more
False Religion, True Religion series I remember at age 6 watching my first horror movie, standing up and pointing at the screen and telling the character not to go in there. What’s as fun and as frightening as a horror story we all want to watch, shaking in our chairs while we eat popcorn? Answer: End times prophecy. Wringing our hands, shivering, and crying, “We’re all going to die!” According to some we’re all going to be trotted off to... Read more
False Religion, True Religion series How could a Christian minister, who simply wanted to get his family away from the perceived corruption of the world, become a terrorist willing to blow up the world? Unfortunately this true story told by an insider and spiritual leader, Kerry Noble, is all too common in our world today from Islamic terrorists to Christian terrorists. Image by Dorian Scott Cole This other aspect of the power of money to drive hate is not at... Read more
False Religion, True Religion series One of the spoilers of religion is that people often find what they want to find and ignore the rest. Religion tends to be culturally and politically situated so that it is interpreted by those views. It is influenced by your work, peers, family, locale, groups, mission, etc. For example in Haiti, Vodou is accepted by many Christians as an acceptable part of their culture. This article (blog post) and the next are about two... Read more
False Religion, True Religion series The wretchedness of the hypocrites and complacent Jesus talked a lot about the poster children of false religion, the Sadducees and Pharisees, which was addressed in a previous topic. He also told the wealthy that their wealth would stand in their way. But many of us are neither rich nor poor, we’re just comfortable. John, the writer of Revelations, talked about the comfortable in the church in Laodicea. Revelation 3: 14-17: “I know your deeds,... Read more
False Religion, True Religion series We speak with a lot of coded messages today. They’re sometimes called dog whistles that stir up people without actually spelling out their ideology. Similarly in political speeches, politicians often address one crowd while their message is meant for an entirely different group such as other nations. We also use puns and double entendres. Is the word sin a code word for love? No. Then why is he word sin used so often when we’re... Read more
False religion and true religion series The Sadducees and Pharisees were much like us today. Surprised? This is the nature of institutionalized religion – it becomes dedicated to its own survival and traditions. I’m not against institutionalized religion, but like all things left on the vine too long it gets corrupted from inside and outside. The Sadducees’ focus was on wealth The Sadducee Sect of Judaism were the religious leaders of the Temple and had a major hand in government... Read more
The false religion of money Our economy is driven by consumption – that is consuming goods and buying more. Companies are willing to make no profit on printers and medical clinical analyzers because selling ink and diagnostic tests is where the money is – selling consumables. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”... Read more
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