Satan’s Fables (The arguments I have heard) 2 TIME UPDATED

Satan’s Fables

(The arguments I have heard before)

1. Christianity is evil. Think about the DARK AGES where people with free thought were killed, because they would not conform to Church doctrine! Think of Galileo and those other rational people!

It was truly the dark ages, but it was not because of Christianity. The true gospel holds to no hierarchy of man or to mans own merit for salvation. In fact, it was not the Dark Ages because people were not allowed to go against God’s Word, but quite the opposite. The Bible was very much suppressed by the Catholic Church and kept from the common people. It was a terrible age because God’s Word did not have free reign in the hearts of minds of the people. Roman Catholicism at its best is a man made religious monopoly. People who sought to know the truth of God’s Word were told that it could only be interpreted rightly by a priest. If somehow they got passed that system and questioned the pope’s teachings in comparison to God’s Word, then they were considered disloyal to the “true” Church. The Catholics thrived on misusing bits of the Bible to ensnare the service of the masses and to gain power politically and monetarily. Simply one had to remain loyally ignorant and a blind follower or they were labeled as a heretic. Someone who dared to go against Christ’s supposed teaching that Peter’s lineage would lord over the Church, suffered greatly. Many devout Catholics were nothing more than “New Age” Pharisees. Indeed, it was dark times but it was because the true gospel had been dimmed by man’s wicked tyranny in the name of “righteousness.”*

Now let us skip ahead over 700 years later, this same biblical suppression and tyranny is taking place today. It is bolstered by many hardened atheists who make the “common man” appear as a dumbfounded religious simpleton. The main proponents for Atheism work in the same fashion as the Catholic Church did. I find it sad, but also quite amusing how in the majority of their arguments against God they will relay the evils of the Catholic Church and its follies throughout history, yet in their disdain over Catholicism, they themselves have made the same totalitarian system. Darwin is their exalted Pope. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Ted Atkins are their priests. The mandatory, evolutionary, and politically correct curriculum fed by the government is their Catechisms. Do not question Darwin’s idea, for you will be censured and labeled disloyal to mother reason. Do not think about believing in a Creator God, you will be plastered as a religious nut and lumped in with “what is really wrong with this world.” You will be burned at the stake by hateful speeches and hanged by angry scowls. You will be considered the lower intellect, because you have not conformed to the system of “higher” learning. Man’s oppression is not what the majority of atheists hate…. it is God’s exaltation that they despise.

*May no readers think that I am so bitter over Catholicism that I do not appreciate the kind acts of some Catholics who in sincerity have sacrificed their time and efforts for charity and have sought to share the love of Christ. However, no biblical system governed by man (pope, priests) in some chain of command will ever stand firm against the wickedness of the world and the heart. Jesus is all we need. Peter was proof that he was no perfect “papal” leader as some have surmised (Galatians 2:11-21). Peter was a preacher of the gospel who daily grew in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.

2. Jesus said not to Judge. If you were a real Christian, you would stop talking about what people can and cannot do, keep your belief to yourself, and love everybody!*

I find it interesting that the people who know the Bible the least seek to use it the most in justifying their sin. They snarl at any person’s attempt to stand up for Christ and label them a Pharisee. If you are concerned with the morals of society, you must keep it to yourself. You are not being “Christian,” when you try to speak out against wicked deeds. However, this is such a wrong view because true Christianity stands in the gap of wickedness. It shines the Light of the gospel and suppresses darkness. Notice what Paul says concerning dealing with a spiritual leader who is in blatant sin, “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.”

First, we have the principle of worthy testimony. We must make certain that what is said about someone else is true through able witnesses. We pass bad judgment, when instead of doing our homework in private with honesty, we propagate rumors and condemnations with one simple allegation to bank on. Second, we have the principle of discipline. Paul says that once it is established that a spiritual leader is in terrible sin, he must be rebuked openly before all. 1Timothy 5:20, “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”  The public sin merits open rebuke.  (I believe these principles concern all Christians in some degree. The new Christians are to be encouraged to strive for purity and helped along, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” Romans 15:1. The mature Christians should face a measure of admonishment, when they live in terrible sin.) Third, we have the principle of impartiality. 1Timothy 5:21, “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.” No one should be treated any more or less, because of their financial status or color. It is their sin that must be dealt with not their social status.

With that passage examined, we do well to understand that the scriptures do not dismiss the area of admonishment within the Christian spectrum. You might be thinking, but what about what Jesus said? Let us examine this a little more. Jesus states in Luke 6:35, “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39  And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?”

Notice that Jesus was showing a divine principle that as much as we point the finger at someone else, we must indefinitely take the same sharp judgment we so easily wield on others and prick it into our own hearts. For the Pharisees, they felt that they were exemplifying divine qualities by demanding outer obedience to God’s rules, while rejoicing in their own self righteous deeds. Their judgment dealt more with outer rituals than inner righteousness. Jesus revealed that a heart full of mercy and love is foremost in pleasing God. However, may we never think that God’s “love” is exercised simply by overlooking sin and sidestepping holiness. No. True Love rooted in God heightens holiness. It never discourages obedience in righteousness.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Jesus did not say, “Pull out the beam and just don’t care about the mote.” We have full reason to be concerned and somewhat saddened over the sin of another, but such conviction of purity must be carried through with a humble heart of understanding and self examination. I find that the moment I diminish someone’s spiritual character through gossip, God’s Spirit will remind me of what I was without God’s grace. I then yield to the knowledge of God’s grace and am impassioned to convey mercy and forgiveness once again.

The grand truth of biblical judgment can, I believe, be found in John 8:1-11, “Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.  And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Jesus showed the Pharisees that they themselves were under condemnation. No one was without sin. These vicious, prideful men sought to exalt their zeal for uprightness, but Christ stripped them of their self righteousness by revealing that all needed the grace of God. The problem in “judging” her was not because they spoke out against her sin, but it was because they were going to cast a punishment on her that they themselves should have experienced. They were high in pride and not humble in love. It is the person that condemns someone out of self pride that is doing wrong. Notice that Jesus did not simply tell the girl, “Go and enjoy life.” No, He said in love, “Go and sin no more.” What! Oh no, wasn’t that judging her??? Good, sound judgment is when the Christian knows he owes all to God’s grace for he is nothing without Christ, yet he seeks to reprove, admonish, and edify others when needed. All this is done with a heart of love and humility. It is not the Christian that says nothing and overlooks the sin of one who exercises love and Christ-likeness, but it is the believer that stoops down in tears and lovingly says, “Listen, one time I was in bondage and a slave to sin, but Christ redeemed me from a sinful life and He can do it for you. I care about you and I want to see you grow in the Lord!”

*When a person reverberates Christ’s words on not judging, they are missing one final point. There is going to be judgment no matter what. True, it will not come by a pomp person passing judgment on earth, but by the Holy God of all. Yes, the religious “hypocrites” will be condemned by their own anxious pin pointing, but so will everyone, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).” Unfortunately, people love to use a minimal part of Jesus’ teachings as a license for their sin, when Christ ultimately came into the world to destroy the works of the devil and to free us from a life of sin.

3. There are so many religions out there and they are very different from each other, so what’s the point of it all anyway? It just shows that all of the religions are just environmentally made and molded into people’s minds at a young age. That’s the only reason why anyone believes.

This notion is like a boy walking by a mine and instead of taking up tools to seek gold or diamonds he thinks to himself, “There are too many rocks. It’s all the same. There’s nothing here that matters.” He then walks away smugly, thinking he has saved himself much trouble, when all the while, there is a large diamond waiting to be found. Many simply do not want to learn, they do not want to know, but excuse themselves out of taking time to find the Truth. Are all religions the same? Christianity is not just some other religion, but it is a unique belief of a divine relationship. It offers hope through God’s GRACE. No other belief system in the world is like this. Muhammad sought to explain away truths of Christianity that didn't seem right to him. Joseph Smith tried to produce reasons within the supposed gaps of man's revelation regarding God's timeless plan. Christianity simply says, “Here is Truth and it is Jesus!” No explaining away, no changing another system of belief and saying, no, no they only got it half right. No, Christianity simply says, “Here is Christ!” Here is Hope! Here is the promised Messiah!

Notice what W.H. Griffith Thomas Pointed out in his book, Christianity is Christ -

 Christianity is the only religion in the world which rests on the Person of its Founder. A man can be a faithful Mohammedan without in the least concerning himself with the person of Mohammed. So also a man can be a true and faithful Buddhist without knowing anything whatever about Buddha. It is quite different with Christianity. Christianity is so inextricably bound up with Christ that our view of the Person of Christ involves and determines our view of Christianity.

The relation of Jesus Christ to Christianity differs entirely from that of all other founders towards the religions of philosophies which bear their names Platonism, for example, may be defined as a method of philosophic thought from Plato; Mohammedanism as the belief in the revelation vouchsafed to Mohammed; Buddhism as the following of principles enunciated by Buddha. But Christianity is in essence adherence to the Person of Jesus Christ (quoted from the Virgin Birth by W.C. Allen).

It has also been pointed out that Christianity alone of the great religions of the world calls itself by the name of its Founder, and that while we call other religions by the names of their founders, the adherents of these religions do not call themselves by these names. This fact is full of very deep meaning. Does it not inevitably suggest that the connection between Christianity and Christ is so close as to be inseparable? Christianity is nothing less and can be nothing more than relationship to Christ.