Recently a very good friend of mine has taken issue with some of my spiritual wranglings about my religious ideas and positions on some things. And at first I was somewhat taken aback by her angry outburst in my direction - it was not merely, "I fervently don't agree!", but an angry, all out assault against who and what I am - and a demand to change that - Yesterday! lol More or less. It was how it sounded to me anyway, and unfortunately this isn't the first time. We do come from opposite ends of the intellectual pole!
In further retrospect, however, I realized that she probably responded that way because obviously she felt that is what I had done! This is an unfortunate, though frequent, occurrence in the expressing of ideas, especially in the realm of the written. First of all we, as humans, tend to personalize things too much, and if we can not see the expression in the person's eyes, which tends to convey the attitude of their hearts - then words can be easily misconstrued. And secondly, sometimes there will be one point made in an article which will hit a nerve, or a wound deep within us, and suddenly it renders us incapable of getting past that point to even see where the person may have actually been going - or the point which they were actually making! We do not have to even be aware that there is a wound to have this happen.
Whereas I was perceived, by my friend, if I am reading her writing correctly, as having attacked the whole of the Roman Catholic Church and of having accused everyone from that discipline of individual antisemitism! When actually my intention was to merely point out, (or quite honestly to come to terms with myself) the apparent facts that the origins of the "Christian" Church at large are antisemitic! Origins,which - unfortunately - historically are undeniably rootedin the Roman Catholic tradition - thanks to Constantine and his state religion. And, whether we all like it or not, he and his followers did extract or "borrow" the bulk of those traditions from pagan idolatrous practices - forming an entity which did come strongly against the Hebrews, particularly their way of worshiping and living. Those do seem to be the facts, sadly enough for all of us!
In fact, in the research I have done so far, it is sadly evident that most of the "Church Fathers", meaning all those who have been responsible for the directions which that institution called "Church" have taken, and the traditions it has adopted as a moral compass, inmost of the denominational disciplines, Catholic and Protestant alike, have struggled with the obvious departure of theirown traditions from the Scriptures which they were claiming and intending to follow!
But let me define what I am meaning by antisemitic - I am referring to anything that is anti-Jewish, especially that which comes against the Jewish G-d and His Torah. That is, anything that works to separate the Jew from his identity, which is wrapped up in his G-d and His Holy Book - which they identify as Torah or Tanakh (from a Hebrew acrostic taken from the words Torah - Law, Netuvim - Prophets, andKituvim - Writings) The parts of our Bible which constitute the "Old Testament" or "Old Covenant", and which the majority of the "Christian" Church has cast aside as "Law", and now claims that we are "above"! Honestly, shamefully, there are few religious affiliations that are not guilty of this crime in some aspect or another! And it is merely stubborn "selective understanding" at best and downright ignorance at worst to insist otherwise according to the majority of research done so far.
To my horror I discovered an unfortunate "Replacement Theology", which was developed early on in Church History to explain and justify the resulting antisemitic behavior, and most of that has continued to trickle down into the "Protestant" movement as well! "Replacement Theology", which is widely taught, simply means that those who believe in Christ now "take the place of Israel" as G-d's chosen people, having become "spiritual Israel", by faith in her Messiah, so that Israel and her traditions are defunct and even despicable! I had heard it, I just never believed it, and still can't believe that anyone does! It is an incredulous thought that G-d would allow the Ones who brought us the Torah and the Messiah to be mugged for it and cast aside! The idea was for us to be joined to them, not to become eternally opposed to them! And remember I am talking all religious persuasions here! At its most ugly extreme it becomes Klan or Nazi propaganda and at its most insidious it is referred to as "Christian Liberty" - but on both ends it is a blatant denial of what G-d has commanded for His people "as a statute forever"!
I do believe that it is true, that if we believe the Words of G-d by faith, and conduct ourselves according to His recommendations because of that belief, as Abraham did, we can become a memberof that household of faith, and are counted among His chosen! But, logically, that would add to them, not replace them!
As I said however, it was one of the justifications of throwing out the feasts and regulations which G-d had instituted in favor of those more pleasing to men. It was the "politically correct" move of that day, as it incorporated everyone's "god" into the mix! No one had to choose now. And in a sense it did bring "peace", to everyone - except the Jews, that is. To them it has brought warfare. And to us it has brought confusion, and a warfare of a different nature, since I have come to believe this is why the "Christian" world can not find unity! They are looking for it in all the wrong places!
As I pointed out to my friend - probably in too much haste, because as I said I was stung by the anger of her response - I ended up, in my research, poisoning everything I had come to believe myself! She thinks she's upset! I have upset my own applecart, and my family's applecart! But is truth worth some bother? I think so! So much so, that in reality I am sort of starting an overhaul of my belief structures, out of sheer necessity! I mean, since I have been trying to follow a path that was based on Truth, which for me is defined by being Biblically, or Scripturally, correct - and then to find out that someone - whom I was intently following - had taken a very sharp left turn away from those Scriptures and that others - whom they had been following - had taken a very sharp right turn off that path - so that what I have been led to believe must look like some extreme bizarre zig-zag if we could see a physical pattern! It is very unsettling! So now, I am trying to do the hard work of finding the place from whence the path deviated from Truth, and to get myself back on it, which has led back to a Jewish learning curve.
Not that even those guys seem to have it all figured out! Oy vey! There is even a joke among themselves that if you have three Rabbis you will have 5 opinions! But the point is that whether they are following it or not, they still maintain the possession of the beginning premise! They possess the starting point of faith in Messiah, in Torah! They have both the map and the compass that I need to get where I want to go! How can we be so prideful as to think that there is any "moral compass" apart from the instruction of a Holy G-d!? I do not think that the Jewish people are interpreting it all to their best interests either, but it is still the map, and they are still in possession of it! The religious trappings that other religions have drawn up to replace the map, may have a few of the principle places and clues to where we will need to go, but most of them have eliminated the keys to interpreting what those places meant, or why we should go!
Of course there are those of all faiths, and as my friend pointed out, the Catholics being some of the most magnanimous - on an individual basis - who have gotten it right! Who have befriended and embraced the Jews and have attempted to avert or to relieve their suffering, and have even suffered on their behalf! No doubt! All through history there have been those who caught site of the heavenly vision. I have always believed and said that G-d's "remnant" of faithful believers in Him, those who are dedicated to Him, who really know Him and have a bead on what He is really after, are found scattered among all the disciplines called "The Faith".
Religion, on any level, however, is mostly dead, man-manufactured rules and regulations for the purpose of controlling the masses. Yet in everyone of them is a smattering of sincere folk who are just trying to find G-d in all that junk and follow Him! The Jewish folk of course have their own issues with that, along with everyone else - the Roman Catholic Church and all her children, even those who have fallen so far away from her that she can not even recognize them anymore, yet history indicates that most were her spawn!
Listen folks, I am not saying that I have it all figured out here! I wish! I am only getting glimmers and slivers of truth, that have come at a maddeningly slow pace, in my opinion! But what I am seeing is that all religious endeavors, being primarily man-made, are infested with sin - and I am sorry, but Catholicism is no exception to this rule. It has even crept into the Jewish faith because, time and again, they get their eyes on their own importance and ability and forget their G-d! The ONE who is the cause of their very existence. Don't we all?
So what is the answer to this dilemma? It is to return to the G-d of the Torah ! That is called Repentance, in Hebrew the word is Teshuvah! But it is not only a turning away from sin - as it is most commonly taught - but a turning back toward the Torah! What?! So we can embrace it as all the other religions do, as a bunch of empty religious laws? NO! To hell with religion! That is where it came from, that is where it is going, and if you insist on going along with it that is where it will take you! Even Yeshua Himself rebuked that mess at every opportunity!
But to reverence Torah as a map that will help us follow the path of righteousness which we have chosen by faith? YES! That is what we should do! It is clear to me that we will never really find the path without it, since Messiah was said to be the "Torah/Word made flesh", and He is also called "the Way, the Truth and the Life", without whom no one may enter the paths of righteousness! The catch is, of course, that in and of itself, even Torah isn't enough! That is why even the Jews seem to be floundering at this point in history! You see, in order to operate The Torah properly, to avoid turning it into just another dead religion, we must have the input of its author! Which means that we need a personal relationship with the living G-d, that comes, by His own decree, through belief in His own appointed, anointed, Prophetically proclaimed Messiah! Whom those of the "Christian" faith - from Catholic to Messianic - believe to be Yeshua of Nazareth!
However, in getting that message across, all the religions have done their part of both carrying it and burying it! Still, the Spirit of the Lord has worked tirelessly across the ages, and still works to keep some of His followers alive to what is going on, and to keep the Way open for any who would come! We are blessed to live in this "dispensation" or "age" of "Church" history where the grace of repentance is still available to "anyone who will come".
I therefore urge each of us to get hold of that grace for ourselves and then extend it to all others, especially those who can't or won't agree with us. Time is short, we who call ourselves the "Church", "The Called Out Ones", The Ecclesia", or the "Body of Messiah" must eventually find unity, but if we are to do that, it seems reasonable that we must all use the same map! In that spirit, this is an attempt to bring a peaceful understanding, it is an attempt to shed light in a very dark corner. If in attempting that I have clumsily offended anyone else, or further wounded the one I was trying to appease, I beg your forgiveness ahead of time.
I am only searching for truth - I have enough opinions already! But for those who are steadfastly resisting the Way of Messiah because others have done it poorly, let those without error among you cast the first stone! Read your history books people, unity will never come through the passivity of the enlightened, as long as the unenlightened have weapons! Man will never be able to cure his own ills, he needs his G-d. I am truly sorry for the offense that this statement will cause to some, but, from all I know, that's the way it is. So if you simply can not agree with where I am going on my spiritual journey toward Truth, then simply "un-friend" me. There will be no hard feelings on my part. Or, I guess, there is always the option of making yourself so obnoxious on my page that I am forced to "un-friend" you in order to have peace, and then you can feel like the bigger and better person in this relationship, whatever works for you all, I am easy to get along with! lol
Shalom!
SCD 1/13/12
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