Since the dawn of time, mankind has chosen to disregard his creator and follow a path of wilfull disobedience. Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of Eden because they violated the Lord's direct command. "Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?", Gen 3:11b. The great flood was brought upon mankind early in his existence because of disobedience. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.", Gen 6:5-6.
The Holy Bible continues to be the best selling book each and every year, but its clear instructions are disregarded as mankind chooses his own thoughts and ways. It is not surprising that the unbelievers, agnostics and atheists have no respect for the word of God, but quite astonishing when those who claim to be "Christian" embrace beliefs or practice customs and traditions that are in direct oppostion to the teachings of the very Bible they revere. It is not, however, surprising to God. Jer 17:9 reveals, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" The Psalmist says, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity", Psa 94:11.
We have all grown up in a ready-made world. Before we were old enough to distinguish between right and wrong or good and bad, our thought processes were already conditioned by our parents, peers, teachers and ministers. Most people simply follow the staus quo; the time honored beliefs, customs and traditions of the culture in which they live. Few ever think for themselves or question the authority figures in their lives. I grew up the same way. I was taught, from a very early age, to conform to the values, traditions and customs of family and society at large. I was introduced to the celebrations my individual family had embraced for generations, as well as the religious beliefs they held dear. Through the years, as I became a woman and started my own family, I raised my daughter in the same manner. Our family fit in nicely with other family members, our neighborhood, our community, our chosen religious affiliation, and so on. We were no different from anyone else, until the day I discovered what the Bible really said! Of course, it didn't really happen in a single day. It began one momentous day, with one revelation, and has continued for twenty-five years. As God has dealt with me through the years, he has patiently revealed his word to me here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept, Isa 28:9-10. I no longer blindly follow the "establishment". I read and study the word of God to discover what the Bible says and not what I've been told it says. I encourage others to do the same and dare to stand up for truth, no matter how unpopular it may be. I encourage others to question their practices and beliefs and expose them to the light of God's word. The following are only a small sampling of direct biblical teachings that fly in the face of accepted practices, teachings and beliefs.
God's word declares in Ex 20:4-5a, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them...". How does one reconcile this commandment with the statues, images and portraits of Jesus, the virgin Mary, so-called saints and angels housed in many of the churches and cathedrals throughout the world? This is a direct command written on a tablet of stone by the very Creator himself. It is plainly written and quite easy to understand. Yet, millions of people bow down and worship before these statues on a regular basis as part of their religious experience.
Ex 20:8,10 instructs,"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God." How is it that the majority of modern Christianity has disregarded this commandment and has exchanged the sabbath day with the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week and long-understood pagan celebration of the Sun-God? Many will cite the accepted explanation that we worship on Sunday now because it is the day of our Lord's resurrection. Did God give us authority to change the very day that he sanctified and made holy on creation week? No, but He did reveal that the keeping of the sabbath day is a sign between himself and his children.
Many religious leaders accept the title of "Father", even "Holy Father". Matt 23:8-9, "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." Also, there are some that have no problem being revered, worshipped or exalted. In contrast, Paul and Barnabas protested greatly when the people of Iconium attempted to worship and sacrifice before them as gods, Acts 14:11-15. Paul responded, "Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God...".
In the same vein, many religious leaders take unto themselves the role of intercessor between God and man, receiving the confessions of their followers, taking unto themselves the role of Christ. I Tim 2:5 tells us, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
Regarding the issue of priests abstaining from marriage, I Tim 4:1-3a, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron, Forbidding to marry."
There are those who pray to angels or saints. They believe that these intecede before God on their behalf. Matt 6:9 tells us "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." Concerning angels, Col 2:18 says, "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind." As for saints, who are thought to reside in heaven interceding for the living, Jesus himself said, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven." King David, a man after God's own heart,has not yet ascended into the heavens, Acts 2:34. Hebrews 11, which catalogues all the great men and women of old, ends with these words, "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise (eternal life): God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
As for repetitious prayers, Matt 6:7 instructs, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." As a young child, the denomination I was being raised in encouraged me to pray the Lord's prayer 10 times in a row as I knelt before the alter facing a statue of my Lord. I was also taught to worship the virgin Mary in the same manner, repeating a prayer to her multiple times.
Regarding public, showy prayers, Matt 6:6a teaches, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret..."
Some teach that man has an immortal soul which shall never die. Ezek 18:4,20 both tell us, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." I Tim 6:16 reveals that God alone possesses immortality. I Cor 15:53 declares that "mortal" man will one day put on "immortality", but we don't have it now.
Despite the fact that most of us have been taught to believe that there is no death, only eternal life in heaven or hell, the bible teaches the very opposite. John 3:16 is one of the most memorized verses in the scriptures, yet people don't really see what it says. Those who believe in Christ will be granted everlasting life, while those who don't PERISH! Mal 4:1-3, "FOR BEHOLD, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of Hosts."
There is so much more. As I stated earlier, this is just a small sampling of scriptures that absolutely fly in the face of man's traditional beliefs. It will take another article to expose our customs, traditions and celebrations, which all stem from pure paganism. What is wrong with us? Why are we so prone to close our eyes to God's word and replace it with the ancient ideologies of pagan nations that didn't even worship God? Rev 12:9 reveals that Satan has deceived the whole world. However, our very nature despises authority. We don't like to admit it, but we are hard-wired toward evil rather than righteousness. Like spoiled children we want our own way, and don't like God telling us how to behave. II Tim 4:3-4 pretty well sums up the condition we're in today. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." Isa 30:8-10 spoke of a time to come, "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits." Jesus dealt with this while on the earth. He accused the religious leaders of his day "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.", Mark 7:9. Also, in Matt 15:8-9, he said "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Nothing has changed. Modern-day Christianity is guilty of the same today. You would think our bibles were written in an unknown language. Millions attend religious services each week, yet most don't have a clue as to what the bible says. Generation after generation follows the previous one like blind sheep. If one goes off the cliff, they all follow. No one questions; none ponders why there is so much "religion" in America, yet Americans remain so spiritually empty inside, always searching for meaning, never able to discover their true passion. It is time to lay aside our preconceived ideas based on what we have been taught and dare to open the word for ourselves, that we might discover what it really says. Don't count on anyone else to instruct you, for there are many false prophets out there. There are a multitude of ministers that continue to perpetuate the same false teachings that Satan has peddled since the dawn of time. Believe me, God will reveal himself to those who are willing to see.
