I was recently channel surfing and came across a program called "Hell.. the Devil's Domain" I would encourage everyone to see this program.. as it raises interesting questions.
Is organized religion, just that "organized", much like the teamsters, or the PTA.
It has been reported that the Roman Catholic Church is worth 20 Billion dollars. ( yes.... say it just like Dr EVIL).
What does Jesus need with 20 Billion Dollars?
The Catholic Church spent nine million dollars on the Pope's traveling. How many homeless, hungry or underprivledged could that money have helped
Matthew 21:12-17
And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple and He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, ‘It is written, "My House shall be called a house of prayer"
Luke 19 45:46
And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Luke 13 14-16
In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!’
So, if Jesus found it vulgar to sell in the temple, how can TV preachers sell their books and potions. Why do book stores charge for the Bible??
Does the money collected for the bibles, the books etc, go in to the global Jesus bank account?
When Galileo discovered for the first time that it is not the sun that goes around the earth, but the earth that goes around the sun -- he was very old, seventy-five or eighty, almost on his deathbed -- he was dragged to the court of the pope. And the pope said, "Before you die, change that statement, because it goes against The Bible. And anything that goes against The Bible is automatically wrong, because The Bible is the word of God." The pope said, "We cannot allow even a single statement to go against The Bible for the simple reason that if one statement becomes false, God's infallibility disappears. And if God himself is fallible, what about Jesus Christ? And what about the pope? And if God can write one thing wrong, who knows? -- he may have written many things wrong. We cannot afford it."
The "organized religions" don't seem to be interested in saving humanity.
Their basic interest is how to covert more and more people in to their religion.
How many people have died in the name of god? What about the Holy Wars? How can both sides of a war be right? Both sides believe that GOD is on their side, and if they win.. well god loves them and has blessed them, but if they fail then god forsaked them.
Relgion is creating agitation in every country for homosexuality to be made a severe crime. And everybody in the world knows that Pope Paul the Sixth was a homosexual. Before he became the pope, he was the cardinal in Milan -- and that was the talk of the town. The whole of Milan was surprised that he was always seen with his boyfriend -- a young, beautiful man. Knowing this perfectly well...still he became the pope. And the moment he became pope, his boyfriend was called to the Vatican, and the boyfriend became the secretary. Ordinarily, the secretary becomes the girlfriend; here, it was just a little different...but the same story.
And it has never been denied by the Vatican; they could not deny it -- it was so factual. But if you say it, that means you are against the pope.
Okay ... well sorta setting the stage for the show i saw. That the devil as we know him today... has never existed.
If we use the bible as a reference:
Isaiah XIV
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Revelation XII
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
If we take this literally... The bible mentions only one place Lucifer was cast down to, "earth". Where is hell then? Now if he was cast to earth, and he is the ruler of hell, does that make earth hell.? Would that then change the meaning of Hell to more of a work furlow program.? Is it then like Driving school? A place where you can work of your sin, in order to make it back to the divine.
How many times can Satan change his duties?
In biblical literature Satan appears in later Old Testament writings as an angelic "son of God" within the heavenly court, as God's prosecuting attorney (Job 1-2; Zechariah 3:1-2; 1 Chronicles 21:1). In inter-testamental and New Testament literature Satan appears as the head of evil -- rebellious, defiant and in opposition to God. Lucifer's fall from heaven (Isaiah 14:14) is usually employed to explain this change in Satan's status. One Mennonite writer uses this text together with Ezekiel 28:12-16, 2 Peter 2:4, and Jude 6 to explain how Satan became the Devil (Hostetter, 15-20). Revelation 12:9 identifies Satan as the devil and "ancient serpent" (Genesis 3:1-5). It speaks also of war in heaven, the archangel Michael's victory over the dragon, and Satan's fall from heaven. The gospel news is that Christ destroys the works of the devil (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14-15). Proclaiming the gospel dethrones Satan (Luke 10:18); Christ's death and resurrection disarms the powers (Colossians 2:15). Through new birth and freedom not to sin, God through Christ keeps the believer from Satan, while the world is under Satan's power (1 John 5:18-19). By wearing the full armor of God, the believer victoriously battles against the invisible evil forces which attack, deceive, and seduce believers personally and through structures (Ephesians 6:10-18).
When did the angel become evil. When did we start to see the Devil, and a devourer of flesh, and father of all lies. Lucifer had been created perfect, but through his own choice, allowed sin to enter into his thinking process. Through his suability he persuaded a third of God's holy angels to join him in his rebellion. He was overcome and cast down to the earth. Did the act of having been cast out change his essence? Did coming to earth cause him to be the "devil" we know today?
When did the change begin... Interesting question.. When we look at history, we find the Devil portrayed in a number of ways. At one time, it was thought that the Devil lived in a icy, frozen place, and he was depicted in literature and popular culture of the time as blue. The idea being that, if GOD was light, the devil was darkness and darkness is cold, so to not be in GODS light meant you were dark cold and frozen. He was also portrayed as the eater of flesh, that if you went to hell he ate you. It wasn't until Dante's Inferno that popular culture and literature, that the Devil was depicted as Red horns, a tail and lived in fire..
Does this seem odd to anyone else. That Religion followed suit, and depicted him based not on the bible, but a secular book. How can we believe anything organized religion tells us, if they have lied all this time. The bible says that Jesus had skin of bronze and hair of wool, why then is he depicted as a white man with straight hair. Jesus has been morphed to fit the patriarcle idea of white man
Remember, the time period, white man was superior, everyone else was lower in station or a slave.
I believe the devil is in everyone, in all the little white lies we tell, to cheating the cashier, stealing office supplies, driving in the carpool lane when you are the only one in the car,smog, not recycling, attitudes, etc
Good and Evil resides in us.. it's the choices we make that shape our universe, not Pat Robertson or Billy Graham, or how much money you send them.
If you need an example of this, just look at the Catholic Church scandal. The Catholic church is supposed to be the pillar of good, yet they made a choice to be evil, in not removing the priests that were molesting kids. all they did was to move them around and cover it up. Why.. because it was about money.
Money is the root of all evil... so why do churches want it.
anyway, watch the show and draw your own conclusions, as i offer this as just a queer observation.
Organized religion needs to pay tax
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