May 2007
Nuts and Bolts of Spiritual Abuse
May 27, 2007 @ 11:01 PM | Permalink
by Van Robison
In the beginning of human
creation, God the Creator offered Adam and Eve
no mediator or go between, between God Himself
and Adam and Eve. They had direct contact and
communication with their Creator. There were no
human priests, no human pastors, nor any
professional clergy and no church organization.
Adam and Eve were thrust from the presence of
Almighty God because they listened to the voice
of a wolf in sheep's clothing. They did what God
said not to do, and the penalty was separation
from God which equates to death. When Adam and
Eve were cast out from the Garden of Eden, it
was their IMAGINATION that had gotten them into
trouble. That is to say that what they thought
was right, was actually wrong. This is human
nature. Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which
SEEMS RIGHT unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death." From the time of Adam and
Eve, virtually all human beings have what we
call human nature. We call it the natural mind
of man, and which mind does not understand the
things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians
2:14). Read
more...
In the beginning of human
creation, God the Creator offered Adam and Eve
no mediator or go between, between God Himself
and Adam and Eve. They had direct contact and
communication with their Creator. There were no
human priests, no human pastors, nor any
professional clergy and no church organization.
Adam and Eve were thrust from the presence of
Almighty God because they listened to the voice
of a wolf in sheep's clothing. They did what God
said not to do, and the penalty was separation
from God which equates to death. When Adam and
Eve were cast out from the Garden of Eden, it
was their IMAGINATION that had gotten them into
trouble. That is to say that what they thought
was right, was actually wrong. This is human
nature. Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which
SEEMS RIGHT unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death." From the time of Adam and
Eve, virtually all human beings have what we
call human nature. We call it the natural mind
of man, and which mind does not understand the
things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians
2:14). Read
more...
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The Myth of Doing Church
May 20, 2007 @ 09:41 PM | Permalink
by Van Robison
The great role model for the
life of human beings is none other than Jesus
Christ. The purpose of Peter, Paul, and all the
other apostles had nothing to do with making
personal disciples to follow Peter or Paul, but
their purpose was to convey to others the life
and teachings of Jesus Christ. Paul is not Jesus
Christ. Paul was no different than any one of
us, other than the fact that he says he was
appointed to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
the Gentile world. Paul had no intention of
establishing sectarianism. The church world
today is greatly divided and very sectarian. God
is not divided, nor is He the author of
confusion, but to say that the church world is
not in confusion is to have one's head buried in
the sand. Read
more...
The great role model for the
life of human beings is none other than Jesus
Christ. The purpose of Peter, Paul, and all the
other apostles had nothing to do with making
personal disciples to follow Peter or Paul, but
their purpose was to convey to others the life
and teachings of Jesus Christ. Paul is not Jesus
Christ. Paul was no different than any one of
us, other than the fact that he says he was
appointed to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
the Gentile world. Paul had no intention of
establishing sectarianism. The church world
today is greatly divided and very sectarian. God
is not divided, nor is He the author of
confusion, but to say that the church world is
not in confusion is to have one's head buried in
the sand. Read
more...
Manipulated Christians
May 14, 2007 @ 12:02 AM | Permalink
by Van Robison
Most of us as Christians have heard all our lives "Jesus is coming are you ready", or "Jesus is coming soon", and "we are living in the end times", and similar phrases that have shaped our thinking. After many years, any thinking person has to wonder exactly when is "soon" that Jesus is coming again? One church I was associated with many years ago published a booklet entitled 1975 in Prophecy!, which led the readers to believe that "end time" events would come to a basic conclusion around the year 1975. The author now deceased, who was Herbert W. Armstrong was dead wrong. Like countless other "prophets" who have made specific predictions, and who set dates for specified events, Herbert W. Armstrong misled many people. Read more...
Perpetual Money Machine--Churchianity
May 07, 2007 @ 12:30 AM | Permalink
by Van Robison
Jesus Christ never taught
that the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the
Holy Spirit, salvation through Christ, or
eternal life are purchased with money--ever.
This is very easy for anyone to verify by
reading the teachings of Jesus Christ in the
four Gospels. We are expected to multiply our
talents and not to bury what God has given us,
but Christ never took up tithes and offerings
during His earthly ministry. The church world is
very wealthy in material goods. Some massive
church organizations are worth billions upon
billions of dollars in land, temples, church
buildings and endless investments. Some churches
are not wealthy, but nevertheless money is an
endless object. Read
more...
Jesus Christ never taught
that the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the
Holy Spirit, salvation through Christ, or
eternal life are purchased with money--ever.
This is very easy for anyone to verify by
reading the teachings of Jesus Christ in the
four Gospels. We are expected to multiply our
talents and not to bury what God has given us,
but Christ never took up tithes and offerings
during His earthly ministry. The church world is
very wealthy in material goods. Some massive
church organizations are worth billions upon
billions of dollars in land, temples, church
buildings and endless investments. Some churches
are not wealthy, but nevertheless money is an
endless object. Read
more...
Twisted Scriptures excerpts
May 04, 2007 @ 10:39 PM | Permalink
Here are some excerpts from Mary Alice
Chrnalogar's book, Twisted Scriptures: A Path to Freedom
from Abusive Churches. The website is
old, but you can still access excerpts from the
first seven chapters:
Pied Pipers in the Pulpit
May 02, 2007 @ 09:59 PM | Permalink
by Van Robison
There was something magical
about the flute playing of the Pied Piper. With
his magical flute the children of the town of
Hamelin followed the Pied Piper out of town
where it is said that an underground passage
opened up that led to Transylvania. Much like
the magic of the Pied Piper of legend, our world
today has many, many Pied Pipers. Pied Pipers
play their magical flutes and the people cannot
resist. In the world of Pied Pipers, the
instruments are varied and the magical music
played is all produced to seduce.
Read
more...
There was something magical
about the flute playing of the Pied Piper. With
his magical flute the children of the town of
Hamelin followed the Pied Piper out of town
where it is said that an underground passage
opened up that led to Transylvania. Much like
the magic of the Pied Piper of legend, our world
today has many, many Pied Pipers. Pied Pipers
play their magical flutes and the people cannot
resist. In the world of Pied Pipers, the
instruments are varied and the magical music
played is all produced to seduce.
Read
more...