Of Blood and Salvation
Origins of the Faith
The Holy Roman Empire
Following Jesus Christ
Written Works

    The term "Religion" is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the nature and purpose of the universe, and an institutionalized system of religious beliefs and worship, according to Webster’s Dictionary. The religion of Christianity as it is today, is very much in keeping with this definition. The big question that I personally have with this thought concerns the claim that Christianity is indeed the following of Jesus Christ. I believe there are more than a few reasons to contradict this claim.

    In my life, I have been exposed to many different forms of Christianity, and this is one of the reasons for my criticism. From an early age I saw that there were many different religions in the world. The people I met were also of varying degrees of religious devotion. The fact that most people seemed to have little regard for religion was very influential upon me as a child. Even though I was baptized and told I was a Christian, it meant as little to me as it seemed to mean to those around me. I went to church at an early age. I attended Sunday school. There was no real understanding or meaning to it at all to me. It seemed a waste of time. I don’t think I went to church at all past the age of eight. I don’t remember being taught very much about Jesus at all, and I now think that was a shame. The teachers of Sunday school did not teach me anything about this Son of GOD except that he loved us all, he forgave us all, and he did all sorts of magical things when he was alive among us on earth. I was not taught anything at all about the teachings of the man, except the Golden Rule: Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. That was it. Nice idea, what does it mean? Why? I didn’t get the answers from church, I got them from many other sources. Evidently, those responsible in the church did not think I needed to know anything else at my young age. The institution of the church, for me, left me empty for knowledge of Christ. I found the answers elsewhere though. I was interested in history, and the world.

    I was born in 1964. My earliest memories start in December of 1966. My little sister was born, and I remember mom bringing her home from the hospital at Christmas. I learned much later that many parents had hidden the whole truth of the world from their children, mine did not, and I thank them for it for many reasons. The truth, at that time, was that the United States of America was involved in a terrible war in the country of Viet Nam. Other kids were raised in a perfect world. This conflict in Southeast Asia troubled my parents. They watched it everyday on the news. So did I. At dinnertime we watched the latest news. I asked many questions, and my parents had many answers. I learned that we were there to fight the spread of Communism. We had to fight Communism because it was bad, and I was told why it was so bad. I was told that Communists had no freedom, and no rights. To drive it home, they told me I would be taken away from my parents in a Communist country at an early age. I would be told what I could learn to be when I was an adult, and I would have no choice in the matter. The Communists did not allow even the freedom to believe in GOD. I couldn’t read what I wanted to read, or watch what I wanted to watch. There were policemen on every corner, and all the people were like robots or they would be killed without question. It was bad, bad, bad. Communism was Evil without a doubt.

    I watched attentively as the good guys killed the bad guys. It was a shame that so many innocent people were trapped in the conflict and subject to the horrors of war, but it was necessary. I watched the priests and ministers bless the troops and bid them well as they went out to kill the enemy. Communism was the enemy of GOD. I had problems with it even then. How was what I was seeing an example of the Golden Rule? My parents did not attempt to answer. The Holy men answered that it was the job of the Christian to fight evil, and in this task it was all right to kill. This made very little out of the teachings of Jesus at all. I didn’t understand. I was told that it wasn’t my place to understand the ways of the Lord. This made me think even less about Jesus than I already did. I didn’t put it together then that the church was far from anything that Jesus Christ ever intended it to be. I just distanced myself from anything pertaining to the church.

    It was not until many years later that I gained any appreciation for religious thought at all. I say "religious thought" because I still have no appreciation for religion. Through the years, I have gone to many different Christian churches, yet I find very little Christian teaching. It was the teachings of Jesus Christ that brought me to any belief in GOD at all. It was not until I read his words that I was convinced of his Divine origin. I find it heresy myself, that these organizations pass themselves off as "Christian" at all. Again, I refer to the dictionary: The word Christian is defined as "of Jesus Christ or his teachings" and "of or adhering to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ". I guess the key word here is "based". It seems that very little of what is being taught was actually taught by Jesus at all.

    When I ask about this apparent discrepancy, I get bold answers. People tell me that Jesus spoke in parables and symbolic phrases that were not meant to be understood by the common individual. Questioning the teachings of the church is heresy. Speaking against the teachings of the church is blasphemy. They tell me the church was set up by Christ to spread the word of GOD to the world. They say GOD to interpret the meanings of the word and set the law of GOD before humanity ordained the clerical hierarchy. Any thought I may have that contradicts the teachings of the church is inspired by the devil Satan. It amazes me that the church left any of the teachings of Jesus intact when they wrote the Bible, since these words so clearly point out the failings of the institution. It is written: Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself. I judge. This is not wrong, it merely means that I will be judged as I have judged. I do not hold anyone accountable for ignorance. I do hold accountable those who know the truth and spread lies. I do not do this deed. I welcome the truth. I welcome anyone who will judge me on my words and actions as they describe the truth that I believe to be true. I hold no one to a higher standard than I hold myself. Those who spread these lies may not be evil. Much time has passed since the inception of this dark doctrine. Those who have been misled may not know they have been misled. I am well aware that this idea itself that I have is but another interpretation of what may be deemed as "symbolic" teachings. Each must judge for themselves. This I firmly believe to be true, and the basis of the evil that I see in the institution.
 

Of Blood and Salvation:
    The Non-Gospel mass of work, that comprises most of the New Testament of the Bible, is the source of the most confusion and division among Christians today, in my opinion. The truth about Jesus Christ seems to have been stripped of the purity it was written with, and infused with an ingenious metaphysical dogma that forms the basis for a worldly institution. If I was asked what Jesus did for humanity, my answer would be quite different from just about every other Christian out there, it seems.  I read the words ascribed to Him in the Gospels, and get the idea that it was all about the instruction of the soul that is put here on this world in physical form:  How to think about the world, and ourselves;  How to act and interact with other human beings and the world we live in. Most of what He said makes good sense.

    When I talk with others, I find these things are considered to be awesome teachings, but that we, as sinful human beings, are not able to achieve understanding of them without Him.  These awesome things that were written at his direction are thus alledged to be nothing at all but curiousities to marvel at.  The true way, they say, is to become bathed in the Blood of Jesus Christ and let Him fill your heart with His love and light.  Knock, and the door will be opened.  Seek and ye shall find.  Believe in Him.  Ask Him into your darkness and He will fill you up and save your eternal soul.  There is no price.  There is no sacrifice to be made because He already made it for us all.  He died so that we may live, and in three days He was risen from the dead.  Give up all thoughts of loving anything of the world besides Him, and thou shalt then be saved from death.

    And so this I do.  I have done it many times.  Been there to the edge where I feel so alone and so full of sinful darkness and so wanting to find GOD.  Ready to give anything of myself to achieve the promised comfort and security everlasting with Him.  And I go to church and get saved, and let my soul open wide up to receive all that can fill the emptiness inside of me.  I go with the flow and the power that is there in fellowship with my brothers and sisters, and go out burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit!!!!   And I feel great!  And I am so thankful, and so full of love for Jesus!!!  Then I go out and give to everyone.  Spreading the good news to everyone I meet, full of smiles, warmth, compassion, understanding, sympathy, and love for all of my fellow human beings!!  I am kind and generous, charitable and giving of myself to others with less than I have, and feeling fulfilled with everything I do for others, as I believe I am also being filled up faster than I can give it away!

    And suddenly then, usually within about three days, I am realising that I feel the light getting colder.  I am overcome, slowly, with the evil thoughts that I am still very much alone, and no one really understands.  No one I give to really gives me anything back but a good feeling for what I do.  I feel drained and reach out to touch Jesus again.  The darkness sets in as I feel it may have all been in my imagination after all.  Maybe it wasn't the power of GOD and the Holy Spirit that I was living with and giving away, but part of myself that now makes me feel even emptier than I was before.

    Then some will tell me I need to go back to the fellowship and get a recharge of the Holy Spirit.  I need to stay focussed on the light and keep myself pointed towards Him.  I need to stay in the company of fellow Christians.  This may be right, but I cannot understand it yet.  This seems to be the same as an addictive drug of some sort.  Makes you feel good for a time; then you feel worse than you did before, and you have to go back and get more, and more, and more.  These people go to church and fellowship three, four, five times a week to stay in focus of the Lord.  Perhaps there is nothing wrong with being addicted to the Holy Spirit at all.  I seem to desire something that has more of an eternal and everlasting feel to it though.  If I cannot go through a short life alone with GOD, how do I know, or can I even begin to believe He will be with me beyond this lifetime - and forever?  The thought has occurred to me that maybe He cannot get through and make a solid and secure connection with our souls.

    I wonder how long it has been since I knew GOD.  I wonder if I ever knew Him at all.  Never, that I can remember, have I been truly knowing of His presence within me, though many times I have imagined it was.  I also imagined that this must be the way it was suppose to be, as I had honestly asked Him to come into my heart with the utmost devotion and dedication.  I wonder if I never felt it for very long because inside I really never believed.  How is it that belief can fluctuate between real and imaginary?  Can there be a difference between the Real and the Imaginary intangibles? Are there True Intangibles and False ones?

    If a thing is tangible it means it has substance and materiality in some way, doesn't it?  So things like thoughts, dreams, and ideas are intangible and have naught these qualities?  So if we are dealing with the concepts of true and false how are these related?  How to place three pairs of opposites into two categories:  Truth and Lie;  Real and Imaginary;  Tangible and Intangible;?  And what does the balance look like if we added Good and Evil?  Each of the two polarities is a trinity.
 
 
 

Origins of the Faith:
    In my studies I have found that the Christian religion is unlike that of the Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Jewish religions. In these others, there was a doctrine before there was an institution. In Christianity, the doctrine was the result of the institution. There are several reasons for this. Most of those who are of the Christian faith know little of the origin of their religion. It is this matter that is most in need of clarification. Knowledge is truly the key to understanding in this matter.

    For a brief history lesson, please bear with me. There may be things you did not know about before. I had to study it. I had to know the truth as best as I could. I feel my very soul is on the line if I don’t. Others may think they are saved just by accepting Jesus as their own personal savior. I Never saw anything in life as being this simple. Not that I have a need to overcomplicate things, I just need to be more certain than that. If you have faith in GOD, and belief in his son Jesus Christ, then you should be able to expose yourself to anything at all this world has to offer. The devil is everywhere. You face evil everyday. Those of true faith should have no fear at all. You should be able to distinguish the truth from a clever lie of the devil without any trouble. Those who have any fear of hearing what I have to say, even to hear what the devil himself may have to say, should seriously reassess how real their faith truly is.

    The whole epic story of Christianity began with the man himself. There is no question in my mind that he was indeed the son of GOD, but he was also a man. He walked among us in the flesh. Whether or not he was born of a virgin mother is beside the point. Whether or not he ever performed any miracles in the world is beside the point. None of this told me truly that he was the son of GOD. Stories can be told. Deeds can be exaggerated. It is none of this that makes him Holy in my mind. I am a skeptic.

    There were about three years that Jesus preached unto the masses of the ancient world. Sometimes in small groups, sometimes in large numbers. His words were recorded by his followers of the time. These words may not have been verbatim, but the essence of these teachings was remembered and recorded later. Four books in the Bible record the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. These are known as the Gospels. Each of these books is different, yet each tells basically the same story. It is by these books, and these four separate points of view, that the whole worldly life of the man Jesus is known to us. There may have been others that were there and wrote of him, but this is all we really have. It was enough for me, even being the skeptic that I am. The Gospels are different enough to know that there was more than one point of view, yet the same enough to be accurately telling the same story. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are the Gospels. This is the only record we have of the real word of Jesus Christ. This is but a very small part of the whole Holy Bible. In my opinion, these are the only books that can be really counted upon as being true in the whole total book that is the Bible. This is one way I become a heretic.

    Being born in the age of megadisccovery, the space age, the age where things happened in great leaps rather than small advances, I was born a skeptic. The Sunday school teachings about the Garden of Eden, the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah, the prophecies of Isaiah, etc., did little for me. Anything that did not "jive" logically or scientifically did not affect me greatly. And the things I was being taught to accept without question were not quite right. I was of the age 21 before I read anything that hit me as truth when it came to the Bible. I was told that Anything written in that book was the word of GOD. It was ALL to be taken as the word of GOD himself. I was a skeptic, and a scientist. I didn’t see any of it to be Holy at all. It was all a bunch of bullshit. Until I was to come upon the words of Jesus Christ himself, concerning the ways of the world, I had NO respect for anything of the Bible at all.

    But that takes us away from our history lesson. The truth is that he did say many things in regards to the way we existed as human beings. He told us of the world beyond, and what it took to get there. He spoke in words that many people of the time did not totally understand: In words that most people of the time did not understand at all. In the "parables and symbolic phrases" that I was told that no one could really understand. It made sense to me when I read them. I had no problem understanding the meaning that he was implying. There was nothing symbolic about it at all. It was plain and simple truth. It was what told me that this man, Jesus Christ, was indeed the son of GOD, and not really of this world at all. The things he said convinced me that he was indeed of Divine origin after all. But I don’t hold those people of 2000 years ago responsible for not understanding it. I do hold the people of today responsible though. It is quite obvious now.

    It was a different world. Under the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire, the Jews were very oppressed. They had a knowledge of their history, what they had been through, and what they had accomplished. They had carried true the idea of one GOD, through the polytheism of both the Egyptians and the Romans. They had prophecy that said a Messiah would come and take them away. This Messiah would be the King of Kings. This man of Divine origin would take them out of oppression and give them peace at last. He would hold dominion over the powers of the earth and the kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus came, many thought he was the one, and he was. The problem stemmed from his word. He was the king of the Jews all right, but what he did, and what he stood for was more than they could comprehend at the time, and even now in 1999.

    The people of the time saw his miracles; they saw his works of divinity. They thought he was the one they could call the Messiah. Jewish prophecy had spoken of his coming. Some of the faithful Jews believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the King of kings. When at last he went into Jerusalem, they followed him, ready for the revolution that would set them all free. When it came to pass that he surrendered himself to the Romans rather than lead a fight against them, the Jews did not understand. He had told them all along of the Kingdom of Heaven and the way that they should live in this material world to one day find entrance there. They never heard these things. They saw him only as a king of this world. When it was obvious that he was not going to lead any revolt against the Romans, he was abandoned by his followers. When the people of Jerusalem were given the opportunity to choose between Jesus or Barabas to be set free, they chose Barabas. Jesus was then put to death upon the cross. For the most part, his movement was ended. If not for a few faithful followers, there would have been no more known of him at all. Even these few faithful followers would have failed to bring the message of the Son of God to the world, had it not been for certain other factors present in the world at that time.

    The followers of Jesus that did understand him, set out into the world to preach in his name. Some knew of his resurrection from the dead, and ascension into Heaven. The teachings of Jesus spread very slowly. The Jewish tradition was such that the teachings of and about God were only taught verbally. It was forbidden to write down such knowledge, for it was felt that written words could be misunderstood more easily. This is one of the reasons why the teachings of Jesus were not recorded, other than in memory, for nearly 20 years after the crucifixion. There is also the likely probability that very few could understand what he meant. The message was not so difficult to grasp, but it was very difficult to apply. Anyone who reads the words of Jesus should understand that he really spoke very little that was beyond the grasp of the common man. If all church doctrine could be put aside for just a moment or two, it can be seen that there is really not much at all that is hidden. What Jesus called for from every single one of us was no less than complete change. In order to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven, we had to basically give up all desire for this world. This belief is there in everything he said. Desire for salvation must supercede desire for anything else. To attain eternal peace, security, and happiness, it is imperative that we give these things up in this world first. This message is quite clear. Give it all up. His sacrifice was an example for all of us. Nothing else matters. Have no regard for food, shelter, comfort, or any material treasures and possessions. All things in this world belong to this world. Attachment to these things prevents the soul from being attached to Heaven. This was a tall order to fill. People wanted it to be easier than this. The followers of Jesus were very few in number, and there were likewise very few converts. There were, however, many small sects of real Christian believers that spred out through the ancient world.  These were not only the followers of the original Apostles that had followed Jesus, and had learned the way directly from the master, but the followers of those Apostles as well.

    These groups of early Christians chose not to stay within easy grasp of Rome.  They departed for the furthest reaches beyond the frontiers of the empire, where they hoped to be safe.  To them, as it should be to all real Christians, there was no need felt to confront the unbelievers in conflict.  The purpose of the faith was to bring it to others by example, and not by force.  Ideas do not die simply by destroying all those who believe in them.  There was no glory to die in the name of GOD as some seem to feel there is today.  Christianity is supposed to be a faith of Brotherhood and Unity of all races and creeds of humankind.  The true Christians thus moved away from the overbearing empire.  In time, and with the rise of the great false Church in Rome, they would eventually be hunted down and destroyed as heretics.  There is still much evidence of their existence and place in history, but not much at all of the faith that these people held to.
 

The Holy Roman Empire:
    There was another man though, one Saul of Tarsus who was a Roman tax collector. He never knew or had even seen Jesus before. He knew of the bewildered followers that still existed. He knew of the miracles that Jesus had made reality. He also knew that the Roman Empire was in decline. He claimed to have been visited by Jesus in the spirit on the road to Damascus. In this vision, Jesus supposedly told him a different way that he never told anyone else. Jesus spent the last three years of his life in the flesh teaching us to give up the world for eternal salvation. Now, he comes back to this man Saul and tells him that none of that is really necessary after all. All anyone really has to do to be saved is to accept that Jesus is the Son of GOD. This is the first sin to befall the religion of Jesus.

    They say that it was this Saul of Tarsus, (whom Jesus told to refer to himself as Paul,) is the true father of Christianity. This much is true. The teachings of Paul were to become the basis for the church that would call itself Christian. This man Paul, not only established the church of Jesus Christ, but also saved the Roman Empire. He preached far and wide the new religion that he invented. It was an easy to follow way of life that was readily accepted by common people everywhere he went. It was not the original teachings of Jesus Christ at all. It was something totally different. Paul taught that Jesus told him things after he ascended into spirit that he neglected to tell us while he was here among us. This seems highly unlikely to me. First of all; it seems to say that the crucifixion came too soon; like he started his ministry too late and was off in his timing. That puts either him, or the Father is less than total knowledge and awareness of things on Earth, which is doubtful. Second; the idea of taking the ideas of a great man and applying them to another cause when he is not around physically to confirm or deny anything seems to defy the whole purpose of God sending and sacrificing his only begotten Son. If it was thought that people would accept the guidance of anyone or anything from beyond the realm of the flesh, then why would it have been necessary to send your only Son to his mortal death? Why not just make an appearance in the spirit of some other even more important leader of the time to make your will known to mankind? Why? Because it never really worked before. The Jews had a long history of recording the words of the prophets whom claimed that God had spoken his will through them. If this method had actually been a feasible way of communicating the will of God to the people of the Earth, then there would have been no need to do anything of higher consequence. I have, needless to say, very strong doubts about this man, Saul of Tarsus, or Paul. The Pauline doctrines are also in quite sharp contrast to those of Jesus Christ. Anyone who tried to compare the teachings of the Messiah to those of Paul would see this to be true. The greatest difference lies not in the thought, but in the actual practice set forth. Where Christ gave us all a very hard and difficult path to attain Salvation, Paul made it easy. But was any of this for the benefit of Christianity?

    Perhaps we should thank this man Paul. Were it not for him, there might never have been any Christianity at all. There would certainly have been no church established in his name. Jesus was adopted by the Roman Empire as their own savior. By becoming an empire of religion rather than an empire of military conquest, they were given virtual immortality. The old empire would die, but the new "Holy Roman Empire" would live on. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ may have disappeared forever. The Jews had forgotten him. His own followers had gotten nowhere with what he set them to do. There was an institution already in place. It was an earthly kingdom with dominion throughout the known world. It could slowly dissolve, freeing the countries and peoples, which it had enslaved from the oppressive military rule which had kept them in check. The Roman Empire did not ever die. It lives on to this very day as the Catholic church. People see the Emperor and the Pope as two different men, and two separate entities. One vanished and one came to exist. They are really one and the same.

    History will confirm that as the Roman Empire began to dissolve, the Catholic Church began to rise. It was not an easy climb to power. There were literally centuries that passed before the power of the church was established clearly. This should come as no surprise, since the religion of Jesus was never intended to manifest itself as a worldly institution. This all took place in what is called the dark ages. Many scholarly men set upon the teachings of Jesus. The religion of Catholicism rose at great price. There were great meetings and councils, all with the sole purpose of defining the doctrine that was to become Christianity. Many factions of thought broke away, only to rear their heads later on. There was no consensus made among the fathers of the first church until the year 692. That was the year the Holy Bible was complete in its final form. Up until that point, the book, which all churches hold to be the very word of GOD, was no more than a collection of books and writings. In these meetings, it was decided what would become the Holy Bible out of all the vast literature that had been written about the man Jesus Christ, and the Jewish God of Abraham. Many books were left out in the final version. These have come to be known as Apocrypha.

    At that point in the year 692 AD, the Bible came to be. Most followers of Christianity seem to think the Bible was around much longer than this. Yes, many of the books are much older than this date. Some of the books that Moses wrote date from very near 600 BC, and the book of Job is estimated to be even earlier than that, but the Bible as we know it was not finished until almost seven centuries after the Ascension. Many people today know that the Bible was kept secret from the common people at first. The layman, as the common man was called, was not thought to be capable of understanding the truth of the work. The real reason for this secrecy should be apparent by now though. This real reason is the fact that there is no divine justification for the church at all. Nowhere is it the word of GOD that a separate class of clergy is required to bring common people to salvation. This was not thought to be true by the Jewish people who followed the teachings of the Old Testament. The God of Abraham, (who is the same God, but of a different attitude,) was not a personal entity. There was among the Hebrews a definite class of religious men who were the sole connection between humanity and the Divine.

    There was also the question of the origin of the Bible itself, at that point in time. Since this book, as a whole, had never before existed, there was no guarantee that it would be accepted as the true, complete, and fully Holy word of GOD. There was widespread belief that the Bible was a mere contrivance; a tool being used to save a dying institution; a manifestation of worldly politics rather than a doctrine of spirituality. There was still a small faction of people who saw the Lord Jesus Christ as something much more than a material entity. There were those who understood, and took his words at face value. These followers believed that no man could come between another man and GOD except Jesus himself. This belief that anyone might find salvation without paying homage to the institution of the new church could not be allowed to grow. If there was not a stop put to this old idea of Jesus that a few faithful followers had, then there would be no way for a new material institution to grow and prosper from it. This new institution was no new institution at all, but an old one that people had grown to know and resent. The transformation that it undertook was seen to be only a façade by those who knew of the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Thus began the great period of massive persecutions of those of Christian alignment. Unknown numbers of false heretics and blasphemers died to pave the way for the new order that was determined to make itself known.

    The Old Roman Empire was not about to fall. It was too big, too powerful, and too corrupt to ever vanish completely. When the wise men of the time saw the impending doom, they simply searched for a way to survive. What they found was the potential for a great religion in this man Jesus of Nazareth. What would otherwise be forgotten would be injected with new life, and the result would no longer be able to save the world, but it would be able to save the empire. Christianity was doomed as it was. The Roman Empire was equally doomed as it was. Together though, the resulting whole would be much greater than the sum of it’s parts. Christianity would die as a personal religion available to every human being freely and without any allegiance to any material power at all. The Old Roman Republic would also die as a material power in the ancient world that was growing up fast, but only so much as it was a military power. The warriors that fought for Rome would not be for the conquest of lands and territories anymore, but for the conquest of the Lord God, the Almighty, whom had set the power of his Holy kingdom upon the back of the Apostle Peter. People and nations and cultures would still be the victims of Romans, but now they would be said to be the enemies of God and not Caesar. It was very convenient, and almost completely bought into by the masses. Those who did not follow along and comply with the new "Holy order" were all but wiped out in the battles against the evil ones that followed.

    These accomplishments were of the political entity that arose in the Middle Ages known as the Holy Roman Empire. Some may have heard of it. This was the new form of the old Rome. The name itself only differs by the addition of the word Holy. This was not an easy transition at all, but history provides all the proof that it was indeed a transition rather than a revolution. The Holy Roman Empire did not rise out of the ashes as some would like to believe. It was carefully planned and cunningly executed in structure. The persecutions of Christians, which the churches speak of, were planned by the wise men that would later become the church fathers. This was a part of the plan. In order for the new reign to take control, there must be some distancing from the old. The power of Rome focussing on the Christians simply converted more ordinary people to secretive Christianity. Whenever a movement is oppressed it always gains a bigger following. The old Roman Empire oppressed everyone. When this oppression became focussed, it seemed to the masses that a faction had arisen that might one day destroy Rome. Many were converted to Christianity for this reason alone. That which might threaten Rome was the side to be on. Christianity itself had a strong sense of martyrdom about it already.

    Rome had grown to greatness under the control of the men of battle. The military leaders had always been in charge. Behind these warriors had always existed a class of educated and scholarly wise men. As seems to be the case in most of recorded history, the leaders of any nation are always the biggest, boldest, meanest to the enemy, and have the most persuasive tongues. And as history has shown us, the most assertive and gregarious people are not very often the smartest. The mightiest nations in history are those that have a balance of brawn and brains. These are the cultures and civilizations that survive the longest and make the biggest mark upon history. This was the case with Rome at its highest. The leaders were very dependent upon the wise men and sages that they consulted with. The best leaders always understand their own weaknesses. As Rome grew in power and might, ideas of power and might became an obsession. Less and less respect was paid to intelligence and reason. The same tactics of conquest worked over and over again. When the wise men began to speak of moderation and consideration of other things, the powerful ignored them. So was Rome doomed to decline. The wise did hold their own councils, and saw what was happening to the great nation they had been instrumental in building. After trying to convince the leaders of the need for change for some time, they gave up and began plotting on their own. Distance between brawn and brain grew, but this did not mean that it all had to die together. The wise began their own course, to fulfill their own objectives. Christianity came into the world at the precise moment in time to be used to full extent by these men.

    It should be made clear that Saul of Tarsus was not one of these men. Had he been, he would have returned to Rome to conduct his work. Instead, he went around the known world preaching of his new doctrine to all that would listen. It is, however, entirely probable that he was seeking to further his own position in the new kingdom that Rome was to become. I, personally, do not believe that he saw Jesus at all, except as an idea that he could capitalize on. The fact that he was later killed by the very order that he helped bring into existence is very confirming of this idea. He helped them, he made what they wanted to do possible, and he wanted a piece and a place in the new order. As always, when dealing with those in high positions of power, he wanted too much in return. They had him killed and made him into another martyr for their cause. He died about the year 65AD.

    The Institution that is/was the Church, was little more than a transitory instrument of control in the years after the fall of Rome. As described earlier, The institution was in place before the theology. They had a church, but they had no certain beliefs as yet. This is something I am new to learn in my life. It explains why there is no real religious power to the Christian churches in my view. There never was. It has always been full of argument and contention. There were, and are still today, great wars and battles being waged to define what is right. In the formative times, these battles were waged in the "Great Councils" of the church, where the details of religious righteousness were being hammered out among mortal men. From its very inception as a religion, the church has been continually dividing into more and more factions. A brief tour of the Churches listings in any American phone book will show the extent of this dividing. There are more different Christian churches than there are all other religions in the whole world. The largest, and greatest in power, has always been the Roman Catholic Church.

    The whole thing is a great game of political intrigue. Whereas mighty nations of warriors commanded submission and tribute by fear of the sword, the church stepped in to command submission and tribute by the fear of God. The church was thus designed first and foremost as an instrument of psychological warfare. In a world that had become too large for a centralized government of military power to control by physical means, it became necessary to exact control by mental means. The troops of Caesar may not be present always, or in strength great enough to subvert the will of the masses, but the power of GOD was everywhere, and ever omnipotent. The Christian Church is a great bastion of falsehood that shall condemn billions to damnation. If the so-called Christians do not wake up and see the truth, they shall be lost.

    What is meant by lost is that they will not attain the full glory that the Lord in Heaven has set up for them. We are all here children of God, and made in his image. It is my belief that we were intended to achieve Divinity, not merely Salvation. I have sought to know Jesus Christ, not simply know of him. I gather from his words that if I do not know him, that he will not know me when I am come before the Father. We should be thankful indeed, to the man Saul, or Paul, for even what was made out of the truth that Jesus brought to us is false, the truth yet remains in his words. There has been introduced much corruption and evil into the churches throughout the years, but the core of the faith is still intact, and there for us all to learn from.
 

Following Jesus Christ:
    My personal path is heresy to any church that I know of.  But I find all churches to be an aberration. It is undoubtedly the way that the Lord has intended things to be.  The struggle should not be with any church or institution at all.  Those who understand the way of Christ know that all materiality is to be avoided.  Any workings and manifestations of this world are obstacles to be overcome along the path to God.  There are certainly those who understand the words I am writing now, though probably only a few.  I can wish that many might understand, but the truth is that so many simply refuse.  They know within their hearts and minds what the answers are, but they have ample reasons, provided by the fools, for not complying. There are basically three points to be understood about the teachings of Jesus Christ.  These can be summed up in rather simple form, and supercede anything else that might have been taught:
 

1.   We are all human beings, and thereby Children of the same Father.  We should take care of one and other, and help our brothers and sisters to find the right path of divine growth.  We separate ourselves from the divine family by fighting.

2.   This material world is small, limited, and temporary in the grand scope of reality.  There is nothing here but the knowledge and wisdom to grow up as a child of the Divine that should be of any importance to us.

3.   What can be gained or lost in this reality is of eternal and infinite significance.  Trapped here somewhere between being an animal with a divine imagination, and a divine being possessing a material body, our actions, decisions, and thoughts are of the utmost importance to any progress we will make here.
 

    These are the simple truths.  These are the things programmed into thy Soul along side the divine imagination.  They are things that we can know and feel in our highest selves to be right and proper, without any religious upbringing at all.  It is there within you simply because you are a human being. This true way is the Path of Jesus Christ.  It is very easy to find and understand this simple way of living.  My personal suggestion is to find Jesus in the Bible.  The only reliable information that I have there found thus far are the first three books of the New Testament; Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  These three books are the most consistent and supportive of each other when analyzed alongside the rest of the New Testament.  The evangelists and missionaries like to start new followers out with the book of John.  This has a purpose that is unlike the other three Gospels.  The meaning of John is such that Christianity is painted as easy to follow and be a part of.  In my opinion, this is not the way an individual should begin their walk with Christ, but perhaps it is for some.  The trouble is that the way is simple and easy to understand, but it is not easy to live by.  As pointed out earlier in this manuscript, the path was never meant to be easy.  The way is to be found only by the few, not the many.  Simply take a look around at the people who are about claiming to be good Christians and speaking of the certainty of their salvation.  If some of these people are saved, then I’m not at all sure that I want to be one of them.  I seek salvation to escape the cruelty and selfishness of material humanity.  If any of these evil people can find salvation and remain the way they are in life, then I wish no part of it at all.  It is not as simple and open to all as is stated by John in his book.  Jesus is not an easy act to follow, nor was he ever intended to be.  The book of John, and those of Paul and others in the New Testament, tend to make it out as a simple matter of saying the Jesus is the Son of God and accepting him into your heart as your own personal Savior.  That’s all there is to it, according to these teachings. These teachings are the products of the institutions, not the Master. They are not designed to realise the Divine potential that exists within the human soul, nor to make the world a better place to live in.  They were conceived as a means to bring people to the church and gain numbers and financial support.
 

    The following of the teachings; which are the actual words spoken by Jesus in his time, and recorded much later in written form; is not only the best way to come to know of the man and his work. It is the only way. I am in no way saying that the rest of the Bible beyond these three books should be thrown out and disregarded. I am saying that the Bible as a whole work was written by human beings and not by God or his Son. As it is a human work, it is subject to human feelings, thoughts, desires, and needs. This work of my own is not immune to these human traits, nor is it intended to be. I am working in the interest of truth in writing these things. It is as much of a concern to me as I seek out Salvation as it is to any others who may read this work; at least it should be. When we begin to trust mortals to teach us of the Divine we enter an area of much risk. They will tell you that you must trust their words and works or otherwise risk eternal damnation. I will allow no one but Jesus Christ to tell me of my Salvation and of the Kingdom of Heaven, for he alone is capable of so doing. Those who would read and know of the ways that he taught unto us shall understand that no other instruction is necessary. It is all there; everything that we need to know to stand beside him at the time of our demise and be reconciled unto the Lord God in Heaven.

    It has never been my intention to take away from the institutions of the church anyone who finds there a means to reach the Divine. It is much my intention, however, to dispel false teachings and ways of thought that do indeed corrupt and control the souls of humanity. Those who know of know God whatsoever are in some ways closer to Salvation than those who think that they know. Many will say that this idea itself is false, and that these are the words of the Devil. I implore those who doubt to explore these doubts. I see no reason why this should be a sin. Jesus never spoke of reason being a gateway to sin. The quality of reason is one that was given to each and every one of us by our Holy Father. It is there for temptation, but it is also there for assurance and true belief.

    The Lord shall guide, and shall teach unto thee still even greater things than were disclosed during his time here as a man among us so long ago. This much is true by his own word. He lives still!!! He exists yet in reality and is there for us to know and become a part of with all that we are!!! This is the truth, my brothers and sisters. Jesus does indeed live. Those who seek him in church do not know how to find him otherwise, and that is the sin I am seeking with this work to dismiss. We are creatures of habit. We mimic each other in who and what we become as human beings. We learn from those around us and copy the attributes that others possess. It is by the virtue of these qualities that Jesus Christ was made to come here to us in the first place. It was very necessary in the way of things for him to come unto this world as he did, and suffer at our hands as was done. Question the Lord Jesus yourself. Pose the questions to him that are keeping you from accepting him fully for who he is, or who you think he should be. If he doesn’t respond the way others say he does, then mistrust and lose faith in them, not in him. If your personal walk with Jesus seems cold and lonely, do not blame him. You must blame yourself and rethink by what means you believe you have reached him. If you follow the ways and beliefs of the church and find yourself without that permanent and intangible presence in your life in times of need, you must question not Jesus or God, but the Church that has taught you to think in such ways. It is in the institution that the grave error lies.

    The church has always been opposed to the idea of a personal God, or a personal pathway to Salvation. Yell at me and say this isn’t so. I have heard it before from so many. The institution does not serve the needs of the Lord. The institution of the church serves the needs of the church, and of the men who run it and profess to be the servants of God. The very idea that any individual might be able to find and establish a relationship with God on their own is contrary to the whole idea of the institution. As stated before; and as is confirmed by history and historians, even of the church itself; The religion of Christianity is the only example in the world of a religion where there existed an institution well before there was any basic philosophy or theology for it to support. In Buddhism, there were many years of teachings and foundation of the theology before there ever was any official Buddhist religion in the world. In Hinduism, Mohammedanism, and even Judaism, the story is the same. In each of the major religions of the world today there were agreed upon teachings and consensus of theological concepts before any institution was ever established, with the exception of Christianity. With the Christian church, it was not a case where there was a group of devoted followers who set out to build an institution based upon their beliefs. It was a case where there was a powerful institution that desperately sought a system of belief to further the cause of the existing institution. Christian scholars and historians claim other reasons for this fact, and support the almighty church as it serves the cause of what they believe to be Christianity, but the fact remains. The truth is that the following of Jesus’ teachings and the path to Salvation was never intended to be institutionalized at all.

    Jesus sent his followers out to preach of the Gospel to the people of the Earth, and pass it on and on to as many as would hear and accept. The church of Jesus Christ was intended to remain as intangible as the thoughts and ways that founded it. It was to be the living end to the stagnant ways of organized religion that had taken the Jewish people so far away from the road which God had intended for them. The doctrine was not supposed to be one of written rules, regulations, and rituals. Those are the ways of death and dead gods who no longer live among humanity, whose ways are only taught by old traditions and customs which are no longer living and growing and existing with the people. Jesus is the LIVING GOD and the GOD of the LIVING. Learning of him from books and ancient records is not the way. Following orderly dogma from the distant past is not the way to find him. It is no wonder the churches have become what they are today; gathering places of the lost and wanting souls of humanity. They go on and on. Week after week, year after year, lifetime after lifetime. And it is no wonder there is Hell on Earth. There is no more known of the Living God but what was known centuries ago. And that won’t do it.  But they have been programmed to accept this false doctrine for so long, there is really no way out of it without tearing themselves apart to the core of who they are.

    They tell me that my ways are the ways of the Devil, damnation, and sin, It is a sin that the words of the Lord Jesus Christ were not passed down verbally as they were intended to be by the Master himself. It is a sin that what we can begin to know of Jesus is not given to us by personal example but by only written word. Please don’t get me wrong. Blessed is this remaining example that is brought to us by this old book. Corrupt and full of selfish contradiction that it is, the Bible still holds the teachings of Jesus Christ alive for us to bear witness to. They are stagnant and lifeless printed words, which are not at all what he intended, but they are here nonetheless. And they still have power and meaning and life within them as they always have, and always shall until the end of time. The Lord knows why things are the way they are, and why his way has been reduced to what it is. The world has grown even more complicated than anyone could have imagined it would be in the time he was here in the flesh. Things are such that the knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven and the desires of the Divine could never have been set into the world in great enough strength but by allowing the enemy, the adversary, the opposer of the Holy to have a share of the prize. This is indeed unfortunate, but there is much more to it than Holy submission to that which is un-holy in reality. These are the things that only Jesus should be able to tell us of, but I will tell them and hope that those who read will know the truth of the words through the knowledge they gain from knowing of the Messiah. As before in this work I present to you now, this is all my own opinion. I have been told that it is inspired. Yes, I do take great pride in that fact, but not so great that I wish to accept full responsibility for all that may come of this. This is an opinion. These are no more than my personal beliefs. If they are just and true, then I thank the Lord for leading me to this place. If they are wrong, then it should be only I who must atone for them before the face of God. I urge thee to use extreme caution in dealing with any matter that has any bearing upon thy soul. Immortality is guaranteed to thee as a human being and a child of the Divine. How the immortal soul shall spend that eternity is entirely dependent upon the choices made in this lifetime before you now. I am concerned: therefore I question. The fate of my soul is of greater importance than I shall trust any mortal man or woman to take care of for me. I know it shall be of my own doing – or undoing as the case may be. I urge you dear traveler and explorer of the soul and of thine own subconscious reality to do likewise, or suffer a fate that is not only of your own choosing but knowing so as well, for the Lord will make sure that you know what you are doing. Your decision to follow or fall shall be made known to thee, but it is left for YOU to decide. Believe this!!! Remember this!!! If there be nothing else that you take away from these words that I write to you my brothers and sisters. Question everything and you will know what is true at long last.

    They will tell you, when you come unto those evil and misled ones that you count upon for answers, that thou shalt not question the Lord. I say unto thee that the Lord hath waited longer than the time of your life here to answer thy questions and give the answers unto you, who desire to know of him. I say unto thee that the Lord sits and watches thee every step of the way; waiting, watching, wanting, and wishing for thee to come unto him. He is ever aware that there are BILLIONS of his very children here upon this Earth existing in Hell, and knows that only so few shall seek him out and set themselves upon the path that shall bring them unto his side. I ask you sincerely, my dear friends, if the Lord was not beset with such grievous sorrow for us, would he ever allow and condemn his only true Son to come here before us? To testify unto us? To give his very mortal life that we might finally know of him and seek him out from all the waste that is around us ever so constantly? Who among thee could do this thing that he has done? Who among thee aches of such sorrow as He? Who: created in his image, and set into his world, has the soul to know of the torments that he has endured to give thee the promise of Salvation? Do you owe anything to the church? Do you owe anything more than the decency that Christ spoke of to thy fellow man and woman? I feel I owe unto everyone the knowledge of this Lord Jesus Christ that I have come to find in this world full of horrors. I owe to give what I can to those whom I can that which will bring them to a true knowing of our Lord and Master. That is all that I can do. No more is expected of me but that, and I feel that that is expected of me. For There is no more hell that I can endure upon this Earth than that which Jesus was sent to endure. I cannot begin to know (at least in America,) what hell my Master hath endured in his time. I can be arrested on the street for some alleged crime against society, or the powers that be. I can be sent before a so-called judge who will be able to sentence me before a jury of my peers. I can go to a jail or prison and suffer all that must take place there. I can even be condemned to death, and that death be less painful and humiliating than my Lord and Master hath suffered in his time. I DO question the Lord, and this is what I feel I am told in response. But it is nothing of what the church says may become of me. To them it is Hell-fire and damnation, but to me it is new knowledge and understanding of a living and growing God.

    I am not afraid of the church, or of God. I probably should be afraid of the church, as it has sent so many millions to their deaths, but it is not so powerful an institution as once it was.  I have never been afraid of GOD.  There is no reason to be afraid of the creator.  I am afraid of Man, and the material institutions that exist above and beyond the church. Yet they exist far below the council that will ultimately judge me, I fear for myself the pain and suffering that I might need to endure here on Earth under those powers that be. I should not: and I am constantly trying to overcome this fear. What can they really do to me after all? They can only affect me in this realm: the realm of material reality. They have no control over anything that I am otherwise. The powers that exist here on Earth can take away my freedom, my liberty, my pleasure, even my mortal life, but they have not the power to take away from me my SOUL unless I should surrender it to them. They have no power whatsoever to change anything that exists within my heart and mind unless I give it to them. I know this to be true.

    Unlike the so-called Christians that I know of, I have no respect or appreciation for this life on Earth, other than the beauty and pleasure here that was set out for me to appreciate by God himself in the grand scope of things. I love the world that he made for us. I love to be here. The truth is though, that I would gladly give it all up, at any time, to be there in Heaven with him. This saves me and protects me always. I think this idea that my understanding of Jesus has given to me has brought me to much greater things than the followers of the old and dead religion have ever come to know. They know of no more than is written in the great books the hold to be of divine origin. I know for myself that this is not a following of the dead, but of the living. If I take only upon my soul the teachings of Jesus that are 2000 years old now, I can only accept that my faith is truly a faith of the dead. It is not of the dead for Jesus is alive and well. The religion of Christianity was not meant to be based upon books and written works of verbal teachings from so long ago. These teachings and writings are indeed the blessings of God and so meant to last forever unto the end of time, but the knowledge of the Son is not as such. These works that we are presented with in the accepted Bible were not meant to be the end of what we can know. The personal relationship with Jesus shows us all that this is only the beginning.

    They may scorn any thought that comes beyond what is written, and I understand this as necessity. The original work must be preserved, as it has been, to ensure that new life will be found within it as I myself have found it. For I surely did not find Jesus as a spiritual entity as others have. I found him as a very real and tangible person with the words that he spoke to others in this world. It was these ancient and dead words that brought me to the belief in this Messiah. It was these old words and no other. I have read the words of Buddha, the words of Mohammed, and the words of many others. While the words of Guatama Buddha may echo the words of Christ some 600 years before his time, I am infatuated, but unimpressed. So the Buddha was able to discern the true path that humanity was supposed to follow, the rest of the words he was supposed to have spoken carry none of the weight that Jesus’ words do. Maybe this is only because I am of western thought and upbringing, but I have sought and not found the same things there in Buddhism. Though I still feel that the religion of Buddhism still rings in closer to the truth than any other realm of thought, philosophy, or religion, as I have come to know of in my lifetime, the teachings of Buddha are just not there as the teachings of Jesus are.
 

Written Works:
    Writing is writing. Anyone may write. Writing is a legacy that might be preserved well beyond thine own existence. All that is in the Bible is written. None of it was written by the Lord Jesus Christ, or by the holy Father GOD, (With the exception of the Ten Commandments.) All was written by mortal Men and women, for mortal men and women. Anyone who had witnessed the power and glory of GOD in those times might have written about it. These books were then collected together and carried by the Jews for generations before the birth of Jesus. The Books of the present Bible were never considered as one body of work before the Christian Church came into being.

    Today, one can walk into any religious bookstore and purchase thousands upon thousands of books inspired by the power and glory of GOD and Jesus Christ. Are these any less holy than any book of the Bible? I wonder. Much of the Bible seems not to be of divine inspiration to begin with, though most holy men will say so. It becomes clear that the reason behind consolidating and creating a Holy Bible as one work serves none other than the institution of the church.  There are many works that are almost held as "Holy" by the various denominations that they inspire.  Joseph Smith has his own. ( He even wrote his own holy book.)  Ellen White has dozens of written works that her followers hold as holy.  Many who have created a new branch of that great tree which is called Christianity have written works that are held in very high esteem by the congregations which they began.  Baptists, Lutherans, Weslyans, Witnesses, Presbyterians, Methodists, Unitarians, etc., etc., all have their supplemental doctrines which are interpretations of the Word of GOD and Jesus.  They all claim the Bible is the standard that is followed above all else in the quest for salvation.  Each sect unknowingly submits to a different standard though.

    It is a shame, and a huge bruise across the very face of Christianity that they all have different ways of interpreting the same words.  Really though, this difference is not the shame.  The shame is that the true teachings of the one Son of GOD have become so lost and convoluted with time as to vanish under the blessed and inspired works of his followers.  Divisions of peoples.  Varied interpretations of Heaven, Hell, Salvation.  Good, Evil, The Afterlife, The End Times.  What this statement really means...Or that one.  All has resulted in the people who believe in the truth of Jesus Christ to be alienated from one and other in reality.  Those of us who think and find themselves capable of learning the answers without the churches are mostly Pagans.  And the Pagans have the luck of being thrown into a world of thought without any standards of any real bearing.

    In this "New Age"  of Aquarian wisdom, anyone can be a Messiah.   All they have to do is come up with a new line of thought that embraces the difficulties found in reality, and people will follow.  The Media overloads us all with the Hell that is all around us.  Those of limited intelligence either seek out a church, or a pagan group, that attends to their personal needs.  And all of the personal needs are THE SAME for all of us!!!  It is all so ridiculous, but at the same time understandable, (at least from this perspective.)  I hate it!  I want to change it.  But animals will be animals.  And people will be animals if left to nothing better.  GOD has made it so easy, but then again, not.  One slip, one error in judgement,  one belief in falsehood, and thou shalt be damned.   The Kingdom of Heaven is wide open.  So few seats are reserved, even as yet.  HE waits.  HE watches for his offspring to become His children.  VERY narrow is the way, indeed.

    Who will find Heaven as a Sanctuary from Reality?   Who will find Heaven as the simple Gateway to the infinite Beyond?  Who will find their place as mere semen in the testicles of GOD?  Living with Him forever as those who worship him saying "Holy holy holy honor be unto thee..."  And who will be able to become an actual CHILD of GOD and ascend into higher, and higher orders of life?   I  know not.  I am just an offspring.  I seek to transcend beyond this reality.  I seek to take what I know of Him into the next world that I would encounter.  I will not stay within Him.  I will not be trapped so easily.  I think this is what He ultimately desires for me.  As any Father desires for his children to exist well beyond what he is as the father, He desires of me no less.  I am not to simply come unto Him, but to surpass Him.  This is what any father would seek within his child.

    I am obsessed with the whole concept of Infinity.  That the scope of reality goes so far beyond anything we know of as mortal beings.  Forever and ever and on and on.  All of this Universe might exist as a single Atom in my little fingernail in the next reality beyond.  And that reality too must be as a single tiny part of who I am.  On and on, unto infinity.  Each past life, each past body and form being only a link to the next:  and a tiny part of it.  Forever.  Eternity.  Immortality.  Where here, we are offered a new body each time we are reborn into this reality, over and over, again and again,  we are instead offered a body that sheds it's skin at each new level.  I shed this body for one that is bigger, and BIGGER, and BIGGER each time!    Each time shedding my old vehicle for a new one,  on and on, forever and ever.

    I will come to that place where I am Creating my own worlds.  This my GOD has set into me as part of who I am.  I will go far above Him.  I will go far beyond Him.   This He has set into me as his child to do of my own free will.  I will not be there in the Heaven that you imagine.  I will not be there in the world of NOW that is being created.  I will be far above and beyond.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Copyright 2000 by J.S.Graham