blasphemy in the churches

Noah Webster wrote the book ~ literally ~ on the meaning of words in the English language.  Here's what the original 1828 edition of Noah Webster's "An American Dictionary of the English Language" says about the word "blasphemer":

"One who speaks of God in impious and irreverent terms"

And here is Webster's definition of the word "blaspheme":

"2. To arrogate [to claim something for oneself, without justification]

the prerogatives of God"

Alright, then.  Let's see whether or not there is blasphemy occurring in the churches.

Let's begin with the CELEBRATION of Easter, in the churches.  In the first place, when a particular day is dedicated to memorialize an event, by means especially involving symbols which are explicitly identified with certain ideas: that is what is meant by "celebration", of such event.  The churches which celebrate Easter ~ by incorporating symbols explicitly associated with that, cannot be supposed to be "celebrating" the Resurrection of Jesus Christ ~ which has no relationship whatsoever to the symbols of Easter.

Why are rabbits and eggs used as symbols in the celebration of Easter?  Easter is a very ancient, pagan holy day which predates the birth of Jesus Christ by centuries.  Easter is the celebration of a pagan fertility goddess: thus, rabbits (which reproduce prolifically), and eggs (which chickens lay prolifically), are used as symbols of Easter.  But rabbits and eggs have nothing to do with the Resurrection of Christ.

To combine symbols which are explicitly associated with the worship of a pagan goddess, together with symbols of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: is that not to "speak of God in impious and irreverent terms"?  Is that not BLASPHEMY?  If you say it is an "innocent" practice, then you are foolish and wicked.  And if you partake of such practices, you are a blasphemer.

And what about Christmas?  One of the definitions, above, states that "blasphemy" means "to arrogate [or, to claim something for oneself, without justification] the prerogatives [a right or privilege] of God".  So, what is claimed for the central character of "Christmas"?  Oh, by the way, "Christmas" is nowhere mentioned in the Bible; thus, Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus Christ.  But "Christmas" is explicitly associated with Santa Claus ~ who is the central character of Christmas.

Santa Claus, it is claimed, is "all-knowing" (he knows when you've been bad or good); he is "all-powerful" (he can travel the entire world in a single night, and he can supernaturally enter homes, etc.); he is "eternally existing" (how old is Santa Claus?).  Even his personal appearance and his manner of dress is intended to mock (by falsely emulating) the Person of Jesus Christ.

To take the divine attributes of God and associate those with Santa Claus: is that not "blasphemy" ~ according to Webster's definition?  And to combine symbols which are explicitly associated with "Christmas", together with symbols of the birth of Jesus Christ: is that not also to "speak of God in impious and irreverent terms"?  Is that not also blasphemy?  And if you say those are "innocent" practices, then you are foolish and wicked.  And if you partake of such practices, you are a blasphemer.

Does it not strike you as being remarkable, that both the birth and the death (the beginning and the 'end') of the Lord Jesus Christ have been identified with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny?  In other words, Jesus Christ is nothing but a MYTH, a LIE, and, finally, a big joke.

Yet, supposedly well-meaning Christians are willing to spend money (they don't have to spend) on "Christmas" and "Easter"; while they are also agreeable to employ many symbols associated with the worship of pagan deities, in COMBINATION with their so-called "celebration" of the birth and death of Jesus Christ.  Baloney.  That's the kindest thing I can say about the whole mess.

Still, Christmas and Easter are very far from being the only things which constitute "blasphemy" in the churches (which allow such things ~ as most do):

• The teaching of false doctrines;
• tolerance of wicked persons (remaining) in the assemblies of the saints;
• the ongoing acceptance and use of Bible-substitutes ~ after so long a time, in which so much information has been made available concerning the corrupt nature of so-called Bible "versions";
• accepting tax-exempt status ~ along with the conditions attached to that;

All of those things (and more) constitute BLASPHEMY in the churches!

If ANY of those things is going on in YOUR church ~ and you are aware of it: then, you are complicit in blaspheming God.

The Holy Ghost is not "taking his gloves off," so to speak, in such an essay as this.  But the Holy Ghost is waking some of us up to the truth ~ so that we can take our gloves off, as it were: that is to say, those with which we have sought to "handle" the Apostates with "kid gloves", so to speak, in order that we might not offend their sensibilities; together with removing the blinders which the devil has put over our eyes, in the hope that we, professing Christians, all might "sleep" peacefully (undisturbed).

When the Apostle Paul preached at a place called Mars Hill (Acts 17), he testified that:

"[W]e ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained...." (Acts 17:29b-31a).

A faithful Brother in Christ brought this idea to my attention, namely: If we consider with what severity God dealt with idolatry and other kinds of sin, in the Old Testament; and, then, we consider that the Apostle Paul (by the Holy Ghost) said that's how God "winked" at their "ignorance" (not knowing); How ought we then to fear: seeing, that God is not willing to "wink" at anyone's "ignorance," anymore?

Let me conclude by saying a word about the sin of idolatry.  Most people wrongly suppose that idolatry involves worshiping some or another kind of carved or molded image, such as a statue, or figurine, or even a picture of such.  To be sure, there are a lot of people who do worship such physical objects.

But there is a far greater number of those who commit the sin of idolatry ~ who would never dare to bow down and worship a statue.  But what is a statue, after all?  It is nothing other than an image, or a representation, of a deity whom one chooses to worship.  But what about the "image" of "God" which exists IN YOUR OWN MIND?  Does the "image" of that "God" ~ whom you choose to worship ~ truly represent the God of the Bible?  Whatever you believe, in your own mind, is true about God: that is the "image" of God which exists in your own mind.  And if the "image", the "representation", of God ~ which you have fashioned within your own mind, does not square with the ways in which God has represented Himself, in the Bible, actually to be: then, you are guilty of IDOLATRY.  You are bowing yourself down to worship an "image" of some kind of deity ~ which IS NOT GOD.

Recently, I was talking with another dear Brother in Christ about the Apostasy in the churches.  I told him that I would not be going back to a certain church, where I had been going to pray with a member of that church (which, member, I informed him that I would gladly meet him for prayer at some other location).  The Brother with whom I was speaking asked me: "Don't you care about those people who are ensnared in apostate churches?"  I answered, "Yes, I do".  He then asked me, "Well, then, don't you want to have anything more to do with them?"  Without hesitating, I replied, "No, I don't".  "Neither do I," he replied; "I just wanted to know where you stand".

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and [then] I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."  (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

"Church" ~ as that has been called, for the past generation and more, hasn't been "working". That is to say, it hasn't been effectual to confront the wicked culture or to bring unbelievers to repentance and to conversion.  There are REASONS why that such a "Church" has not been working ~ as Christ intended it should.  And it is our solemn DUTY to discover just what those "reasons" are, and then to fix such a "Church", if that were possible.  But after so many years of trying, first, to figure out what those "reasons" are, and, then, trying to "fix" the Apostate "Church"; I have at length decided ~ just as the Protestant Reformers at length decided ~ that the Apostate Church cannot be reformed: because, it does not want to be reformed!  Only, today, it is not the Roman Catholic Church which resists reformation, but it is the mainstream Protestant churches (and a majority of so-called Independent churches, as well).

Yet, Jesus did not tell us to "fight" such "churches" ~ which, really, are nothing else but groups of people who gather themselves together in buildings disguised as "Christian" places of worship.  Rather, Jesus said to: "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" (Matthew 15:14).  Nevertheless, those "churches" do contain multitudes of lost people; thus, they are nothing else but another part of the "world" and the world-system.  So, while we have no duty to "fight" against such churches; yet, we do have a duty to do all we can to rescue the lost ~ by all godly means.

America has become, perhaps, the most most godless, and therefore the most needy, mission field on planet Earth.  And we must not only be zealous to win the lost in America, but we must also be very wise ~ and not be deceived by the devil's clever tactics which all are designed to destroy the souls of men, whether that is done under the cloak of darkness ~ or of "light"!  And nothing the devil does to subvert souls is more devious than to deceive men and women, and to do that in the name of "Christ", and to do it from the very pulpits of the churches!  How the devil must gloat over the gross and widespread Apostasy which he has fathered in the churches! 

But it's not over, yet, devil.  God did not allow His Son to suffer in vain.  "The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name" (Exodus 15:3).  God's not dead; He's not stupid; nor is He cowardly.

But He is holy, and omnipotent, and true, and faithful . . . and victorious ~ every time!