BEWARE – RELIGION CAN BE FAR FAR AWAY FROM THE REDEEMER

The power of religion can have such iron-like hold over its subjects, that they become utterly incapable to think and act, clearly, reasonably and rationally. They live in their own world, so totally oblivious and blind, towards the very God, whom they claim to worship, that nothing can shake them up. This is the sad reality of all who follow the way of the religion.

Let us look at some characters from Christmas narrative from the gospels, to see how this works.
– “4 And when he [Herod] had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:” – Matthew 2:4-5
The prophecy is clear. The Wisemen from the East have come, seeking the King and the Christ, who is born; yet, the chief priests and the scribes, nor the religious leaders, never were found among those, who came to worship the King and the Christ. What a tragedy! They were seeped in religion, yet they were absolutely blind to the God, whom they were supposed to be worshipping.

Further reading of the Gospels reveal, the true hearts of the religious leaders, who were the leading figures in religious matters. At least eight times in the Gospel accounts, we read, that religious heads, leaders and the laity, tried to seize Jesus, and kill Him, because of something, He did or said. 
– 1- Jesus was Rejected by people of Nazareth, and Attempted to Kill Him – Luke 4:15-16-30; Matthew 13:54–58; Mark 6:1–6
– 2- Pharisees Plotted to Kill Jesus, when He Challenged their Traditions, about the Sabbath – Matthew 12:1–14; Mark 2:23–3:6; Luke 6:1–11
– 3- Jews Wanted to Kill Jesus, because Jesus Blasphemed the Law of Sabbath, in their scholarly perception, and called YAHWEH, His Father, which has far-reaching implications – John 5:1–18
– 4- Jews Wanted to Stone Jesus to Death for Equating Himself to YAHWEH, implying He was God Himself – John 8:48–59
– 5- Jews Wanted to Stone Jesus to Death, When He Referred Himself, as being God – John 10:31–39
– 6- Caiaphas, the High Priest, the Chief Priests, and the Pharisees, gathered the Grand Sanhedrin, to Devise a Plan, and Kill Jesus, because they were Unable to Stop Jesus’ rising Popularity, after Raising Lazarus from the dead – John 11:45–57; Matthew 26:1–5; Mark 14:1, 2; Luke 22:1, 2
– 7- The Scribes and the Chief Priests Sought to Kill Jesus, because people were following Him – Luke 19:45–48
– 8- Chief Priests and Pharisees Plotted to Kill Jesus all the more, because Jesus told them that, the kingdom of God would be taken away from them – the Jews, and will be given to another nation – the despicable and utterly loathsome Gentiles – Matthew 21:33–46; Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19

Sad as it is, right from the very top of the religious leaders, to the common man, most of them not just hated Jesus, but were seething with “righteous” anger and loathsome rage, because, they considered Jesus to be blaspheming their religion, and was misleading the Chosen People, the descendants of Abraham, with heresy. This is well proved, when they did not hesitate to call Jesus, to be a “Samaritan”, a mad man, and a man possessed with Beelzebub, the chief of demons, and a demon at other times – Matthew 12:24; John 7:20; 8:48; 10:20. The finest example of this devious and evil thinking is Saul of Tarsus. Saul was legally right, according to the Jewish religious laws and traditions, in pursuing Christians, and killing them. Don’t forget, Saul was the officiating “officer” at the stoning of Stephen – Acts 7:58; 8:1. Thankfully God touched and transformed Saul of Tarsus, into Paul the apostle, the exact opposite of what he was so passionately pursuing. This demonstrates that, one could be perfectly legal, as per the religious laws and traditions, and yet, be far far away from God, and His ways.

Down through the ages, Church too had many such devious schemes and evil thoughts, to pursue with passion, and persecute the disciples of the LORD Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Let us look at three such incidents that happened in January of 1527, 1528 and 1577.
– 05 January 1527 – Felix Manz, also called Felix Mantz, a Swiss Anabaptist reformer, and the co-founder of the original Swiss Brethren congregation in Zürich, Switzerland, was drowned in the river, as a punishment for preaching adult (re-)baptism, at a young age of 29. His hands were tied behind his knees, and also, a pole was placed between legs, so that he is properly secured, and would not escape. The Magisterial Council, led by the great reformer Ulrich Zwingli, accused Manz of obstinately refusing “to recede [recant] from his error and caprice.” Manz is the first Protestant in history, to be martyred at the hands of fellow Protestants.
– 04 January 1528 – Ferdinand of Austria, younger brother to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, issues the first secular mandate forbidding the Anabaptists’ religious movement.
– 04 January 1577 – Hans Bret, a young Anabaptist Protestant in Antwerp, Holland, is burnt alive at a stake. He had been tortured for months, in an attempt to force him to deny [recant] his Anabaptist faith. However, he kept such a bold testimony, that his persecutors, the reformed Protestants, clamped and seared his tongue, so that he could not preach to the crowd, when they took him to the stake. Oh, what cruelty of those who claim to follow Christ the Messiah, who is anything but cruel.

Protestants and Roman Catholics were both, brutal and cruel towards all, who dissented the official religious position. What is tragic is that, the Protestants, who wanted to be free in their hearts, minds and actions, to worship God as the Scriptures declared, were not so charitable to those, who differed with them, and wanted to pursue a different line in their theology and practice, than that of the official Protestant reformers. In this, the early Protestants were just like those, against whom, they protested for the sake of conscience and freedom. What a pity, and what a tragedy. This thinking is still alive even today. Though much more tolerant in appearance, and not leading to killings, yet, its true force is seen and experienced, only by the dissenting people.

Vicious and cruel killings of Anabaptists, and all other dissenting voices, by the Protestant Reformers, is based, exactly on the very same premise, upon which the Chief Priest, High Priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the common Jews wanted to kill Jesus, and have ultimately succeeded; and the same was the reason for Saul of Tarsus, to persecute and execute, the Jewish Christians. It was firmly believed that, Jesus was blaspheming God, and His ordained law, by breaking the sacred laws, and the sacrosanct religious traditions; there by, disturbing the social and religious order of the day. Therefore, they felt, as the custodians of the law of God, and as God appointed religious heads, they were duty bound to defend their “sacred” religion, their religious traditions, and ensure that all adherents of such a religion, are well protected, and carefully weaned away, from all seducers and heretics – the enemies of God, who deserved to be killed, with full legal impunity, and with the highest honours, for doing so. This is precisely, the same logic, applied by all, who killed every dissenting voice, ever since.

My intention is not to cast aspersions on the reformers, like Luther, Calvin and Zwingly and many others, and their faith. But, an unbiased observation, on the basis of well documented historical facts, in the context of the cruel persecution and heartless killings of Anabaptists, and many other such dissenting voices, over the course of Christian Church history, before and after the sixteenth century reformation, gives us an uncomfortable conclusion. Even if the dissenting voices were wrong in their beliefs, the reformers should never have resorted to such inhuman, cruel and uncivilised methods of implementing perceived justice, to safeguard the religion, their traditions and social order. There is no room, whatsoever, to wiggle around, to say anything, except, the reformers were wrong, just like the Jews, and their religious heads.* However, the distinction between them being, *the reformers walked on a biblical path, on other matters, unlike the Jews, and their religious heads.

May the LORD guide us, to walk faithfully in His ways, and be His true disciple, just like Jesus our Redeemer…even if it means one would be pursued, persecuted and killed. BEWARE the RELIGION dear brothers and sisters, it CAN BE FAR FAR AWAY FROM THE REDEEMER, who revealed Himself to us. Even so the LORD help us, in these last days, where religious deception would be at its sharpest and quickest, to trip, even the best and the brightest, let alone, any unsuspecting Christians, who are not careful, to watch and pray – Titus 1:15-16; 2 Timothy 3:1-5;.4;3-4.