How did the Church of Christ become so blind to natural morality? Our dear Lord said that we should know a man by his actions. It is totally pointless quoting endless texts from the Bible if your basic premise is immoral. That Islam is not full of homicidal maniacs is a miracle given the example that the prophet set – personally killing thousands, abusing children. So how is it that as Christians, with the example of our gentle Lord we seem to have lost the plot, morally?
God gave us a conscience, if you or I find something morally repugnant there is a pretty good chance that God does too. So how is it that most Churches in America think that we are all depraved and helpless in our sin? Christ didn’t teach that?
There has been much work done over the last thirty years on innate morality in primates as well as most other mammals and it has been shown that we all share a common sense of empathy and caring. Depravity is not a natural state, which is why nature seems to abhor it.
“Decades of experimentation have repeatedly suggested moral or altruistic qualities in non-human primates, and have also provided support for the idea that human morality is innate.
For example, a 1964 study found that rhesus monkeys who could pull on a chain to acquire food would refuse to pull for days if doing so delivered a shock to another monkey; they were “literally starving themselves to avoid inflicting pain upon another” (de Waal 2006:29).
Chimpanzees, unable to swim, have drowned in risky attempts to save the lives of their companions (Goodall 1990:213). Human children as young as just over one year old have been observed as comforting others; this study also unexpectedly found that household pets respond to distress by attempting to comfort people (de Waal 2006:28).”
If we look at the history of our societies, whenever we have strayed too far from this social datum some catastrophe has usually occurred to our civilization. For example: the Jews introduced Animal Sacrifice in order to wean the people from the Egyptian Gods and were wiped out of Judea, Aztecs were wiped out by the Conquistadors, a decadent Rome was wiped out by the Visigoths.
Man’s arrogance prompts each one of them to boast of monopoly on salvation but that is like a child standing on top of a hay wane waving a wooden sword. If God is True and if Christ is true then he is there for all beings not just those who call themselves “the Elect”
So if the Calvinists wish us to take their claims to “Holiness” seriously, let us look at their prophet, John Calvin:
Michael Servetus was a Christian living in the 1500's who incurred the wrath of John Calvin and was murdered by him and his cronies for illegitimate reasons. He was accused of heresy and railroaded through a mock trial and put to death being burned alive at the stake. Yet such an atrocity was praised by even well-known Calvinists as Bullinger and others for generations.
A couple of quotes from John Calvin himself:
7 years before the incident:
"If he [Servetus] comes [to Geneva], I shall never let him go out alive if my authority has weight."
Written by John Calvin in a letter to Farel Feb. 13, 1546
During the incident
Again Calvin writes Farel in a letter dated Aug 20th 1553 where he has Servetus arrested.
"We have now new business in hand with Servetus. He intended perhaps passing through this city; for it is not yet known with what design he came. But after he had been recognized, I thought that he should be detained. My friend Nicolas summoned him on a capital charge. ... I hope that sentence of death will at least be passed upon him"
After the incident:
"Many people have accused me of such ferocious cruelty that (they allege) I would like to kill again the man I have destroyed. Not only am I indifferent to their comments, but I rejoice in the fact that they spit in my face."
"Whoever shall now contend that it is unjust to put heretics and blasphemers to death will knowingly and willingly incur their very guilt.
The strongest recorded statement from Calvin on the Servetus affair is a 1561 letter from Calvin to the Marquis Paet, high chamberlain to the King of Navarre, in which he says intolerantly:
"Honour, glory, and riches shall be the reward of your pains; but above all, do not fail to rid the country of those scoundrels, who stir up the people to revolt against us. Such monsters should be exterminated, as I have exterminated Michael Servetus the Spaniard."
Servetus' final words while being burned alive tied to a stake:
• "Jesu, thou Son of the eternal God, have compassion upon me!"
Yet a heartless modern day Calvinist comments on this saying "This phrase epitomizes the essence of his Trinitarian error" for he said "Son of the eternal God" rather than "eternal Son of God"
Anyone who is half literate can look at the passages the Calvinists use to justify their poison and see that they have taken words out of context and twisted meanings to legitimize their perversions. I would recommend reading the Greek Original and staying away from the King James Version. That being said we shall ignore the scriptural justifications and look at the moral implications – would it be wise for people to depend for their scriptural interpretation on the word of a confessed murderer?
If we are “Living in Christ” we should not have to speak of it – it should be obvious to anyone who knows us. I have met many Christians in all Churches and they shine with a truth and kindess but I have also met and watched too many that were like a dark cloud of evil lost to themselves and God.
Today on Twitter some Calvinist Christian posted this:
“A joyful heart does not prove Christianity, but an empty tomb does. Gerstner looks at confirming Christ by experience.”
This is the kind of thinking that is a symptom of the moral disease of Christianity. Why can we not see that Christ’s teaching is just as Earth shatteringly important without his death, without his resurrection?
Before everyone has a cow – yes I do believe in his death and resurrection but his teaching doesn’t depend on it.
People wander around sprouting such asinine sayings as “Christ died for my sins” or “I am washed in the blood of the lamb” as if they had tourettes. Have you stopped to think what your saying? Have you seen anyone executed? Have you seen a sacrifice?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHJxI5V9j88 - warning offensive content - made me feel ill!!
If I had raped your wife or mother and was sentenced to Death, do you think it would be morally acceptable if I allowed my wife to be killed in my place? Well if you don’t think its morally acceptable – I can tell you now, neither does God! How is it that nobody sees the Moral problem with this? God states time and again in the OT that Human Sacrifice is a sin and vicarious atonement is forbidden so why do we keep talking of Christ’s death as though it were a good idea.
Too many Christians that I have spoken to seem to be unable to answer the most basic of moral questions that their natural “God given” conscience should be able to answer.
The Catholic Church thought that it would be a great idea to let the Turks destroy Constantinople and rid them of a theological rival. A few hundred years later they support the Nazis and the Muslims in massacring Orthodox Christians in Serbia and they would have us believe that their word is the word of God and their version of the Bible is Inerrant?
Just for the record, in my opinion, “no one can pay for your sins but you” and you will be tempted everyday and everyday you must fight to do the right thing” If you pray real hard, Christ will help you and the truth of Christ is that you are not alone. He is there listening to you but no one can tell you that – you have to find it for yourself.
Another point where I believe the Church has lost its moral authority is in altering and destroying Gospels. If you could burn or alter the Words of Christ – you are not a Christian.
God Bless
John Sobieski
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