SALTLESS CHRISTIANITY

Christianity's Weaknesses Are In All Levels

I find it most interesting that anyone should state that modern American Christianity is scripturally saltless, as did Coach Dave Daubenmire (www.newswithviews.com) in his article Calling Evil Good And Good Evil. The statement that Christianity is saltless is almost absurd since it is something of a foregone conclusion that this has been the case for centuries. There is a very good reason why this is true. Christianity, to begin with, is basically not Scriptural. Why should we judge something that has so little to do with the Bible by Biblical standards, and do so with Biblical terms as if it were, well, Biblical?

First of all, Christianity, from its conception in Constantine's time, was destined to be a weak, wobbly-legged, knock-kneed religion with brittle clay feet. Christianity, down through the ages, claimed to be rooted in the truths of Scripture. It claimed faith in the Bible; and, it claimed the Bible as completely authoritative. However, when the Bible began to undergo butchering at the hands of men called theologians and Church fathers, Christianity lost its foundation. It lost its sense of truth, of right and wrong. Because of its watered-down moral code, Christianity--not heathenism --has led the Western world into moral degradation and spiritual defeat.

What in the Bible was butchered? First, there was a labeling of and separation between what we now know as Old and New Testaments. Then, the Law of Moses was ripped apart and the "moral" codes were distinguished from the "ceremonial" laws. In a gross twisting and misquoting of Scripture, the latter were considered done away with. The problem in abolishing the ceremonial laws of Scripture is that these are just as effective and important in dealing with moral issues as the moral laws are. HaShem (God) had very good reason for giving the ceremonial laws to be observe and obeyed forever. Their primary function was not to paint a nice picture of what the Messiah-to-come would look like. Their primary function was to deal with everyday life in a holy, godly manner.

At the heart of nearly every ceremonial law was a moral issue. The Torah (five books of Moses) speaks to the matters of the heart; it is not meant to deal with just outward problems. In medical terms, it is not a remedy for symptoms; it is the way of getting to and healing the heart of its spiritual disease. At face value, there may not seem to be a lot in the ceremonial laws that dealt with morals and ethics. However, this is not so.

This is not to say that every ceremonial law is at heart an ethical or moral law. All of the mitzvot (commandments) are for our own good, and some simply deal with things like hygiene. For the most part, the ceremonial laws are not effective without a functioning earthly Temple. However, they will be very much in effect at the institution of the future Temples,* and yes, there are some that apply without the Temple.

To say that the ceremonial laws were done away with is almost as ridiculous as suggesting that the so-called moral codes should not exist, as well. The ceremonial laws deal with just that--ceremony. Yet, HaShem knows that ceremony is important to teach mankind, to ingrain truth and habit into us. I believe this is a major part of why He instituted these laws.

I know many of you have heard that Christianity is Jewish. It is. I wish that could be the end of the discussion, but sadly, it cannot be because we do not realize just how Jewish our Hebrew faith really is. It is faith that entails much activity on the part of its followers. In other words, philosophy and doctrine are not always foremost in its concerns. Doing is often what is most important, not merely believing and thinking. Yes, it is wise, especially in this day and age, to understand the doctrines and reasons behind why we do what we do, but our faith is more than mentally comprehending and believing doctrines. There is a basic principle in doing our Father's commands; simply, do first, and understand why later. Doing is not just attending studies, services, and congregational activities.

While Judaism focuses on people as a whole and deals with national issues, it also deals with individuals. Therefore, what defines Judaism is not what we do with or around other people, but also and perhaps more importantly what we do on a personal and private level.

Christianity, with the removal of ceremonial laws, is hardly distinguishable from heathenism. I am by no means trying to knock the religion. I am merely making a helpful observation. Ceremonial laws and outward symbols are important in distinguishing Judaism from other religions like Islam. However, Christians smell like, look like, dress like, and in most cases--pardon the blunt truth--act like their Heathen neighbors. A Christian without tzit-tziyot, a traditional kippah or tallit, and distinctive Biblical behaviors cannot be known as a Christian to an observer simply by the light in the eyes or the fact that he or she smells clean. We have to be different outwardly as well as inwardly.

As a human, I understand that it is not human nature to want to do very much, especially when it comes to making ourselves stick out or peculiarly different. Ceremonial laws require a lot of doing that we normally might not be inclined to do. Perhaps the tendency to shun strange activity and activity in general may be at the heart of a human's desire to nail the ceremonial laws to the cross--where they do not belong.

Removing part of the moral codes found in the Bible, and taking away part of the very foundation on which the rest of the Scriptures stand will result in a weak religion and morally weak people. Thus, you have Western Christianity. If we attempt to study the Scriptures without a clear understanding and actively following its foundation, we have no base--literally--for our faith to stand on. Remove the foundation and the building cannot exist. That is why, in a very straightforward manner of speaking, there is no such thing as Christianity inside the Bible. It is a made-up religion with a made-up god. It uses a tailored set of Scriptures, allows men to determine their own laws, to pick-and-choose that which they believe is good for them, and uses “God” like a--excuse once more the hard truth--drug. We treat Him like He is a pill we can take to make us feel better at our convenience or a drug to blame when we are having a moral headache.

Where We Are Today

I do not think it is possible to point fingers at any one individual or group for our moral degradation. It is not even possible to blame the religion of Christianity. We must blame the followers of Christianity. It is not good to point fingers. It is also not Biblical. We all have a responsibility in this. Instead of pointing to everyone next to us, let's begin with us and end with us personally. We each have enough guilt in this moral degradation and upheaval to concentrate on for a while without looking at everybody else's blunders.

First, unauthorized Church leaders created unsound doctrine and practice, removing both commands and with them, freedoms, which resulted in times like the Dark Ages. Now, Church leaders, perhaps in a vague attempt to recompense for the martyrdom the clergy in centuries past, are now trying to give congregants much freedom. This reminds me of the story in the Torah about the complaining Israelites who had quail until it was coming out of their noses and mouths. You want freedom? You can have it until you are a slave to it. The only freedom we have is freedom of choice. We can choose to obey or to disobey, and either way we are obeying some form of authority, be if self or Adonai (the Lord).

Fathers and heads of houses are not holding leaders accountable for liberalism and corruption. This is perhaps because we don’t have persevering men who study and lead their own families. They do not hold each other or themselves responsible and accountable. They do not teach their families. When they do not lead correctly, they lead incorrectly. Either way they are leading. When they do not hold their children's hearts and their wife's trust, they and subsequently society are flying out of balance.

Mothers are often at a loss as to what to do when their husbands do not lead. However, instead of seeing themselves in a supportive role as well as equally and individually responsible, they often do nothing. A woman is the stability and force, the heart and center, of the family. She rocks the cradle; she rules the world. Her place is to co-rule, along side her husband, supporting and nurturing him. Her primary center of focus is the home and family--not careers and strangers, shopping malls and gossip centers. Today's woman, however, has given up both family and home to be independent, thereby undermining her Divine dependence on her husband, the family and relationship unity that is supposed to exist. She has lost the ability to fully and effectively influence the lives of her children. Women are in no way exempt from their responsibilities simply because everyone else abandons their posts.

Children may not have parents who teach them spiritually, but as they get older, they have responsibilities to seek out what Adonai wants them to do. We, too, are not exempt. Where our parents fail, we must be willing to set our own standards and carry the banner. We, too, must study to show ourselves approved, because in the end, we are each accountable for ourselves. Our parents are accountable to a degree, but it is ultimately our responsibility. We also have a duty to teach and set examples for our siblings and peers. We have an undeniable and unavoidable duty to society and to HaShem. When we fail to uphold our faith, we are tearing it down. There is no middle position. Complacency, even on an individual level, can become a national crisis. Perhaps we, as a nation, would not be so morally diseased if individuals recognized their part in the complacency pandemic.

In conclusion, it is important for us to understand our responsibilities in the area of leadership, as individuals, and as the body of Messiah. Fathers must begin leading their families, going back to the “foundation.” Without a proper foundation, the family/home is going to be a house divided against itself. What is the foundation? It is the unchangeable Torah, the first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses. Without this, the rest of the Scriptures have no substance, which makes them subject to interpretation at whim.

*By speaking of future Temples in the plural, I am referring both to earthly and millennial ones.

Note from Kathie: A helpful tool regarding a woman's (and men's) role in the assembly can be found at www.torahresouces.com The article is titled "The Role of Women in the Messianic Assembly" by Tim Hegg.