In my previous post I explained how Jesus was asking us to become like little children, to be watchful, to not be deceived and that the gate to life is narrow and only few will find it. This should be concerning because Christianity not only teaches us that we only have to believe in Jesus and we will be saved, but also the “gospel of grace” popularized by the Apostle Paul that actually contradicts with what Jesus was teaching.
Jesus was asking us to become like those little children to humble ourselves and to reconsider that perhaps we have been sold a false gospel. Because if you examine Jesus’ words and compare it to the words of Paul, they contradict each other. And as we know, Christianity has been established on the letters of the Apostle Paul mainly. Christianity is a religion of Paul about Jesus, not religion of Jesus’s teachings. Have you ever wondered why Paul never quoted Jesus? He only referred to Jesus and gave his own spin on it, making it his quote rather than Jesus’s quote. He was always coming with his own interpretation and his understanding, overwriting Jesus’s words. How come the Apostle who never met Jesus in the flesh and whose spiritual conversion was very questionable without any witness testimonies, managed to start this Christian movement in times, when it was forbidden to do so in the Roman Empire? Paul was not only Roman citizen but he was also protected by Rome, how did he got into this power before spreading the gospel?
Christianity started in Rome, where Apostle Paul spent most of his time preaching and after Constantine the Great converted into Christianity, all Rome changed it’s pagan traditions and put on a new garment of Christianity. However, to appeal to people, those traditions where just rebranded with a new name and new label of Christianity, but in reality stayed the same and paganism was never aborted. That was the start of the religious system powerhouse – Catholicism.
Even though Catholicism was really the first Christian denomination and many call it OG Christianity, many people do not think Catholicism is Christianity. Confusing? Well Catholicism is technically Christianity because of it’s belief in Jesus, however it has different doctrines when comparing it to the Protestant Christianity. So there are different opinions. Catholicism has it’s own Catechism and uses Bible as a guide, introducing it’s own doctrines that are not found in the Bible and adding to the scripture by “the authority it has been given to her by the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”, as it explains. However Protestantism is more aligned to the Bible and follows “sola scriptura” – which means “by scripture alone” where Bible is the only infallible source of authority for Christian faith. “Sola scriptura” was a key principle of the Protestant Reformation. This contrasts with the beliefs of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches which believe church tradition and authority have equal weight with the Bible. This is interesting because Jesus warned:
“Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ” Matthew 15:6-9
With that we can see that different denominations have different views on doctrines and how to obtain salvation. Shouldn’t Christianity and all different denominations be in agreement over this matter? Shouldn’t this be a foundation to the Christianity? How come one Bible could create over 45 thousand different denominations? How come Bible has so many different translations? Christianity was build on a a principle of inclusivity, intended to transcend borders, ethnicities, and social divides. Israel was supposed to be a light to the world and teach the Gentiles about the Law of God and how to worship God. However as we know, this didn’t happen. We now have not only division between Judaism and Christianity but also division within Christianity:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.” Psalm 133
Unfortunately, through the Apostle Paul, who divided Jews and Gentiles by introducing different teachings and separating Gentiles from the Law of God, the divide started.
How Christianity actually started?
Christianity developed in the province of Judea out of Jewish tradition in the first century CE, spread through the Roman Empire, and eventually became its official religion. It started first based on the teachings of Jesus, and later on the writings and missionary work of the Apostle Paul. After Jesus’s death, the Apostle Paul wrote many letters that are now part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible and on which Christianity is mainly based on. Paul was a Roman citizen and sent those letters to small communities of Christians living throughout the Roman Empire. The letters involved issues related to the exact relationship between Judaism and Christianity, relationship to the law and traditions. Although Christianity developed out of Jewish traditions, it had no such legal protections. Judaism received the status of a legal religion in the Roman Empire with formal protections, whereas Christians were occasionally persecuted and formally punished for their beliefs during the first two centuries. Judaism did not believe that Jesus was their Messiah, whereas Christianity was based on the fact that Jesus was the son of God.
Therefore the divide between Judaism and Christianity was based on Jesus and that was the reason early Christians wanted to separate themselves from the Jews, who rejected Jesus. Early Christian communities adapted to the Jewish practices including the observance of the Sabbath and dietary laws, with just few new interpretations that were aligning with Jesus’s teachings. However, over time, differences arose regarding the role of Jewish law for Christ’s followers, leading to distinct Christian traditions. Christians were often targeted due to their distinctive beliefs and practices that conflicted with Roman religious traditions.
What about the divide in Christianity?
In 325, Constantine called the Council of Nicaea, which was a gathering of Christian leaders to determine the formal or orthodox beliefs of Christianity. The result of this council was the Nicene Creed, which laid out the agreement upon beliefs of the council. In 380 CE, the emperor Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, which made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Most of other Christian sects that differed from the Roman Empire Christianity, were deemed heretical, lost their legal status, and had their properties confiscated by the Roman state. Therefore originally Christianity grew out of Jewish traditions, however later was shaped by Roman cultural and political structures for several centuries. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans provided foundational theology and practical advice on living as Christians. His teachings emphasized faith in Jesus Christ as the path to salvation, however also call to the end the Law.
Christianity divided into different denominations due to theological, cultural, and political differences over centuries, with the first major split being the Great Schism of 1054 between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, followed by the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, which created new branches like Lutheranism, and further splits resulting in groups like Methodists and Baptists. Key issues included disputes over papal authority, doctrines and varying interpretations of scripture and church governance.
Therefore as you can see, the divide was very much formed based on cultural and political differences over the centuries. If theology didn’t fit into the political agenda, then that country would adopt differences and tailor religion to their regional needs. As an ex-Catholic, I can see differences in Catholicism in Poland or Italy or Spain… Even though it’s all Catholicism, there are still some minor differences.
What does that tell us?
That religious systems were shaped based on the political and cultural needs, where church and state were working together and enforcing political and religious laws. Faith was not only your personal choice but part of your nationality and how culture was shaped in particular demographic. It turned into a religiosity – degree of religiousness an individual or society exhibited, measured through a combination of factors like belief, practice, politics and belonging.
Our human nature is that we want to belong to particular groups. We are social beings wired for connection and therefore belonging to bigger religious or political groups shapes our identity and sense of belonging. We want to belong to something and to be seen and heard and to be around people who see the world as we do. This is when certain believes, rituals and traditions are being formed that will distinguish us from other social or religious groups. It doesn’t have to be formed on truth because often we crave belonging far more than the truth and on the expense of truth. Being part of that religious group or political is more important and it shapes our believes and understanding to the point that we are prepared to bend the truth to justify our own believes.
It is only when you leave that social or religious group, you can clearly see for what is it. It is the same when you live in a particular country, you can’t really see the culture with objective eyes. Only when you leave and move out to a different country and into a different culture is when you can see it for what it is and asses it with objectivity.
I often question why people believe in something so strongly that even if you present them with facts and evidence, they are still not prepared to change their believes. When examining human belief systems, it’s crucial to consider that our beliefs are part of larger systems of ideas. It’s a collective acceptance of specific beliefs and opposing those beliefs means alienation from the society or group. When we introduce new information or perspectives that can challenge and potentially reshape rigid belief systems, it is never accepted with open arms. When we encounter new information or evidence, we should use it to inform and update our beliefs and others. However in reality, our brains often don’t follow this ‘rational’ path. As a general rule, we are more willing to embrace new information if we view it as positive or beneficial and ignore information that we view as negative news. We are also resistant to changing beliefs that challenge our identity. This is where a well-known phenomenon known as ‘ confirmation bias’ comes into play. Confirmation bias refers to our tendency as humans to stick to our original beliefs and cognitive patterns. It is safer to stay what we know and are familiar with.
Latter Developments and Divisions of Christianity
Following the Protestant Reformation in 16th century, further denominational expansions occurred including Baptism, Methodist, Pentecostal movement and many, many more. Today, Christianity comprises thousands of denominations, with the main branches being Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. Therefore we can see that even though any new denomination is being created, it always has it’s foundation from those three religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. It is always based on the same principles: teachings of the Apostle Paul.
The division of views started with Paul. First Paul divided followers of Christ into Jews who follow the Law, to the Gentiles who don’t have to follow the Law. But then the division started even in the early Christianity, which we can see in the book of Corinthians:
“Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.” 1 Corinthians 1: 12-17
Those difference in interpretation of Paul’s teachings and different geographical regions made people divided where they started comparing themselves as “I am of Paul” – which means they were keeping him in very high regard and not saying “I am of Christ”. People were adapting based on their understanding of what Paul meant about the Law, how this fitted into their cultural and geographical standards and what they wanted to take from it. It soon started to became this pick and chose type of religion. Why? Because Paul was brainwashing them with his teachings and his gospel that was in reality contradicting with the teachings of Jesus. Paul said: “For Christ did not send me to preach the gospel with wisdom”, which essentially means don’t think but just follow blindly.
The start of Paul’s gospel and theology
Apostle Paul believed that Jesus Christ appeared to him in the spirit and chose him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, even though he never met Jesus in the flesh. As a pharisee and prosecutor of early Christians, Paul dropped his identity “in the twinkling of an eye” and became a teacher to the new audience. What is interesting, Paul never actually quoted Jesus’s words, he never followed Jesus’s teachings and his view on salvation was very different to what Jesus was teaching about. But what Paul’s focus was, was to create churches and a system of hierarchy with tithing. He was monetizing on the religion where Jesus was actually opposed to take any money from teaching:
“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.” Matthew 10:8-10
Jesus also demonstrated his stance against the misuse of the temple for profit in the Cleansing of the Temple narrative, where he overturned the tables of the money changers and sellers, accusing them of turning a house of prayer into a “den of thieves” :
“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” Matthew 21: 12-14
This was very contradictory to Paul, who was teaching to put something aside on a weekly basis:
“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.” 1 Corinthians 16: 1-4
Paul was often manipulating people into giving by presenting preaching as this great sacrifice and great gift to the people:
“And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you. If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.” 2 Corinthians 8:18-24
The rise of Catholicism
Paul’s churches grew into what we now call Catholicism. Paul was a Roman citizen and his teachings grew significantly in Rome, however Rome continued to be a pagan country for a long time after Paul’s death. During the times of Emperor Constantine the Great, he, similarly to Paul, had a vision of “a cross-shaped trophy formed from light” and a text attached to it which said, “By this conquer.” Constantine was advised in a dream to mark the heavenly sign of God on the shields of his soldiers and then engage in battle. This seemed to be a popular way of converting or convincing people – just say you had a vision, a playbook started by Paul.
When Constantine the Great accepted Christianity in 336 AD, Constantine went on to become the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. 40 years later in 380 under Theodosius I, Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire. Before that, Rome was a pagan country worshiping other gods, with Constantine worshiping the god of sun. After converting to Christianity, pagan practices were forbidden, however in reality those practices were just adapted and rebranded into Christianity and never really left Rome.
That was the beginning of the Roman Catholicism. What is interesting is the intention of Constantine to convert to Christianity, it wasn’t through repentance, changing of his hearth, but rather willingness to win in a battle. Similarly to Constantine, Paul’s conversion wasn’t through repentance or change of heart, but through change of mind and taking on a different tactic.
Currently, Catholic church is the largest Christian church with 1.406 billion people worldwide. While its total worth is not public, the Catholic Church is also extremely wealthy, with the Catholic Church in Germany alone having assets estimated between $47.24 billion and $265.62 billion. The wealth of the the Vatican’s assets is estimated at over $10 billion. This is only estimated because the exact wealth of the Vatican is impossible to be calculated due to its global holdings. Vatican as we know is wrapped in a lot of secrecy.
Therefore as you can see, the powerful teachings of Paul about tithing and his gospel of grace were much more beneficial to the churches than Jesus’s teachings and his call to give up possessions:
“Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 16:21-24
“Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9
Christianity is a religion of Paul about Jesus but focusing on the words of Paul rather than the words of Jesus. Jesus would have been against all that Catholicism stands for: papacy, traditions, sacraments, tithing, purgatory, idolatry, riches, and systems that are an actual obstacle to the salvation. And in reality, most of people in Catholicism believe that salvation comes from Catholic church. Hard to believe? Some time ago I saw a video of a nun from the Catholic church answering to the question that she received: what will happen to all those people who are Christians but they do not belong to the Catholic church? To my surprise, the nun explained that unfortunately all those people will go to hell because only Catholic church guarantees salvation. It’s actually pretty shocking that people still have those views and teach others this nonsense. The brainwashing in Catholicism is on another level. If you tell me that this is not a typical fear mongering technique to keep people in the church with the fear of losing their salvation and asking them to tithe on a weekly basis… As an ex- Catholic I know how backward their thinking can be. Of course I am not attacking people but the religious system that so many people are under the claws of.
The answer to this is always what Jesus said:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7: 13-14
Christianity in this case is this wide gate that many go by it, due to being based on the teachings of the false Apostle Paul.
By Dagmara Z.