September Newsletter and Articles
The greatest factor in controlling you and your actions in your spiritual life is that of religion. Religion, through unbiblical ritualistic practices and misplaced guilt, is a powerful means of control and rule over your spiritual lives. It is interesting that this control and rule is done primarily by your friends, neighbors, family and your own false conscience, which tell you what to do, when to do and how to do the various rituals and observances in life. This is particularly powerful when our loved ones and we go through transitions in life such as birth, various changes as we grow to adulthood, marriage, family and death. Religion attempts to control all aspects of these transitions from cradle to grave.
This month’s articles by Dr. Ernest L. Martin discuss two factors in the control of people’s thinking and action. The first article “Religion Is Slavery, Christianity Is Freedom.” discusses the manner in which religion controls lives and how freedom can be gained through correct information and understanding of the grace that God provides for every human being.
The second article, “Mystery Babylon the Great.” explains the biblical prophetic information about the ultimate abuse of religion at the time just before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. The world will be enslaved by “Mystery Babylon” as the final expression of false human religion as set forth by Satan and his minions such as his angels, the ten kings, the false prophet, and the antichrist. The religious conspiracy against God and man by all these participants will bear the name “Mystery Babylon the Great.”
As always Dr. Martin’s material is timely and on-point as the world goes crazy with so-called religious priests abusing children and others in their “care,” while the Holy Scriptures are completely ignored in favor of a false “spirituality” which has its source from every place except from God.
The past articles by Dr. Martin, “The Secret of Ancient Religion, Part 1” and “The Secret of Ancient Religion, Part 2,” both tell how the current situation developed in ancient times. The articles “Anatomy of a Church, Part 1” and “Anatomy of a Church, Part 2,” show how pagan symbols have been used in past and present church design, again all derived from paganism. “The Curse of Church Authority” also shows the improper and proper methods of biblical conduct and governance of local congregations (ekklesias) in today’s world.
To delve further into the freedom we have in Christ, read the article (which is a chapter in Dr. Martin’s final book, The Essentials of New Testament Doctrine) “God’s Manifesto of Human Rights and Privileges” based on the book of Ephesians. It will fully inform you of the freedom we have in Christ and the useless nature of baseless rituals and proscriptions of religious slavery that all of us have experienced, endured and even suffered.
David Sielaff
david@askelm.com
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