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MODERN ROMANS: A WARNING FOR AMERICA, BRITAIN AND ISRAEL
Chapter 16
Corruption of Religion
When the Roman Empire was in its ascendancy, its religion, though steeped in superstition and ritualism, unified the citizens in purpose and action. "To a Roman of the best days of the Republic, religion represented stability in the State and in the home; it was the foundation of public and private life..." (Roman Civilization, edited by J.P.V.D. Balsdon, p. 182).
“In Latin, “religio” means “something that binds.” For Romans, religion was a force that bound families together, bound subjects to their ruler and bound men to the gods.
“Roman religion was divided into two. Spirits watched over people, families and households, and the paterfamilias (father of the family) was in charge of the household worship that honored them. Romans also had a set of public gods, such as Jupiter and Mars. State worship was much more formal: colleges of [highly trained] priests [and priestesses] paid tribute to these gods on behalf of Rome itself. The objective of Roman worship was to gain the blessing of the gods and thereby gain prosperity for themselves, their families and communities.”
“Emperors understood the central importance of religion to the lives of the Romans and used it for their own ends. Augustus appointed himself as the chief priest – or Pontifex Maximus – and used the appearance of Halley’s Comet to claim that he was, himself, the son of a god.” The reason again was that common religion among the people unified the Empire.
“Unlike most religions today, the Roman gods did not demand strong moral behavior. Roman religion involved cult worship. Approval from the gods did not depend on a person’s behavior, but on perfectly accurate observance of religious rituals. Each god needed an image – usually a statue or relief in stone or bronze – and an altar or temple at which to offer the prayers and sacrifices.” (https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/religion.html)
However, troubles for religion in Rome began with conquests as the Romans adopted the gods and customs of the people they conquered. As conquered people and freed slaves settled in Rome, they brought their gods, forms of worship and cultures with them. Roman religion became polytheistic which caused divisions in the Empire.
The original Roman gods were Jupiter and Mars. Then due to Greek influence, goddesses such as vesta, Diana, Juno and Minerva were added to the Roman pantheon. Later Mithraism was imported from Persia.
Samuel Dill wrote in his work "Roman Society in the Last Century of the Western Empire": "The paganism which was really living, which stirred devotion and influenced souls... came from the East — from Persia, Syria, Egypt.... Foreign traders, foreign slaves, travelers, and soldiers returning from long campaigns in distant regions, were constantly introducing religious excitement, and then penetrated to the classes of culture and privilege" (pp. 74-76, 78).
The Roman Empire had also various cults, the more important ones being those of Bacchus, Cybele, Isis, Sarapis, Sibyl. Later the Imperial Cult developed in which emperors were deified. Some of the cults were readily accepted by Roman citizens, whereas others were opposed by the rulers.
Roman religions were not a serious threat to the emperors until Judaism and Christianity got a foothold in the Empire. Judaism had existed in the Roman cities for many centuries, but they did not worship Roman gods, or the emperor. When Christianity came, it too was different from Roman and other foreign religions practiced in the Empire. Both religions refused to worship the Roman gods, participate in the cult of the Emperor or make sacrifices at their temples.
Initially the two religions were indistinguishable from each other, and sometimes were made convenient scapegoats for the misdeeds of the Emperors or any ills the Empire experienced and were persecuted. Nero expelled the Jews from Rome and blamed the Christians for the great fire in Rome. Emperor Vespasian warred against the Jews and his son Titus destroyed Jerusalem and killed tens of thousands of its citizens.
But Christianity continued to grow in the Empire, particularly among women, slaves, intellectuals and the illiterate. While true Christianity of the apostles also grew, counterfeit Christianity of Simon Magus (Acts 8) also took root soon after true Christianity arrived, which turned grace into license to sin. This sect of counterfeit Christianity appropriated the name of Christ but continued in its licentious sexual perversions. Often the misdeeds and perversions of the counterfeit Christianity were blamed on all Christians. All forms of Christianity also clashed with traditional Roman religions, as a result of which persecutions increased in which Churches were burned and Christians of all denominations were martyred. Such persecutions culminated in the Great Persecution of Emperor Diocletian in 303 C.E. even though his wife and daughter were Christians. In various edicts, Christians’ legal rights were rescinded, and they were forced to sacrifice to the pagan Roman gods and hand over their scriptures to the authorities to be destroyed. Many who refused to compromise were martyred.
Finally, Christianity received reprieve under the reign of Diocletian’s successor Constantine who, in an effort to unite the Empire, made Christianity the official religion of the Empire, thus replacing all traditional Roman religions. He rebuilt the Churches destroyed by Diocletian. However, Christianity was far from united, as many counterfeit Christian denominations had developed, some in order to avoid persecutions, whereas the true Christianity of the apostles whose adherents kept the Sabbath day holy was a small minority.
In an effort to unite Christianity, in 325 CE Constantine held the Council of Nicaea, reconciling the differences between the various Christian sects, which actually outlawed the true religion, which then would continue to suffer persecution from the Church of Rome for centuries. The Bishop of Rome, or the pope, would then, because of the importance of Rome being the capital of the greatest Empire of its time would claim supreme authority over all other Churches, and over decades and centuries succeed in bringing most of the Christian world under his authority.
Conflict between official Christianity and old Roman paganism, however, continued. It divided the populace, now mixed with freed slaves of Middle Eastern origin. Eventually, the Roman Church, in order to gain adherents, absorbed the religious practices of the pagan religions, giving them concocted Christian significance, such as in Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s day etc.
Even though Christianity became the state religion, Christian moral teaching made little practical difference in the lives of average Romans. "For the vast majority of ordinary men Christianity caused no fundamental change of attitude" (A.H.M. Jones, The Later Roman Empire, p. 1063). In addition, the Church was far from united. Schisms and splits due to doctrinal differences continued to cause conflict and bloodshed. Even though during the ascendancy of the Empire religion was pagan, Romans were still moral and united. But the religious schisms, immoral religious practices of foreign religions in their festivals, and influx of foreigners and freed slaves over the centuries made Roman society immoral and divided.
Carcopino also noticed the decay of traditional Roman religion: "The Roman pantheon still persisted, apparently immutable....But the spirits of men had fled from the old religion; it still commanded their service but no longer their hearts or their belief....In the motley Rome of this second century it had wholly lost its power over the human hearts" (Jerome Carcopino, Daily Life in Ancient Rome, pp. 121, 122).
Religion in America and Britain Today
As already cited earlier, from the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study, 46.6% of Americans attend weekly Church services. Attending Church weekly is a commanded assembly. Thus for more than half of Americans, religion is not a priority. 22.9% belong to no religion, and 5.9% belong to other faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and others. (Data obtained from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/)
In Britain, the British Social Attitudes survey taken in 2017 finds that 53% of Britons are non-religious, 15% are Anglicans, 9% Catholics, 17% other Christians and 6% belong to other religions. Thus, only 41% of Britons classify themselves as Christian. And only 5% of the adult population attends Church. Those attending the weekly commanded Church attendance is even lower. (From https://faithsurvey.co.uk/uk-christianity.html)
We started out discussing the sins of America and Britain which showed that Americans and Britons violate virtually every commandment of God in large numbers.
Religious confusion in America can be gauged from the fact that there are around 2,000 major Christian denominations and according to the World Christian Encyclopedia there are at least 33,000 Christian denominations in the United States. There are so many denominations because they do not agree on what the Bible says. Besides following a false religion, mainstream Christianity is thus hopelessly divided. These divisions spill over into politics which has led to hardened positions.
Existence of a number of denominations and independent Churches offers the American and British Church goer a wide choice on which church to attend. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, about 44% of American adults indicated that they changed faiths from what they were taught as children. The survey also showed that most switched to other religious organizations before age 24, and many switched multiple times.
Some of the reasons people switch Churches are that they are looking for a Church more in tune with their thinking on religion; boring sermons; just out to get the members’ money; pastor not following what he preaches; Church itself is boring; person is hunting for a possible spouse and did not find a suitable candidate in his/her Church; too judgmental; Church lacks love. Some keep looking for the right church and keep switching until they find one to their liking.
These reasons for changing Churches point to people not looking to obey God and His commandments, but for other motives. No wonder most Americans and Britons disobey all of God’s commandments.
Even though Church attendance in America is declining overall, a new Church phenomenon has emerged: the growth of megachurches with typically around 20,000 – 30,000 members attending weekly. Professor Alan Wolfe of Boston College, describes the megachurch phenomenon in his book "The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith" as: “American faith has met American culture—and American culture has triumphed.”
The goal of the megachurch is to be a fun place for the congregants. They provide entertainment, and sermons often resemble motivational speeches, avoiding controversial subjects such as abortion and homosexuality which are condemned in the Bible. The purpose is to be inclusive and not offend anyone and have them stay in the Church.
Modern Christianity in these last times in America and Britain was prophesied in 2 Timothy 3:1, 5: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves…4…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…” This is what describes 46.6% of Americans and 5% of Britons that attend Church regularly. Rest of them are adrift searching for answers to the great questions of life such as “Why was I born” or “What’s the purpose of human life” in philosophies of men, or not asking such questions at all. Each one does what seems right to his or her own eyes. That’s why the old morality that united the two nations and was responsible for their greatness is almost dead.
Activists have succeeded in pushing an anti-God, anti-Bible agenda and forced Christianity, the Ten Commandments and the Bible out of the classroom, government and public life. In the name of “tolerance” homosexuality, all forms of perversion, alternate lifestyles and marriages are given equal footing. Children are being taught confusion for gender identity where a boy or a girl can choose whatever sex he of she wants to be identified as. School boards are mired in controversies about providing proper restroom facilities for such children rather than about questions on how best to educate the children.
It is interesting to note that many Roman emperors were homosexuals or bisexuals. The same goes for America where some prominent mayors are gay, such as those of Chicago and Tampa. Even a Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is a homosexual. Some corporate leaders such as the CEO of Land O’ Lakes corporation are also gay.
America and Britain became great because most of the population attended Church and tried to obey God’s Ten Commandments except the two test commandments – to not worship idols or images and to keep the Sabbath day holy. The British colonial officers and soldiers carried their swords or tools of their trade with them along with their bibles. In fact, British military officers and colonial officials were pioneers in archaeology and deciphering ancient languages and translating ancient texts in the lands they were posted in. The reason was that the Bible was a daily part of their lives. By and large they lived moral lives, based on the Bible. Both Britain and America made the Bible available to the world in nearly all languages of the world.
Increase in use of Astrology and Occultism
One striking feature of Rome accepting foreign gods, even gods of people they had conquered, was to get predictions on the outcome of wars and other major events. Even from early times of the Empire, emperors used augurs “to observe and interpret the signs (auspices) of approval or disapproval sent by the gods in reference to any proposed undertaking.” (https://www.britannica.com/topic/augur). Priests of different gods had different ways of interpreting signs and predicting outcomes. “It was better to undertake a war project if all or most of the augurs of various gods agreed” was their thinking.
Predictive astrology became widespread particularly when the Empire was crumbling. "Predictive astrology, like divination and occultism, generally tends to take hold in times of confusion, uncertainty and the breakdown of religious belief. Astrologers and assorted sorcerers were busy in Rome while the empire was declining and prevalent throughout Europe during the great 17th century waves of plague. Today's young stargazers claim to be responding to a similar sense of disintegration and disenchantment..." (Time, March 21, 1969).
Astrology and occultism are seeing a mighty upsurge in America and Britain, particularly on the Internet.
“A high-school teacher I know thinks this is the natural result of a generation raised on Harry Potter and comforted by velvet and wizards and magic, but mostly it fits into the new whatever-gets-you-through-the-night spiritual paradigm of this particularly chaotic moment in time…
“Fortunes have been made in this “space” [the Internet] already. Headspace, the guided-meditation app, has been downloaded more than 16 million times; the therapy app Talkspace has over a million users who text, video-, or audio-chat with their therapists. But astrology isn’t just riding those waves, it’s having its own boom-time moment, offering cosmic reassurance to un-moored seekers like a mystical, always-available life coach with a level of interest a lot of astrologers say they haven’t seen since the hey-baby-what’s-your-sign ’70s.
“In a demographic desperate for reassurance, a customized cosmos is a very valuable proposition.”
“The services aspect of this business is bigger than anyone realizes,” Clark says. “Mystical services are a $2.2 billion dollar market. At one point in pitching this idea, someone said to me, ‘but astrology is such a niche market.’ And I said, nearly 40 percent of American women read their horoscope at least once a month. That’s not a niche market. What other thing with that level of frequency would you describe as niche?” (https://www.thecut.com/2019/03/sanctuary-astrology-app.html)
Psychics and the occult are also experiencing a resurgence in America and Britain. According to (https://www.christianpost.com/voice/why-is-the-occult-on-the-rise.html), December 16, 2018:
“A recent Pew Research study found that a large and growing percentage of Americans believe in reincarnation, astrology, psychics, and the presence of spirits in nature.
“In fact, six in ten Americans accept at least one or more of these beliefs. Shockingly, that number is just as high among self-identified Christians. Even agnostics—over half, in fact—have adopted occult ideas, along with the overwhelming majority of those who call themselves “spiritual, but not religious.”
“The occult is becoming mainstream in this country. At least part of the reason why is how easy, user-friendly, and infinitely customizable the chaotic buffet of beliefs borrowed from Eastern pantheistic faiths and pre-Christian religions is these days. There’s no church or creed or set of rules. You can pick and choose whatever you like. It’s spirituality meets consumerism. And you are the god.
“Still, there’s also an increase of more rigorous disciples of the mystical—those who really identify and practice religions like Wicca.
“According to new research by Trinity College in Connecticut, Wicca is one of the fastest-growing religions in the country. Between 1990 and 2008, it saw a forty-fold increase in the number of adherents. One-and-a-half million Americans now identify as either Wiccan or Pagan.
“The Web publication Quartzy appropriately described modern witchcraft as “the perfect religion for liberal millennials…” Wiccans emphasize “free thought and will of the individual,” encouraging “learning and understanding of the earth and nature,” as well as tolerance and the ideals of feminism. It even comes with a cool hashtag: #WitchesofInstagram.
“In other words, for most of its adherents, Wicca functions as a spiritual patina on progressive politics, not really a source of supernatural powers. You won’t find these witches stirring cauldrons or riding broomsticks, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing darker going on.”
There is another “secret” many may be unaware of. Most know that Germans are Satan followers, though they do not worship Satan openly. They don’t need to. They know that Satan is the one really worshipped in Christmas, Easter, Halloween and other so-called Christian holidays. German masqueraders (people of German descent living in most white countries, usually for centuries, but with common names of the citizens of the countries; such as Smith, Taylor, Miller, McKenzie, Murphy in the USA and Britain) have increased their numbers greatly by marrying local men and women, but have taught their Satan-inspired philosophy to their children so that they too identify with and behave like the Germans, even though they may only have ¼, 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32 of German blood in them. I have dealt with many of them, and deal with them on a daily basis. Many are even more rabid in their German-ness than even full-blooded Germans in Germany. In their daily lives they do not give any hint of being Satan worshippers, but have absolutely no doubt that they are die-hard Satan worshippers. They behave like normal Christians and may even attend Church regularly. They are very well versed in the Bible. Therefore, the number of people who attend Church regularly and also true believers in Jesus Christ may be less than the 46.6% who attend in America as indicated in the surveys.
German masqueraders and their many allies among the African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Muslims are engaged in much of the activism in America with an anti-God of the Bible agenda, keeping religion and the Ten Commandments out of schools, colleges, government and public functions. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is their legal bulldog to do so. They are also responsible for allowing free reign to the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) movement to make sure that it is free to teach its agenda in schools in the name of ‘tolerance’.
Religious confusion reigns in America and Britain today. It was one of the reasons that led to breakdown of morality and downfall of the ancient Roman Empire. It will be the main reason for the downfall of America, British Commonwealth nations and the state of Israel today. But in their case, God will cause their downfall because they are grossly sinning and violating His covenant that their ancestors made with God at the time of Moses.
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