The Tangent College
I want to say first of all that I appreciate all those who receive and have read these emails over the years. These are not puffy emails filled with sudsy comforting “promises”. And even if these emails have angered or offended, you have chosen not to be removed from the email list. The Tangent College seeks those who want to know the truth even if it requires changing one’s thinking. Believe me, I am growing and changing my opinions on a weekly basis. What I have learned recently has changed what I thought I believed only six months ago. In a years time, that will be altered to some degree again. It’s called growth and “he not busy being born is busy dying”.
Static, never changing, never growing, religion gradually cements the mind and spirit. I see it all the time.
I do not relish to write these things. But in regards to last week’s email “NeoCON Zionism and the evangelical “Christians” who teach it”, that you can find here, Some religious Christians have been offended by the truthful things I have said about Israel and apparently also offended by what Christ said about the Pharisees.
It is particularly odd when so-called “Christians” are more honoring of Israel and the Jews who reject Christ than Christ Himself.
I’ve been very naïve in thinking over many decades that people could be persuaded by rational arguments and that Christians could be persuaded by the Scriptures. Rather, what I find is that people, driven by emotion and security, cling to their religion, their heritage, and their family beliefs.
The religion that has been leavened into America is this Judeo/Christian political and Imperial ecumenicalism. It did not exist at the time of the American founding despite what many neocon Zionists claim. Why don’t we have Islamic/Judaism? It is about the same thing, is it not? – Do they not both claim Abraham as their father? How about Islamic/Hinduism? How about Amish/Taoism? How about Christian/scientist? (Oh I’m sorry, that is a thing – a hideous thing – sorry to offend) how about Catholic/Buddhism? How about Calvinist/Arminianism? How about Christian/voodoo? You like that one? How about Judeo/Mormonism? How about Roman Catholic/Lutheranism? – That one should make you laugh. These are all absurdities, and yet they are only rational absurdities because religion allows for all absurdities; as long as they are your particular cultural absurdities. But please don’t push your religious cultural absurdities upon us, because we have our own absurdities. And we are not allowed to judge anyone’s absurd religion.
INTERMISSION: [It is time for this delightfully satirical song by Tom Lehrer called “National Brotherhood Week” – this song is a treasure. Give it a listen. Surely the IDF will stop the genocide in Gaza during national brotherhood week.]
But Jesus exposed the absurdities of religion and these are the things that Christ said which are not allowed to be repeated among the religious. These are the Scriptures were not allowed to talk about in Christian circles. Yes, there are certain scriptures which are off-limits to good American Christians. Absurd? Yes. Frustrating? Yes, beyond belief.
These religious “Christians” are more offended that someone would tell the truth about Israel than they would be if Christ – you know, the guy who died for your sins and whose name you take for your religion – were called a “bastard” and a “blasphemer” (which the Jews still call Him to this day) or an insurrectionist who got killed for his trouble (which Ben Shapiro did).
Why do these “Christians” not respect the words of Christ in the Bible? Does it not fit in with their contemporary Judeo/Christian “He Gets Us” form of Christianity where Jesus never utters a harsh word, or a word of judgment but rather forgives everyone and brings eternal peace to the world? (You know, like Judas Iscariot expected) I’m sorry, I forgot we can’t talk about Judas Iscariot, the “good” Jew, one of the disciples that Jesus chose, who betrayed Him with a kiss. – All scriptural, and all off-limits. Too offensive.
To believe in this popular Jesus is to eliminate 90 percent of what he taught.
Do you not believe what the prophets wrote? – You know, those prophets from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, to Malachi. These were the ones that foretold the end of the kingdom of Israel. These are the prophets that the fathers of the Pharisees killed, (Luke 11:47) and eventually crucifying God’s Son, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” – John 1:11
We need to put away our phony religious notions of what we are told by false teachers and “rabbis”, and turn to what Jesus Christ actually said in the Bible; along with the prophets. This is not kindergarten stuff. Your religious sensibilities will be challenged. But if we throw away the blanket of our religious security, we will discover the truth and the truth will make us free.
But the religious Christian does not want to be free. They much prefer to be safe.
Religion is a cage and it is only by knowing the truth, and accepting the truth that you can be set free.
I will be honest with you, I have never understood nor respected religion and those who cling to it like a drunkard clings to his bottle and Linus clings to his blanket. I have only wanted to know the truth and have the truth set me free. There is no freedom you will ever know that is greater than knowing the truth.
Let me state a few basic truths that you need to understand about Israel.
1) the former kingdom of Israel (including Judah) ended with the Babylonian captivity which was foretold primarily by the prophet Jeremiah.
2) this was the beginning of rabbinical Judaism which less and less had any relationship with the children of Israel that Moses led out of Egypt.
3) they formed their own religion and their own laws. The Sanhedrin was created some 200 years before Christ came.
4) they were chosen by God to write the Scriptures, including their tainted history and their foretold demise through the prophets.
5) they were chosen by God to be the people that would bring forth the Savior of the world – the Lord Jesus Christ.
6) Jesus Christ ushers in the new Kingdom of Israel and the Jews. It is a spiritual kingdom that lies within the heart of the believer. We are the new temple. The old Temple was spiritually destroyed when Christ died on the cross and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The physical temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.
7) all former promises and covenants have been fulfilled in Christ. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of lords of a new kingdom.
all those who call themselves “Jews” are welcome. Everyone is welcome. But no one gets in by any other door.
It’s amazing to me, that these simple truths found in Scripture are so offensive to some religious “Christians”. But we have long since learned that calling yourself something does not necessarily mean you are that thing.
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ –John 3:7