“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” II Ti 3:16 KJV

During the eighteen hundreds it became fashionable to start new religions. Several were started within just a couple of decades of each other. Of course, “new” religions are frequently today, especially among new Age fanatics. It just seems that the nineteenth century America was a hotbed of emerging wannabe religious leaders. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a leftover of the Millerite movement of the 1830’s, formed in 1863. Also, in the 1830’s (or 20’s, depending on which version you read), Joseph Smith supposedly found some gold plates buried in upstate New York and began the creation of his very own monster, which became the Mormon Church. Mary Baker Eddy got healed and started Christian Science in 1879. Charles and Mildred Fillmore started Unity School of Christianity in 1889. Charles Taze Russell began a movement in 1876 which evolved into Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are a myriad of others. Some are very prominent today, others not so well known. A vision or two and/or a healing, a strong, narcissistic leader and a hungry following, not necessarily in that order, and there's your church. Don't disregard a fair amount of ignorance, gullibility, and desire for an easy way. Calvinism was not particularly popular and folks were looking for a softer way to salvation. The nineteenth century certainly provided fodder for all the preachers, promise makers and prophets that came out of the woods. We remember the signs of a fake Christian church, don’t we? Among them are: Different God, different kind of salvation, only true church syndrome, a charismatic leader, the fallibility of the Bible.

The Bible has been bad-mouthed for centuries; it’s a prerequisite to starting a cult, and the practice is so ingrained that it’s more the rule than the exception. To give credit where it’s due, the Seventh-Day Adventists didn’t denigrate it. Some did to some extent; others simply rode roughshod over the whole book, either rewriting it entirely or changing large chunks of it to suit their agenda. What better way to create questions in the mind of the seeker than to destabilize the authority of the Bible?

One doesn’t have to look very hard in the Holy Bible to find an abundance of passages which claim it to be the infallible word of God. Why then do redesigners of religions persist in attempting to undermine its reliability by false claims that it has been mistranslated, carelessly translated, sabatoged, or fallen victim to countless omissions? It’s a popular practice. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their New World Translation. Joseph Smith came up with The Book of Mormon, which he declared was divinely inspired, and then went on to rewrite the Bible. Mary Baker Eddy wrote Science and Health With Key to the Scriptureswhich she also claimed was divinely inspired. She also alleged that the Bible contains literally hundreds of thousands of errors. We’re not sure what her authority was for such a claim. Maybe she was using Smith’s “Inspired” Version. Charles and Mildred Fillmore’s Unity School of Christianity, an offshoot of Christian Science, does not believe that the Bible is the complete and absolute authority, but a collection of testimonies. Unity teaches that the Bible is an allegory and "they give metaphysical interpretations to many obvious truths in the Bible so that the normal meaning is twisted and the passage then fits their theology. (In other words, Unity says the Bible doesn’t mean what it says.) They consider reason and “logic of the mind” to be their final authority.” (What They Believe, Harold J. Berry [HJB], BTTB:1990, pp. 289-304.)

Now, what bothers me is this: Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Galatia, said, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there are some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now seek the favor of men, of of God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galations 1: 6-10) Emphasis added

Having read that passage, I think that if I, as professing Christian, were using a Bible other than the one containing 66 books, the one that’s been around since way before the nineteenth century, the one which God Almighty authorized, I’d seriously question the writer of that book.

Just My Opinion.

In His amazing love

Jan