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So far we’ve touched on nearly every “mountain” of societal influence and looked, even if only briefly at the manner through which the systems of this world – “the Matrix” if you will – utilizes them in order to steer us away from the truth. Truth about our world, truth about God, truth about history and most especially, truth about our identity.
That brings us to our final topic in this series. If you’ve stayed with me this long, I cannot thank you enough. I know this series has been long, but I often find that without getting into specifics, people can struggle with mentally framing the types of ideas and concepts I am putting forth here. By taking the time to highlight some examples, hopefully you are beginning to see a shift in perspective – even if you don’t fully agree with every tenant herein.
The Mountain of Religion
To this point I have picked upon the myriad forms of entertainment as an overt tool of the system to alter and control our perceptions. It has not been my intention to place an inordinate amount of focus on this specific “mountain”, but to utilize it to illustrate my points – particularly because it is the chief overseer of the system, ever present and foremost in our culture. True to form, when I look at the portrayal of religion in popular culture, I see the same force at work, utilizing the very same formula.
Have you ever noticed the general theme regarding the portrayal of religion in entertainment? In the horror genre, we frequently see the figure of the priest being rendered powerless against the supernatural force or antagonist. In dramatic storytelling, the Christian character is most often portrayed as irrational , uninformed or even bigoted and intolerant. At best, we see religious persons portrayed as prudish and overly conservative. At worst, they are portrayed as outright evil.
This perception has, over time resulted in a form of societal backlash, a cultural rejection of those things which the church, and indeed Christianity as a whole espouse as good and moral. We see the fruit of this in further hyperbole and outright parody regarding the Judeo-Christian faith as a whole. Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that what we are witnessing with regards to not only the portrayal of religious persons, but the cultural perception of religion as a whole is in reality is a massive, self-perpetuating straw man argument. This is specifically, the Devil’s straw-man.
Let me ask a question – have you ever wondered if there’s any truth to the popular portrayal of Judeo-Christian faith? Could there be an element of honesty that speaks to the seeming powerlessness and ineffectiveness so often associated with belief in the God of the Bible? If so, the truly pertinent question becomes why?
Yeshua made a rather profound statement:
Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever trusts in me will also do the works I do! Indeed, he will do greater ones, because I am going to the Father. In fact, whatever you ask for in my name, I will do; so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for something in my name, I will do it.
John 14:12 – 13 CJB
So where is this today? Some believe that this statement and the miraculous deeds referred to therein were only for the time of the apostles… but where is that written? I don’t know about you, but when I read “whoever” in that passage, I actually take it to mean whoever.
This is where we get to the heart of the straw man.
Much of what we have traditionally perceived within regards to Western theology stems from Catholicism while much of what we perceive with regards to Hebraic theology stems from Rabbinical Judaism… both of which stand in violation of a fundamental commandment:
Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am delivering to you.
Deuteronomy 4:2
Western Christianity has removed from the Torah, re-interpreted the fourth command to remember and sanctify the Sabbath, replaced God’s appointed times with “Holidays” derived from pagan observance and completely ignored any and all dietary instructions – they have subtracted from the Torah.
Protestantism gets no “pass” on this front as much of what is held is likewise derived from Catholic origins. Sunday worship, Christmas (which is a re-branding of Saturnalia) and Easter (which didn’t even get a new name) stand as but a few examples of Catholic error. Furthermore, the authoritarian structure found in the Catholic church is essentially imitated by many denominations, generally with the exception of having a “Pope” – an office for which we find no scriptural basis to appoint any human being. Scripture makes it clear that Yeshua is our high priest, our one and only “Rabbi”, so I’m going to pass on kissing anybody else’s ring.
In both cases, there is a generally held belief that “Jesus nailed ‘the Law’ to the cross” and that this somehow invalidates the “Old Testament Law”. This despite the clear teaching of scripture that it was our sin that was nailed to the cross, and that sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4). In the words of the Messiah himself:
“Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Matthew 5:17 – 20 CJB
Judaism on the other hand has added.
In place of the dietary instructions for example, we now see Halachic law restricting not only what may be eaten, but when and how one may do so. What may be worn, how one’s hair is to be kept, requirements for beards or flowing locks and yamakah’s or kippot and so on and on. These are but a few examples of the many, exhaustive and needless additions to the Torah – primarily by Talmudic writings, but also by those of Kabbalah.
I’m not going to belabor the point, but suffice it to say that, when we look at what is commonly practiced today and compare it against what scripture actually teaches, we see the two are often not only at odds, but are frequently irreconcilable…
Sadly, when such issues are pointed out, the observation is generally met with immediate and flagrant hostility. The irony is palpable in that many who claim to love and follow God tend to bristle at the idea that our traditions may be misplaced and unfounded. They will frequently defend their traditions against even the Word of the Living God Himself… and yet, call themselves “followers“.
Furthermore, those that eschew the traditions of the “fathers” in favor of a plain reading and interpretation of scripture are perceived by many as borderline, if not outright heretical. I had personally never experienced any judgement with regards to food or feast days (Colosians 2:16) until I began to observe the instructions found in scripture…
It’s ironic is it not? The world (e.g. the Matrix) puts in place a fallacious system of religious observance, and then attacks that very construct in order to disprove it and the God it claims to venerate. This while rejecting those people and ideologies which seek to point us back to the fundamental truths in the Torah. As this futile cycle repeats itself, we see society being pulled further and further away from God, morality and truth and as it does so, extracting actual truth from the absolute mess that is tradition and error becomes increasingly difficult.
“If you love me, you will keep my commands; and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforting Counselor like me, the Spirit of Truth, to be with you forever. The world cannot receive him, because it neither sees nor knows him. You know him, because he is staying with you and will be united with you. I will not leave you orphans — I am coming to you. In just a little while, the world will no longer see me; but you will see me. Because I live, you too will live. When that day comes, you will know that I am united with my Father, and you with me, and I with you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me, and the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
John 14:15 – 21
Is it possible that, in trying to follow the actual example put forth by the Messiah, we might find the core truth? Is it possible that, in so doing our faith would grow? Is it possible that in our obedience, blessing and power might follow – that we might begin to see those miracles of which He spoke become manifest?
I suspect so. Moreover, if I’m wrong it could hardly be construed as fallacious to try and follow the example laid out by Messiah. At a minimum, it has helped me to see the straw-man, indeed, it has helped me to see the Matrix as it really is – a macabre machine design to distract, mesmerize and siphon our energy and control our perceptions, all to fuel its own Godless, Machiavellian aims.
Interestingly, Laurence Fishburne played the character Morpheus in the Matrix films. This character is portrayed as wise, but also as one seeking to awaken a sleeping humanity. It is not a theme unique to this franchise, character or even this actor. He did in-fact, play another role functioning in an ultimately similar capacity years before the Matrix.
I bring it up because the most poignant scene in the film I to which I am referring also summarizes the point of this entire article series…
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You