Trinity of Terror

[TrustingFollower]

Religion, Politics, and Economics.

All three are man made institutions.
All three cause mental turmoil.
All three cause anxiety.

Simply put these three are the root cause of separation from God. Each of these cause us as humans to take a roll that is outside our natural nature we were created to be.

We were never intended to be superior to one another and judgmental of each others actions like the religious system would have us be. Many of the actions of this system is in contrary to the way that God taught us to be through Jesus. By following man made rules to how to worship and act will not get us in God's grace. Salvation can not be earned as many of the religion systems would have us believe.

Our politics cause us to force our views on others in order to gain power over other people. With the gain in power it causes pride and independence to prevail over the entire land that is to be governed. It causes people to put their trust in themselves first.

Economics is perhaps one of the biggest of all these. This one causes people to create a god for themselves. It causes all kinds of mental turmoil that is unmatched be the other three. When this god lets the people down, people are willing to sacrifice their own living soul for it.

Still all three of these are just man made institutions. They separate us from the very God that created us. The God that wants to have a relationship with us. We can not have that relationship if we are honoring the trinity of terror rather than the God that calls out to us. If we love our rules, power and money rather than God and the reason he created us, then we may as well eat and drink for tomorrow we die. It is time that we honor the gift we have been given and start to have a relationship with God rather than the trinity of terror. As Jesus taught us in the gospel of Matthew, it is simple to have the relationship.

Matthew 22

34 ¶But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together.
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
37 And He said to him, "`YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.´
38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 "The second is like it, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.´
40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

If we as Christians started to put more emphasis on these two commandments, then maybe the trinity of terror would not have as big of a grip on the church as it has. If we love like Christ then we become the bride that he is returning for and the trinity of terror will be defeated. I am interested in your thoughts on the subject.

[OldChurchGuy]

Religion, Politics, and Economics.

All three are man made institutions.
All three cause mental turmoil.
All three cause anxiety.

Simply put these three are the root cause of separation from God. Each of these cause us as humans to take a roll that is outside our natural nature we were created to be.

We were never intended to be superior to one another and judgmental of each others actions like the religious system would have us be. Many of the actions of this system is in contrary to the way that God taught us to be through Jesus. By following man made rules to how to worship and act will not get us in God's grace. Salvation can not be earned as many of the religion systems would have us believe.

Our politics cause us to force our views on others in order to gain power over other people. With the gain in power it causes pride and independence to prevail over the entire land that is to be governed. It causes people to put their trust in themselves first.

Economics is perhaps one of the biggest of all these. This one causes people to create a god for themselves. It causes all kinds of mental turmoil that is unmatched be the other three. When this god lets the people down, people are willing to sacrifice their own living soul for it.

Still all three of these are just man made institutions. They separate us from the very God that created us. The God that wants to have a relationship with us. We can not have that relationship if we are honoring the trinity of terror rather than the God that calls out to us. If we love our rules, power and money rather than God and the reason he created us, then we may as well eat and drink for tomorrow we die. It is time that we honor the gift we have been given and start to have a relationship with God rather than the trinity of terror. As Jesus taught us in the gospel of Matthew, it is simple to have the relationship.

Matthew 22

34 ¶But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together.
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
37 And He said to him, "`YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.´
38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 "The second is like it, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.´
40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

If we as Christians started to put more emphasis on these two commandments, then maybe the trinity of terror would not have as big of a grip on the church as it has. If we love like Christ then we become the bride that he is returning for and the trinity of terror will be defeated. I am interested in your thoughts on the subject.

I suppose I am unusually dense tonight. How does one separate religion from worshipping / following God?

It occurs to me that a definition of terms is needed to be certain we are discussing the same ideas. How are you defining "religion", "politics", and "economics"?

Sincerely,

OldChurchGuy

[TrustingFollower]

I suppose I am unusually dense tonight. How does one separate religion from worshipping / following God?

It occurs to me that a definition of terms is needed to be certain we are discussing the same ideas. How are you defining "religion", "politics", and "economics"?

Sincerely,

OldChurchGuy

Does God want you to follow the man made rule that go along with the religion system that is is place today or does he want you to worship in truth and spirit?

John 4

23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.


Now it really does not matter how you define "religion", "politics" or "economics". It all boils down to how these institutions separate us from God. 99.9% of the problems in this world stem from these three no matter how you want to define them.

[RoadWarrior]

Thanks, TF, for this thread.

As Christians, we like to say that we do not have a religion, but a relationship. From a dictionary perspective, most of the time we unfortunately have a religion, and know very little about what it means to be in relationship with the true and living God. He seems far away, remote, and difficult to please.

We are little babies, and just barely know that He is our Father. We are toddlers, in the "me do it myself!" stage and we knock His hands away when He reaches out to guide us and prevent our falls. We are teenagers, and think we know better than the Parent does. We are young adults, learning what it means to be a parent because now we are one. We are middle-aged, finding that time is passing by, and somehow we have missed something important; we are not sure what it was, but we are still too busy to stop and find out. We are old, and going home soon to God, and find to our sorrow that we come with empty hands.

Lord help us to know You!

[crossnote]

Religion, Politics, and Economics.

All three are man made institutions.
All three cause mental turmoil.
All three cause anxiety.

Simply put these three are the root cause of separation from God. Each of these cause us as humans to take a roll that is outside our natural nature we were created to be.

We were never intended to be superior to one another and judgmental of each others actions like the religious system would have us be. Many of the actions of this system is in contrary to the way that God taught us to be through Jesus. By following man made rules to how to worship and act will not get us in God's grace. Salvation can not be earned as many of the religion systems would have us believe.

Our politics cause us to force our views on others in order to gain power over other people. With the gain in power it causes pride and independence to prevail over the entire land that is to be governed. It causes people to put their trust in themselves first.

Economics is perhaps one of the biggest of all these. This one causes people to create a god for themselves. It causes all kinds of mental turmoil that is unmatched be the other three. When this god lets the people down, people are willing to sacrifice their own living soul for it.

Still all three of these are just man made institutions. They separate us from the very God that created us. The God that wants to have a relationship with us. We can not have that relationship if we are honoring the trinity of terror rather than the God that calls out to us. If we love our rules, power and money rather than God and the reason he created us, then we may as well eat and drink for tomorrow we die. It is time that we honor the gift we have been given and start to have a relationship with God rather than the trinity of terror. As Jesus taught us in the gospel of Matthew, it is simple to have the relationship.

Matthew 22

34 ¶But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together.
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
37 And He said to him, "`YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.´
38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 "The second is like it, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.´
40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

If we as Christians started to put more emphasis on these two commandments, then maybe the trinity of terror would not have as big of a grip on the church as it has. If we love like Christ then we become the bride that he is returning for and the trinity of terror will be defeated. I am interested in your thoughts on the subject.

Root cause of separation from God is our sin. It's our nature which sews fig leaves to hide from God. There is ONE true religion in whom the God we worship has provided a covering of His blood that we no longer need to hide from God. This same God used illustrations of politics and economics as vehicles in which he illustrated faithfulness in serving Him. For example the ten talents or counting the cost before building a tower and giving unto Cesar that which is Cesar's. No, we are in the world as salt and are to be stewards with that which He has given us and not to be pietists retreating into our private 'spiritual' enclave.

[Slug1]

I will say one thing that religion can do for those who follow a religion and not Jesus... it can cause a person to one day hear this:

Luke 13:

25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’

[OldChurchGuy]

Does God want you to follow the man made rule that go along with the religion system that is is place today or does he want you to worship in truth and spirit?

John 4

23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.


Now it really does not matter how you define "religion", "politics" or "economics". It all boils down to how these institutions separate us from God. 99.9% of the problems in this world stem from these three no matter how you want to define them.

I think I misunderstood the context of your concern. Originally I thought the reference to religion, economics and politics was to society as a whole. But re-reading the original post, the closing paragraph talks about these three items in the church. So am I correct in thinking the concern about religion, politics, and economics is how they are applied in the church rather than society?

Confused but willing to learn,

OldChurchGuy

[drew]

One of the biggest problems of living as children of the enlightnment (and we in the west are, whether you realize it or not) is that the enlightenment separated two things that should never have been separated in the first place - religion and politics.

The entire story of the Old and New Testaments always has faith and politics woven together. And that is the way it should be. I am not sure whether the OP is proposing that the Christian not engage in "politics", but if so, that is certainly not a Biblical view. The Christian should be seeking to enshrine kingdom of God values in all spheres of human activity - including the political structures and systems of our world.

Christian faith is not a "private" matter that is separate from how we run and order our society. Look at the Jubilee laws from the Old Testament - God is very much interested in how our societies are governed.

We need to remember that Jesus is a King who has already been enthroned. So for that reason alone, we need to be "political" - we need to seek to implement his kingship by advocating for the implementation of the kingdom of God values (that He taught so much about) in the very structures over which He is indeed King.

[Vhayes]

One of the biggest problems of living as children of the enlightnment (and we in the west are, whether you realize it or not) is that the enlightenment separated two things that should never have been separated in the first place - religion and politics.

I disagree and here's why:
John 18
36 - </SPAN>Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."

We are to live IN the world but not to be OF the world. Nowhere are we told to become political. Jesus however DID say, render unto Caesar that which is Caesars and unto God that which is Gods. Seems a pretty clear separation to me.

I have no desire to live in a Theocracy until the time the Lord comes and rules over it. The idea of living in a community where the "rules" are created at the whim of a humans interpretation scares me. I mean, really, really scares me. They burned people at the stake or threw them into ponds with stones tied to them not that many years ago - all based on mans interpretation of what scripture said.

I may have misunderstood what you were saying but to think ANY man can fully know the mind of God and rule accordingly is not something I see happening.

V

[TrustingFollower]

One of the biggest problems of living as children of the enlightnment (and we in the west are, whether you realize it or not) is that the enlightenment separated two things that should never have been separated in the first place - religion and politics.

The entire story of the Old and New Testaments always has faith and politics woven together. And that is the way it should be. I am not sure whether the OP is proposing that the Christian not engage in "politics", but if so, that is certainly not a Biblical view. The Christian should be seeking to enshrine kingdom of God values in all spheres of human activity - including the political structures and systems of our world.

Religion and politics were never intended to be part of having a relationship with God. They serve the opposite effect rather and separate us from God.

Luke 11

37 ¶Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.
39 But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.
40 "You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
41 "But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.
42 ¶"But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
43 "Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places.
44 "Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it."
45 ¶One of the lawyers said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too."
46 But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.
48 "So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.
49 "For this reason also the wisdom of God said, `I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute,
50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,
51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.´
52 "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering."
53 ¶When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects,
54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.

Christian faith is not a "private" matter that is separate from how we run and order our society. Look at the Jubilee laws from the Old Testament - God is very much interested in how our societies are governed.

We need to remember that Jesus is a King who has already been enthroned. So for that reason alone, we need to be "political" - we need to seek to implement his kingship by advocating for the implementation of the kingdom of God values (that He taught so much about) in the very structures over which He is indeed King.

Yes Jesus will rule, I can wait for that day, but God did not demand that there be a governing body over us we did. 1 Samuel shows us a very good picture of how we use politics to separate ourselves from God. God allows us to have government despite the fact he originally intended that we were to be ruled over by him the entire time.

1 Samuel 8

4 ¶Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;
5 and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations."
6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7 The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
8 "Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day -- in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods -- so they are doing to you also.

[TrustingFollower]

Lets look at it in another way. Is your relationship with God your religion, politics and economics or is your religion, politics and economics your relationship. Abraham is a great example of his relationship being his religion.

Genesis 22

1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
2 He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
5 Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."
6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
8 Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.
9 ¶Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
12 He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

Abraham through his relationship with God was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac for God. He was willing knowing full well that God had made a promise to him that through his seed would be the birth of many nations. He did this out of trust that comes from the relationship. Abraham didn't come back and say to God something like "the custom is to use a lamb". Nope he said OK Lord and he was blessed abundantly for it, including economically.

Where as we see the relationship that Abraham had has gotten lost over the centuries. Now the world is more concerned with being politically correct, having money and power over having a relationship with God. Jesus rebuked this kind of thinking all through out his public ministry. A good example of this is in the gospel of Matthew where Jesus teaches of the rich young man.

Matthew 19

16 ¶And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
17 And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18 Then he said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS;
19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?"
21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
23 ¶And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Our modern society is in fact just like the rich young man. We let the trinity of terror control our lives to the point that we lose the relationship with our Lord. We let our political views, economic gains or losses, and religious customs direct our decision on how we live our lives. Where as we should be allowing our relationship with God direct our decisions like Abraham did.

[Equipped_4_Love]

Is that like the Axis of Evil?! lol

[drew]

I disagree and here's why:
John 18
36 - </SPAN>Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."

This text, commonly cited in support of the position you take, is a translation error. The original greek is more properly translated "my kingdom is not from this world". This error has understandabily tripped many people up.

Besides, Jesus instructs us to pray that God's kingdom come on earth.

'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

And in His last words before His ascension, Jesus claims authority on earth:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

Jesus is a King. He has already been installed. And do kings rule only over the "personal inner lives" of his subjects? No. A king rules over all the institutions of the land, including political ones.

The early church knew this. It is only because of the reformation, and some more insidious reasons, that God has been "kicked out" of the political realm.

And, of course, the insidious reason is this: If God can be relegated and limited to the "personal" sphere, and kept out of the political domain, then the rich and powerful can continue to send the weak the the helpless to the wall.

Jesus is Lord of all.

[drew]

I have no desire to live in a Theocracy until the time the Lord comes and rules over it.

As per my last post, Jesus has already been installed as ruler. He is absent, but Paul clearly declares that He has replaced Caesar as Lord of this present world. So we are in theocracy whether we like it or not. And it is the job of the church to call governments into obedience. If they do not go along, they will have to answer for that. But make no mistake, Jesus is already on the throne.

And that should, of course, be good news for the believer.

[drew]

Religion and politics were never intended to be part of having a relationship with God. They serve the opposite effect rather and separate us from God.

I disagree. God always intended for his rule to extend over all institutions of the world. We this all over the place. Was the Torah about how one lives one's "personal" life with no concern for "political" issues. No. There is plenty of stuff in the Torah about how to order and structure society as a whole.

It was the reformation that is largely responsible for teasing apart two things that never were intended to be separated - faith and politics. And we live in the legacy of the enlightnment.

But even apart from such arguments, the scriptures are clear. Jesus is not only our "personal" Lord, He is Lord of all - including political institutions. Was Paul tossed in jail for teaching about a non-political faith? No. He was tossed in jail for challenging Caesar's authority over the structures of the world:

These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."

I see no scriptural evidence at all for the "separation" of faith from public life. And there are plenty that state the opposite, directly and indirectly.

The text you posted from Luke 11 simply shows that there are indeed "bad leaders". This is not news. And it certainly does not support the idea that "religion and politics" should be separated.