The greatest spell ever cast upon mankind
occurred when wicked men captured ancient SPIRITUAL teachings, precepts and concepts, stripped them down, restructured them, then rebranded them as religion.
Since its creation, religion has in effect, served as a very powerful set of chains of mental bondage (arguably the strongest and most pervasive of which being Christianity). Having trouble envisioning what the previous statement might look like in action?
Picture taking a man from behind the wheel of his automobile…
either by request or force, then ushering him into the back seat and placing a new driver behind the wheel. The new driver takes the former driver (now turned passenger) wherever he (the driver) wants him (the passenger) to go.
“Are you hungry back there fella? Sure, I’ll take you wherever you want to go to eat, as long as it’s on the approved destination list. Wanna stop to use the men’s room? Sure… No problem. I’ve got that covered too, but beyond that, you only go where I want you to; got it?”
That’s religion.
On the other hand, spirituality is realizing that the person driving YOUR CAR, has absolutely zero authority to keep you in the back seat, and no power to continue driving your car—only the power and authority that you have given to him; so you demand he stop the car and you kick him out and drive off.
When you begin to see and understand the differences between the two (one is an agreed upon set of practices; the other is the act of connecting with the part of YOU that is not tangible: your soul essence and its source), it becomes very clear that there is no true power in religion, and that real power lies in understanding and embracing spirituality. (Was that what the apostle Paul was referring to in his letter to Timothy: the passage of scripture found at 2 Timothy 3:1–7, especially where he writes: “Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof?”)
Anyway… Continuing on…
Is the partial set of scriptures which we today know collectively as the 66 books of the bible a religious book?
Absolutely not. The Bible is not a religious book, nor has it ever been. The Bible and its source scriptures—both the ones included and the ones that were purposely left out—are simply three things: a history book, a book of prophecy, and a set of instructions rooted in and pertaining to the spiritual essence of life and the soul’s existence. So, in accordance with the theme of everything that I write (which is the idea that with every “what” there is a connected “why”), why was religion ever created in the first place? I mean, after all, religion is not in our nature. It is an ideology taught to each of us that participates in some flavor of it, right? (Nod your head in agreement.)
So if we agree that religion is a manmade creation, what was the intent behind its creation? Well, to me the answer is simple:
Control.
When we understand that the ancient Roman empire (which was as polytheistic as were the Greeks before), due to centuries of war, expansion and colonization, had begun to lose its grip on power, one can make the argument that Christianity was created to be a new, more efficient and effective conquest tool. If you look at its longstanding effects in the world, it is clear that Christianity accomplished what the most storied Roman legions could not: the seizing of entire lands and subjugation of peoples, all with few, if any, military campaigns. So, if this is true, how did they do it?
The Romans understood one of the most essential (and dare I say “spiritual”) aspects of human nature:
Where the mind goes, the body follows.
I imagine that the Romans also understood the power of liberation that is so carefully masked in the passage of scripture from John 8:32: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
So, if truth has the power to liberate, then that truth must be hidden if one wants to continue to hold captive those souls from which they are hiding it.
Religion, my friends, is not truth, though it uses just enough of the truths in scripture to hide its intended purpose: control of the masses (and remember, the best way to sell a lie is to flavor it with a little bit of truth).
The video below gives an example of how there is a little bit of truth mixed in with every lie. Feel free to stop and view it now, or return to it upon the completion of this article.
Truth
on the other hand, is powerful enough to stand on its own—always has been, always will be—and the energy/spirit/soul upon which the religion known as Christianity was based (the one known as “The Christ”), actually spent the better part of His life using truth to break the chains of bondage that held captive the people whom He came to free (ref Matthew 15:24), which also points us to the fact that the Romans were actually not the first to use religion to control the masses for gain, but that’s a story for another day.
So, what then is this truth that has been masked by religion for thousands of years? I’ll answer that and close out this article, but before I do, I invite you to check out the video below that has been a truth hidden right before our eyes for centuries—that the passage of scripture that has been branded “The Lord’s Prayer” has been grossly misrepresented.
And now, onto my final points.
What is truth?
- TRUTH IS ALL POWERFUL.
- TRUTH IS INDOMITABLE.
- TRUTH IS NOT TANGIBLE BECAUSE IT IS SPIRIT.
- TRUTH IS NOT TANGIBLE BECAUSE IT IS A SUPERNATURAL ENERGY THAT MANIFESTS IN THE NATURAL.
- TRUTH IS THE ONLY PATH TO COMPLETE FREEDOM.
- TRUTH REVEALED CAN NEVER BE UNSEEN OR UNLEARNED.
- TRUTH… IS GOD.
In summary, I have come to know that religion is a spell that has held mankind captive for an entire age (at least), but that age has ended and with it, so has the power of that age-old spell… it’s chains… shattered and utterly destroyed. (Read Jeremiah 30:8).
What is that thing that holds the power to break chains? What is that force of liberation?
The answer is simple…
Truth.
All the Best!
—Matt
Matt D. Talford is a writer, narrator, and author of three books: “Stuck In An Elevator” – a fictitious tale of passion and self-discovery; “Captain’s Mate: A Practical Guide for Tennis Captains, League Players and High School Coaches”; and his award-winning debut title: ”From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story” – a memoir about overcoming a rare form of what he calls “the C-word.” All three books are currently available in paperback at www.talfordarts.com/collections/books or at Amazon.com; and in eBook format on Amazon Kindle and Apple iBooks. “From Fear to Faith: A Survivor’s Story” is also available in audiobook (narrated by Talford himself) at iTunes, audible.com, and at many other sites where audiobooks are sold. For information on these and other products, click the “shop” link in the menu.
