Original Sin – Mind Control Through Mythology

Original Sin Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

 “Before you can get someone saved, you must first get them lost.”

The entire Christian message, hinges on the doctrine of “Original Sin.” If you’ve ever been “buttonholed” by some Christian on the street engaging in what they call, “witnessing,” within the first moments of your encounter, they started out by quoting one of several passages from their Bible – Scriptures – pointing out that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Original Sin - Hell Forever And Ever

Death is too easy. You’ve got to suffer forever.

The next step in their parade, is to convince you of just how terrible and serious this is. Whether you know it or not, there’s this “all powerful being” just waiting to squash you like a bug, turn you into asbestos and then throw you into a fire that burns for all eternity… but he loves you! I admit the cognitive dissonance is a bit much, but for their program to work, it is necessary that you hold these two mutually exclusive positions in your mind.

It gets worse. Suppose you’re living a perfectly good life… even by their rather flexible standards. You’re not a liar or a cheat. You’re paying your taxes. You donate to charities. You’re volunteering perhaps mentoring youth or caring for seniors. Not to worry, they’ve got a cake baked just for you. They’ll tell you all these things don’t matter. You’re a sinner not because of anything you’ve done. You’re a sinner because of what Adam did! Say what? Yes, Adam!

Original Sin - Mayhem Was In The Garden

There’s your problem! It was Mayhem!

It all goes back to that fateful day in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve took a bite from some fruit they were not supposed to eat. Of course, you had nothing to do with that. However, God whom really, really loves you… and evidently hates you at the same time, can hardly wait to burn you for all eternity, not because of something you did, but because of something Adam is supposed to have done. Did I mention? God is also just and righteous! Don’t try and make any sense of of this because there is none. You’ll see why as we continue.

Fall Of Man Or Ascent Of Man?

Let’s suppose temporarily, for the sake of discussion that there actually was a Garden of Eden. The problem is, all of these events would have occurred thousands of years before the development of writing. Thus the story – if it occurred – would of been handed down via word of mouth generation after generation after generation. If you’ve ever played the “Telephone Game,” you know that after one or two people, the original message becomes garbled. Now multiply that by numerous generations and you get my point.

We have no way of knowing what if anything was said, to whom and by whom. We have no way of knowing what was done or not done by any of the players. Was it a fruit that was eaten or was the talking Serpent really a phallic symbol and the forbidden fruit sex? We do not know. Just because a large number of people believe something doesn’t make it true. At one time, the majority of the world’s population believed that the Earth was flat and that the Sun orbited the Earth. They were wrong.

Oft times back then, stories were told not so much to give a factual account of history, but rather to convey a principle or a moral from generation to generation. The minute details of the story were inconsequential. The important information was encoded into the story at much higher level.

Original Sin - The Ascent Of Man

The Ascent of Man?

Thus, someone enlightened hearing the story of the events in the Garden of Eden, might actually find a record of the ascension of human development. We began as gathers. Hence the Garden setting. We were naked and subsisted by picking fruit off trees and eating berries. What’s the next thing that happened after eating the forbidden fruit? We realize our nakedness and God kills animals to make skins so we can clothe our nakedness. Hence, we go from eating nuts and berries to hunting and eating meat.

Abel represents the next step. He represents our nomadic herdsman period. Just as today, in various parts of the world, people live off and follow their herds. The Laplanders survive off their reindeer herds. In Africa there are tribes that follow their herds of cattle. The problem with the nomadic lifestyle, although enjoyable, it precludes real technological progress. You cannot build cities if you have to pick up and follow your herd to the next greener pasture.

Cain was a farmer. Farming is hard work. However, through farming, harvesting and storing food, you now have the possibility to subsist in one location. You don’t have to live in tents and be ready to move at a moment’s notice. You can build long lasting structures. You can develop and build a specialized society. People can learn to work metal. People have time to develop a system of education. Thus, as Cain slew his brother Abel, so too did farming put an end to the nomadic lifestyle based on following the herd. All this information is encoded into the first few chapters of Genesis. It is not written on the lines but between the lines.

Original Sin – Mind Control Through Mythology

Original Sin - Gun On A TableThe real sin in the story of the Garden of Eden is the insulting depiction of God. I have a two year old granddaughter. If I left a cocked and loaded handgun lying on the coffee table and left the room… even if I told her not to touch it in the most unambiguous and emphatic terms possible, when she picked it up, as she surely would, whom would be responsible when the gun went off? Me or her?

In for a penny, in for a pound! Most Christians at this point will want to ascribe to Adam knowledge and abilities that are not in evidence. Had Adam ever seen anything die? Did Adam have any idea what death was? Telling Adam that he would surely die might not have meant much.

Then there’s this whole “Good and Evil” problem. Prior to eating the fruit, Adam had no concept of Good or Evil. Hence, he wouldn’t have known that God is good and equally important, he wouldn’t have known that the Serpent and what the Serpent was telling him was evil. Adam, according to the Christian theological position, was in a state of perfect innocence. If you saw a snake in a tree, you’d back off immediately. If that snake began talking to you, Bible stories notwithstanding, you’d run like Hell! Why? Because you would know it wasn’t natural. Neither Adam nor Eve possessed those innate survival instincts or inhibitions. They were like innocent two year-olds in the bodies of adults.

Original Sin - Baby And Snake

This could end poorly!

This brings us to the next point. If God knows all things and knows the “end from the beginning…” and If God is all places, then God would have to have known that the Serpent was in the playpen. What parent would put his baby in a playpen, then watch as a venomous cobra wound it’s way through the bars? Furthermore, what parent would then punish his child for getting bit? The entire story begins to fall apart… unless of course God is not all powerful and not all knowing and not omnipresent.

This brings us to yet another “sticky wicket.” What if it was all God’s plan to begin with? Possible. However, now you have God punishing mankind for going along with his plan. See the problem?

Passing Down Sin

Remember, the entirety of Christian theology depends upon everyone being born a “sinner” because of what Adam did. Of course if Christians actually would read their Bibles, they would see that this is false.

[KJV] Ezekiel 18:20
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

There you have it! This passage right here is the death knell for the Doctrine of Original Sin. You don’t inherit the sins of your father and that of course means, you cannot inherit the sin of Adam.

Original Sin - Jesus TeachingNowhere in Jesus’ recorded words in the Gospels, does he ever say or imply that his mission is to right the wrong and undo what Adam did. Nowhere! In fact the name “Adam” only appears one place in the Gospels. Luke 3:38 gives the genealogy of Jesus tracing all the way back to Adam. If Jesus’ entire mission, the reason he came to Earth was to be the ultimate sacrifice and die to fix the original sin of Adam, you’d think he might have mentioned it. That would be a pretty important point for him to overlook mentioning it. Surely he would have shared his mission, his purpose with his Disciples… at least one of them. Perhaps Peter?

The entire doctrine of “original sin” comes from Paul. Paul never met Jesus, was never taught by Jesus and quite frankly, not to put too fine a point on things… Paul was a liar and a false Apostle. If you doubt this, read Revelation 2:1-2. Then ask yourself if you know of anyone other than Paul claiming to be the Apostle to the Ephesian Church.

Mind Control

Original Sin - Mind ControlDespite what you’ve seen in science fiction movies or in the performances of Stage Hypnotists, mind control is actually a lot more subtle than what you may have been led to believe. It all begins by planting suggestions and building on those suggestions. For instance, right now your nose is itching. We are all susceptible to suggestions to varying degrees. Nose not itching? Give it a minute. It will. By telling you what I’m doing I’m letting you off the hook. This is just in fun. It doesn’t matter if your nose itches are not. The more you fight it the more annoying the itch will become. The human mind is a marvel.

Try this, next time you’re in a group, clear your throat loudly and then count how many people begin clearing their throats as well. This also works with yawns. Yawns are extremely contagious. These are simple things you can have fun testing. However, what about our core beliefs? It turns out that we are even more susceptible to manipulation when someone accesses a button we’ve already developed a preconditioned response to.

This is one of the reasons I have asked, “how can you judge someone who was raised in an Islamic, Buddhist or even a Pagan home?” We are born with a blank slate. Our parents begin writing on that slate from the moment of our birth. As children we have yet to develop the analytical skills that allow us to determine what is reality. This is when the indoctrination begins. The foundation upon which the rest of our life is built, is laid in our childhood. If you’ve been raised in the “West,” more like than not you’ve been indoctrinated to have a predisposition to believe in Christianity.

Original Sin - Jehovah's WitnessesWhat happens when someone begins pushing these buttons? You’ve already been raised to believe that the Bible is the “Word of God.” You’ve been taught not to doubt or question. If they come to you and begin quoting or referencing certain Bible passages, you’re predisposed to give what they’re saying more weight. Naked human beings who didn’t know they were naked? Talking snakes? Forbidden fruit? Under normal circumstances, you’d ask someone what they’d been smoking! However, because of the triggers planted in your youth, you’re predisposed to believe whatever is written in the Bible. If someone tells you you’re “lost,” you’re “lost!” It’s just that easy.

[KJV] Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance

Here you have it! According to Jesus, not everyone is a sinner. Some people are righteous. When a proselytizer approaches you to “witness” to you. They never leave it with your accepting Jesus as your personal saviour and accepting his substitutionary death for your sins. Fellowship is the flip side of the salvation coin. Now you need to join a Church… their Church! You will quickly discover there is more to your salvation than merely accepting Jesus. There’s paying tithes – 10% of your income – and giving in the offerings. Matter of fact, if you don’t pay your tithes, you’ll discover that your salvation might not be assured. Yes, it seems heaven has its price too.

So, whom are you going to believe? The recorded words of Jesus or someone who has a financial interest in your joining their Church? The doctrine of Original Sin is Mind Control Through Mythology. Churches have become huge corporate interests who profit from your belief in their message. Everything is designed to control your mind. From the Church building, to the music to the message. It is designed to not only lead you to the altar, but to open your wallet. You need to be aware of whom is pushing your buttons and why.

Pimping Jesus – Twisting The Gospel For Gain

Pimping Jesus Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

“A beginning is a very delicate time…” _Princess Irulan (Dune)

Pimping Jesus - Black NativitySome two thousand years ago, we are told that a child was born to a carpenter and his second wife. He was born into poverty and as things go, no one should have even known about or remembered anything about him.

However, the story takes a turn when we are told that Angelic beings announced his birth. Men of learning and prestige travelled from the Orient to witness his birth and the king in the area he was born, murdered every male child under two years of age in an effort to kill him. There is another twist to this tale. His mother was said to have conceived him without ever having “known” a man. Thus, she was a virgin while she carried him.

Pimping Jesus - Jesus In The Temple

Young Jesus In The Temple

We don’t really know much about his life until he turns 12 and resurfaces in a Jewish temple. We are told that his knowledge amazed the teachers of Jewish law and then he vanishes again. The next time he makes an appearance, he is a grown man on a mission.

At this point, the story is taken up by four different narrators. We learn of omens, signs, portents and of course miracles. He heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, causes the lame to walk again and even raises the dead. Small wonder, of the oppressed people he is ministering to, various political factions also began to take an interest.

Power Is More Addictive Than Crack Cocaine

This person we call Jesus – according to the Gospels – was building a following. Not of the wealthy and elite, but of the common, poor simple people. Rules, laws, traditions in society ultimately serve only two purposes.

  1. To keep a certain segment of society in power.
  2. To keep everybody else under their control.

Pimping Jesus - Women Harvesting A FieldHis message of giving to the poor, caring for the sick, no longer seeking or valuing material things was creating a problem. If people begin sharing what they have with others… for free, the people they’re sharing with, are not buying goods and services. If you’re a farmer and have a field that needs harvesting, and your friends whom are also followers of Jesus come and volunteer to help you bring in your crops, the people whom you would normally have hired, are out of work. If you then turn around and give away food to those who helped bring in your harvest, those people are not buying their produce at the local market. Thus, as you might expect, the merchants had a problem with the teachings of Jesus.

What about the political structures? The worst thing you can do to those who perceive that they have power is to make them irrelevant. Jesus’ message was not to overthrow the Romans, though there were factions who clearly wanted him to lead such a revolution. When asked about paying taxes – a trap laid by the Pharisees – Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” I know this may prove traumatic for my Republican readers, but Jesus said to pay your taxes! Jesus also said to obey the laws of the land. This hardly qualified him to be the firebrand revolutionary that would overthrow Roman rule.

Pimping Jesus - Bust of Constantine the Great. Emperor of Rome.

Constantine was the pagan – Sun worshipper – emperor of Rome who created Christianity and created your Bible.

The religious institutions also had a problem with Jesus. He pointed out the blatant hypocrisy of the Church. By “Church” I mean the Jewish religious institutions. The Christian Church as we know it today, had yet to be invented by the Roman Emperor Constantine. That would come some 300 years later.

For example, Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had a problem with this. There is a prohibition against doing any “work” on the Sabbath under Jewish Law. Of course, in my mind, this begs for a definition of what constitutes “work?” From the accounts in the Bible of Jesus healing someone, he usually simply spoke to them… but I digress. Jesus, using the Socratic method, posed the question, “which one of you if your Ass or Ox fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t immediately pull them out?” Of course, every last one of them would, Sabbath or no Sabbath.

Pimping Jesus - Sabbath Elevator

Can’t push a button on the Sabbath? Not to worry, this elevator stops on each floor.

Ironically, even today, there are industries creating “Kosher” gadgetry to assist practicing Jews in circumventing restrictions presented by the Sabbath. Obey the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law be damned! As the saying goes, “rules were made to be broken…” or at least, worked around. If one believes in God, what does one suppose God’s opinion is? Do you think that God looks at these workarounds and gives out points for cleverness?

Pimping Jesus - Baby Sister

My baby sister from around this time frame.

Being the oldest, my parents would leave me in charge of my younger siblings whenever they left home. On several occasions, I was admonished to make sure my baby sister was in bed by 9 pm. On one such occasion, we were all watching a television program which wasn’t over until 11 pm. What to do? At 9 pm I instructed my baby sister – she was 9 years younger than I – to go and get in bed. 5 minutes later, I told her she could get back up and we finished the show, then I put her in bed. When my parents asked me the next day if my sister was in bed by 9 pm, I truthfully answered “yes.” They didn’t say anything about her getting back up. My sister loved me for my cleverness. However, if my parents had known… well, they would have had a different perspective on things. The trouble is, if one believes in God, then you have to believe that God knows that you’re employing human cleverness to circumvent the spirit and intention of his laws.

Pimping Jesus - Black Jesus Wearing A Hoodie

Jesus was always around the poor and common people.

The Bible says that Jesus made of himself no reputation. What this means is that Jesus did not promote himself, did not build himself up, lived his life as a common man. People think that Jesus was poor. He was anything but poor. He was born in a stable, because of timing and accident of birth. His father was a carpenter. This means he owned his own business. His uncle was Joseph of Arimathea who was not only a wealthy merchant, but was a member of the Sanhedrin and politically well connected. If Jesus had been born a pauper, the “Three Wise Men” brought him gifts of gold at his birth. This would have immediately made his family wealthy.

Jesus could have afforded a very fine horse. Yet, he walked everywhere he went. Jesus could have afforded a very fine house. Being a carpenter by trade, he could have built himself one. He could have built churches all around Palestine. Yet, he did none of these things. He chose a life of poverty and self-denial. This is far different from the so called preachers today who measure their success by the size of their churches, their homes and the expense of their cars.

Pimping Jesus

Jesus has been turned into a commodity. His message has been repackaged, turned over to advertising agencies and is being marketed at a profit. Churches take in 100s of billions of dollars a year pimping Jesus. Tours to the “Holy Land” sponsored by various church groups dump billions into the economy of Israel.

Pimping Jesus - Creflo Dollar's Private Jet

Pastor Creflo Dollar’s Private Jet

Preachers are buying mansions, corporate jets, Bentleys and Rolls Royce cars. They’re taking vacations on the French Riviera and buying expensive yachts. They’ve got personal chefs, personal trainers, tailors and stylists. Pimping Jesus has become a wildly successful business. Jesus has become the perfect product. It is an intangible product from which you can never get a refund. You don’t know whether or not it works until after you’re dead. Of course by then, it’s too late to ask for a refund.

Pimping Jesus - Paula White's Rolls Royce

Televangelist Paula White’s Rolls Royce in front of her Italian home

I often wonder, if Jesus came back today, would he even recognize today’s Church? 100s of billions taken in, mostly from poor people who can barely afford to give, yet they give because they’ve been manipulated into believing in a message that is the very antithesis of what Jesus actually taught.

How is it that with all the money churches are taking in, homeless shelters are having to turn people away? How is it with all the money churches are taking in, families with children are going to bed hungry right here in this country? Whenever those heart wrenching commercials come on my television showing children in some foreign land living in abject poverty, I think to myself, there are children living right her in these United States that are every bit as impoverished.

Pimping Jesus - Kirk Franklin Grammys

Kirk Franklin at the 54th Annual Grammys.

In Luke 18:8 Jesus asks an interesting question. He asks, whether or not he will find “faith” upon the Earth when he returns? This seems like a strange question to ask. Especially given that we have a church on almost every other corner in some communities. We have gospel recording artist who have songs that are doing well on the R&B charts. How could there not be faith when he returns? Isn’t faith everywhere? Perhaps not?

Matthew 25:31-46
King James Version (KJV)

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

You may want to read that twice. That is the true message of Jesus. Notice at no point is anyone asked about their religious affiliation, how much money they gave to their church, whether or not they paid tithes or even whether or not they believed in Jesus at all.

Now read the following and ask yourself if this is talking directly to and about all these preachers that have been pimping Jesus for gain?

Matthew 7:21-23
King James Version (KJV)

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Pimping Jesus - Jesus Montage

You either believe or you don’t.

So, what do you believe? No really? You don’t get any credit for donating money to a church. Caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, tending to the sick, sheltering the homeless and clothing the naked is a personal responsibility. Only you can discharge this obligation. Remember, it was the act of turning over the tables of the money changers and driving them out that triggered the events that led to Jesus being crucified. Today, the money changers are no longer out in the courtyards. Today, they’re running the Church. Are you following Jesus, or just pimping him?