The church buried Jesus’ real teachings — because if you knew them, you wouldn’t need the church.
Jesus had secrets — major ones. He wasn’t about building churches, collecting donations, or making people blindly obey religious leaders. He was about something way bigger — something that made the religious elite shake in their fancy robes. That’s why his real teachings got buried, twisted, and rewritten into the watered-down nonsense most Christians believe today.
1. Jesus Wasn’t a Fan of Organized Religion
First off, Jesus didn’t give a damn about building churches, starting a priesthood, or following dumb religious rules. In fact, he was constantly roasting the religious elite of his time — the Pharisees. These guys were the holier-than-thou types who made a show of their faith but were actually just power-hungry hypocrites.
Jesus called them out HARD. He told them they were like “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) — looking pretty on the outside but full of dead bones inside. Translation: fake as hell.
And yet, today, we’ve got megachurches, popes in golden robes, and priests who act like they’ve got a VIP pass to heaven. You think Jesus would be cool with that? Hell no.
His real message? You don’t need middlemen between you and God. You don’t need a church. You don’t need a priest telling you how to pray. You can connect to the divine directly. But that’s bad for business, so the church buried that idea fast.
2. The Kingdom of God Is Inside You
Christianity teaches that heaven is some golden kingdom in the clouds where good little believers go after they die. But that’s not what Jesus actually said. He told his real followers, “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
Read that again. WITHIN YOU.
That means heaven isn’t some Disneyland in the sky. It’s a state of being, a realization, something you wake up to in this life. It’s about breaking out of the illusion of this world and seeing the truth.
Of course, if people actually believed this, they wouldn’t be so easy to control. Churches wouldn’t be able to dangle heaven like a carrot to keep you in line. So, they tossed that teaching aside and replaced it with “Follow our rules or burn in hell.” Nice scam, huh?
3. Jesus Taught Reincarnation
This one will make the average Christian lose their mind, but it’s true. The early church knew about reincarnation. They just didn’t want you to.
There are clues all over the Bible. Jesus’ disciples once asked him if John the Baptist was actually Elijah come back to life (Matthew 17:10–13). Jesus didn’t say, “No, reincarnation is fake.” Instead, he basically said, “Yep, that’s him.”
Even in the Gospel of Thomas (one of those banned books they don’t want you reading), Jesus talks about how souls keep coming back until they get things right.
But here’s the deal — if people understood reincarnation, they wouldn’t be so terrified of death. They wouldn’t be as easy to scare into obeying religious authority. So, the church erased that teaching and replaced it with the one-shot heaven-or-hell system. More fear, more control.
4. The Church Erased the Feminine Side of God
Ever wonder why Christianity is so testosterone-heavy? It’s all “God the Father,” male priests, and holy sausage-fests everywhere. But the truth is, Jesus knew about the divine feminine. He taught about it. And the early followers of Jesus — especially the Gnostics — understood that God wasn’t just some old man with a beard. God had both masculine and feminine aspects.
Look at the Gospel of Philip (another banned book — see a pattern here?). It talks about how Jesus had a deep spiritual connection with Mary Magdalene. She wasn’t just some side character. She was a legit disciple, maybe even his closest one. Some texts suggest she understood his teachings better than the men did.
But the power-hungry men who took over Christianity? They couldn’t handle that. They needed a male-dominated religion where women were second-class citizens. So, they buried the divine feminine, turned Mary Magdalene into a prostitute (totally made up, by the way), and pushed a God that looked just like them — patriarchal and controlling.
5. Jesus Taught People How to Become Like Him
If there’s one thing that really got buried, it’s this: Jesus didn’t want people worshipping him. He wanted them to wake up and realize they could be like him.
He literally said, “You will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12). That means YOU have the power. You don’t need a priest, a pope, or a book of rules.
But if people believed they had that kind of power, they wouldn’t need religious leaders telling them what to do. They wouldn’t be sheep. So, the church turned Jesus into an idol to be worshipped instead of a teacher to be followed. They made him into some untouchable god-man instead of someone showing us how to reach our own divine potential.
6. Jesus’ Real Teachings Got Deleted
Ever heard of the Gospel of Thomas? How about the Gospel of Mary? The Gospel of Judas? No? That’s because the church hid them.
Back in the early days of Christianity, there were all kinds of teachings about Jesus. But the Roman Empire got involved (big mistake), and they decided which books made it into the Bible and which ones got tossed in the fire.
The ones that made the cut? The ones that made people obedient. The ones that got trashed? The ones that taught people how to think for themselves.
But some of those lost books have been rediscovered, and guess what? They paint a completely different picture of Jesus — one where he’s more like a spiritual rebel teaching people to wake up, not some religious mascot begging for worship.
Before You Go
So there it is — Jesus wasn’t some church-loving, rule-enforcing mascot. He was a threat to the system, and his real teachings got buried because they gave people too much power. The church needed obedience, not free thinkers, so they fed everyone a dumbed-down, fear-based version of his message.
By Tanner the Humanist
Comments:
Jb
We don’t need anyone standing between us and God. The idea of needing a middleman is completely ridiculous.
Ross Chamberlain
Guidance yes, rule no.
Surfer Sal
The church is a bussiness to the stingy and ill informed. It is a place of love, instruction, strength, truth, God’s Spirit, worship, hope and counseling. Everything that costs money that is secular is great, but the church doesent need a building, or paid helpers. What a dumb trope.
Thanesville
Tanner, you have no idea what you are talking about. You absolutely need a church and this is something that Jesus advocated for. Several reasons I have for why the early Church was a church
- Jesus gathered a group of followers around him when he began his public ministry. They weren’t just groupies. They were a community that followed Jesus together. Many times Jesus mediated disputes with them and taught them how to relate to one another.
- The church grew out of Jewish beliefs and culture which was also a community if believers.
- If there was no organized church in the first century, there would be no Christianity and we would not know who Jesus is today all. He would be entirely forgotten. Who do you think did the work to provide for people struggling under persecution? Who trained leaders to teach? Who made sure the New Testament was copied.
There are many problems in the church. Even so, Jesus loves his church. He loves it enough to speak of it throughout the NT as his bride. The church is not a mediator between God and man. Anyone who claims that it is is not following NT teaching clearly laid out (1 Tim 2:5).
Have you ever been part of a church? It is impossible to live a life of discipleship without fellow disciples around you both to encourage and challenge you.
You are making up what you are talking about in much of this article. I encourage you. Go find a church and some Christians who love being there. It is not actually that hard to find such people. After seeing the value and awesomeness of Christian community love in action, if you still think Jesus didn’t want his church to exist, then come back with your criticism. You may have had a bad experience in a church somewhere. But that doesn’t mean that Jesus did not desire a church to exist. Indeed it is the main way he brings his message and love through the world, the body of Christ.
God isn’t confined by human concepts like gender. Referring to God as masculine or feminine reflects cultural habits and language; not divine reality. By nature, God is beyond anything we can categorize or compare to ourselves.
That said, it’s frustrating how religious and societal systems have been shaped almost entirely by male dominance. Most religious leaders are men, most world leaders are men — and for centuries, this outdated thinking has convinced people that women aren’t capable of leading or making decisions. That’s why we live in a fucked up world full of wars, lies, corruption, and double standards.
Roy D Blendell
Generally speaking, the average person has never understood religion nor it’s purpose. The end of religion, i.e. it’s destination, is mysticism – union with God. This does not come about through outward observances, but through inner transformation. Hence, the apostle Paul laboured with various groups of converts so that Christ might be formed in them, through the renewing of their mind.
Jb
‘He told them they were like “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) — looking pretty on the outside but full of dead bones inside. Translation: fake as hell.’
I love this— “whitewashed tomb” is such a powerful and fitting way to describe hypocritical people. They often go to great lengths to appear righteous on the outside, building a polished image for others to see. But when someone is genuinely good and sincere, they don’t need to try so hard—it’s just who they are. True righteousness doesn’t try to prove anything; it’s between us and God.
Graham Skidmore
Getting spicy and shaking it up, I’m digging what you’re planting!
The world would be a much different place if people believed the one called Jesus teaches:
1) Equality for all races, genders, and sexual orientation
2) Humans are meant to be stewards of the earth and all of its inhabitants, not parasites
3) Animals are to be treasured, not sacrificed,
4) A moral code of personal responsibility and accountability
5) A direct and personal relationship with God/The Creator/The Universe/The Divine
6) Empathy and Feminine energy are foundational items for experiencing God/The Creator/The Universe/The Divine
7) Earth is a school to live and learn to develop one’s consciousness and moral compass.
The one called Jesus teachings are more reflective of Eastern, Mystic, and Indigenous knowledge than what is generally heard in churches.
Rheddmobile
It’s a stretch to say these documents were the “real” teachings as opposed to the canonical ones. Many were rejected because there were issues with authorship. Some are just coocoo for Cocoa Puffs. But yes, it’s interesting that there are plenty of sayings of Jesus which the church doesn’t emphasize, such as his saying he should not be called good, because no one is good but God. How exactly does that tally with the idea that Jesus is coequal with God the Father, and sinless? I’ve asked that of a conservative preacher and gotten the response that Jesus was just super modest and lying about not being good. So, it’s more important to be modest than truthful? Isn’t lying a sin?
D Is For Darwin
You are a sad joke.
Thomparr
Hmmm sounds like Jesus was actually a Buddist. What he said and taught are what we Buddist of today follow. Afternote, statue’s and shrines are good for remembrance. They give a focal point for conjecture and enlightenment. Much like the flame of a candle they teach us life last only so long. Namaste
Will Cody
Not all churches hide these teachings.
Graham Pemberton
Couple of points. I like the translation ‘within you’ because it fits with what you are saying here. Most editions, however, say that the normal translation is ‘among you’ and that ‘within you’ is just an alternative.
The denial of reincarnation was actually instituted by a Roman Emperor, not the Church. It started with something called the Anathema Against Origen (who believed in reincarnation). It specifically denies pre-existence, so by implication reincarnation. I wrote about it here:
https://medium.com/@graham-pemberton/significant-moments-in-church-history-2-the-anathema-against-origen-648b7eb20dd7
Thompsoncat
Wow, Tanner, you just wrote everything I have been learning this past year! Thank you! Do you know where I can find the “lost books of the Bible”?
Daniel Knight
These guys were the holier-than-thou types who made a show of their faith but were actually just power-hungry hypocrites.
The so-called “Republican Party of God” is made up of modern-day Pharisees. Their hypocrisy and ignorance of what Jesus taught are striking.
Garçon Perca
So much for hidden teachings. Believe it or not, all these things are taught in the very churches you diss. The question is how far they are followed. Organised religion exists because people need it. People are free to practise spirituality as they wish, especially in the West. The truth is, very few people get very far without some form of spiritual nurture. Churches are meant to do that. Admittedly, most of them don’t do well. Some are used to scratch a spiritual itch and and others produce extremists that rival the Taliban. Some church leaders use their organisations to mint money. But some outstanding individuals do emerge from Churches. Doing everything on your own every day is like trying to reinvent the wheel everyday. Jesus founded the church. He asked the apostles to shepherd lambs. He did give authority to his apostles. Apostles mind you , not disciples. Why? Because as humans, going it alone is insane if not almost impossible.
John R te Velde
It’s interesting that Martin Luther advocated for the priesthood of all believers, i.e. we don’t need priests in the church for confession, etc. Yet, the Lutheran church, however it was manifested in Europe and America, has a lot of structure, hierarchy, etc. Martin Luther himself didn’t set that all up; those who followed his teachings seemed to have found it necessary for some reason, hmmm.
Jonletness
Ironically, one of “Christianity’s” genuinely revolutionary ideas was the concept of private communion with the god, as opposed to cultic access to the deities, accompanied by chants and various sacrifices. This was clearly delineated at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
Also, I don’t think bodily resurrection of the whole self (probably borrowed at least in part from Zoroastrianism ) in a single event is considered the same as reincarnation, which posits the return in many variations on the soul.
I also think that the rigid orthodoxies of church/herd socialization are less cynical than habitual.
Thanx for the post. I enjoy reading your work.
Toma
This so resonates with me!
Diana M Palmer Brooks
Haha, I’m a crazy lady who believes God spoke to me through a man who died in 2015. I believe that God’s Kingdom connects us. It’s not a physical church.
Peter Berg
Tanner, you may want to read “The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity’ by Hyam Maccoby. In it Maccoby postulates that the Pharisees were actually the good guys and they supported Jesus and his movement. It was the High Priest and the quisling Sadducees who were the bad guys. It is an interesting take and for me makes me wonder how much of the Gospels were edited by the Pauline Christians.
Geoffrey
A Church is valid as a community of like-minded people, Where they go wrong is in their claims to exclusivity. God is God, not ‘our’ God.
Charles Stack
I am not a religious person – at least not a fan of organized religion. The teaching of the modern day church and how its followers absorbed these teaching has lead to hypocrisy and the things like “white” nationalism and mega/MAGA churches.
When I and my ex divorced, not a single member of the church to which I belonged reached out to me – to see how I was doing. Not even the pastor. I haven’t looked back.
I am still spiritual and agnostic (vs atheistic) – I like to think I follow the teaching you mentioned here. My wife, a Buddhist from Khmer Rouge era Cambodia and her friends and family have made me one of their family. She lives a life reminiscent of these teachings every day despite not being “Christian.”
Ultimately, I see her at peace as she comes to terms with what she experienced as a child. She seeks to be of service to others and to love others. It’s pretty darned amazing to watch when the observer is someone who was so turned away from the “church”.
Thank you for this story.
Steven Davis
Many of the books quoted are not part of the canon of scripture – and that’s for good reason. The gospels were chosen because they were eye witness accounts. The book of Thomas and the book of Phillip, for example, were not. There is a literal heaven. You can’t just pull one verse out of context and negate literally hundreds of others and say it’s only a state of mind. Jesus is saying that we are eternal beings. We do not just rot and decay into the abyss. No one is dangling anything as a carrot – Jesus said in John 14 that in His Father’s house are many mansions and He goes to prepare a place for us that where He is, we may be also. Revelation describes heaven in great detail. You don’t need the book of Phillip to illustrate how important women were to Jesus’ ministry. Three women were the first to find the empty tomb and tell everyone else. So many other examples. Jesus was God incarnate. We are to become “like” Jesus, but in no way does that mean we ascend to anywhere near the status of God Himself. You’re teaching Gnosticism. You are not receiving some unique revelation from God. You didn’t just wake up and find all these secrets no one else has discovered over the last couple thousand years. Some valid points: Jesus was definitely not a fan of organized religion. But problems throughout.
J.R. Cillian Green
Oh fun! The banned gospels piece! None of those texts were written before 90CE. No one thought they were authentic gospels or letters because their dates placed them as being written long after the rest of the NT documents. Also don’t get on too high a horse about the feminine side of God not being around. The Hebrew Bible has plenty of references. And most gnostic gospels (y’all love these) said that Mary was holy because she was more male in belief and not pulled down by her womanhood. Also Mary Magdelene was neither a prostitute nor having some illicit affair.
James Phelps
I agree with you, Tanner. Nearly everything you say is also written in the Quran. Mohammed was saying the same things to the Arab peoples, Jews, and Christians of 7th Century Mecca and Medina. Each people of the book received similar revelations from “prophets” that were sent in their own times.
Yet people crave order, leadership, direction and thus fall for the concept of a church with a hierarchy .
Kevin J. W. Driscoll
This piece crackles with a rebellious energy, like a theological punk anthem! You certainly are not pulling any punches, painting a Jesus who’d likely be staging protests outside modern megachurches rather than leading the Sunday service. The assertion that his core message – direct connection to the divine, the kingdom within, and even reincarnation * – was deliberately buried to maintain control is a provocative and compelling thread.
Your portrayal of the early church’s alleged power plays, from sidelining the divine feminine to strategically selecting scripture, definitely throws a Molotov cocktail into conventional interpretations. Whether one agrees with the conclusions or not, the essay forces a fascinating and uncomfortable re-evaluation of familiar narratives. It’s a thought-provoking exploration of a Jesus who was less about gilded altars and more about radical self-discovery, a spiritual disruptor whose true teachings might still hold the power to shake the foundations of established belief. * Resurrection as reincarnation I never considered it before – thanks.
Keith Risman
The tendency of ‘church’ to create dogma that does not match the gospels is the same tendency that lead the Pharisees to lean on the ‘law’ even when common sense said otherwise. The disciples planted many churches, and these, when they followed the teachings of Christ were a positive force for good.
Churches are made of people, flawed, sinful people and as such they can go off course. That does not condemn all churches. In the most basic sense a church is a place for fellowship and pray among like minded believers. It provides a support system in an often hostile world. Some churches have evolved into entertainment centers, which was not what Christ or the disciples envisions.
The first gospels, the ones closes to the time of Christ are clear about believing in him, and about God within, the Holy Spirit. It is tempting to go to the later writings and attribute them as the truth, but there is a huge caveat there. They were banned, not because of the church wanting control but because they did not agree with the original writings and the theology presented there.
There will always be churches that go off the rails and believe in crazy. The snake handlers come to mind. But when a church follows the gospels and is a source of support, fellowship and corporate prayer, it can be a huge thing. It supports the direct relationship with God and is not pretending to be an intercessor. Jesus, as exemplified by his interaction with his disciples modeled what church should look like.
Neo Luddite
“Jesus didn’t want people worshipping him. He wanted them to wake up and realize they could be like him.”
Humans are primarily driven by 2 emotions – Fear & Guilt. The latter has been inculcated into us by the totalitarian Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam & Judaism) by way of their doctrine of Original Sin which they deem unforgivable, only assuaged by unconditional obeisance to their “one and only” true faith.
Neo Luddite
Jesus didn’t want people worshipping him. He wanted them to wake up and realize they could be like him.
An inspirational read regarding the question… Do you believe in God?
Baruch de Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, along with Descartes, Spinoza believed his God would say:
Stop praying. What I want you to do is go out into the world and enjoy your life. I want you to sing, have fun and enjoy everything I’ve made for you.
Stop going into those dark, cold buildings that you built saying they are my house. My house is in the mountains, in the woods, rivers, lakes, beaches and within you. That’s where I live and where I express my love for you.
Stop blaming me for your miserable life; I never told you there was anything wrong with you or that you were a sinner or that your sexuality was naughty. Sex is a gift I have given you and with which you can express your love, your ecstasy, your joy.
So don’t blame me for everything they made you believe.
Stop reading alleged sacred scriptures that have nothing to do with me. If you can’t see me in a sunrise, in a landscape, in the look of your friends, in your son’s and daughter’s eyes… you will never find me in a book!
Stop asking me “Will you tell me how to do my job?” Stop being so afraid.
I do not judge you or criticize you, nor get angry, or bothered. I am pure love.
Stop asking for forgiveness, there’s nothing to forgive. When I made you… I filled you with passions, limitations, pleasures, feelings, needs, inconsistencies. How can I blame you if you respond to something I put into you? How can I punish you for being the way you are, if I’m the one who made you? Do you think I could create a place to burn all my children who behave badly for the rest of eternity? What kind of god would do that?
Respect your peers and don’t do what you don’t want for yourself. All I ask is that you pay attention in your life, that alertness be your guide.
My beloved, life is not a test, not a step on the way, not a rehearsal nor a prelude to paradise. This life is the only thing here and now and it is all you need.
I have set you absolutely free, no prizes or punishments, no sins or virtues, no one carries a marker, no one keeps a record. You are absolutely free to create in your life. Heaven or hell.
I can’t tell you if there’s anything after this life but I can give you advice. Live as if there is not. As if this is your only chance to enjoy, to love, to be alive, to be remembered. So, if there’s nothing after, then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you. And if there is, rest assured that I won’t ask if you behaved right or wrong, I’ll ask. Did you like it? Did you have fun? What did you enjoy the most? What did you learn?
Stop believing in me; believing is assuming, guessing, imagining. I don’t need you to believe in me, I want you to believe in you. I want you to feel me in you when you kiss your beloved, when you tuck in your child, when you caress your dog, when you bathe in the sea.
Stop praising me, what kind of egomaniac do you think I am?
I’m bored being praised. I’m tired of being thanked. Feeling grateful? Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, the world. Express your joy! That’s the way to praise me.
Stop complicating things and parroting what you’ve been taught about me. The only thing for sure is that you are here, that you are alive and that this world is full of wonders.
And some quotes by atheist Mikhail Gorbachev:
“At difficult times in my life Nature has always offered me refuge. For me it is not “environment” or a “place of leisure and relaxation” but a temple in which I experience feelings that are sacred.”
“I believe in the cosmos. All of us are linked to the cosmos. So nature is my god. To me, nature is sacred. Trees are my temples and forests are my cathedrals. Be at one with nature.”
In conclusion:
Pope passes away, upon arriving at the pearly gates identifies himself to St. Peter who immediately re-directs him to G_d. Pope then regales G_d with his accomplishments, stressing that he had been celibate his entire life.
Thereupon G_d became visibly puzzled, saying that celibate had to be a translation error, what he had really meant was “Celebrate!”
Ross Chamberlain
Some quotes from our references might have been useful to your points, but I certainly favor your overall concept.
But we do need folk who will help us better understand the points you make, so long as they retain the concept of guidance over that of rule.
Peter Bell
I was interested in the point about reincarnation. Having been brought up a conventional Christian, I always assumed that Jews had a similar view to us. A few years ago I spent some time in Israel with conservative Jews and was surprised to learn that they believe in reincarnation. I assumed at the time that this was a doctrine that had gained prominence since Christianity split from Judaism. Your article makes me realise that is probably not correct but rather that Christianity dropped reincarnation.
Davis Gloff
I have thought this way for a long time. You just wrote down what I’ve always believed. Thank you.
William Rance
Fully agree !!!
Sean Mack
Your article makes strong, intuitive sense.
Greg Hall
What would god do with male and female gender anyway? Fuck himself?
You’d think a god would be beyond such notions, and focus on something more divine, like accepting others as they are, not the way you want them to be.
Daniel Knight
“Jesus didn’t want people worshipping him. He wanted them to wake up and realize they could be like him.”
I don’t believe in the Doctrine of the Trinity. However, I do believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are more like divine attributes of God.
I view the Father as God’s mind/consciousness of God and the Holy Spirit as God’s power/comforter of God.
As for the Son, I replace that with the Word because Jesus came as the Word in the flesh. Furthermore, I view the Word as the Morsl Code of God.
Christians don’t ask why God sent Jesus as the Word and not the Father or Holy Spirit, but I have asked that myself many times. The only logical answer is the Word because knowing God’s Moral Code of God helps us live righteously. Thus, we can be more like Jesus.
Daniel Knight
Even in the Gospel of Thomas (one of those banned books they don’t want you reading), Jesus talks about how souls keep coming back until they get things right.
I have believed in reincarnation for years. Many Christians believe we are human beings having a spiritual experience, but I believe we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
I also believe in universal salvation. Reincarnation would affirm that belief.
Toddpjensen
Right on. Left my Catholic Church many years ago for all of those reasons.
W A Bud Elsaesser
And that is why the Hebrews plotted to murder him and why the convinced the Romans to get rid of him on some trumped up charge.
Bill Offerman
“But some of those lost books have been rediscovered”. Can someone suggest a good source for these?
Stephen Kosmalski
Keep in mind, Jesus did attend the synagogue and the Temple. He defended the Temple physically against desecration. Also, he said not one word of the old law would be broken… so you are greatly mistaken.
And this nonsense of the Romans dictating what was in the Bible is a new myth.. where did you get that nonsense??
Surfer Sal
Soooooo much garbage. No facts all opinion and bias. Lazy research. It never ends people thinking themselves wise.
Marioregina
I agree with what I just read.
Wayne Murray
First born boomer here, the people that believe as you do are few and far between, but they are comfortable in their beliefs, free from the collection plate. There is a verse that describes this issue well, their being a huge amount of people on the road to disillusionment, and a few going in the opposite direction toward unmitigated truth.
Thanesville
He told his real followers, “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).
You are cherry picking and you know that you are. Do you care at all what Jesus taught. The Kingdom of God is an incredibly rich concept which Jesus taught on many, many occasions. Do you want to understand what he actually taught or do you just want to grab small Biblical passages and appropriate them for your own purposes? Do you want to let the text speak its message or would you rather come to it only to support your message?
The Kingdom of God is not a personal state of being. A better translation of the text is the Kingdom of God is “among you” meaning amongst people. The context is important. Read about it here if you actually care to know what Jesus was teaching.
https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-of-God-within-you.html
You are putting up all of these straw man arguments about the church dangling a carrot in front of people to behave. I’ve been part of about 5 churches since I was born in multiple cities. I have never experienced that. Paul taught that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph 2:9). Show me just one NT text that suggests you have to act good, behave well, and that is how you go to heaven. You won’t find it because good works are an EFFECT of God’s work of grace saving us from our slavery to sin. We are dead in sin before becoming Christians ( Eph 2:1-3).
In this article you are using strawman arguments and innuendo to push people away from life in Christ, real life, under the guise of showing people the truth. God have mercy on you for dissuading people from seeking out the gospel and hiding it from them. I pray Jesus convicts you of your error so that you will know his goodness and the life found only in a relationship with him.
John R te Velde
Great piece, Tanner! Keep it up.
Michel Gauthier
Hi Tanner,
Good article. I agree with you about the distortion of the true message of Jesus by the Romans when they highjacked Christianity. Look at the Slave Bible, given to slaves which omits the book of Exodus.
Even the establishment authorized version of the Bible makes it clear that Jesus was no fan of dogma or church rules.
Thanks.
Steve Ruis
Spot on, Tanner, spot on.
Gary St
Yes, I concur that there are a few good sayings the bible attributes to Jesus. Yet, as I finally read the bible from beginning to end for the second time, using logic, reasoning and critical thinking while doing it, in the NT I found that he shows being a harsh , arrogant, and angry man. Also, as David Madison gave a post on John Loftus’ blog the 292 bad sayings of Jesus.
