The Religious Landscape of Modern World.
The Religious Landscape of Modern World.
The previous three (3) Blogs dealt with the religious landscape of the Ancient World, and I said that it consisted of three (3) religions: Judaism, Animism, and Christianity.
The intent of those Blogs was to help us better understand the ancient world into which the gospel first went, so that we could better understand the letters (the Epistles) which were written to those people. Those letters were written to churches/people who were either ex-pagans or ex-Jews, but had become Christians.
Those Blogs were not meant to be just a history lesson, but that situation still exists in both fact and in parallel today: in essence, nothing has changed!
They were saved OUT of those false religions of either paganism or Judaism, and brought INTO the truth of Christianity.
In our current world, what pertained to the Jews back then, obviously still applies to Jews, but also to people following Pseudo-Christian religions.
And what pertained to the Greek Roman pagan world back then, applies to paganism today.
1) The modern day application of what pertained to the Jews.
The Jews added their traditions and religious laws to God's word, and actually made them more important than God's word.
From Wikipedia:
The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews.
The Talmud was written between the 3rd and 6th centuries BC, and so it was around when Jesus was alive, and it is to this that the term, "the tradition of the elders," refers.
"For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Mar 7:3-9
"Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye." Mar 7:13
Matthew uses very strong language:
"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Mat 15:3
Just like the Jews had writings, the Talmud, which were in addition to the bible, and which they actually made more important than the bible, so do these Pseudo-Christian groups today.
Mormons have the writings of Joseph Smith, "The Book of Mormon."
Christians Science have the writings of Mary Baker Eddie, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
Seventh Day Adventist have the writing of Ellen G. White, too numerous to list.
Roman Catholicism have the writings and decrees of the popes, AND they have their own bible, with the Apocryphal books, which they call "Deuterocanonical," which means, "Second Canon," admitting it is an addition; and consider this, the word "Apocryphal," means "of doubtful authenticity."
Jehovah's Witness have the writing of Charles Taze Russel AND their own translation of the bible, the "New World Translation"
So when Paul writes:
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col 2:8
He clearly says these "traditions of men," these extra biblical writings, are antithetical and opposed to Christ!
For there are "other Jesus," and "other gospels," and "other spirits"!
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." 2Co 11:3-4
The simplicity that is in Christ, is the simple message of the bible! Nothing more, nothing less!
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Gal 1:6-9
There is "the grace of Christ," and "another gospel," which these Pseudo-Christian groups present in their writings.
And note, these "other gospels" can even come from an angel!
Joseph Smith said an angel named Moroni visited him and revealed to him what is now called the Book of Mormon.
Ellen G. White spoke of her "accompanying angel."
Roman Catholicism has so many "appearances" of Mary, saints, and angels, they are nu-countable! See my Blog "The Witch at Endor = 1Sa 28."
2) The modern day application of what pertained to the Greek Roman Pagans.
What pertained to the pagans back then, applies today to religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, the traditional religions of Africa, North and South American Indians, Japanese and Chinese and Korean ancestor worship, Voodoo religions, the traditional religions of the Pacific, etc.
These all involve priests who interact with the un-seen world of spirits; and the spirits they call ancestors, are demons lying to them, claiming to be ancestors, again see my Blog on the Witch of Endor. These priests are also called "shamans."
Here is the Wikipedia definition of Shamanism:
Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world for the purpose of healing, divination, or to aid human beings in some other way.
Most people reading the above will dismiss this, saying it is not around anymore, I actually had a good Christian brother say to me, "But there are no demons around today." They are the fallen angels, where did they go? Of course they are still around!
Here is the site of The British Druid Order, alive and well today in England.
Their motto on their home page: Rekindling the sacred fires of Druidry as a living, breathing, animistic, shamanistic, life-affirming, Earth-honoring spirituality for the 21st century.
Horoscope, palm reading, Tarot cards, Ouija board, are all seemingly innocent things, but in reality they are not. They are the devil's tools to de-sentitize people to his strategy to deceive them and lead them to hell.
And there is also the "black" side of this, like casting spells etc. to harm people; activities like voodoo!
If you Google "witches covens" in your area, you will be amazed how many there are, even in the American Bible Belt, these things are real, functioning, and more numerous than you would think.
Hinduism with its multitude of gods in pure animism.
Japanese and Chinese and Korean ancestor worship is pure animistic demon worship.
I would recommend John Nevius book "Demon Possession and Allied Themes,"
https://archive.org/details/JohnL.NeviusDemonPossesionAndAlliedThemes_201802
He was a missionary in China during the late 1800s; he explains the subject very clearly.
In area where Roman Catholicism is strong, like South and Central America, there is a large amount of Syncretism, mixing of the two. The Roman Catholic system of saints, fits perfectly with the traditional animistic idea of gods who control things. Remember the Mayan, Aztec, and Inca religions were all animistic demon worshiping systems. They cut the hearts out of living people and offered them to their gods. If you Google this, you will see many articles.
New Age, Indigenous Religions, Mother Earth Religion, etc are all just modern day expressions of the same basic Greek Roman animistic system of New Testament era.
So when Paul says:
"But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils." 1Co 10:20 he could say the same to these groups today.
In Revelation, even though people saw great destruction as a result of the plagues God was pouring out in judgment, yet they did not repent of their devil worship or practice of sorcery. The plagues of Revelation things that will happen in our day today, or the future; this does not refer to 1st Century devil worship or sorcery!
"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." Rev 9:20-21
Jesus said the devil is a liar and murder, from the beginning (Jhn 8:44). He is the father of lies. He murdered Adam and Eve with lies. He is still murdering people today with lies. His one desire is for people to be with him forever in hell. He knows hell is real, he deceives people into thinking it is not real. And he does that with false religious practices.
Nothing changes!
20 May 2025