On The Abrahamic Faiths: Part II, Christianity II of II

 

Orthodox Christianity

Origin: Constantinople

#Emperor trumps Pope#Pope trumps Emperor#I think we should see other people

 

II EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY (A.D. 1053 to Present)

                The Eastern Orthodox Church is listed as having its beginning in A.D. 1053, in truth; it began with Christ’s ministry, but at the time was considered the Catholic Church.  As the Church in Rome became allied with western powers, the Eastern Roman Empire remained, and the church, in accordance with Constantine’s design, defaulted to the authority of the Emperor and God rather than to the Pope.  The Eastern Roman Empire is referred to by modern historians as Byzantium.  Byzantium, at its peak, controlled most of the civilized world, and thus it had many denominations of “Orthodox” Christians: Ethiopian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Russ Orthodox, and etc.  With the exception of the Russ, which were converted later, these Christian communities were the same ones being ministered to by Christ, His disciples, and the apostles.

                The date A.D. 1053 is the date given for what has been daubed the “Great Schism”, which marked the informal separation between the Eastern and Western Christian movements.  The separation was largely due to the pettiness and pride of a few influential Bishops on both sides.  Unfortunately the two sides effectively excommunicated one another. The formal divorce, if you will, didn’t occur until nearly 60 years prior to the Protestant Reformation. 

*Excommunication is an extreme form of penance, forbidding the excomunicae from partaking in the Eucharist, not banishment from church or Heaven, though if penance was not done in life it would still need to be completed in death/purgatory.  Excommunication is used typically on all non-Catholics/Orthodox members; Protestants (remain excommunicated today) and are “officially” forbidden to take part in the Eucharist, but Orthodox Christians may celebrate the Eucharist and Mass with Catholics within their own churches, it’s not a reunification but it’s certainly an exciting step in the right direction. 

                Orthodox Christians are very similar to their Catholic brothers.  They share the same basic hierarchical structure and dogmatic beliefs with few exceptions:

1.       Icons are believed to not only aid as a focal point for veneration but as a direct link to the saint or event that they represent.  They are not Idols, as they remain powerless in and of themselves, and are used only as tools for prayer to God, with whom they may intercede on your behalf.  The understanding of Icons is similar to the Roman Catholic veneration of saints, but has proved a major point of contention in the past, as it had been mistaken for idolatry.

2.       Papal authority, simply put, the EOC believes that God is head of the Church(Now that there is no Roman Emperor); arch Bishops, righteous as they may be, remain flawed stewards.

3.       Eternal Church is the simplest way I can think to explain the Orthodox view of the afterlife.  While they believe in Heaven and Hell, they believe that when a Christian dies they may still attend church. Though unseen by mortal eyes, they may still worship and benefit from prayer, as well as pray for others, just as the Saints in the Roman Catholic Church do.

Though there are canonized saints, the EOC teach that all of the faithful are “saints” and should be asked to intercede in prayer, just as one would ask the living.  (Contrary to my Protestant upbringing, my interpretation of scripture puts me more in line with this understanding of the afterlife.)

The EOC did not play a large part in post renaissance Christian history as nearly all of its adherents were destroyed by Islamic forces in the 15^th Century.  The Russian remnant was nearly obliterated by Joseph Stalin’s Atheist regime in the mid-20^th century but has since experienced resurgence as a symbol of Russian Nationalism.  The Greek Orthodox Church has also seen resurgence since they shook the bonds of their Turkish overlords just prior to WWI. *Interesting historical note: Though battered and destitute, the Greeks joined the Allies against the Central Powers to completely defeat the (Turkish) Ottoman Empire in WWI.  Orthodox Christianity, though larger than it was 50 years ago, is easily the smallest branch of Christianity. 

 

 

 

Protestantism

Origin: The Bible#Luther#Tyndale, “Grace Alone”

III PROTESTANTISM

                Protestantism is the general term given to all Non-Catholic, Non-Orthodox Christians.  If you aren’t Catholic or Orthodox, but consider yourself Christian you are a Protestant.  Protestantism began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his grievances on the church doors (the social media outlet of the day) as previously mentioned,  Luther’s theology is best summed up by the phrase: “God is all you need” or “Grace alone”.  Scripture and a personal relationship with God allow us to enter into Heaven. No church or human representative of God can neither save nor damn you.   

Protestant denominations are like ice cream: they come in many different flavors but are made the same way, from the same core ingredients.   That being said.....

 

Protestants really branched off, shortly after Luther settled down in relative peace.  I cannot adequately explain the Protestant Reformation in this blog, as the subject has filled volumes. I’ll mention a few names and highlights as best I can, but this is an oversimplified narrative at best (The same could be said for this entire blog!).  

                Luther never sought to start a new movement and had no desire lead, let alone attempt to structure, the movement that he inadvertently began.  Luther had hoped to reform the Catholic Church, not start his own church.  The quickly after Luther and others like him, began to translate and circulate Bibles in common speech, new churches sprouted like wild flowers.  These movements were all fairly similar, relying on God and reason to interpret scripture.  The Catholic Church strongly opposed such actions, and for good reason!  People are flawed, with a selfish nature, thus the power of God's word is dangerous in the wrong hands.  The idea was: If people are able to interpret scripture, there will surely be those that interpret scripture for their own gain. *a power the Catholics had until that time, monopolized...

Though conflict erupted over the sudden upset to papal authority, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands after much tragedy, eventually managed to achieve some semblance of peace between Catholic and Protestant adherents.  Many powers took advantage of the opportunity presented by religious passions, and a massive war ensued, lasting for some 30 years.  France, under the infamous Cardinal Richelieu, endeavored to balance powers, and actually supported both sides of the conflict, to his own people’s peril.  France, Ireland, and Scotland remained Catholic. (England was Catholic up until the Catholic Church’s policy on divorce became an inconvenience to King Henry VIII.)

King Henry VIII of England used the conflict to divorce his Catholic wife, in favor of his ill-fated young protestant mistress.  John Wycliffe and John Calvin became household names in England, though while Wycliffe’s name remains untarnished, Calvin’s puritan movement, supported by the Crown, began to mercilessly purge all Catholic Churches of treasure and “pomp and circumstance.”  They also began to purge England and Ireland of Catholics and Irish-(a war that continues to a minor extent today).  Many pacifist Protestants, exiled puritans, and Irish sought safe harborage in other nations and colonies. 

               

The relative independence experienced by colonists allowed Christians of various "flavors" to flourish.  In the English colonies, unity was essential for survival.  Religious tolerance existed because the early colonists were too busy fighting starvation and the elements to fight each other.  Though there was a certain amount of tension between the various Protestant groups and Catholics, rarely, if ever, resulted in bloodshed.  Protestant groups that shared a mutual understandings of scripture, conducted regular devotionals and Bible studies.  Though all held the same core beliefs, some focused more on one aspect of Christ and his teachings than another. 

Denominations eventually developed into organized faith branches:  Those that were drawn more to doctrine and tradition than on matters of the Spirit would attend an Episcopalian church.  Those focused on the methods of the Spirit would attend a Methodist church, so on and so forth. Protestantism’s greatest strength is its absence of uniformity, in practice but not in core doctrine.  A true protestant believes that anyone who accepts Christ as savior, repents of sin (Sin, being clearly defined in scripture), and agrees to try to live as Christ lived is a Christian brother and a fellow soldier in the war against evil. 

 I say true Protestants because hard line Puritan-Calvinist/Anabaptists, often defined sin according to their own twisted/flawed, extra-biblical interpretations.  Some of those “sins” remain in most Church doctrine found in the United States because the United States of America was the first Protestant state built on protestant principles.  Protestant principles are all basically the same and have not changed since the founding of this nation:  God’s grace and hard work, which are synonymous with liberty, and capitalism, *if that doesn't describe American culture, then not only were our founder's deists, but they were also monkeys' uncles!      

One of the biggest difference between the high church Christians and the Non-Anglican/Presbyterian, Protestant Church is that Church attendance and clerical leadership is recommended, but not required for salvation. Jesus told us to go out unto all the world, not go unto the temple once a week.  Church is to be used to provide education and support, the mission is given to ALL and is outside of the church walls.   Again Protestantism varies wildly, so this is a historically based generalization.   

(*Many modern Catholic, Anglican/Presbyterian Churches also share this view, it varies according to the pastor.   I’ve heard of modern Lutheran ministers for instance, that were quicker to denounce a Baptist as a heretic, than a Renascence Bishop would denounce a Cathar!)

 Exactly what constitutes as sin is often a point of contention in Protestantism, as it was in the early church. *Read the New Testament!  The advantage of High Churches, is that the Archbishop or Pope is permitted to interpret what scripture says, resulting in a uniform understanding of expectations and a clear moral code.  Protestantism’s lack of centralized power allows for a certain amount of individual interpretation, which has been problematic, to say the least.  I will list a few of the most common sins, with a brief explanation: * the following moral standard is also held by those that are considered false witnesses by the Church, such as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, & etc.

 

●     Lie: Honesty is the best policy

●     Murder: To end the life of anyone made in the image of God, (Mankind).  If it has a heartbeat, it is alive and should remain so.

 (Self-defense does not = murder, it is a prevention of it.)

●     Blaspheme: To do or say anything contrary to Christ, especially espousing it as truth.

●     Curse: To call forth evil wrath (Satan) onto someone, finding pleasure in the thought of that person’s damnation.

●     False witness: To claim to be teaching Christ’s message and philosophy but actually teaching Man’s/Satan’s or otherwise lead the faithful into sin.  (Some cultures, mainly the U.S., put the use of tobacco and alcohol in this category, though drunkenness is universally condemned.)

●     Pride: To live according to your own will and self-righteousness, never humbling yourself to God.

●     Idolatry: Putting anything as priority above God or even at his level. (Man, animal, object, or activity.)

●     Lust (covetous behavior): We all have desires, but those desires become sin when they lead us to hurt others, or when coming to the place in our hearts where we would, out of our own selfishness, be willing that others should suffer.

●     Adultery: Christian marriage is a covenant designed to mirror the relationship between Christ and the Church, thus it is an eternal institution between two people and God.  Covenants are not contracts.  Though the Israelites violated God’s covenant, it never ended and they remain God’s people.  Though we sin, God takes us back. *Read Hosea

*For more information on the reformation, and understanding the fears, and actions of those living through it, I recommend Dan Carlin’s podcast on the events that transpired in Post-Catholic Munster (Germany): http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-48-prophets-of-doom/

On The Abrahamic Faiths: Part II, Christianity I of II

CHRISTIANITY (33 A.D-Judgement Day)

Origin: Jesus of Nazareth, “I am the way, the truth and the light”

Most world religions are hardly unique, they are merely spinoffs of a previous faith, changed to fit the needs of their adherents or to maintain authority. How has the God of Abraham maintained the purity of his original message? Or has he?  

Unlike most religions, Judaism and Christianity are in fact unique.  Similar concepts of good and evil are key themes found in nearly every faith, but the God of Abraham is something completely different.  

Each ancient religion seems to have a spin-off of some sort.  It may be a deity with identical purpose and character as another, or even a shameless transposition. 

  Perhaps the most successful copy-cats of culture were the Romans.  The Romans (Pre-Rome Latin speaking people) were a small conglomeration of various peoples that settled in Etruscan land and eventually absorbed their host to become the most powerful empire in history. 

 The Romans are known for many things, but their rich culture is not one of them, in fact there is little to no evidence of Latin culture at all.  It appears that having no culture of their own, they simply adopted a less creative version of someone else’s:   Aries- the Greek god of war became Mars- the Roman god of war, and etc. 

Typically, religions change according to the culture of the adopted people, sometimes resulting in a totally unorthodox version.  If a new “spin-off” religion claims to share the history of the adopted religion and/or culture, it will typically have some sort of disclaimer justifying its existence as being a lost or true version of the “corrupted” or incomplete original faith.

   Such offshoots require a patron and/or an enigmatic figure that claims sole access to the truth, and often, though not always, has much to gain by his new faith.  Buda was such a man and his philosophy started one of the largest religions in the world.  Buda claimed never to have any desire for personal wealth or power; in fact, his teachings confirm this.  Never the less, the Anti-Hindu offshoot he created generated a great deal of both.

Though it fits some of the pre-requisites of an offshoot, Christianity is not an offshoot of Judaism but a continuation of it.  Pre-Rabbinic Judaism ends with a set of specific prophetic fulfillments that are harbingers to the coming of the Messiah.  The Jews believe the Messiah will bring immediate physical deliverance. The Christians believe he brought spiritual deliverance and will bring physical deliverance later.

Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies required of the Messiah, but contrary to Judaism, Christ also offered eternal life to gentiles (non-Jews).  No longer were God’s people called to the Promised Land, they were called to “go out unto all the earth”.  Christianity did not bring gain or profit to its founders.  It remained a largely underground and persecuted movement until the 4^th Century A.D.  The wealth and power that the Church is known for, along with its “Corruption”, began after Emperor Constantine married Church and government.

CONSTANTINE & THE CHURCH

        Constantine ended the persecution of Christians and created the first Christian Empire (After persecuting all non-Christians).  Though he officiated many councils that were meant to settle theological debates, he never sought to create scripture.  The Bible had existed already and was written by those who witnessed Christ’s ministry first hand.  

*The pre-requisite for being an apostle was not merely being inspired, but having personally seen/heard Jesus speak to them.

     The Christian Church, as the official Roman faith, inevitably gained power.  Though the earliest churches had powerful bishops, the Bible clearly states that no apostle was greater than another and each church or Bishopric was equally important.  Such structure was ideal under persecution but presented challenges for Emperor Constantine, who sought to centralize his power.

 Constantine created the first Christian authority in Rome.  Pagan shrines were converted to shrines of “Saints.”  Pagan holidays were celebrated as Christian holidays.   When Constantine died, the Office of Pope was both a spiritual and a temporal kingdom. 

 The Keys were given by Constantine to Pope Sylvester, rather than by God to St. Peter.  (Pope Sylvester was given his office and authority by Emperor Constantine I.  He was the first Pope to claim authority over all other Bishops, making the Roman See the most powerful religious authority.) .*See=Jurisdiction

Constantine relied on a co-emperor and Roman Bishop to keep order in the west while he moved his capitol from Rome to the wealthier eastern half of his empire.  Rome had become dirty and, comparatively, poor.  Constantine ruled from Constantinople, present day Istanbul.  Though Constantine was indeed the first Christian Emperor, he didn’t convert until near his death.  With the emperor gone, Papal authority was on shaky ground and worse still, Constantine had been converted by an Eastern Christian Arian bishop, not the Pope.  Rome quickly fabricated a story involving Pope Sylvester, in an effort to maintain dominance and it worked marvelously in the west.

   Despite continual efforts to exercise dominance, The Bishopric/See of Rome never exercised total authority over the Eastern Church.  As the Popes that followed Sylvester grew in power and influence, the religious climate in the western empire changed.  The Eastern churches remained fairly independent of the Bishop of Constantinople and functioned almost totally independent from the Western Roman See, the city of Rome was however, still considered the heart of the empire and thus Christianity. 

POST CONSTANTINE

The era after Constantine was important to Christian development.  As western Rome eventually fell to invasion, Italy broke up into petty kingdoms and the Church of Rome fought hard to hold the people together.

  *The Eastern Roman Empire (daubed Byzantium by modern historians) remained until the 15^th Century, when it was finally defeated after centuries of attacks by the armies of Islam who sought to convert or destroy Christendom.

     

      Though the Roman Church had absorbed pagan traditions, it retained its core truth as well as its spiritual roots.  Rome became the unconquerable “City of God.”  The Church was an anchor that held fast through the storms of political chaos, much to the credit of St. Augustine.      The writings of St. Augustine, defined the brand of Christianity known today as: “Roman Catholicism.”

3 BRANCHES OF CHRISTIANITY

Christianity today consists of three different brands, separated by dogma more than beliefs.

In order of appearance Pope Sylvester, Bishop of Constantinople St. Greagory, & Martin Luther.  The reader may notice Martin Luther is on the far right side of the tree however, from the Pope’s view, he’s on the left.

 I CATHOLICISM (A.D. 430 to Present)

                Arguably started by St. Augustine, though it traces its own roots back to St. Peter, The Catholic Church believes itself to be the “True Universal Church”.  Many Catholic scholars (Not the credible ones) believe that Church history is seamless, The Papacy was created by Peter after being 

commissioned by Jesus Christ, and the Papacy has, thus far, maintained unity amongst the true believers.  

  History of course tells us quite differently.  All Christian history is world Christian or “Catholic history”; the church itself exists as a fort to equip the army of God (Spiritually speaking, Christians don’t Jihad) to go out and “preach the good news.”  Effective ministries vary according to culture, a topic Paul writes about to some extent.  Likewise culture can and will affect religion, another topic of which Paul writes.  

                Many of the Catholic Church’s theological fathers contradicted one another; one century’s heresy would be another century’s revelation.  The most extreme beliefs were filtered out, but some would, inevitably, stick.  St. Augustine, famously said: “Lord make me chaste… but not yet….”  Augustine was a philanderer before he was doctrinal Father, and he was heavily influenced by the writings of Plato. 

    Plato taught that physical desires were evil and carnal (physical desires prevented one from reaching the spirit/pure realm of virtue). To become truly pure before God, one must seek only the spiritual.

             This ancient philosophy is commonly held in the East but was quite strange to the West- its alien nature added to the allure.  While I don’t believe St. Augustine was intentionally paganizing the Catholic Church, rather projecting his own culture and convictions onto the church, the result was the same.

    Despite the western Church’s adoption of Augustine’s doctrine of clerical celibacy, many churches outside of Rome continued to preach and live God’s first commandment: “Go forth and multiply.”  The truth is that the Catholic Church was and is as different as the cultures it ministers to.

                The fine line between Cultural relevance and espionage:

3^rd Century Germanic tribes as well as Visigoth Spain worshiped goddesses and were notoriously difficult people for Rome to handle.  Constantine was able to facilitate the conversion of those tribes by compromising with Icons of Mary, Mother of God.  The idea of an afterlife that was neither heaven nor hell but rather a state or holding place where a soul may be cleansed and/or saved by the living was also a cultural addition to Western Catholic Christianity.

 The same happens today- a chapel in Cuernavaca Mexico may have faithful parishioners that are also “witch doctors.” (We like to refer to it as holistic medicine in my family)

       I recall walking into one of the churches built by Emperor Maximillian he built a manor house, chapel, and an amazing botanical garden for his Latina mistress. The church was like most Catholic chapels you see in that part of the world, but two things struck me as odd (By U.S. Catholic Standards):

1.       The Parishioner that was giving the tour put his hand in the center vessel that contains the holy water, proceeded to make the all familiar crucifix, but added an additional anointing to the back of his head.  When I asked about this strange rite, he replied: “It keeps the evil spirits out.”

2.       St. Francis not only had incense burning at his feet but was also covered in offerings of food, complete with what appeared to be a rosary of bagels!  Apparently a Jewish Aztec was converted in the area nearby.  

Aside from these quirks, speaking with the locals was normal; they considered themselves to be faithful Catholic Christians and, for the most part, believed everything that I believed about Christ’s teachings.  The additions, though strange to outsiders, are no different than when I take my children to the Church sponsored Easter egg hunt or celebrate the birth of Christ with elves.  

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN CATHOLICISM                (Post Vatican II-Present)

The Catholic Church core beliefs have remained untouched since the days of St. Peter.  Today the Catholic Church is very near the beliefs of Protestant Christianity.  However, in the past, the Church had been overtly corrupted by false teachings.  The Catholic Church, after a thousand years of ministry, had reached the tipping point, where culture contradicts scripture.  A Pope was made king of the Church- he was either elected or appointed.  The benevolence of his office depended on the benevolence of the man. The power was intoxicating to many, and greed clouded the hearts of many Church officials.  Scripture supports order and even hierarchy to an extent, but it is very much opposed to God’s Church being controlled by a Man. 

Crossing the Line:  Infallibility & god’s authority incarnate

The Pope in ages past, claimed (or was said to, by enterprising clerics) have both the keys to the Kingdom and the guest list as well.  Forgiveness could be purchased with money or deeds.  Salvation could be denied by not complying with which ever King happened to be pulling the Church’s strings at the time, or vice versa.  The ability of the Pope to influence political powers was an ability that the Vatican and or whichever power protected and/or controlled it, wanted to maintain.  The union of church with temporal powers was a recipe for disaster, as it not only permitted but facilitated corruption. 

One of the most infamous periods of Catholic history was the period of the Crusades.  I will write on the crusades in a separate post, and I mention it here only as it serves as an example of the misuse of church influence.  I believe the first Crusade was justified; however the recruitment process involved the promise of forgiveness to all participants and/or their loved ones that may be in purgatory.  Many good and noble men set forth to end the  hostile Muslim conquest of the Eastern half of the old Christian Roman Empire (Byzantium), and the persecution, though exaggerated, was real and a staple of Turkish controlled territory.  However, the Pope’s declaration also justified the actions of some of the most heinous and notorious opportunists in history.

Dark Ages?

Though knowledge was difficult to cultivate in ages past, they were certainly not as “Dark” as you may have been taught.  Catholic churches sponsored schools, and families that could afford it, would hire education professionals.  Art and innovation actually thrived, limited only by the decentralized power of post Roman Europe, making travel difficult (Not suppressed by the Church, while some monks burned “Pagan writings,” more monks and Christian Noble patrons actually preserved Greek and Roman History than purged it).  It is true though, that Western Christians were forbidden to read scripture in their own language. 

The definition of Illiterate was not whether one had the mental faculty to read and write but that one could read and interpret Latin and Greek scripture.  One might be brilliant and fluent in French, German, and Occitan but that didn’t make one literate.  This skill was not hidden or even discouraged. In fact, it was common practice for medieval families to send one child into military service and one child to serve the Church, so that at least one member of the house would become literate.  (Interpreting scripture is to understand it in context, not simply translating the language, and required years of dedicated study.) 

Martin Luther was from a wealthy German family and, as such, received a good education, but after spending time in law school he decided to devote himself to Monastic life with the order of St. Augustine and He became a Doctor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg.  Luther was appalled by the corruption that had infiltrated his beloved Church and sought to change it.  He began teaching that God was the only one that could forgive sins and His grace alone brought salvation.  Furthermore any man claiming to possess such power was claiming himself to be God.  Luther taught that God and God’s word were the only things necessary for salvation.

The Catholic authority saw Luther as a threat to their power, which was closely tied to the “Holy Roman Emperor.”  Though Luther wanted only reform based on scripture, he was excommunicated and declared an outlaw by the Emperor.  Germany, at the time, was not a nation but a loosely united kingdom of barons, loyal to a king.  Their loyalty was maintained carefully and depended on their ability to rule over their barony with relative independence.  Many barons chose to back Luther and use the Protestant movement to ensure their independence.

  The Christians that followed Luther were also excommunicated as were any Christians that protested Papal authority.  The “Protestant movement” had begun and 30 years of bloodshed, led more by political motivations than religious ones, ensued.

                As Christian history goes, one man’s heretic is another man’s saint.  Four hundred years after the Protestant reformation, Pope John Paul II held the Second Vatican Council, which reformed the Catholic Church in a way that Luther would have championed.  The very same spirit that got Luther excommunicated, got Pope John Paul II canonized.   Today very little separates Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant core Doctrine.  Much less separates the East from the West, recently both the EOC Arch Bishop and the Pope took part in the Eucharist together, ending the Great Schism. 

The only major points of contention existing today between the three branches remains: 

1.       Papal Authority, though after Vatican II, even that is fairly easily mitigated as the Pope will not claim to be greater than any man, the appointed steward of God’s Church rather than its earthly ruler.

2.       The doctrine of purgatory and the belief that a purification process is needed for some before they may enter into heaven.  Prayers and good works of friends and family may speed up a loved one’s purification process. 

3.       Prayer to the dead, saints may be asked to intercede with you in prayer for you or your loved ones behalf.  Catholics teach that the Saints and their images possess no power of their own; they are only powerful prayer partners and advocates.  A Protestant may ask a minister with an apparent anointing to join them in prayer, but both Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that this should continue even after death. 

On The Abrahamic Faiths: Part I, Judaism

         

The Abrahamic Faiths: Faiths recognized as being linked directly to Abraham.

         I thoroughly enjoyed combing through my old college notes to refresh myself on Judaism and Islam, in particular.  I'll do a more in depth article on Islam when I write on the Crusades, of which there were eight by western standards. My education is primarily focused on western history so, needless to say, I found it difficult to "trim the fat" in the section on Christianity.  The words flowed and time past quickly but I find that, the more natural words come, the more unnatural they appear in print so I decided,Seven-thousand words later, to seek a fresh perspective.  My Sister, Shanna graciously agreed to proofread my post, and wisely suggested that I post it in sections.  Each post will be in the order they (the faiths) appeared in history, and I will address only the official denominations (as briefly as possible.) Enjoy!

JUDAISM 2900 B.C.-A.D.77

Origin: “Father Abraham had many sons”

Though the Bible begins with the creation of the Earth, the religion of Judaism begins with God calling Abram to gather his house and leave Ur.  (Abram became Abraham after his covenant with God, a sign of transformation and commitment.)  God led Abraham to the Promised Land- an epic journey that birthed many of the Jewish traditions we see today, such as:

·         CIRCUMCISION

                God led Abraham to circumcise his people as a sign of commitment to God and the covenant with his people.  Circumcision was not unique to the Israelites and has served as signs of commitment and purity in other faiths.

·         ZIONISM

                God called Abraham to Canaan where his descendants would become a mighty Nation.  Due to famine, the descendants of Abraham (a powerful tribe) left Canaan for Egypt.  The Egyptians were threatened by the power of the Israelites and they eventually fled back to Canaan- a move known as the Exodus.  The land that Abraham acquired in Canaan had been absorbed by other city-states.  Though Moses led the Exodus, the re-conquest of their ancestral lands fell to Joshua.  Joshua embarked on a successful campaign against the inhabitants and retook the land.  Israel remains a vital component of Orthodox Judaism, inseparable from God’s covenant with his chosen people. 

 THE MOSES EFFECT

                God set restrictions on various activities and actively guided Abraham and many in his household, but the development of most of the specific laws found in the Abrahamic faiths came from Moses, not Abraham.  While Abraham is important to the Jewish Covenant and the state of Israel, Moses is the doctrinal patriarch.  The fundamental Jewish traditional laws are called the Halakhah (Laws of Moses).  Moses was the adopted son of a Pharaoh; he left his adopted family and was led by God to return his people to Canaan.  The journey, like Abraham’s, was of epic proportions and full of conflict, drama and miracles such as the Ten Commandments and the parting of the Red (or Reed Sea, depending on translation).

Over the next several centuries, Judaism put less and less emphasis on interacting with God, and when the Temple of Solomon fell (70 A.D.), so did the connection with God.  Post temple/Rabbinic Judaism is the brand of Judaism today.  Christians may expect to see Pharisees walking to synagogue, but, unfortunately, the era of the high priests and the Holy of Holies is long gone in Judaism.

The destruction of Biblical Judaism, was finalized around A.D. 135.  The Roman Emperor Hadrian was tired of pesky rebellions, so cut his losses in Britain and built his famous wall but put his foot down in the Hebrew kingdom.  It was arguably the first Genocide of the Jewish people in recorded history.  Hadrian not only slaughtered the people, but burned the cities to the ground, plowed over them, and renamed them. 
 (*Interestingly, History remembers Hadrian as one of the Five "Good" Emperors... His despotism was probably overlooked because of his good social welfare programs, and persecution of business owners, just a theory though)
The Jews, though many escaped and returned later, were forced to refocus and practice their faith in the "diaspora." (*any land outside of Israel) 

 I'm pretty sure it looked something like this:

 

 Sorry for the poor rendering, it was drawn by an eye witness while riding on a donkey cart, or so I'm told >.>

MODERN JUDAISM (A.D.77-Messiah)

                Modern Judaism is a non-evangelical faith based on many Laws.  There are not only the Laws of God and Moses but those of the Rabbis that came after: the Torah (Old Testament) & the Talmud (Mishnah and Gemara, oral law and discussion).  Today, like Christianity, there are three brands of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, and Liberal/Reform.

Judaism varies according to practice- some follow the Halakhah and the Aggadah (Non-legalistic rabbinical writings) more closely than others.  True Judaism, as it is understood in Israel, is Orthodox Judaism.  They are very traditional people- I’ll not delve into to Jewish religion in this blog, as the section on Christianity will be pushing the reader’s patience.  Suffice it to say that Orthodox Jews are the only officially recognized Jews in Israel.  They may only wed other Jews, and they must observe the laws and traditions to the letter, including appearance.  The difference between Conservative vs. Orthodox Judaism is similar to Christian Protestant vs. Catholic. 

Conservatives believe much the same as the Orthodox Jews, but they believe some traditions, like dress, must change with time.  Liberal Jews make up some seventy percent of Jews in the United States.  Their beliefs range from fairly conservative practice to Jewish heresy.  “Liberal Jews” are difficult to spot, as they may have body piercings, tattoos, and/or other displays of non-conformance not found in the Orthodox or Conservative movements.  Most Liberal Jews are Jew in name and heritage rather than in religious practice.

 As always, your comments (on the blog) are appreciated