A Pharisee of Pharisees - My article posted on Ex-Christian.net

A Pharisee of Pharisees

My article was posted on Ex-Christian.net back in 2005.

My name is John Blatt and I am an ex-christian. The process of leaving christianity took a good two years, but now I am finally free from that fear and fear-based Cult. Fundamentalist christianity is a destructive mind-control Cult and the bible is primarily a series of psychological documents. It took many years to finally come to see this reality, because I didn't want it to be so. No one in the Cult can see with straight vision, thus, the more devoted and zealous one is for christianity the more blind they are to its psychological and spiritual damage and control.

I became a born-again christian at the age of twenty while I was in the U.S. Air Force in May of 1992. It was a powerful and moving experience and it did effect me deeply, being changed instantly. Before this, I had simply adopted my mothers metaphysical beliefs and so I had no true belief in anything that was truly my own.

Since the day that I had been "born-again" I began a long journey within the realms of christianity, seeking to find where I belonged and what I really believed. I began simply as non-denominational, not wanting to even go to church. My first belief was that one does not need a minister and a church to know god, yet this belief eroded over time. While stationed in South Korea I did not have much other than the bible to study. Then after a year I was shipped back to U.S. and I began seeking answers to all the different questions I had about denominations, churches, different "gospels" and many other things. No one could match my zeal or devotion to god and "His Word". Christianity was now my life and I severed life long friendships and relationships due to my new found beliefs, even "converting" my father and step-mother to "the Faith".

My searching for answers caused a lot of waves wherever I went and I quickly gained many christian friends and admiration by everyone I came into contact with.

Here is a chronological list of churches and theologies that I joined and embraced and studied through in my journey through Christianity:

Vineyard/Charismatic/Speaking in Tongues and Healing miracles.

Independent Messianic-Jewish Church/Jews for Jesus/Christian Zionism

Independent Baptist/Dispensational Theology/Pre-trib Rapture

Pentecostal/Hyper-Dispensational Theology/Post-trib Rapture

Charles Finney-ism

The 5-Point Calvinism/5-Point Arminianism Debate

Became a 5-Point Calvinist

Embraced Reformed Theology/Orthodox Presbyterian Church/Modern Puritanism

Paleo-Presbyterianism/Covenanters/Old-school Puritanism

The debate between infant baptism/adult baptism

The debate between mode of baptism: sprinkle/pouring/immersion

Became a Reformed (5-Point Calvinist) Baptist

Moved to NY and joined an Albert Martin Reformed Baptist church-cult/London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689

Studied the forbidden Anabaptist writings (pre-1644 London Baptist Confession)

The debate between the Covenant of Grace (1689 Baptist Confession of Faith) and the Old-New Covenant separation (1644 Baptist Confession of Faith)

The debate between Reformed Theology and New Covenant Theology (NCT)

Left the Reformed Baptist church

Was castigated, harassed, and denounced as a heretic and immoral for leaving "The Faith" of the Reformed Baptists. I was stalked, physically harassed and secretly threatened by the leaders of the Reformed Baptist church

Embraced the Home Church Movement and New Covenant Theology

Embraced the teachings of Gene Edwards and Frank Viola

Became a member of one of Frank Viola's home churches

Saw the strange character and ways of Frank Viola and rejected the teachings of his books

Left the Home Church Movement

Was introduced to the concept of Universal Reconciliation (Jesus reconciled EVERY man to god regardless of belief or state of soul)

After long study I embraced Universal Reconciliation and the truth that there was no such thing as "Hell", Eternal Damnation, and that there was no condemnation in christ regardless of faith or deeds and christ reconciled every man back to himself, regardless of belief or unbelief.

This freed me to look into other non-christian views.

I have now come around full circle and after looking through many belief systems and religions. I now consider myself Metaphysical. I no longer believe that the bible is inerrant nor divinely inspired, but is one of the most brilliant psychological documents ever contrived. Christianity is a man-made religion specifically designed to control the masses and indoctrinate mankind with fear (sugar-coated with love, grace and redemption in christ) and is a truly destructive Cult (not because of its doctrines but because of how it thinks, behaves, and acts).

I have studied the bible and church history and all aspects of christian theology for over 13 years and was the most devoted and passionate Christian that could be imagined. Though the further I went into christianity the more it sucked the life out of me. The more intolerant, the more fearful, the more Law-ful I became. I generally studied an average of 25-45 hours a week on my own. Bible study, church history, hermeneutics, exegetical commentaries, Greek and Hebrew lexicons, apologetics, polemics, systematic theology, and many other christian disciplines. When I was stationed in Saudi Arabia for six months I took only my bible and studied it 10-12 hours a day on average. I did take some days off to recover, but my devotion to God and his truth was that great - it was my life and my passion.

Looking back over my life I see how much of my vital years (age 20-32) were spent in all of my searching and studying. I viewed myself as a modern-day Apostle Paul, yet I was actually a Pharisee of Pharisees. I treated anyone who did not see eye-to-eye with me as inferior and treated others with pity because of how lost or confused they were. I knew more about the bible and its interpretation than the pastors that I sat under. I had to act ignorant most of the time so I would not be a threat to the elders of the churches I was in. My closets were literally stuffed with books. I hid most of them in my closets so that my fellow christian friends wouldn't treat me differently than a normal christian.

I share all this not to boast in my previous christian devotion and knowledge, but as a testimony to free thinking. Question everything. If I had grown content in my searching and closed my eyes, I would still be bound by unbreakable chains of indoctrination and thought-reform. I can honestly say now that I truly know the bible and christianity, especially after loving it and sacrificing so much for it.

This is why I am using my knowledge and experience in writing a book about christianity and the bible. My hope is to help others free their own minds and hearts and to possibly help heal the souls of those who may have been abused by this religion.

Feel free to contact me through Yahoo Instant Messenger: psychicevolution

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I posted this article about two years ago on ex-christian.net. Since then I have pondered the state of religion, christianity (of all levels and liberalness) and the general consensus of the population on the christian bible. I believe now, more than ever, that the bible is not "the Truth" and liberal christianity and even gnosticism is very inconsistent with the bible itself. There is no greater series of books that were written specifically designed to enslave the mind and polarize humanity. The purpose of "the Good Book" is to divide humanity in order to conquer it. Yet the bible, more than any other thing in Western civilization, has one of the greatest protective defaults in history, its extremely deep-set program embedded in the conscious minds of almost every American that the bible is the truth, and that Jesus existed. This is one of the greatest deceptions ever to overtake the minds of humanity. If you still have this programming intact within your subconscious and conscious minds you will probably scoff at what I write here. If you feel insulted or threatened by these words you most likely still have the program - a program that is not of your own thinking but is of someone else's. It is a program-matrix of religion that creates emotions, experiences, sensations, that seeks to protect itself within you. In many ways it is a mind parasite, living off your energy. As many brain parasites do, they give you feelings to sustain its hold over you, supported by the religion-matrix that so many within humanity is enslaved by.

I write this not only to say that christianity is a thought-reform system, but that if you truly desire to live a life of freedom for your heart and consciousness, then please examine your own view of this religion. Christianity IS a religion. Many christians have told me "seek Jesus not religion" and "christianity is about relationship, not doctrine or religion", yet this is the power of the delusion. The constructed character of Jesus (please research the term "Astrotheology" and this will help some to understand) is the delusion. The person of Jesus(as the bible reveals) never actually existed. Jesus is the religion, regardless of its denominational or non-denominational leanings.

The word "Religion" explains it all. This English word is derived from the the Latin word religio, which means "to constrain". Literally: "to bind." Like most of the great conspiracies of this world, the governors of this world hide these things in plain sight.

How can we free our minds if we don't believe we are enslaved? This is one of the greatest deceptions of all.

My desire in sharing these things stems from a truly deep love for humanity and the longing for all men and women to be gloriously free in every way. Free to love and free to think for ourselves. That the deepest joys of life can be experienced by everyone equally without hatred, condescension, or pity on anyone else. To break the cycle of control forever, which can never come by argumentation or proving others wrong, but by freeing us all to think for ourselves (please refer to my blogs "The Battle For Your Mind" and "Why Atheistic Arguments Cannot Work Against christian Fundamentalism").

My heartfelt love to all who read these words, especially those of you who once knew me in the past.