Lesson 2

Those who obtain knowledge about their deity from a single source and want to stay true to that source, will reject foreign beliefs that are not from that one true source. Most Christian denominations correctly claim the Bible is the non-contradictory inspired word of God and believe their doctrines and teachings only come from the Bible. When parishioners find discrepancies between their beliefs and the Bible, feelings of institutional betrayal can be fostered. Maintaining trust and faith is an ongoing commitment to full and open disclosure. People who feel they are being manipulated by not receiving the whole truth will distrust those dispensing the information. Many who are put in this position by clergy, often reject all religions, assuming there is no religion that follows God accurately. It is not up to individuals to decide for themselves how to follow the will of God, the best way is to test a belief against the word of God before believing it, proving what is true. Going back to the original words and meanings God used is imperative if you want to discover the wisdom God has revealed to mankind. Leaders and denominations may ask, when have we misled our followers? In what ways do our practices cause people to not trust us? An example of their duplicity can be found within a Christian tradition. Most Christians believe and teach Jesus was born on Christmas day. Discovering this belief is not historically accurate and its customs have pagan origins, some followers begin distrusting other beliefs. Early church leaders encouraged pagans to embrace Christianity by giving their familiar pagan practices, beliefs and customs, Christian themes. To maintain full disclosure, modern church leaders should acknowledge and reveal those historical truths. By ignoring the origins of our modern Christmas traditions and maintaining the belief that Christmas is the day Jesus was born, Christians only help further the deception and strengthen the distrust felt by many. How do you rejoice with the truth, if you don’t know the truth of your traditions? 

1 Corinthians 13:6 English Standard Version
6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Ephesians 4:21-25 Easy-to-Read Version
21 I know that you heard about him, and in him you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to leave your old self. This means that you must stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self gets worse and worse, because people are fooled by the evil they want to do. 23 You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. 24 Be that new person who was made to be like God, truly good and pleasing to him. 25 So you must stop telling lies. “You must always speak the truth to each other,” because we all belong to each other in the same body.