Poverty And Christianity

by

D.C.Edwards

Somehow far too many in Christianity have propagated, and even encouraged, throughout the long centuries since the death of Christ, the notion that poverty, or "to be poor" as many often say it with their mouths slightly down-turned in an expression of great piety and humility, is indeed a noble, honorable, and as some strangely think, even enviable state of circumstances for one to find him or herself in, especially if this state of being were arrived at through the intentional taking of a "vow of poverty" as many religious and monastic orders do. Of course, there is a clear distinction made between these "poverty-seekers," those who ostensibly make this choice of poverty so as to be as they believed Christ to be, poor --- and those, "who through no fault of their own" find themselves victims of this ubiquitous, worldly misfortune. And while this second type of poverty is not quite as enviable as the first to "these pious seekers of abject destitution," it is nevertheless preferable to its opposite, which is the accumulation of wealth and worldly possessions. which they consider as representative of all that is wrong with the world..

This article is "a work in progress, and therefore, unfinished.

The Hidden Teachings In The Bible

Most Christians Are Unaware Of The Vast Discrepencies That Exist Between What We Have Been Taught To Believe And What The Bible Actually Says

Most Christians are like I was many years ago: They are simply unaware that there exists within the hallowed pages of the New Testament vast amounts of information and spiritual instructions that our ministers and preachers simply don't tell us about --- if indeed, they are even aware of it themselves.

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You have to remember that Christianity, at least in its present, modern form, has developed and grown along the path of a certain biased perspective, a perspective adopted over seventeen-hundred years ago at the Council of Nicaea by Bishops and politicians who were more interested at the time in who would dominate and rule Europe than they were in purely spiritual matters and perspectives. It is this version of Christianity that we have inherited and which we all, for the most part, practice today; therefore, it is only natural that we should wonder and ask, "Is it the right and correct form as was taught and practised by Jesus?" And the answer to that, at least judging from all of the evidence that has come to light, particularly during the last sixty years, casts a serious doubt over much that we have always believed to be true Christianity.

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The truth is that there are many deep and profound secrets, contrary to what most Christians have been told and taught, that were not meant for just everyone to know and understand. Jesus made this quite clear in the book of Mark:

"And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and there sins should be forgiven them." (Mark 4:10-12)

These strange few verses from the King James Bible are, not only curious in the suggestion of a secret teaching within the exoteric, outer teaching of Christ's words, but also they run counter to, and actually contradict, the foremost teaching of mainstream, orthodox Christianity. Here we are told in just a very few, direct words that it was not the intent of Jesus that everyone be converted, nor is it the intent that everyone's sins should be forgiven. What are we to make of such clear and outright statements, given by Our Lord himself, statements that completely contradict what we have always been taught to believe? Clearly it tells us that something is drastically wrong in the way we have been taught to believe. Yet what is even more surprising than this incredible revelation is the fact that, in spite of these words from the book of Mark being read literally millions and millions of times by Christians over the last seventeen hundred years, most of Christianity goes on believing and accepting the teaching that salvation and the forgiveness of sins was intended for everyone. It would seem that the orthodox teaching of the church has actually been able to override the words and correct teaching of Christ as he spoke and gave them for us to observe and follow. It also proves how willing people are to trust a human made and formed organization such as the orthodox church over the literal and actual teachings found in the scriptures.

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Perhaps such things as the book and the movie, The DaVinci Code, has served a greater purpose than merely entertaining us. Regardless of whatever the factuality or the non-factuality of the facts behind this book and movie might be, at least it has caused many, who might not do otherwise, to stop and think about what it is they believe and practice as Christianity. Perhaps even, it has caused many, who might otherwise not do it, to once again take an indepth look into the very scriptures (the New Testament) on which their belief and faith is based. This can only be good.

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Of course, the list of discrepencies doesn't stop here in only this verse from the book of Mark alone, but rather goes on and on; and we will find that there are literally countless other verses in the Bible that say things entirely different from the way we have been taught to believe if we only listen with our ears open to truth rather than clogged with the dogma of seventeen hundred years of mistranslation and spiritual obsfucation,...or as Jesus himself so pointedly put it, "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear" ( Mark 4:23)

Coming Next: The New Testament's Secret Teaching On The Two Methods Of Prayer