Placebo Christianity
Placebo: A placebo comes from the Latin, meaning "I shall please" from placeo, "I please") is a simulated or otherwise medically ineffectual treatment for a disease or other medical condition intended to deceive the recipient.
Sometimes patients given a placebo treatment will have a perceived or actual improvement in a medical condition, a phenomenon commonly called the "placebo effect".
In medical research, placebos are given as control treatments and depend on the use of measured deception.
Common placebos include inert tablets, sham surgery, and other procedures based on false information.
However, placebos can also have a surprisingly positive effect on a patient who knows that the given treatment is without any active drug, as compared with a control group who knowingly did not get a placebo.
In one common placebo procedure, however, a patient is given an inert pill, told that it may improve his/her condition, but not told that it is in fact inert.
Such an intervention may cause the patient to believe the treatment will change his/her condition; and this belief may produce a subjective perception of a therapeutic effect, causing the patient to feel their condition has improved - or an actual improvement in their condition.
This phenomenon is known as the placebo effect.
Jesus asked Simon Peter "Who do ye say that I am?" Peter said; "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
" Then Jesus said; "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:15-19).
There are three Biblical truths that I want to point out in the portion of scripture: (1.
) Who Jesus is, is a revelation from God.
Most of the religious, and even proclaimed "Christians" do not fully understand who Jesus is.
(2.
) The name Peter is derived from the Greek (Petros) meaning "stone".
This is a translation used in most versions of the New Testament of the name Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle Simon by Jesus.
But when Jesus said; "thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church", He wasn't saying that He was going to build his church on Peter, or even beginning with Peter as a foundation, but rather on the verse before, which is the revelation of who Jesus is.
That is the foundation on what Jesus built His Church on.
(3.
) That it was Jesus that built His Church, not Simon Peter, not the Christians, not the Jews, not the Mormons, not the Catholics, not the Pentecostals, or Apostolics, not the Baptists, nor anyone else but Jesus.
There is but one Church.
(4.
) That the keys that Jesus told Peter that he would give to him were not physical keys.
Sorry Catholics, St.
Peter is not the physical keeper at heavens gate with a big key ring.
The Keys that Jesus gave to Peter were spiritual keys that Peter then shared with us in Acts 2:38 where he said; "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
" Death, Burial, and Resurrection, those are the keys to heaven, and that is the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
God has given us free volition, and free will to choose and live as we please.
Without God's allowance, satan also cannot violate our free volition and free will.
There is a great spiritual battle going on, from the time that God created man, right up until this very moment.
It is a battle waged in the hearts and minds of men.
Satan uses trickery, lures, traps, and deceit, which are seemingly endless.
For the most part he has most of the world convinced that either there is no God or they have a very warped, worldly conception of God.
However, just in case they use that free will and try find God, he throws in great confusion.
Primary Religions of the World 1.
Christianity: 2.
1 billion 2.
Islam: 1.
5 billion 3.
Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.
1 billion 4.
Hinduism: 900 million 5.
Chinese traditional religion: 394 million 6.
Buddhism: 376 million 7.
primal-indigenous: 300 million 8.
African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million 9.
Sikhism: 23 million 10.
Juche: 19 million 11.
Spiritism: 15 million 12.
Judaism: 14 million 13.
Baha'i: 7 million 14.
Jainism: 4.
2 million 15.
Shinto: 4 million 16.
Cao Dai: 4 million 17.
Zoroastrianism: 2.
6 million 18.
Tenrikyo: 2 million 19.
Neo-Paganism: 1 million 20.
Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand 21.
Rastafarianism: 600 thousand 22.
Scientology: 500 thousand Just in "Christianity" alone there are now reported to be approximately 41,000 Christian denominations in world, many of which cannot be verified to be significant.
Talk about confusion! Let me ask you a question...
without direction, or revelation from God, how would anyone know what is truth, or find the true Church? Remember there is only one true Church, the one that Jesus is building.
But that is just what so many in the world try to do! The paths are as varied as there are people in the world.
Some choose a religion or denomination based on a family members, a friend, a neighbor.
Many simply try to find what seems right to them.
Many go from religion to religion, denomination to denomination, assembly to assembly, looking for something that they can accept, and that feels right to them.
A place where they can be happy or satisfied, and feel good about.
This is why 2 Timothy 4:3 says; For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Many folks were born into whatever religion or denomination that their parents were a part of.
They were born a Baptist, or a Catholic, or whatever, and they are going to die a Baptist, or a Catholic, or whatever.
It's an psychological and emotional attachment for most.
Many will stay with the Church that they got "saved" in, or won over to because of this.
They have a psychological loyalty to their philosophy and their "Placebo Christianity".
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
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.
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:6-9).
Many in false religions and false Christianity have been spoiled through philosophy and deceit.
They either will not get into a discussion with you regarding it due to instructions they have received, or they know that they lack the ability to adequately defend what it is they believe.
Some will argue and debate with you to justify or prove out what it is they believe, never able to see truth (2 Timothy 3:7).
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was (2 Timothy 3:1-9).
Sometimes patients given a placebo treatment will have a perceived or actual improvement in a medical condition, a phenomenon commonly called the "placebo effect".
In medical research, placebos are given as control treatments and depend on the use of measured deception.
Common placebos include inert tablets, sham surgery, and other procedures based on false information.
However, placebos can also have a surprisingly positive effect on a patient who knows that the given treatment is without any active drug, as compared with a control group who knowingly did not get a placebo.
In one common placebo procedure, however, a patient is given an inert pill, told that it may improve his/her condition, but not told that it is in fact inert.
Such an intervention may cause the patient to believe the treatment will change his/her condition; and this belief may produce a subjective perception of a therapeutic effect, causing the patient to feel their condition has improved - or an actual improvement in their condition.
This phenomenon is known as the placebo effect.
Jesus asked Simon Peter "Who do ye say that I am?" Peter said; "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
" Then Jesus said; "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:15-19).
There are three Biblical truths that I want to point out in the portion of scripture: (1.
) Who Jesus is, is a revelation from God.
Most of the religious, and even proclaimed "Christians" do not fully understand who Jesus is.
(2.
) The name Peter is derived from the Greek (Petros) meaning "stone".
This is a translation used in most versions of the New Testament of the name Cephas, meaning "stone" in Aramaic, which was given to the apostle Simon by Jesus.
But when Jesus said; "thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church", He wasn't saying that He was going to build his church on Peter, or even beginning with Peter as a foundation, but rather on the verse before, which is the revelation of who Jesus is.
That is the foundation on what Jesus built His Church on.
(3.
) That it was Jesus that built His Church, not Simon Peter, not the Christians, not the Jews, not the Mormons, not the Catholics, not the Pentecostals, or Apostolics, not the Baptists, nor anyone else but Jesus.
There is but one Church.
(4.
) That the keys that Jesus told Peter that he would give to him were not physical keys.
Sorry Catholics, St.
Peter is not the physical keeper at heavens gate with a big key ring.
The Keys that Jesus gave to Peter were spiritual keys that Peter then shared with us in Acts 2:38 where he said; "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
" Death, Burial, and Resurrection, those are the keys to heaven, and that is the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
God has given us free volition, and free will to choose and live as we please.
Without God's allowance, satan also cannot violate our free volition and free will.
There is a great spiritual battle going on, from the time that God created man, right up until this very moment.
It is a battle waged in the hearts and minds of men.
Satan uses trickery, lures, traps, and deceit, which are seemingly endless.
For the most part he has most of the world convinced that either there is no God or they have a very warped, worldly conception of God.
However, just in case they use that free will and try find God, he throws in great confusion.
Primary Religions of the World 1.
Christianity: 2.
1 billion 2.
Islam: 1.
5 billion 3.
Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.
1 billion 4.
Hinduism: 900 million 5.
Chinese traditional religion: 394 million 6.
Buddhism: 376 million 7.
primal-indigenous: 300 million 8.
African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 million 9.
Sikhism: 23 million 10.
Juche: 19 million 11.
Spiritism: 15 million 12.
Judaism: 14 million 13.
Baha'i: 7 million 14.
Jainism: 4.
2 million 15.
Shinto: 4 million 16.
Cao Dai: 4 million 17.
Zoroastrianism: 2.
6 million 18.
Tenrikyo: 2 million 19.
Neo-Paganism: 1 million 20.
Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand 21.
Rastafarianism: 600 thousand 22.
Scientology: 500 thousand Just in "Christianity" alone there are now reported to be approximately 41,000 Christian denominations in world, many of which cannot be verified to be significant.
Talk about confusion! Let me ask you a question...
without direction, or revelation from God, how would anyone know what is truth, or find the true Church? Remember there is only one true Church, the one that Jesus is building.
But that is just what so many in the world try to do! The paths are as varied as there are people in the world.
Some choose a religion or denomination based on a family members, a friend, a neighbor.
Many simply try to find what seems right to them.
Many go from religion to religion, denomination to denomination, assembly to assembly, looking for something that they can accept, and that feels right to them.
A place where they can be happy or satisfied, and feel good about.
This is why 2 Timothy 4:3 says; For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Many folks were born into whatever religion or denomination that their parents were a part of.
They were born a Baptist, or a Catholic, or whatever, and they are going to die a Baptist, or a Catholic, or whatever.
It's an psychological and emotional attachment for most.
Many will stay with the Church that they got "saved" in, or won over to because of this.
They have a psychological loyalty to their philosophy and their "Placebo Christianity".
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
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.
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:6-9).
Many in false religions and false Christianity have been spoiled through philosophy and deceit.
They either will not get into a discussion with you regarding it due to instructions they have received, or they know that they lack the ability to adequately defend what it is they believe.
Some will argue and debate with you to justify or prove out what it is they believe, never able to see truth (2 Timothy 3:7).
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was (2 Timothy 3:1-9).
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