Got Truth?

Perhaps one of the most powerful tools ever used to control and manipulate the human mind has been religion. It has been said that to question your pastor or priest is disrespectful at least and heretical at worst so, it is understandable that many sit in silence never challenging the status quo. They sit silently out of what? Fear.

We don't need to dig deep to find evidence that proves the human mind was created to be free – it is obvious to each one of us so naturally when a person is stifled, they rebel. Religion was not meant to oppress and contain but to liberate and encourage curiosity about the One with all the answers to our deepest needs. Keeping that in mind, if you were God's enemy you'd work hardest at distorting His character in order to create anxiety in approaching Him with all your questions!

The Middle Ages tells a tragic story of young boys who were taken from their homes, as young as eight, to serve Turkish royalty. These soon-to-be soldiers, or Janissaries, would eat, sleep, and breathe what their masters taught them. They were to consider the infantry their family and the Sultan as their de facto father.

Not only were they forced to be celibate and live in private barracks, they were expected to adopt the religion of their masters. Paying the Janissaries a salary was not the only way to win their loyalty; the slave soldiers were also rewarded with privilege and prestige. This evil combination was fed day-after-day to the young men in order to steal away their identity and create in them, the image of their manipulative masters.

The Janissary system is very much alive and kicking today however, due to its deceptive and subtle nature, it goes easily unnoticed.  If it is so subtle, how can we detect it? Any time a person submits their autonomy to another person or institution, they become a Janissary – or in other words, “a highly trained, blindly loyal, soldier who does anything he is told, even if it is grossly unethical, and who never questions orders—a human robot.”

Unlike the Turkish sultans of the 14th century, God desires nothing more than our freedom. God does not demand our blood and sweat, instead He invites, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." He does not force His truth on us but again invites, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." This is a Ruler the world does not comprehend! It groans under the weight of tyrants yet the language of tyrants is all it responds to and respects.

Are you a person who desires to ask questions but senses they are not acceptable in your current religious sphere? Perhaps you are struggling in the workplace or in a personal relationship – either way, we encourage you in your journey toward knowing the Creator who created freedom. We encourage you to dig, read, study, examine and analyze all you can in order to educate yourself on the principles of personal freedom.  Get truth!