“For even if there are those who are called gods,
yet, for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things,
and we live for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things, and we, through him.”
Paul, in 1Corinthians 8:5–6
Rome honored many gods, but they honored three gods above the rest. Originally, the three were Yahweh, Mars, and Quirinus (Romulus). Later, they changed the three main gods to Yahweh, Juno his wife, and Minerva. And besides these three, the Romans honored hundreds of other gods who reigned with various degrees of power over different places and aspects of life.
When the Romans embraced Christianity, they did not forsake their ancient three gods; they renamed them again. This time, they gave them the names of “Father, Son, and holy Ghost”. What they did forsake, and even ridicule, was their ancestors’ traditions concerning how to honor those three main gods, as well as the others. They rejected animal sacrifice, for one example, but they replaced that ceremony with another, the Eucharist, which they said was a new kind of sacrifice, a sacrifice of Christ. In this new and improved form of sacrifice, the priest, they say, miraculously changes the eucharistic bread into the actual body of Jesus, and changes the eucharistic wine into the actual blood of Jesus. And then, just like their ancestors, they partook of the sacrifice along with the gods, eating and drinking with them the body and blood of the Lamb.
Long before the gospel was preached by Jesus, many sophisticated Greeks and Romans had begun to think that there was probably just one Supreme Being, whom they usually represented as the sun. This sun-god was often called “Sol Invictus”, or “the Unconquerable Sun”, and the Romans engraved his name on many ancient coins. He was the favorite god of the first Christian emperor, Constantine. All the other gods, ancient sophisticated people would say, may be real, but even so, they were only living aspects of the Supreme God. One might say, the many gods were really just one big god, and the one big god was really many.
This polytheism disguised as monotheism continued when the Romans became Christian, but in order to appeal to all parties, they devised a crafty solution. For the devout Christians who demanded that there was but one God, the Empire said yes, there is one God, but He reveals himself as three persons, who were not three different persons, but were really just one person who was three. So simple! And on the other hand, in order to please traditional Romans’ desire to honor all their ancient gods, the Empire said yes, but just call the gods by biblical names. So, the most important of the gods who were not one of the three main gods (who were not three, but one) were called Mary, Paul, Peter, etc. These gods, too, Rome said, could answer prayers, just like the big three (who were really just one). And these big three (who were really just one) would not be jealous or otherwise displeased when prayers, incense, and the like, were offered to the lesser gods, just as it had always been. What solution could be better?
Christianity has many hundreds of these minor gods, just like ancient Rome, because Christianity is Rome, disguised as the Assembly of God. Christianity’s minor deities are called “patron saints”, and within the purest form of Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church, those who are confirmed into that faith are expected to choose one of the minor deities as their favorite, to especially revere as they go through life. If a Roman was a soldier, he might especially revere and pray to Mars, the god of war, while if a Christian is a soldier, he may choose Saint Adrian, Christianity’s patron god of soldiers and arms dealers. Or an ancient Roman alcoholic might choose to especially revere Bacchus, the god of wine and partying, but a Christian alcoholic may choose Saint Amand, the god of vine-growers and bartenders. The list goes on and on, but isn’t it obvious what a great development this was for the Roman Empire and for the apostate believers who blended with it? They all agreed just to call Rome’s ancient gods by biblical names, and abra-cadabra, everybody was happy! They all agreed just to condemn the old Romans and their gods’ names and traditions, but to continue to walk in the filthy spirit of man and just call it the holy Spirit of God! How easy is that! Just condemn the old, heathen Empire and call it the new, sanctified Church of God. Voila! No more persecutions of Christians, and everybody gets along – unless someone does not go along with the new system. Then, just like the Rome of old, who cruelly crushed whoever did not submit, Christian leaders would cruelly crush that soul, in the name of their new God, the old Yahweh of Rome.
The problem with all this, of course, is that it is what it is. In other words, the problem is that Christianity is itself. It is not of Christ. Its gospel is a lie, which it calls truth; its god is Yahweh, whom it calls God; and its worship is wickedness, which it calls righteousness. Christianity is nothing but the Roman Empire in drag, a grizzled old warrior calling himself the bride of Christ. But when the wind of God blows, you can see his hairy legs beneath that bridal dress.
Other than that, though, Christianity is ok. Go ahead and join the church of your choice.
