Which God?

Scriptures are from the Authorized King James Version

In the Bible we read:

Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

At first glance, it may seem to you that I have chosen an improper verse to begin this study. In our contemporary times though, we must take into account not only ourselves as individuals, but also how we were reared and educated. Because it is in this vane, that so many people have become confused and often as not - greatly disheartened with life.

In the Muslim faith for instance, some factions cry out "JIHAD" and bring about a battle of terror tactics upon whomever they deem an enemy. Unique in this, is how they turn even against others of the same faith, who do not practice the hatred that the extremists claim is the only way to fulfill their religious obligations. But a careful study of the word Jihad refers to a spiritual warfare of Allah (God) and against Shatan (Satan), not indiscriminate slaughter of those who are followers of other creeds. Perhaps many will cling to other ideas, but let us investigate more thoroughly.

The first thing we must accept, is that Joshua served a very strict and personal God he names as "Lord." The people of that era understood "Lord" to mean a name they were not allowed to pronounce! I say this meaning the personal name of God, which has become known as the Tetragrammaton, consisting of the letters YHWH. The name cannot be pronounced as such, but the names Jehovah and Yahweh evolved over time, for those of us who are not bound to the aged bond of never pronouncing the personal name. For the chosen people however, descriptive names such as ADONAI, LORD, EL, ELI, and ELOHIM were the normal terms the used. And then came the prophets. (Major and minor) as is now taught- yet all served God according to His divine purpose.

In comparison, the Muslim worshipers have no such prohibition of pronouncing the name of their God. They boldly use the name ALLAH. They also proclaim "and Mohamed is his prophet." In other religions a virtual regalia of names are found and used, without fear of committing a sin. Hence, we have Buddha, Vishnu, Krishna and so on. One must also remember another terminology the Bible uses:

2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

There are also personal his names to be recognized here, such as Lucifer; and to clarify:

Re 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

But wait, there is another host of personal names that have come into play - the personal names we ourselves have been given, and in turn, those we name our children by.

It is in this arena then, I must introduce a specific personal name, a title, a terminology and a creed, that has become as adversarial a situation as can be encountered.

The specific name I offer is Sigmund Freud. The title is "father of psychoanalysis."

The terminologys can be seen as follows:

1. "Ology" which is the act of studying something.

2. "Psy" which is the mind.

3. "Ego" which is "self"

We have then, the study of the mind as it relates to the individual, and in particular that person's life.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), was born in Moravia (the Czech Republic), but then was settled in Austria where his family had moved. Subsequently, he was educated there and as time progressed, he was awarded a medical degree, but preferred to explore avenues other than the normal practice of medicine. Eventually (1883) he joined a Dr.Meynert's service in the Psychiatric Hospital in Trieste. From here he began to formulate his ideas and study of the mind (psychoanalysis). Later he moved to Paris and learned hypnosis techniques, which were then applied to his applications of treatment to his patients.

With the passage of time, many other names have been added to the list of practitioners, and as a result, there are numerous schools of thought and methodology in force today, they have yet to agree on any uniform code of practicing the now monetarily lucrative field of their choice. Hence, one cannot be ascertained as to what exact benefits, if any, an individual will enjoy. I have often said that I know of no Psychiatric Facility that has closed due to the success of psychoanalysis. My challenge to those who would say otherwise is simple - "what if someone else had listened to you and granted the time you needed to pour out your heart?" Which method indeed is superior? What about prayer?

Let us now go a bit farther down this path, and see where a major conflict has come into being. The key word of course is "ego,"( or "self esteem.") The bottom line of all this is the generalized teaching is that each of us is a virtual god to our self. Eliminated then, is any real responsibility to others in society, let alone a divine being. Another dangerous assumption comes in the form of the phrase "there are no absolutes." Added to this anti- religious venue is the idea that there is no ultimate accounting of our selves before a God, or that an eternal punishment will take place. This then, is the directive of the school of psychology and its resultant fields of psychiatry and psychoanalysis. In short, the fields of faith and self are in opposition.

Ever so slowly, but also efficiently, this secular area has invaded not only society in general, but the religious community as well. People flocks to the analyst's couch in droves, but feel disregard and even disdain at the thought of counseling with a Priest or Minister. And as the secular world and progenitors of the Theory of Evolution expand the Atheist manifesto of "no God" to children from their earliest ages, more and more damages will be done. Many, if not most Bible Colleges and Seminaries now require a proficiency in the field of "god" as well as God. Do you see what I am suggesting? If not, allow me to offer some of what the Bible has to say about this

Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Lu 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Now in these two passages we have something you should consider very carefully.

1. Matthew was a Jewish tax collector. This equates to his being a greedy person, despised by the religious leaders and secular population alike. But the day came when he changed his way and became first a disciple, and later an apostle serving God and man.

2. Luke was a Greek physician. His training had been in the science of medicine, yet like Matthew became a devoted follower of Jesus, and later, an apostle.

In this illustration, we have two men, obviously of differing cultures, education and interests, who never the less, become united by a common goal. The result, despite their obvious human differences, was for each of them to become a well documented, historically proven Jesus Christ believer. And, in the end, they died for their beliefs at the hands of those who refused to accept the tenet they obeyed, taught and held as precious to the very end of their lives.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

In the passage you have just read, you have described today's human condition. In other words, the most competitive situation humans can live with is being played out throughout the world. It is two-fold, people. Those who admit to a religion, and those who deny it. But wait, look again, there is also confrontation in the religious arena! Once again we see literal holy wars being waged too, and they are occurring within every known religion today.

As a result, we have sects, denominations, Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Muslim, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism and who knows what additions could be named and to be announced from within the area of cults, including the Wicca, Pagan and outright Satan worshipers. However, there is also a religion, which denied its existence as a religion for years on end. That equates to "Secular Humanism."

The secular people deny God. They claim to be "atheists." That, they say, means they are "without" God. But they do place their faith in a system, and that is a religious practice, or in more simple terms, a religion. If you have doubts - refer to the Humanist Manifestos. They are listed in this same area under their proper titles.

To conclude then, I will refer to the matter of choices. Each of us must make many choices about the directions we want our lives to take. They are many in nature, from the most seemingly insignificant, to those that tear at our heartstrings. Where we place our faith becomes most important then, because the determinations we make can affect our very existence. They can affect our health, both mental and physical, and most important of all, the condition of our souls. May I now refer you back to the opening scripture?