The Ecumenical Movement For Unity
Many have heard the words ecumenical or ecumenism. Most who hear the
term know that it has something to do with unity of the world's
churches or religions. How can there be any danger in different
denominational churches sharing worship together? Is it good that the
Moslem, the Catholic, the Jew (practitioner of Judaism), the Christian
and the Buddhist can all minimize or disregard their differences in
doctrine and worship "the same god" together? What are the fruits
produced by these "ecumenical organizations"? Does this have anything
to do with "The New World Order"? What does this have to do with the
true spiritual church of God? Many of us may be in for a surprise!
This is NOT your typical anti-ecumenical article. Yes, God does want
His People to be as one...but what does that mean?
ORIGINS:
Ecumenical movements, in general, can be traced back to the Tower of
Babel. Nimrod had all the known world at that time believing in his
power and ability rather than that of God. These unified people were
generally of one mind--one macrocosmic belief system which encompassed
numerous other beliefs. And they strove together for a common cause,
which was, at that time: self-preservation. For their defiance, God
destroyed their tower temple (ziggurat) and scattered them across the
face of the earth. What they had called good...God had declared evil.
The "Christian" ecumenical movement had its roots back in apostolic
times. The apostle Paul warned his brethren that "the mystery of
iniquity [lawlessness] doth already work." II Thessalonians 2:7. Even
at that time he saw "small errors" creeping into the church that would
eventually snowball into a giant endtime mystery system of false
religion.
Many gnostic/christian sects formed and were later unified under Simon
Magus. This Simon the sorcerer welded his brand of Gnostic-mithraism
with the principles of true Christianity to form a mock Christian
system that was confused with the original. This false form of
Christianity is the root of modern Christianity. It is mere paganism
"blended" with the "faith once delivered," which took the deceiving
name "Christianity" and sent the true worship of God underground
re-identifying it as a heretical cult.
This was one of the characteristics of the "Mystery Religions"--the
ability to "morph" into a modified religion, any customs or traditions
from other belief systems that it gathered from other religions. The
way to do this effectively was to avoid any doctrines that might divide
or keep separate the religions and to focus on simple commonalties in
worship.
People received easy-to-swallow lies and watered-down doctrines. It
seemed that the less self-denying and humbling the doctrines offered,
the greater the zeal with which they were received. Various pagan
groups were led to receive a part of the Christian faith while
rejecting essential truths. They professed to accept Jesus Christ as
the Son of God and to believe in His death and resurrection; yet no
urging of repentance was preached so they had no conviction of sin,
which in turn resulted in false "conversions." This ecumenical movement
continued throughout the first and second centuries A.D.
Phillip Schaff concerning Elagabalus (Varius Avitus, known also as
emporor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus), who was a Roman Caesar during the
third century A.D., stated : "The abandoned youth, El-Gabal or
Heliogabalus (218 - 222), who polluted the throne by the blackest vices
and follies, tolerated all religions in the hope of at last merging
them in his favorite syrian worship of the sun with its abominable
excesses. He himself was a priest of the god of the sun, and thence
took his name." (A.H. Lewis, A Critical History of Sunday Legislation
from 321 to 1888 A.D., pp 20, 21).
"It was openly asserted that the worship of the sun, under the name of
Elagabalus, was to supercede all other worship. If we believe the
biographies in the Augustan history, a more ambitious scheme of a
universal religion had dawned upon the mind of the emperor. The Jewish,
the Samaritan, even the Christian, were to be fused and recast into one
great system, of which the sun was to be the central object of
adoration." (H.H. Milman, History of Christianity, Vol. II, Book 2,
Chap 8, par 22, pp 178, 179.)
In the early part of the fourth century, Roman Emperor Constantine,
clothed with a form of righteousness by his false conversion,
thoroughly intertwined paganism with the already subverted doctrines of
what was titled "Christianity." The members of both "spiritual" groups
lowered their standards and their guard. Further pagan doctrines,
ceremonies, and superstitions were sifted into the worship of the
professed followers of Jesus Christ; including that of a hierarchy, or
rule from the top down. Although the worshipers of pagan idols were
considered to be converted, they unified with the "Christian" church
bringing their idolatry with them, only changing the objects of their
worship to images of Christendom.
"Constantine labored at this time untiringly to unite the worshippers
of the old and the new faith in one religion. All his laws and
contrivances are aimed at promoting this amalgamation of religions. He
by all lawful and peaceable means melt together a purified heathenism
and a moderated Christianity .... His injunction that the 'Day of the
Sun' should be a general rest day was characteristic of his standpoint
....... Of all his blending and melting together of Christianity and
heathenism none is more easy to see through than this making of his
Sunday law. ' The Christians worshiped their Christ, their heathen
their sungod; according to the opinion of the Emperor, the objects for
worship in both religions were essentially the same.' " (H.G.
Heggtveit, Kirkehistorie [Church History], pp. 233, 234.)
"....It is evident from all his statutory provisions, that the Emperor
during the time 313 - 323 with full consciousness has sought the
realization of his religious aim: the amalgamation of heathenism and
Christianity." (Dr. A. Chr. Bang, Kirken og Romerstaten [The Church and
the Roman State], p.256).
Many Ecumenical Councils held by the Catholic Church have continued in
this tradition. The Second Council of Nice, A.D. 787 further
introduced unsound doctrines, superstitious rites and the adoration of
statues, images and objects. The Roman Catholic Church even
obliterated the second commandment (which forbids the worship of
images) from the Decalogue and divided the tenth commandment on
coveting into two parts to preserve the number of commandments at ten
(thus "proving" that this mystery system could even dispense with the
word of God). These are the fruits of ecumenism.
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