A Karaite’s Perspective on the faith he left behind

If you have come into contact with Christianity, this book is intended to spark your desire to thoroughly understand your own beliefs because of the research that you have done, and not simply believe something because it was told to you from a pulpit by someone who makes a living by convincing you that their beliefs are truth.

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 4.0 out of 5 stars

A Heartfelt Challenge to Christians…, January 17, 2013  – By  – See all my reviews

If you are a Christian and you are looking for a book to challenge your faith then this is it. This book does not bash Jesus, in fact, I believe that Daniel is fond of the real Jesus; Jesus the Jew.Author, Daniel Lefebvre, a former Christian, set on a life altering journey to discover the roots of Christianity. In doing so he discovered much more than expected. While this book does not document his journey, it is merely a portion of some of the evidence he discovered on his way. This book attempts to answer common questions he has been asked by Christian friends.

Daniel digs into the politics of the 1st century Roman Empire and how the early persecuted Christian church was used to gain political power. He also challenges the reader to not rely on him or any religious figure for truth. Daniel consistently requests the reader do their own search for truth. Is it possible that what you believe as a Christian could be the result of ancient political powering rather than following the one true God? Keep an open mind and do not be discouraged if your beliefs are challenged, because it is in challenges God causes us to truly grow!

תודה רבה

EXCERPTS from the CONTENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER ONE
If the “Old Testament” doesn’t count, why is it still included in the Bible?

. . . many Christians I’ve talked to have claimed that the Old Testament is the base on which the New Testament stands.  They insist that the New Testament does nothing but collaborate and fulfill everything that is in the Old Testament.  So then why does the New Testament contradict the Old Testament on many levels? . . . Why am I picking on the New Testament?  Well, it’s quite simple.  Both the Christian Bible and the Jewish Bible begin with the same scriptures – the Torah.  There is a fundamental faith that both Christians and Jews alike have that God indeed gave the commandments in the Torah to Moses, who wrote them down in the books we know as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. . . .the Old Testament (a Christian term), or Tanakh as Jews call it, do nothing but support the original laws and commandments found in the Torah.  The New Testament is where the actual contradictions pop up.  Because of this, the New Testament is the book that should be thrown out as inaccurate as it is contradicting the original laws given by God to Moses.

CHAPTER TWO
When God says not to eat pork, He means it

You cannot pick and choose which laws you would like to follow. Sadly, most Christians fall into the category of those who try to find an excuse why they can eat pork.  This, I have determined, is primarily because pork is a flavor that many people naturally enjoy the taste of, but also it is everywhere in today’s society that it can become quite a burden to try to avoid it. . . . Many Christians also assume that science has determined pork to be alright to eat now and that the reason the law in Leviticus 11:2 was in place was only because they didn’t have refrigeration. . . . To assume that pork was unhealthy and is now healthy to eat simply because technology has advanced is saying that God’s commandments are no longer relevant today.

CHAPTER THREE

Smoking, drinking, swearing: Fabricated sins

CHAPTER FOUR
God’s position on marriage and divorce is very different than the Church says it isCHAPTER FIVE
Church: The first social networking site

4 BC THE BIRTH OF JESUS

29 AD  JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY

33 AD  JESUS IS CRUCIFIED

36 AD  JEWISH PHARISEE SAUL HAS A VISION AND BECOMES THE WORLD’S FIRST “CHRISTIAN”. RENAMED PAUL.

45 AD.  PAUL BEGINS SPREADING THE WORD OF CHRISTIANITY.

60 AD  FIRST GOSPEL PUBLISHED (MARK)

68 AD  PAUL BEHEADED ON ORDERS FROM EMPEROR NERO

70 AD  TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM DESTROYED

90 AD  FINAL BOOK OF THE BIBLE, REVELATIONS IS WRITTEN

325 AD THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA DETERMINES CHURCH DOCTRINE AND DIVINITY OF CHRIST

451 AD  COUNCIL OF CHALCEDON AFFIRMS DOCTRINE OF TWO NATURES IN CHRIST

589  “AND THE SON” ADDED TO NICENE CREED

1054  AD  THE GREAT SCHISM – EASTERN ORTHODOX AND WESTERN CATHOLIC DIVIDES INTO SEPARATE RELIGIONS

1095  AD  THE POPE AUTHORIZES THE FIRST OF THE CRUSADES

1380  JOHN WYCLIFFE TRANSLATES THE FIRST COMPLETE BIBLE INTO ENGLISH

1517 AD  MARTIN LUTHER STARTS THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

1545-1463 AD  THE CATHOLIC CHURCH COUNTERS REFORMATION AT THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

1611 AD  KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE TRANSLATED

1730-60 AD  “THE GREAT AWAKENING” IN THE U.S.A.

1854 AD  ROME ESTABLISHES THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION DOGMA

1870 AD  ROME ESTABLISHES THE PAPAL INFALLIBILITY DOGMA

1885 AD  ALL APOCRYPHA OFFICIALLY REMOVED FROM KJV BIBLE BY ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

1933 AD PAPACY ENTERS INTO RELIGIOUS AGREEMENT WITH NAZI GERMANY

CHAPTER SIX

The Divinity of the Man Commonly Known as “Jesus Christ”

. . . . remember that I used to be just like you. I used to be a Christian. If anyone tried to debunk my faith in Jesus as Messiah, I would turn a deaf ear and recite defenses that I had been taught to recite.  After all, non-Christians obviously just haven’t seen the light of Jesus yet.  1 Exodus 7:13 says, And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”  Like Pharaoh, non-Christians that refuse to believe in Jesus simply have had their hardened hearts to the love of Jesus Christ.  And so the Church teaches that it is the duty of Christians to spread the love of Christ to all non-believers.

What many Christians refuse to believe is that a “hardened heart” can happen to Christians as well.  What if it’s your heart that has been hardened to the actual truth that God has written in His laws?

Whether or ot you continue reading this chapter is completely up to you. But bear in mind that I am not some non-believer who has randomly decided to write this book about Christianity.  I was like you – a believer in the divinity of Jesus.  But I realized that i was hardened to the possibility that the church could be susceptible to corruption.  And so I would ask that you look at the evidence I provide and continue to do your own research to come to your own conclusion.  It is not wise to let beliefs or anyone else determine your eternal fate.

In the words of Mordecai Avraham Alfandari

“Shall a man make himself gods that are no-gods?”—Jeremiah 16:20.

Christian missionary literature is beside the point.  The real issue for today’s truth seeker, faced with the conflicting claims of organized religion is not whether Jesus or someone else “fulfilled” this or that scripture, was a “messiah” or not, is coming again or had already returned in 70 A.D., etc. etc.  The fact that the faithful of Christendom are hopelessly divided into warring camps of:  Unitarians, Trinitarians, fundamentalists; liberals; Mormons; “Witnesses”; Catholics; Protestants; Orthodox; monophysites; First Day keepers; Seventh Day keepers; Quakers; Rollers; infant sprinklers; adult immersers; Sacred Namers, etc. ad infinitum, proves that Christians in general have NO clear picture of what the Bible is all about.  The real, burning issue for every believer in a Divine Creator and King of the universe is whether, as such, he is sinning against and BETRAYING this SOLE  Supreme King by calling upon and praying to Jesus or any other being, mythical or real, as the case may be.  The true Scriptures (Hebrew) are unequivocal on this issue:  “and you shall love YHHVH your almighty with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul, and with ALL your might!”–Deuteronomy 6:5.  This commandment is extremely clear.  YHVH (as He identifies Himself) the Creator and King claims 100% of our love and devotion.  There is NOTHING LEFT OVER for ANY other person, divine, semi-divine, or a human claiming to be divine!  Thus, when someone says he loves Jesus or Krishna, he is BETRAYING YHVH his Maker and Redeemer!  YHVH says:  “I am YHVH, that is My Name; and My Glory I won’t give to another, nor My Praise to idols!”  — Isaiah 42:8.  An idol is not necessarily a graven image.  It can be a mental image too!  (see Ezekiel 14:3).  It can be an imaginary god other than YHVH. Hear YHVH’s Word!  “I, yes I, am YHVH and beside me there isn’t any savior!”–Isaiah 43:11.

Both Christians and Jews alike believe in the authenticity of the Torah as God’s law as given to Moses.  There is no doubt amongst Christians and/or Jews that the Torah is the written law of God given to Moses.  If you doubt this, then you are neither Christian nor Jewish.  This was the first written law given to us.  As such, the Torah is what we must first check every other writing and teaching against to see if they “pass the test!” of being in compliance or in disobedience of the written law.  The Church’s teachings, which are founded upon the teachings of the New Testament, disobey the Torah time and time again.  Because of this they cannot be trusted.  I’m not saying there still can’t be wisdom in the teachings of the Church or in the New Testament.  But as these writings and teachings have proven themselves to be untrustworthy due to attempting to further a human agenda, one must be very careful when attempting to glean wisdom from these sources.

As I have urged throughout this entire book, I would highly recommend you begin researching things like Church history, the history of how the New Testament came into being, and other such things that most Christians simply take as “fact” on your own. . . . Actually once you begin you’ll find that it never really ends.  While you’re researching things, always remember to check and double-check. Do you know what the best source to check things against is?  I can tell you.  In fact I already did.  Do you remember?  That’s right, the Torah.

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