Truth Or Tradition

Will you choose truth or tradition?

This year a friend of mine told me about Messianic teachers teaching people that they could celebrate Christmas.  She asked me what I thought about this.

I had not heard of this, but I was able to tell her some things that I knew from the Book of Truth about celebrations in general and Christmas in particular.  Still, we really did not have time to go into the depth that this question needs to be fully answered.

This issue can be very divisive.  Some people try to avoid examining any of the traditions of Christmas and think everyone should just go along with all of the traditions without questioning any of them to avoid conflict.

Other people agree with this in part – as long as everyone else is going along with their traditions without questioning them.  Anyone that questions their traditions is automatically a heretic in their view.  The same goes for anyone with any different traditions.

So, most people who call themselves followers of the Man of Truth (Yah'shau aka Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus) avoid examining what the Book of Truth (The Bible) says about these traditions.  I have even heard people describe examining it as dangerous.

The fact is that they are more concerned about what other people think of them than they are with what the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) thinks about these traditions.  They do not want to be seen as divisive, and they do want to be branded as a heretic.

This is because tradition has a real grip on many people that I have had a hard time understanding.  It will cause them to even deny their own experiences when it conflicts with their tradition.

For example, in high school a classmate and I had a disagreement about whether warm water or cold water would come to a boil faster.  Her mother had told her that cold water would come to a boil faster than warm water, but I told her that the cold water would require more calories of heat to come to boil than warm water.

Even after I showed her why this was true with math, she still insisted that cold water would come to a boil faster than warm water.  So, I told her that we should have an experiment to settle the matter.

So, we got two same sized beakers and filled them to the same line – cold water in her beaker and warm water in mine.  We then set a Bunsen burner under each beaker and turned them on to the same level at the same time.

My warm water came to a boil much quicker than her cold water.  I thought that settled the matter.

However, she still insisted that cold water would come to a boil faster than warm water.  Not even her own experience could convince her that this was wrong.

The heart of the issue for her was that she could not admit that what had been passed down to her from her mother through countless generations of women in her maternal line, was wrong.  She was determined to cling to the belief that it was right, and nothing was going to change her mind.

The word tradition comes from a Latin word that literally means “that which is passed down”.  In this case the tradition was about cold water coming to a boil faster than warm water,

Now, you might think that this girl was ridiculous to cling to her tradition despite all of the evidence to the contrary, but she is hardly alone.  In fact, most people do this with other traditions.  They look to authority figures to tell them what is true and dare not question if what the authority figures tell them is true.

This is because of the grip that tradition has on them.

This grip that tradition has on people is completely irrational and is hard for me to comprehend.  Trying to understand it is part of why epistemology has become one of my hobbies.

Epistemology is the study of how people determine what is true.  In it there are the three different truth gates that people use to determine what is true.  People can use one, two, or all three of these gates.  They can use multiple gates in different orders to form different truth pipelines.

Truth pipelines are defined by the truth gates used and the order that they are used in.  My truth pipeline uses only the Facts & Logic truth gate.  It boggles my mind that this is the rarest truth pipeline because it has been shown to be the most effective at correctly determining what is true in every study done on the subject.

While I understand that most people do use Facts & Logic as their last truth gate, it is still hard to grasp why they use the most effective truth gate as the truth gate of last resort.  The best answer that I have come across is to this question is simple intellectual laziness.

It is true that the Facts & Logic truth gate requires more mental effort than the other two.  The easiest one is the Collective Wisdom truth gate where other people have done all the mental work necessary to determine what is true.  It is also a much less effective truth gate.

Tradition is one of the criteria for determining what is true used in the Collective Wisdom truth gate.  Even the act of questioning if a tradition is true takes mental effort.  That defeats their entire purpose of using Collective Wisdom as their primary truth gate.

More than that, if they decide a tradition is wrong, then they have to question what else the authority that passed the tradition down to them was wrong about.  This is even more mental work.

In fact, it can lead to them abandoning the use of Collective Wisdom and relying on Personal Experience as their first truth gate.  That is more mental work than using Collective Wisdom, but not nearly as much mental work as using Facts & Logic.  It is also the least effective truth gate.

Of course since Personal Experience uses criteria like emotions to determine what is true, people who use it can easily be manipulated into believing something that is true is false or vice versa.  Even if something is objectively false, they will accept it as true if it makes them feel good and reject something that is objectively true as false if it makes them feel bad.

However, this does nothing to change reality itself.  This is also irrational.

They are like a young girl my wife knew who got into her brother’s LSD and became convinced that she could fly.  So, she decided to fly off a ten-story building.  She probably told herself that she was flying all the way down, but in the end reality smacked her in the face.

So, even though a comfortable lie will eventually lead to reality smacking people in the face, they still irrationally will cling to it.  At this point, people should be resorting to using the Facts & Logic truth gate, but most of them don’t.  It is like they believe that if they put off dealing with an uncomfortable truth long enough that it will somehow stop being true.

So, intellectual laziness by itself is insufficient to explain the grip of tradition.

As a result, I asked another friend if he could explain this grip that tradition has on people.  What he told me was disturbing but I could also see that it was true.

He told me that people cling to traditions unreasonably because the traditions give them a sense of stability.  If those traditions are disrupted with truth, then their sense of stability is also disrupted.

This includes stability in their relationship with their family and friends.  If they dare to challenge the truthfulness of one of these traditions, then it can cause division among these people.

So, they would rather cling to a tradition that is based on a lie than have their stability disrupted.  They value stability more than truth.

I pointed out that the truth will always win out in the end and reality will eventually smack them in the face.  So, why do they value a stability that is only temporary at best?

He replied because this world is all that most people have.  The stability provided by traditions – even if they are based lies - only has to last them for their time in this world.

It was disturbing to think that most people think with such a short-term view.  This means that they are willing to keep propping up a tradition based on a lie for their entire life because they ignore that reality will smack them in the face when they stand before the Father of Truth.

Even if they are believers, they will put up with a tradition based on a lie to avoid people seeing them as divisive or as a heretic because that affects them today.  They will keep doing this because the consequences from the Father of Truth are not immediate.

People intellectually know that clinging to something that has been proven to be wrong - or to cause them harm by their own experience -  is foolish, but they find themselves doing it anyways.  They are like the alcoholic that gets drunk to forget the pain that came from the bad decisions that they made the last time that they were drunk.

So, the reality is that this is not just caused by natural inclinations like laziness, but the grip that tradition has on many people is spiritual as well.  They keep believing a comfortable lie – even when they know it is a lie – even when they believe that the Father of Truth raised the Man of Truth from the dead – because the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) has a grip on them!

How does the Father of Lies maintain this grip?

The Father of Lies knows that people knowing what is in the Book of Truth and putting it into practice will set them free from his grip (John 8:31-32).  He knows that he can keep them in his grip as long as they do what he says instead of doing what the Man of Truth says (John 8:34-36).

The Father of Lies blinds people from seeing the truth because he is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).  As long as he can keep them focused on anything other than the Book of Truth, then they will remain blind (2 Peter 1:19-21).

The Father of Lies uses the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches to keep them from acting on the Word of Truth after they have heard it (Matthew 13:22).  He tries to get them to desire other things so that they will not put the Word of Truth into action (Mark 4:18-19).

The Father of Lies knows that when people put their trust in their possessions that will keep them from putting their trust in the Father of Truth (Mark 10:24-25).  He knows that trusting in their riches will keep them from putting the Word of Truth into action (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

The Father of Lies uses the fear of other people to ensnare them, so that they will not put their trust in the Father of Truth (Proverbs 29:25).  He does not want them to be content in the Father of Truth instead of material things and lose their fear other people (Hebrews 13:5-6).

The Father of Lies convinces people to not disrupt the traditional lies with the truth by convincing them to love the praises of people more than the praises of the Father of Truth (John 12:42-43).  He knows that they will not sacrifice their comfort to transform their minds as long as they continue to conform the ways of the world (Romans 12:1-2).

The Father of Lies uses hardship to get people entangled in the affairs of this world, so that they will not carry out the will of the Father of Truth (2 Timothy 2:3-4).  He wants them to love the temporary things of this world, so that they will not overcome him with the Word of Truth (1 John 2:14-17).

The Father of Lies loses that grip when people consent to the words of the Man of Truth.

The Man of Truth is the embodiment of truth (John 14:6).  Nothing that comes from the Father of Lies is in him (John 14:30).

All lies come from the Father of Lies (John 8:44).  The Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) should also have nothing that belongs to him in their lives (Ephesians 4:27).

The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) was given to guide the Children of Truth into all truth (John 16:13).  They are not live by lies like the world but are to live by the truth found in the Word of Truth (John 17:16-17).

The Children of Truth are not to edit the Word of Truth in the least (Deuteronomy 4:2).  They are to consider everything that the Father of Truth has said in His word (Acts 20:27).

The Children of Truth find the truth by searching the Book of Truth for themselves instead of just believing what someone else told them that it says (Acts 17:11).  They are to withdraw themselves from anyone who teaches anything different than what it says and who will not consent to the words of the Man of Truth found in it (1 Timothy 6:3-5).

The truth is not just something to be known, but is also something that must be done (John 3:21).  The Father of Truth commands His children to walk in truth (2 John 1:4).

The grace of the Father of Truth frees His Children from the grip of the Father of Lies when they no longer go along with lies to get along with the world (Titus 2:11-14).  The Father of Lies loses his grip on people when their minds are renewed by walking in truth instead of going along with lies (Ephesians 4:22-25).

So, how does this apply to a tradition like Christmas?

There are many Messianics that teach people should not celebrate anything except the moedim (appointments) given to Israel through Moses (Moishe) (Leviticus 23).  Are these teachers considering everything the that the Father of Truth said in His Word and consenting to the words of the Man of Truth?

Abraham had a celebration (mishteh) when Isaac (Yitzhak) was weaned (Genesis 21:8).  The Man of Truth said that the father had a great celebration when the prodigal son came home (Luke 15:22-24).

Mordecai decreed that Purim be kept as an annual national holiday (chag) (Esther 9:20-28).  The Man of Truth not only celebrated it, but he also celebrated Chanukah (Feast of Dedication) - another national holiday decreed by the Maccabees (John 10:22-23).

So, these false teachers are neither considering everything that the Father of Truth said in His word nor consenting to the words of the Man of Truth.  The Children of Truth can plainly celebrate important events in the lives of their families and keep national holidays.

However, the Children of Truth must still walk in truth concerning celebrations and national holidays.  For example, they still must avoid things like sex outside of marriage and getting drunk in those celebrations if they are to inherit the kingdom of the Father of Truth (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

They must also walk in truth concerning the purpose of a holiday when deciding if they should keep it.  For example, celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on American Independence Day is one thing, but celebrating death – an enemy of the Man of Truth – at Halloween is another thing.

Christmas is supposed to be a celebration of the birth of the Man of Truth.  There is nothing wrong with celebrating a birthday as long as it is done in truth.

The word Christmas means “Christ mass” and a mass is a gathering for religious observation.  So, gathering together to celebrate the Man of Truth is not in itself wrong.

What must be examined is the traditions of Christmas that people have been taught to keep by various teachers.  Are these teachers considering everything the that the Father of Truth said in His Word and consenting to the words of the Man of Truth?

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 each year.  This is when tradition says the Man of Truth was born.

However, the Book of Truth says that he was born during the days of taxing in the Roman Empire (Luke 2:1-7).  These teachers who taught that the Man of Truth was born on December 25 lived in the Roman Empire and they knew that the Roman month of Aprilis (April) was the month of taxation.

The Romans left plenty of records of when the days of taxing were in the Roman Empire, so there is no room for doubt that the Man of Truth was born in April.  The British were part of the Roman Empire, and they passed on April as the month of taxation to America.

These same teachers also taught that the wise men went to the Man of Truth when he was a baby at the manger in Bethlehem.  The Book of Truth says that they found a young child (the Greek word means “able to stand on his own feet”) at a house where his parents lived (Matthew 2:11).

King Herod also wanted to know when the wise men saw the star that let them know the King of the Jews had been born (Matthew 2:2-7).  He had every male child two years old and younger killed based on their answer (Matthew 2:16).

In short, the entire story of the wise men visiting the Man of Truth on December 25 while he lay in the manger is a total lie.  The Children of Truth are warned against traditions like these that are contrary to being like the Man of Truth (Colossians 2:8).

In fact, almost every tradition of Christmas is based on a lie.  For many, lying to their children about Santa Claus is all part of the fun.

So, the traditions of Christmas are really the work of the Father of Lies.  Therefore, I advised my friend to have nothing to do with Christmas.

The conflict between truth and tradition is about more important things than Christmas.

The Father of Truth overlooks people passing down a tradition that contradicts His Word when they are ignorant of the contradiction, but once they become aware of the contradiction, He commands that they repent by replacing the tradition with the truth (Acts 17:30).  If they willingly remain ignorant by not examining the Word Of Truth, then they are rebelling against the Father of Truth and will be destroyed for doing so (2 Peter 3:3-7).

The Man of Truth continued via the Spirit of Truth to give his words to the Apostle of Truth to give to the Children of Truth - after he ascended back to Heaven (Acts 1:1-2).  The things written down by the Apostles of Truth are the commandments of the Man of Truth (1 Corinthians 14:37).

Therefore, the Children of Truth must obey the commandments of the Apostles of Truth written in the Book of Truth (2 Peter 3:1-2).  The Apostles of Truth warned that in the days leading up to the Tribulation that there would be mockers (those who say that the words of the Apostles of Truth should not be taken literally and seriously) who do not have the Spirit of Truth and live according to their own senses (Jude 1:17-19).

Once someone has identified themselves as a false teacher by teaching anything contrary to what the Apostles of Truth taught, then the Children of Truth are to avoid these deceivers (Romans 16:17-18).  They are commanded to withdraw from anyone who calls themselves a believer but does live according to what was passed down by the Apostles of Truth (2 Thessalonians 3:6).

These deceivers try to deceive people by corrupting the simple things said by the Man of Truth as meaning something other than their simple literal meaning (2 Corinthians 11:3).  These are not things like the birth month of the Man of Truth which are not easily understood without additional study nor other things that can only be understood with the help of the Spirit of Truth (2 Peter 3:15-16).

For example, the Man of Truth said that only the worthy would escape the entire Tribulation and stand before him instead (Luke 21:35-36).  Anyone who will not consent to his words and teaches anything contrary to some believers being taken to stand in his presence before the Tribulation begins is a proud deceiver who knows nothing (1 Timothy 6:3-4).

Also, the Man of Truth said that supernatural signs would follow those who believe when they taught what he taught and preached what he preached to confirm that the message was from the Father of Truth (Mark 16:15-20).  Those who teach that these things ceased with the last Apostle of Truth are also proud deceivers who know nothing and make perverse arguments against the promise of the Man of Truth being literal because they are destitute of the truth (1 Timothy 6:4-5).

Likewise the Man of Truth said that not even the smallest part of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) would be done away with as long as Heaven and Earth remained (Matthew 5:18).  Those who teach otherwise are calling him a liar and there is no truth in them (1 John 2:4).

The Man of Truth also said that those who did not keep the least commandments of the Law of Truth would still be in his kingdom, but as part of a lower class than those who kept the least commandments (Matthew 5:19).  He plainly said through the Apostles of Truth that the Gentile believers were not commanded to keep the customs of the Law that were given to mark Jews as distinct from every other ethnic group (Acts 21:21-25).

However, some Messianics have swerved from the teachings of the Man of Truth about the Law of Truth and try to be teachers of it - even though they do not know what they are talking about (1 Timothy 1:6-7).  They reject the commandment of the Man of Truth, instead teaching Jewish fables and the commandments of the Rabbis that turn people from the truth (Titus 1:14).

Their teachings will bring their followers to damnation and cause other people to speak evil of the teachings of the Man of Truth (2 Peter 2:1-2).  The Children of Truth are commanded to stand against these teachings because some of these teachers have even denied that the Man of Truth is Messiah (Jude 1:3-4).

All of these transgress the commandments of the Father of Truth taught by the Man of Truth to keep the traditions that they received from other people (Matthew 15:3-6).  All of them have rejected truth to keep their own traditions (Mark 7:9).

So, will you reject every tradition that is contrary to the truth?

The traditions handed down through the writings of the Apostles of Truth are never contrary to the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15).  You need to live like the Man of Truth - who bled and died so you could live free from traditions passed down to you that are contrary to the truth (1 Peter 1:17-19).

You cannot keep the teachings of the Man of Truth and keep traditions that are contrary to the teachings of the Man of Truth as well (Matthew 6:24).  In the end, you will either choose truth or tradition (Luke 16:13).

You need to come into the House of Truth and obey the Man of Truth in everything instead of just calling him “Lord” as is the tradition of many (Matthew 7:21).  If you will commit to obey him in everything because you believe the Father of Truth raised him from the dead, then you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!