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!

American Jesus

How is American Jesus different than Biblical Jesus?

American Jesus is more than a religious teacher or a historical figure.  He is a cultural icon that is found in every corner of America and is a part of every generation.  In fact, he is the most popular American cultural icon of all time. 

There are as many variations of depictions of American Jesus as there are variations of ethnic groups in America. Even with these variations in skin color, hair color, and eye color, there is still enough consistency that American Jesus is instantly recognizable.  His motif may even come in colors like green or purple, but Americans still recognize American Jesus.

Americans love American Jesus, and he loves them.  In fact, the United States is his favorite place on the entire Earth.

American Jesus is sung about in every genre of music in America.  He is just alright with the drug culture musicians and the small-town alternative to drugs according to country musicians.

American Jesus spans the political spectrum.  He is a liberal to the liberals, a conservative to the conservatives and an independent to the independents.

American Jesus is a social justice warrior who demands change and the protector of the status quo.  He is the ultimate example of the best of humanity by the definition of every American.

American Jesus is too compassionate on women to be pro-life and too compassionate on the unborn to be pro-choice.  He is a peacenik who advocates peace at any cost and the unseen warrior that goes before the American military to win at any cost.

American Jesus is a Catholic, a Protestant, a Mormon, and a Universalist.  He is also a Muslim, a Hindu, and held in the highest regard by every religion in America – except one.

American Jesus is tolerated by some in Rabbinic Judaism as being good for other Americans.  He can be any kind of American except a Jewish American.  He can be any ethnicity except for Jewish.

American Jesus is a unifying enigma that transcends all boundaries.  He can be anything to everyone and do anything - except cause division between Americans.  He is in every way an inoffensive Jesus.

American Jesus seems so good to so many Americans.  It is not hard to understand why he is so popular with Americans.

However, is American Jesus the same as the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) found in the pages of the Book of Truth (The Bible)?  Which version of American Jesus most resembles him?  Are there any aspects of the Man of Truth are not shared by any version of American Jesus?

American Jesus was born on Christmas.

American Jesus was born on Christmas Day – December 25.  This was the date of Sol Invictus – the celebration of the Winter Solstice - on the Julian Calendar when it was first invented.

(Julius Caesar did not actually invent the Julian Calendar.  It was invented by Greek Astronomers but did not gain acceptance until Julius Caesar decreed it as the official calendar of the Roman Empire.  So, it was named after him due to his decree.)

Sol Invictus began on the evening of December 24-Christmas Eve - when Julius Caesar decreed that the Roman Empire would use the Julian Calendar in 45 BC.   It already had Sol Invictus during the day of December 25 at the time of his decree.

Sol Invictus was the day for celebrating the Roman Sun god – Sol- being born.  The idea was that night had been killing Sol and causing shorter days until the Winter Solstice – when Sol proved to be invincible by being reborn, and the days started to get longer.

It was also celebrated as the birthday of the Indian god Mithra that had been imported into the Roman Empire from India via the Persian Empire and then the Greek Empire.   Mithra was often paired with Sol in Roman religion since Mithra was the god of light that was born on the same day as Sol each year.

Both of these ultimately came from Tammuz in Babylon, whose birthday was also on the Winter Solstice.  He was killed by a boar that represented Shem the Lamenter in Babylonian mythology but was born through reincarnation on the next Winter Solstice.

After being born anew, he then killed the boar that had killed him and ate it.  So, the Romans would kill a pig and eat it on Sol Invictus to commemorate the birth of Tammuz.

Pliny the Elder dated the Winter Solstice as December 25 based on observable astronomical events about a hundred years later.  So, the Julian Calendar seemed to be staying in line with the solar year.

However, Sol Invictus kept getting farther and farther from the Winter Solstice on the Julian Calendar over the centuries.  Consequently, Christmas also did the same since they were the same celebration with two different names.

This is because the Julian Calendar was flawed in that it had leap year every four years without exception.  As a result the date of astronomical events like the Winter Solstice slipped backwards by 3.1 days every 400 years.

The Gregorian Calendar corrected this defect by not having Leap Day on years that ended in 00 but were not evenly divisible by 400.  For example, 1700, 1800, and 1900 did not have a Leap Day, but 2000 had a Leap Day.

So by the time of the Gregorian correction in 1582,  the Winter Solstice had shifted to December 11 the previous year.  After the correction, it was on December 22.   Still Christmas stayed on 25 December – just like Sol Invictus had done after it was no longer in sync with the Winter Solstice on the Julian Calendar.

By this time, the False Church of Rome had brought in many of the Nordic, German, and Celtic people into it by incorporating some of the traditions of their idolatry into Christmas.  This included the practice of cutting down a tree, placing it in the home, and putting presents under it.

Like the tradition of eating a pig on Christmas, this tradition also ultimately had its roots in Babylon.  It too was connected with celebrating the birth of Tammuz.

So, the birth of American Jesus is celebrated on December 25 each year with Christmas trees that people bowed down before when they placed gifts under them.  Americans then eat ham in his honor at Christmas dinner and finally bow down before the Christmas tree to pull out gifts from beneath it.

This celebration is not just an American phenomenon.  There is a global Christmas party that celebrates the birth of American Jesus.

How similar is this to the birth of the Man of Truth?

The first thing to consider is when was the Man of Truth born?  How close does a date of December 25 match with the facts of the Christmas story (as churches call it) in the Book of Truth?

A decree was given that everyone across the Roman Empire had to go to their home town to pay their taxes (Luke 2:1-3).  The Man of Truth was born in Bethlehem when Joseph (husband of Mary) was there to pay his taxes (Luke 2:4-6).

In America, tax day is April 15 because that was when England collected taxes in it when it was part of the British Empire.  In England, taxes were collected in April because that is when the Romans collected taxes in it when it was part of the Roman Empire.

The Romans collected taxes in the month of April because that is when barley became ripe, and they needed to replenish their grain supply after Winter.  Therefore, the Man of Truth was born in April according to the Book of Truth.

The shepherds were also out with their flocks at night when the Man of Truth was born in an empty animal booth and placed in a feed trough (Luke 2:7-12).  They had no problem finding him because they were familiar with the empty animal booth (Luke 2:13-16).

Normally, sheep were kept in a sheepfold at night with the shepherd guarding the sheepfold (John 10:1-2).  The shepherd would then lead them to green pastures in the morning (John 10:3-4).

However, during lambing season the sheep had to be kept out and the shepherd had to watch them at night.  Otherwise, the sheep would step on and kill the newborn lambs if they were all packed together in a sheepfold.

The lambing season lasts for seventeen days in early Spring in the northern hemisphere.  It begins around the Spring Equinox in the area around Israel and ends around the first week of April.

Therefore, the Man of Truth was born during the first week of April according to the Book of Truth.  He certainly was not born on December 25 like American Jesus.

The Man of Truth certainly did not set a tree on a stand in his house and decorate it with gold and silver ornaments like idolators had done (Jeremiah 10:3-5).  He did not adorn it with blue and purple ribbons or garlands like these idol worshipers had done to their idols (Jeremiah 10:8-9).

The Man of Truth knew that the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) had commanded that the people of Israel to not carry out any practices that came from idol worship (Deuteronomy 12:30).  He knew they were never to be modify these practices to be used in worship of the Father of Truth (Deuteronomy 12:31-32).

The Man of Truth also certainly did not so much as touch the body of a dead pig – much less eat part of it (Leviticus 11:7-8).  He knew that the people of Isreal were not to do this to show that they were holy like the Father of Truth is holy (Leviticus 11:45-47).

Therefore, the Man of Truth did not celebrate his birthday by getting presents out from under a Christmas tree.  He also did not get a ham dinner for his birthday each year!

So, there are some similarities between the circumstance of the birth of American Jesus and the Man of Truth like his birthplace, but their birthdays are over three months apart!  There are absolutely no similarities in how their birthdays are celebrated!

American Jesus died on Good Friday and rose again on Easter Sunday.

This life of American Jesus is commemorated by Lent.  This season begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday.

The last week of the life of American Jesus is commemorated by “Holy Week”.  This begins after celebrating his triumphant entry on Palm Sunday.

In this commemoration, American Jesus died on Good Friday.  He then rose again on Easter Sunday.

Since Lent came from the False Church of Rome, many Americans do not observe most of Lent.  However, they agree that American Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, was crucified on Good Friday, and resurrected on Easter Sunday.

Many commemorate the triumphant entry of American Jesus with ceremonies using palm leaves in church services on Palm Sunday.  Some attend services to weep over his death on Good Friday.

However, most Americans celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday.  This is the day of the highest church attendance in America.

There are usually plays and ceremonies to mark the resurrection of American Jesus.  The girls are often dressed in the Easter dresses and the boys are dressed up in Easter suits.

For some, the celebration begins before dawn when they arrive to watch the Sun rise on Easter Sunday.  They typically sing songs of praises as it is rising.

After the service, the resurrection of American Jesus is celebrated with the Easter Game.  This game has several forms, but there is a common pattern among them.

In this game, the Easter Bunny has placed colored Easter Eggs outside for children to find.  Sometimes the Easter Eggs are all in plain sight in the grass but other times the Easter Eggs are hidden under bushes, among the Easter Lillies, or in hollow places in trees.

The children then scrabble to collect as many Easter Eggs as possible and place them in their traditionally wicker Easter Baskets.  There are prizes given to those who collected the most Easter Eggs and those who collected specially marked Easter Eggs.

The Easter Game that commemorates the resurrection of American Jesus is so popular that it is often played by American Muslims, Hindus, and Atheists.  This is because they know that American Jesus is accepting of people of all religions –  even those who claim to have no religion.

It does not seem to bother anyone that Easter is the name of the Germanic goddess of fertility that was worshipped also by the Celts and Norse under a similar name in their languages.  They continue to play the Easter Game that was created to honor this goddess to commemorate the resurrection of American Jesus.

Then they eat Easter Dinner to commemorate this event.  It usually features some sort of salad made from green vegetables that match the greenness of Spring and a main course.

Ham has been the traditional main course of this celebration of his resurrection.  However, American Jesus is inclusive to all religions,- so lamb, turkey and meat substitutes have become common as well.

The traditional treat is Easter Cakes.  These are traditionally small white cakes decorated with emblems of fertility like flowers and eggs in Spring colors.

They are named Easter Cakes because the Germanic, Celtic, and Norse people baked these cakes as a sacrifice to Easter – the Queen of Heaven.  They then ate these small cakes at a feast in honor of the Queen of Heaven.

Today, these cakes are eaten to commemorate the resurrection of American Jesus.  Apparently, no one saw a need to rename them to “Resurrection Cakes” instead of Easter Cakes.

How similar is this to the death and resurrection of the Man of Truth?

However, many of the American Children of Truth have rejected the association of the Man of Truth with Easter.  They simply do not see the traditions of Lent or Easter in the Book of Truth.  For this reason, they observe Resurrection Sunday instead of Easter Sunday.

However some of the traditions of Easter are in the Book of Truth.  They just have nothing to do with the resurrection of the Man of Truth.

The Jewish people worshiped the Queen of Heaven by baking and eating cakes in her honor (Jeremiah 7:17-18).  This caused confusion among them and angered the Father of Truth (Jeremiah 7:19).

So, we can be certain that the Man of Truth had nothing to do with the Queen of Heaven.  He certainly would not want his resurrection associated with Easter.

However, these American Children of Truth that have rejected Easter often still say the Man of Truth came into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, died on Good Friday, and rose on Resurrection Sunday.  Is this what the Book of Truth says?

We have to establish which day of the week the Man of Truth died on to establish when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was met with people waving palm branches.  To establish which day of the week he died on, we have to first establish which day of the week the Man of Truth was resurrected on.

First we have to establish when a day begins, and when the Sabbath is in the Book of Truth.  A day does not begin at midnight like the Romans established and when the Sabbath is not on Sunday like the False Church of Rome established.

First there was darkness and then the Father of Truth brought forth light (Genesis 1:2-3).  So, each day starts with the time of darkness called night that begins in the evening followed by the time of light called day that begins in the morning (Genesis 1:4-5).

Both evening and morning are transition times that take about an hour around the time of the Spring Equinox.  Evening begins when the sun goes below the horizon (sunset) and ends when all sunlight is gone (nightfall).  Morning begins when the first sunlight appears and ends when the sun is fully risen.

The Father of Truth then rested on the seventh day and set it apart as a day for rest at the end of each week (Genesis 2:1-3).  So, the Sabbath (ceasing) is the name of the seventh day that ends each week (Exodus 20:9-11).

We can be certain when the Sabbath occurs because the Father of Truth commanded the Jewish people when to observe it (Exodus 16:23-27).  They have been observing it without fail ever since then (Exodus 31:16-17).

The Jewish people were still observing the Sabbath as the seventh day of the week from Friday evening until Saturday evening at the time of the Man of Truth.  The first day of the week began on Saturday evening and ended on Sunday evening.

The tomb was opened sunlight first began to appear – an hour before sunrise - on the first day of the week – Sunday (Matthew 28:1-2).  In fact, it was still dark when the women first arrived there on the first day of the week -Sunday (John 20:1).

However, this was not just any Sunday, but was the day of Firstfruits – when the barley sheaves were raised as the first fruits of the barley harvest (Leviticus 23:10-15).  The Man of Truth had to rise on this day to be the first fruits of those who rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

The day of Firstfruits always falls on the Sunday – the day after the weekly Sabbath - during the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-11).  It was day one on the countdown to another special Sabbath that fell on the day after the seventh weekly Sabbath following it – also always a Sunday (Leviticus 23:15-16).

So, the Man of Truth indeed rose from the dead on a Sunday but about an hour before sunrise.  Also it was on Firstfruits and not Easter Sunday like American Jesus, so the Apostles of Truth would have said “Happy Firstfruits” instead of “Happy Easter” on the anniversary of his resurrection.

The spirit of the Man of Truth was in the heart of the earth after his death for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:39-40).  He did not rise again until after he had been dead for three whole days (Mark 8:31).

Even if you count partial nights as full nights and partial days as full days, there is no way to get three full days and three full nights with the Man of Truth dying on a Friday and rising on Sunday.  The only way to get three full days between his death and resurrection is if he died on a Wednesday.

On the fourteenth day of the first month of the Biblical Calendar, all of the people of Israel killed the Passover lamb at the same time as if they were all killing the same lamb (Exodus 12:2-6).  Then on the night that began with the evening that ended the fourteenth day they would eat it together (Exodus 12:8).

So, the evening after the lamb was killed on Passover also began the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread that was on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Biblical Calendar (Leviticus 23:5-6).  This day was also a special Sabbath like the regularly weekly Sabbath (Leviticus 23:7).

So, the Man of Truth died on the day of preparation at the time the Passover lamb was killed for the special Sabbath that began that evening (Mark 15:39-42).  His body was placed in the tomb before the special Sabbath – the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread – began (John 19:31-42).

So, the Man of Truth died on Passover – the day of preparation when the Passover lamb was killed -the fourteenth day of the first month on the Biblical Calendar.  He was buried just before the Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the fifteenth day of the first month.

Just like December 25 on the Gregorian Calendar, the fourteenth day of the first month on the Biblical Calendar could fall on any day of the week. However like Easter Sunday, the day of Firstfruits could only fall on a Sunday.

So, the Man of Truth did not die on Good Friday like American Jesus.  He died on Passover which fell on a Wednesday that year.

Six days before Passover – a Thursday since Passover fell on a Wednesday that year – Mary (the sister of Lazarus) anointed the feet of the Man of Truth for his upcoming burial (John 12:1-7).  The next day – a Friday – he rode into Jerusalem where people greeted him as the King of Israel with palm branches (John 12:12-15).

So, the Man of Truth did not make his triumphant entry on Palm Sunday like American Jesus.  He made it on the Friday before Passover.

So, the only thing in common between the death and resurrection story of American Jesus and that of the Man of Truth is the resurrection occurring on a Sunday.  Even then, American Jesus was resurrected about an hour later than the Man of Truth.

Does American Jesus and the Man of Truth celebrate the same holidays?

American Jesus is often included in celebrations of American holidays besides Easter and Christmas.  He is featured especially in patriotic holidays.

This is not hard to understand, for the Book of Truth was the rock that the America was founded upon as President Andrew Jackson said.  Since the Man of Truth is the central figure of the Book of Truth, it is only natural to honor him when observing these holidays.

For example, MLK day remembers Reverend Martin Luther King Junior who often quoted from the Book of Truth in his speeches.  He stressed that it did not matter which of the six shades of brown of skin color people had, but how much their character reflected that of the Man of Truth.

So, sermons of MLK that quote the Man of Truth are often preached on this holiday.  In like manner, quotes from the Man of Truth found in these sermons are also often quoted in sound bites taken from those sermons.

Thus, the Man of Truth is featured so much in American national holidays that Americans act like he is an American.  This is one reason that he became American Jesus in the minds of so many Americans.

However, the Man of Truth never celebrated a single American holiday.  He celebrated the Jewish holidays found in the Book of Truth instead.

The Man of Truth celebrated Jewish religious holidays like Pesach (Passover) each year (Luke 2:41).  He also celebrated Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) like other Jews (John 7:1-2).

The Man of Truth also celebrated Jewish national holidays like Purim (John 5:1).  This holiday occurs a month before Pesach (John 6:4).

The Man of Truth announced that he was the light of the world at the Festival of Lights (John 8:12).  He had went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish national holiday of Chanukah (The Feast of Dedication) in the Temple during the winter (John 10:22-23).

Americans sometimes refer to Chanukah as a Jewish Christmas because it occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day each year, but it is very different.  The Man of Truth was not celebrating his birthday in a Jewish way at Chanukah.

Central to the celebration is the lighting of a nine candle Menorah called Chanukiah each night which people often placed in their windows.  So, it is also called the Festival of Lights due to the lights that appear everywhere during the eight-day celebration.

It is called Chanukah (dedication) because it remembers dedicating the Temple after it had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes.  Without this dedication, the Man of Truth could have never brought salvation from the Temple.

This is the gift of the Maccabees.  It is how the Maccabees help spread the Gospel.

Chanukah remembers the faithful priest Matthias who decided that resistance is essential when most of the Jewish people were willing to be assimilated into Greek idolatry.  It remembers that the real miracle of Chanukah was those who did exploits through faith in the Father of Truth.

The Man of Truth was not celebrating some miracle where oil for one day burned for eight days made up by the Rabbis three hundred years after his death.  This story just shows that the Rabbis are liars and the source of Jewish trouble.

The Man of Truth knew that events of Chanukah were the story behind the story of his birth.  He knew that this story was told in the Book of Daniel hundreds of years before it occurred.

On one side in the Chanukah story are most of the Jews who forsook the Original Covenant and joined with Antiochus Epiphanes (the king of the northern Greek empire) in desecrating the Temple (Daniel 11:30-31).  On the other side is the remnant of the Jews who stayed loyal to the Father of Truth and some Greeks who helped them in resisting assimilation in a long war that ended with the Temple being dedicated again to the Father of Truth (Daniel 11:32-35).

So, how else is American Jesus different than the Man of Truth?

American Jesus has often been cast into the mold of any kind of American except a Jewish-American.  However, the Man of Truth was never any kind of American and he is a Jew.

The Man of Truth is more than just the savior of the Gentiles.  He is first and foremost the Messiah of Israel.

The Man of Truth only has the appearance of one ethnic group – the Jewish people (John 4:9-10).  He has a face that can get lost in a crowd of Jews from the Middle East (John 5:13).

The favorite place on the entire Earth of the Man of Truth is the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 11:9-12).  He will reign from the Jewish capital of Jerusalem – not the American capital of Washington D.C. (Matthew 5:35).

At the birth of the Man of Truth in Israel the Angels of Truth announced the desire of the Father of Truth to have peace on Earth and good will towards men (Luke 2:14-15).  He was sent as the means for people to have peace with the Father of Truth (Romans 5:1).

However, when the Man of Truth came into the world to bring this peace, he was not received even by his own people (John 1:10-11).  The world was unwilling to accept the conditions of peace that the Father of Truth required (John 3:17-20).

This is because the Man of Truth is not just alright with the drug culture and will destroy all of those who do not leave it (Galatians 5:19-21).  (The Greek word translated as “sorcery” is “pharmakeia” which includes hallucinogenic drugs that are used in sorcery.)

He is definitely against abortion as well.  The Father of Truth is the maker of every child while it is still in the womb (Psalm 139:13-14).  The Man of Truth said that drowning was too good for anyone who hurt a child (Luke 17:2).

More than that, the Man of Truth said that anyone who did not take care their parents in their old age should be executed (Matthew 15:3-4).  In fact, he demanded that people completely stop sinning (John 8:11).

The Man of Truth preached a gospel that demanded repentance from sin (Mark 1:14-15).  He said that a fate worse than death awaited for all who did not repent from sin (Mark 6:11-12).

The Man of Truth also called the Rabbis hypocrites who perverted the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) to teach their own commandments (Matthew 15:1-9).  He warned his followers to not allow others to call them “Rabbi” and not to act like the Rabbis who kept people from accepting the terms of peace offered by the Father of Truth (Matthew 23:7-13).

The Man of Truth also demands that the Gentiles to leave their worship of other gods or they too will be destroyed along with homosexuals, transgender people, adulterers , anyone who is having sex with anyone other than their spouse of the opposite sex, and those who got drunk on alcohol (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).  All of these as well those who commit murderer (including abortion) – Jew or Gentile – will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever (Revelation 21:8).

So, whoever among the Jews who do not accept these terms of peace that the Father of Truth sent by the Man of Truth will be destroyed (Luke 21:22-24).  In like manner, all people who do not accept these terms of peace will be destroyed by the Man of Truth (Acts 17:30-31).

So, that all ethnic groups can have some saved, the Man of Truth has sent out the Children of Truth to bring these terms of peace to the Gentiles (Romans 10:13-17).  It is sweet smell of the life to those who accept these terms and the stench of death to those who reject them (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).

For this reason the Man of Truth has caused people to fight each other throughout the Earth (Matthew 10:34).  He has divided families against each other all over the Earth (Luke 12:51-53).

The Man of Truth is the most divisive man in history.  Not only have families divided over the conditions of peace that his Father demands, but everything from best friends to businesses to empires have divided over him.

The Man of Truth is nothing like many versions of American Jesus who will go along with sin to get along with sinners.  Instead he has demonstrated how to lose friends and irritate people.

So, how did there come to be so many versions of American Jesus?

The Man of Truth was brought to America as part of the legacy of the Pilgrims.  In fact, Christmas was illegal in every state of the United States until Alabama legalized it in 1834.

American Jesus were made by later European immigrants who sought to change America through a subtle influence.  Since the Man of Truth was the center of American society, they sought to make another Jesus that did not require them to accept the terms of peace offered by the Father of Truth or perish.

Indeed the Father of Truth drew near to America when America was drawing near to Him and will do so again if America will repent (James 4:8-10).  This is the only way to make America great again.

However, if America will not once again accept His terms of peace, then the death of America is certain.  If the Father of Truth destroyed Israel when they rejected His peace offer, then He will certainly do the same with America (Romans 2:9-11).

So, America must return to walking in truth with the Man of Truth.  This means recognizing that American Jesus is from the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil), since all lies are from him (John 8:44).

When Americans are keeping the Law of Truth then they become a wise and understanding people (Deuteronomy 4:5-6).  Since most American Children of Truth (those who obeys The Father of Truth because they love Him) have not read even read it, they do foolish things like Israel did when they quit reading and obeying it (Deuteronomy 32:28).

These foolish things include celebrating the birthday of the Man of Truth at Christmas and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.  The Father of Truth knew that they and other Gentile Children of Truth would do foolish things like this but He blessed them anyways to provoke the Jewish people (Romans 10:19).

However, American Jesus is now cursed for calling evil what the Father of Truth calls good and calling good what He calls evil (Isaiah 5:20).  This means that American Jesus must die and never be resurrected.

The American Children of Truth can be like the mensch who killed Christmas.  They can be more like the Man of Truth and celebrate Chanukah instead of Christmas because it’s not just a Jewish thing.

In your own life, you can kill the counterfeit American Jesus found in America and start following the genuine Man of Truth found in the Book of Truth.  You can accept the terms of peace that the Father of Truth offers through the Man of Truth.

Those terms require you to do everything the Man of Truth says because you love him (John 14:15).  Accepting these terms will cause the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) will live in you so you can keep the commandments of the Law of Truth (Romans 8:6-11).

If you will continue to do what the Man of Truth says, then he will free you from the grip of American Jesus (John 8:31-32).  Your part is to be willing to obey him in everything because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!