Who decided what books were included in the Bible? Rich kings and the people with money. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, but it is a vague answer and one that is usually argued by persons at odds with religion. By persons who haven't had a positive experience in discovering our Lord through local congregations and churches. It's true, religion becomes messed up when it is becomes institutionalized. But what is church? That's something that I myself have often wondered. It was the forgoing reason why I went through a time when I denounced God. The concept of an All Powerful, an All Mighty Creator was preposterous to me. It didn't make sense, especially after studying the corruption that played a significant role in the development of the Christian tradition.
The first attempt at creating an institutionalized Christian faith came during the reign of Constantine at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Bishops from various Christian orders met to, (not limited to though) set the Christian date of Easter, determine the divinity of Christ and how he relates to God (the Triune God) and to set canonical law. Canonical law includes the determination of what books were incorporated into the Christian Bible (aka the New Testament). So when looked at this way, of course, rich men were involved in determining the direction of Christianity. And it's no secret that Constantine had persons put to death who did not adopt the Nicaean Creed. So, in a nutshell and based on consequent controversies within the institutionalized church, RICH MEN did indeed determine what would be in the bible and how the church would progress through time.
Keep in mind, this is a very, very, very brief outline of how these books were included. If I was a Historian with more scholarly background, then I would divulge a little more. I have more opinions in this matter, and from spending about four years of my life denying the existence of God and studying the texts and background of Christianity along with other religions, I think I have formulated those opinions pretty solidly. Religion is a difficult subject to approach and therefore I believe my studies will continue as I continue to grow in my faith and in my life. I will continually ask questions because as a human being, who has been given free-will, I believe God has given me that choice.
Yesterday, Joe had me read
Luke 17:11-19. The story goes a little like this: Jesus was approaching Galilee from Samaria. On the road he was met by ten lepers. When the lepers realized it was Jesus, who they knew could heal, they asked him for His help. Jesus told them to go to the Temple and they would be healed. Along the way to Galilee, they were indeed healed. Nine of them continued on to the Temple to rejoin society, but
one of the lepers, realizing his healing, returned to Jesus, knelt before him and acknowledged that the God of Jesus was the only God.
Joe's sermon was about the outcast and how even the simplest of people can get the message. However, he started his sermon by talking about the Institutionalized Church which in all honesty captivated me more. He said that sometimes it hurts to hear that because he is young, that he should have ideas on how to increase membership in congregations because local churches are dying. In his opinion, raising attendance numbers is not his calling. His calling is to relay the message of Christ and to remind us that Faith in Jesus is the Universal church. Our duty is to create more disciples of Christ, not to increase numbers of local congregations. And for the first time I totally got the point. Last night as I tried to watch a documentary about the Lost Gospels, it occurred to me that since the Council of Nicaea we have lost that inherit faith in Jesus. Through the doctrines set by Christian denominations, we see the "church" as trying to make us live our lives a certain way. Then we see those leaders who have set those doctrines not following them. We get a little confused as to what the church really is. They become institutions and we all know, institutions almost always become corrupt. Government and schools are prime examples of this.
The leper who returned got that message. The nine others, didn't. To them being a part of God's Kingdom was being a part of the larger Jewish community where they would be recognized as clean and able to come back into God's good graces. For them, their faith lie in the foundation of the Institution, not in their faith that the Lord would heal them. The one leper, who was a Samaritan, a non-believer in God, an outcast from society;
GOT IT. He didn't need the institution of the church to become part of the eternal Kingdom of God. He understood that it was faith in God alone that would bring him into it. And Jesus acknowledged his faith, "
your faith has healed and saved you." The leper didn't need the priests to cleanse him, he had been cleansed by the Lord himself. He was faithful in God's love and power...and that's how he got it.
So it sounds like I'm saying going to Church every Sunday is inherently against Jesus' message here.
Hold the phone! Church can very much be a loving community, one where our faith in the Universal church, the Church of Jesus can be studied and shared. Where our faith can increase and touch the lives of others who may have lost the message in the translation. In my church I feel the love of God around all of us. Most everyone is accepting of each other and wanting to increase each other's faith. Not many are concerned with what the official Methodist "doctrine" and rules dictate. We are there to share our faith in the Lord with each other. That faith far outweighs the controversy of religious corruption. Personally I don't really care who wrote what or who included what. The messages in the Bible, albeit translated and changed to help us understand it, help me look for the deeper truth, and what I consider to be the eternal truth of God.
In all things that men (and women) are involved in, there will be corruption. There will be controversy. Not all of us will get the message that the leper got, but many of us are willing to give it shot.
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