The Doctrines and Practices of the Church

 Church Symbols

      The many questions about the integrity of the church extend well beyond its less than divinely inspired origins.  The very appearance the church presents to public has its origin in the same manmade and pagan inspired concepts as the foundations upon which it was established.

The Church Building
      The very existence of a building for sole purpose of weekly worship is without scriptural foundation, nor is the practice of weekly worship itself.  The weekly practice of keeping the Sabbath, the last day of the week, as a day of rest is biblical, but gathering together to worship on any day is not.  This practice was instituted by the Emperor Constantine when he actually outlawed the practice of resting on the Sabbath.  This will be discussed further in this chapter in “The Holy Days”

The Church Steeple
      The presence of steeples on top of church buildings is the classic testament to the pagan origins of virtually every aspect of the church.  The Bible specifically condemns having such things anywhere near any area where there is an altar to the real God, and certainly any Ch4ristian would consider a church as such. 
♦  Deuteronomy 16: 21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
      The word grove is taken from ammuwd, pronounced am-mood'; a column (as standing) and tree comes from ets, pronounced ates; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood.  This is speaking to ancient custom of erecting wooden columns at pagan worship sites.  This edict is repeated here:
♦  Leviticus 26:1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the Lord your God.

The Cross
      The cross has similar origins in ancient worship, and history shows that the cross was in use centuries before Christ. In the British Museum is a statue of the Assyrian king Samsi-Vul, son of Shalmaneser with an almost perfect Maltese cross around his neck and a similar cross on an accompanying figure of Ashur-nasir-pal.  The ancient Greek goddess Diana is pictured with a cross over her head, in much the same way the "Virgin Mary" is represented by many medieval artists. Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, is often pictured wearing a headdress adorned with crosses. Different types of crosses were used in the Mesoamerican cultures centuries before the Europeans arrived and he Egyptians and Hindus used cross symbols in abundance. There is absolutely no evidence that God's true Church ever used the cross symbol for any purpose. Nowhere does the Bible command its use and archaeologists have not found any Christian use of the symbol before that time.  The Christian use of the cross did not begin until the time of Constantine, over three centuries after Christ when, after claiming to have a vision of a cross in a dream, the cross was adopted by Constantine to be the prime Christian symbol. "Thus the Labarum (the cross) took its origin, and under this glorious banner Constantine overcame his adversary near the Milvian Bridge, on 28 October, 312" (The Catholic Encyclopedia) The cross therefore became an Easter icon at the Council of Nicaea, in A.D. 325, when Constantine decreed that the Cross was the symbol of the Crucifixion and the official symbol of Christianity. 

The Tithe

The Church View:
      Ten percent of your income should be given to the church to be spent as the church decides. Some churches exact a second tithe, which is used to support a festival or conference each year for a total of 20 percent. Others exact a third tithe for the poor, which is spent as the church decides for a total of 30 percent.

The Bible View:
      Ten percent of your food yield should be saved and used for a feast and converted into money for a spending spree each year. Every third year you must take ten percent of your food yield and feed the priests and the poor. If the church was a tabernacle, which it isn't, and ministers were priests, who they aren't, and were performing the duties clearly laid out in scripture, which they don't, all they could legally receive according to scripture is ten percent of your income every three years and that must also be used to feed the needy.

·  The tithe is one tenth of the agricultural yield that is taken to a designated site to be consumed and used for a general spending spree each year. Every third year the tithe is used to provide food for the priests and all those in need.
·  There is no indication whether the gift tithe is an extra ten percent or just designated for a different purpose every three years. The tithing law is found in the Book of Deuteronomy:

·  The tithe is one tenth of the agricultural yield.
♦  Deuteronomy 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

·  The tithe is to be brought to a designated place and consumed or converted into money and spent as one desires.
♦  Deuteronomy 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. 24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: 25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: 26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

·  Every third year a tenth of the agricultural increase is to be given to the priests and the poor.
♦  Deuteronomy 14:27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: 29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
·  Deuteronomy 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

·  The tithe is to be used to feed the priests, travelers, and the poor at the tither’s home. There is no place in the Bible stating that ten percent of your income should be given for any kind of religious purpose every year other than a feast and any doctrines or practices that demand such funds are committing extortion if they attempt to justify this with scripture. These are the other verses in the Bible dealing with the tithe:

·  Tithe is of agricultural origin.
♦  Leviticus 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

·  Tithe rules for priests.
♦  Numbers 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.

·  Rules for eating the tithe.
♦  Deuteronomy12:17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: 18 But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

·  Tithes to priests.
♦  2 Chronicles 31:4 Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD. 5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. 6 And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid them by heaps.
♦  Nehemiah 10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. 38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.
♦  Nehemiah 12:44 And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.
♦  Nehemiah 13:5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.
♦  Nehemiah 13:12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
♦  Hebrews 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: 6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. 7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. 8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. 9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

·  Tithes to priests every three years.
♦  Amos 4:4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

·  Failure to tithe to the priests is a crime.
♦  Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

·  Tithing is not to boast about.
♦  Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
♦  Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
♦  Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.