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St. Patrick & St. Patrick's Day

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article by Milan Bizic

Who was this Patrick guy, anyway? Known as the patron saint of Ireland, he's an almost mythological figure in the Christian world, with tall tales of his legendary exploits known far and wide.

Theologian and historian James Moffatt said, "So much legend and fiction has been written about him that one is almost led to believe that there were two individuals—the real Patrick and the fictitious Patrick" ( The Church in Scotland , 1882, p. 140).
There are few hard facts about Patrick's life, but we can draw some reasonable conclusions from what we do know.
Patrick is credited with establishing the Roman Catholic Church throughout Ireland. But does history match tradition? Moffatt commented, "He should not be placed where certain historians seem determined to assign him … He was in no way connected with the type of Christianity which developed in Italy" (ibid).
As it turns out, Patrick probably wasn't even Catholic! His belief system was evidently quite different than that of continental Europe.
It's probable that Patrick even honored God's seventh day Sabbath! "It seems to have been customary in the Celtic churches of early times, in Ireland as well as Scotland, to keep Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, as a day of rest from labor" (ibid).
Other historical records and Patrick's own writings reveal him to have been closer to biblical instruction than to traditional Christianity. Part of the Bible's teaching includes rejecting the use of pagan practices in the worship of the true God (Deuteronomy:12:29-32 [29] When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
[30] Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
[31] Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
[32] What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.).
The real Patrick likely wouldn't even have approved of observing his own namesake holiday! This holiday on March 17 was supposedly to commemorate his death, but that date was in fact the time of the Roman Bacchanalia—celebrating the god of wine and partying. It seems the pagan party goes on in another guise. Bear that in mind when March 17 comes around. Forget the leprechauns, and put God first!
Read the related article "Do You Feel Lucky Today? "

Inherent Beliefs

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Inherent Beliefs

by Whitney Creech


One of the most important things I’ve learned in my three years of marriage is that everyone has grown up learning different ways to do daily tasks: washing the dishes, doing the laundry, folding clothes, etc. I had to learn that my husband’s way of folding a t-shirt is just as effective as mine. In fact, his way actually saved some time. So I put my pride aside and quickly learned a more effective way to get laundry done. This is a simple example of how learning something new can actually be good, even though it’s not the way I was raised.



When it’s simply a difference in how our t-shirts are folded, changes don’t seem that big of a deal. However, there are things we might have been taught growing up that could potentially keep us from personal growth. This concept occurred to me as viewers have been calling in to the front desk here at UCG after seeing the recent Beyond Today episode “Has Religion Lied to You?”, which challenges the doctrine of the Trinity. Are we afraid to look at the hard questions that come up when they question our long-held beliefs?



The book Is God a Trinity? states, “Most people assume that everything that bears the label ‘Christian’ must have originated with Jesus Christ and His early followers. But this is definitely not the case. All we have to do is look at the words of Jesus Christ and His apostles to see that this is clearly not true” (page 11) . It’s difficult to realize that what we have learned from our parents, society, or mainstream Christian churches might not be what the Bible actually teaches. Are we willing to start proving what we believe from the Bible?



I’ve learned over the past couple of weeks that the answer is sometimes no. When some start to see that the Bible does not support ideas that they’ve grown up with, such as the celebration of Easter, or the belief in the Trinity, I’ve been confronted with statements like, “I’m not comfortable going against what I’ve always been taught” or “I don’t want to become more confused by adding in a different idea that goes against what I think.” I realize this isn’t easy. I realize it takes a lot of faith and perseverance to find the truth.



2 Timothy 3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:



See All... says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” This says scripture is profitable for correction when what we’ve always been taught goes against what the Bible teaches. When we read a verse that points out a flaw in our behavior, attitude or something we’ve learned, do we read over it or take time to look into how we might need to change?



Personal growth can only come from realizing the flaws in ourselves or our beliefs and making a commitment to becoming more like Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ.” In order to have the same mind of Christ, we need to allow God’s Spirit to work in us to make the changes in our lives and overcome the fear of personal evaluation.







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'The LORD Our God Is One'

From http://www.el-paso.ucg.org/

'The LORD Our God Is One'
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!" This simple declaration by Moses in Deuteronomy 6:4 has caused considerable consternation to many who try to understand who and what God is.
Reading here that God is one, most Jews for centuries have ruled out the possibility that Jesus of Nazareth could be the Son of God, on the same divine plane as God the Father.
Early Catholic theologians, reading the same verse, struggled to formulate in the doctrine of the Trinity a God consisting of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who were all distinct persons yet at the same time a single triune God.
How, then, should we understand this verse?
One of the primary principles for understanding the Bible is that we must consider all the scriptures on a subject. Only then will we come to a complete and accurate understanding of the matter.
Other biblical passages clearly tell us that two distinct individuals, the Father and Jesus Christ the Son, are both God (Hebrews 1:8; John 1:1, 14). Therefore we should consider whether this verse is commenting on the numerical oneness of God, or something else entirely.
The Hebrew word translated "one" in Deuteronomy 6:4 is echad. Its meanings include the number one, but also such associated meanings as "one and the same," "as one man, together [unified]," "each, every," "one after another" and "first [in sequence or importance]" (Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1951, p. 25). It can also be rendered "alone," as the NRSV translates it here (William Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 1972, p. 9). The exact meaning is best determined by context.
In this case, several interpretations could be both grammatically correct and consistent with other biblical statements.
In Deuteronomy 6:4 Moses may have simply been telling the Israelites that the true God, their God, was to be first—the highest priority—in their hearts and minds. The young nation had risen from slavery in a culture in which the Egyptians deified many gods, and they were poised to enter a land whose inhabitants were steeped in worship of many supposed gods and goddesses of fertility, rain, war, journeys, etc. Through Moses, God sternly warned the Israelites of the dangers of abandoning Him to follow other gods.
This interpretation—that God is to be the Israelites' first priority—is strongly supported by the context. In the very next verse Moses continues, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."
This passage is at the heart of a several-chapters-long discussion of the benefits and blessings of wholeheartedly following God and avoiding the idolatrous practices of the people whom they would drive out of the Promised Land. Jesus Himself quoted Deuteronomy 6:4-5 as the "first and great commandment" in the law (Mark 12:28-30; Matthew 22:36-38).
The translation "alone" fits this context as well. That is, the true God was to be Israel's God alone; the Israelites were to have no other.
Another view of this passage is based on the root word from which echad is derived, achad. This word means "to unify" or "go one way or other" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible). In other words, echad can also mean in unity or a group united as one.
In several verses echad clearly has the meaning of more than one person united as a group. In Genesis 11:6 God says of those building the tower of Babel, "Indeed the people are one [echad] . . ." In Genesis 2:24 He says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one [echad] flesh."
When we read of a large group of people being one or a man and wife becoming one flesh in marital union, we understand that multiple individuals are involved. We do not assume that separate individuals, though united in spirit and purpose, have physically merged to become a single being.
God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are clearly of one mind and purpose. Jesus said of His mission, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" and ". . . I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 4:34; 5:30).
Describing Their relationship, Jesus said, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30). Christ prayed that His followers, both then and in the future, would be unified in mind and purpose just as He and the Father were. "I do not pray for these [disciples] alone," He said, "but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us . . ." (John 17:20-21).
No matter which translation we accept—whether "The LORD our God, the LORD is first," "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone," or "The LORD our God, the LORD is one!"—none limits God to a singular Being. And, in light of the scriptures we've seen and others, it is clear that God is a plurality of Beings—a plurality in unity. In other words, God the Father and Jesus the Son form a family perfect in its unity.