Arian Catholic
Socio-Political Law
Ecumenical & Ecclesiastical Law,
Folklore & Philosophy
pertaining to the Socio-Political policies of the Church
This page provides details of
policies, rules, traditions and beliefs of the Arian Catholic Church. This is in respect to
Society, Religion, Humanism and Environment.
The Socio-Political policies of the Church are the hardest to
discuss as they are inevitably going to offend one section of the community
or another, and it is not our intention to offend people. However the Arian
Catholic Church
must stand by its Socio-Political beliefs as they form moral and social
guidelines for Arian Catholic Christians and it is the policy of the church to seek
the truth, especially where it has been suppressed to the detriment of
others.
The Soul The
Arian Catholic Church asserts that all sentient living beings have a Soul.
Therefore all humans have a soul and so also do many non-human animals.
Religions that deny that infidels and gentiles have a Soul are potentially dangerous as
they can beget dangerous people who should be trusted with caution as they are
brought up to have no respect or regard for the rights, welfare and lives of those outside
their religion, they regard such outsiders as soulless animals and
therefore feel no moral obligations towards them. 
The Importance of the Family
The Arian Catholic Church advocates the importance of family and
that there is a spiritual as well as a genetic link between the
generations. Because there is a
spiritual link between ourselves, our family and our ancestors, we believe that it is
important to know something of them and of their achievements in life and
to hold respect and gratitude for their lives as every life is
special. The scriptures teach us the importance of
the family, to begin with there is the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis,
from who a family tree can be derived. Then again we are reminded by the
books of Exodus and Deuteronomy that we should honour our mother and
father, according to the Sixth
Commandment (the first Humanist Command)!
Then the Gospels of the New Testament teach us of Jesus Christ’s own
family starting with his own earthly mother and father, Mary and Joseph,
his great uncle Joseph of Arimathea and his cousin John the Baptist.
Looking deeper into the scriptures we can build up a picture of Jesus
Christ’s own Family tree.
The above diagram of the Messianic
Family suggests that Jesus had six cousins, however the Arian Catholic
Church recognises that the language used in the scriptures was specific to
“brothers” (or half brothers) NOT cousins. Therefore Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon
and
Judas (not to be confused with the Apostles), and at least two
sisters. See Matthew
13:55-6 and Mark 6:3-4.
Matthew
13:55: “Isn’t
this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? And aren’t
his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?” 13:56 “And
aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where did he get all this?”
The fact that the Bible teaches us about the relationships
and the love between family members and describes lines of descent,
teaches the sanctity of marriage and gives us a Commandment to honour our
parents, it is testimony to the sanctity of the family and how we should
learn about our own family and about the lives of those who went before
us. The Arian Catholic Church actively encourages Genealogical
research. Each member of the church can add their family to the church’s
family tree and then over the years and generations the church’s family
tree will grow and future generations will be
able to further the research to add more people to the tree and celebrate
their lives.  God created man in his own image, which means
that there was a driving force behind man’s evolution, making the miracles
of conception, birth and the human body all the more sacred. Other
miracles of Biological Science, i.e. genetics are therefore also
significant, such as the intactness of the Y chromosome that is only passed from
father to son; And the intactness of the Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) that is
only passed from a Mother to her children; with only slight changes over
the centuries. For example, generally, we all possess the same mDNA
of our perpetual Maternal Great great great Grandmother, and all men
posses the same Y chromosome of their perpetual Paternal Great great great
Grandfather, and so on. These lines of people shared with us a Biological
trait that was unique to the bloodline irrespective of family name and
this of course is combined with a spiritual link between the generations.
Theoretically each person whom has had children is potentially the
progenitor of thousands or even millions of future people. Looking at this
going backwards in time, about 1,000 years ago the population of Britain
was just over 1,000,000 people. Yet over a thousand years there are
roughly forty generations (i.e. averaging four per century) which also equates to 8
x 1023 theoretical ancestors; which means that there are more
theoretical ancestors than there were people in Britain a thousand years
ago due to the integration that has occurred in the National gene pool. Obviously over the centuries
cousins and distant cousins have married, although by this it can be asserted that most of the
people in Britain a thousand years ago are the ancestors of most of the
indigenous people in Britain today. This applies also to remote villages
with isolated gene pools as it only takes one stranger to join the
community to link the national gene pool, and therefore every Briton
theoretically has Royal blood and according to the descent from Joseph of
Arimathea, every Briton theoretically has a descent from Jesus Christ’s
Great Uncle!
Every life is special and knowledge of
one’s family and its descent is sacred, is a privilege and gives us our
identity. The Arian Catholic Church
therefore believes that every person has the right to be remembered and
the right to know their ancestors. As
well as extended family trees and total descents the perpetual Maternal
and Paternal lines of descent are of particular interest, the former being
the most difficult of all to research. For help with family history
research try: www.myfamily.com
Genetic Engineering and Cloning Genetic
Engineering promises to help cure diseases and illnesses, and to improve
our food and produce varieties of vegetables less prone to insect attack
and disease. Genetic Engineering could ultimately offer us blood, skin and
internal organs that are an exact match to our own. But the Arian Catholic Church
opposes the use of live human embryos for genetic research. We believe
that the human body has a soul that is associated with it from the moment
of conception (the initial spark of life), there is a basic nervous system in place by the fourth week of
gestation
and there is evidence to suggest that there is some degree of sentience in
the human embryo as early as the ninth week. Therefore the human body is
special, even at the embryonic stage, and the soul is sacred. It is wrong
to interfere with the natural evolution of humans and the artificial
modification and cloning of human DNA in a living Embryo, Zygote or Gamete
is an abomination before God. Interfering with the natural course of life
on Earth is going against the will of God and can only result in
disaster. The Arian Catholic church is not opposed to the type
of Genetic Engineering that does not affect the human Embryo, Zygote or
Gamete and which will help in curing diseases and illnesses without
compromising the integrity and purity of the human genetic code that can
be passed on to the next generation and without causing other health or
environmental problems. However trials of genetically modified crops have
released into the atmosphere huge quantities of pollens carrying
artificially modified DNA that can travel for thousands of miles across
the world. This has seriously threatened the genetic integrity and purity
of these species of plants around the world that until now have grown
untainted. While the church
supports genetic engineering and research for medical and health purposes it is opposed to
the abuse, cruelty, killing
and artificial modification and cloning of human DNA in a living Embryo,
Zygote or Gamete and the genetic engineering that
threatens the genetic integrity and purity of the world’s natural plants and
animals.
Self
Defence Thou shalt not kill The
Seventh Commandment states: “Thou
shalt not kill”. The Arian Catholic church recognises that this Commandment
applies to one’s self as well as to others, i.e. you must not kill
yourself nor allow yourself to be killed. Furthermore as killing is doing
harm then it is also a sin to harm others as well as yourself, and being
in a position to prevent someone from being harmed yet doing nothing to
try to prevent it is as bad as
committing the sin yourself. Not only must we not kill, but we must
not harm and we all have a responsibility to protect and care for
ourselves (This also applies to taking care of our health and fitness). If
a person decides to commit the sin of killing (murder) the victim has a
responsibility to protect him or herself and also to try not to harm their
attacker, however it may not be possible to defend one’s self without
causing harm to the attacker and this could involve killing the attacker.
The victim has to consider that if their attacker is already committing
the sin of attempting to kill, he or she is also disregarding their own
safety as it is likely to cause the victim to respond defensively. Being in a
situation where you must either kill or be killed, the defender must
protect him or her self and the attacker is effectively risking
suicide by attacking someone who could be capable of defending him
or her self. Clearly in this situation the victim must choose the lesser
of two evils, i.e. to kill their attempted killer rather than allow
themselves to be killed (if such an action was unavoidable and reasonable
force was used!). NB To die
trying to defend one’s self is honourable and could leave the killer
scarred or incapacitated, which could provide evidence for the authorities
to seal a conviction for murder. Also there is always the chance that an
attacker may be a coward and may flee if their intended victim
unexpectedly retaliates. Therefore: “You must not, by
action or omission of action, kill or harm or allow to be killed or
harmed, either yourself or another person unless unavoidable in self
defence using reasonable force against a person who was attempting to kill.”
Turn the other cheek In
the Book of Matthew 5:38-42 (NKJV)
Jesus teaches:
38 “You have heard that it was said,
‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”
Note
that at the time of Jesus, striking someone deemed to be of a lower
class with the back of the hand was used to assert authority and
dominance. Thus by turning the other
cheek the persecuted is in effect demanding equality. Further, by handing
over one’s cloak in addition to
one’s tunic, the debtor has essentially
given the shirt off their back, a situation directly forbidden by Jewish
Law as stated in Deuteronomy
24: 10-13:
“When you make your neighbour a loan
of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. You shall
remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the
pledge out to you. If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his
pledge. When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him,
that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness
for you before the LORD your God.”
This passage is often miss-understood by pacifists.
By
giving the lender the cloak as well the debtor was reduced to nakedness.
Public nudity was viewed as bringing shame on the viewer, not the naked,
as evidenced in Genesis
9: 20-27:
“Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He
planted a vineyard; and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay
uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of
his father, and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took
a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and
covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and
they did not see their father’s nakedness.”
Jesus attacks men who cheat in the temple of
Jerusalem
John 2:13-25:
The Bible mentions two times when Jesus went to the Temple of Jerusalem
for the Passover.
One area in the
Temple was called “The Court of the Gentiles”. (Gentiles are
people who are not Jews. The Jews did not allow them to enter the rest of
the Temple.) The court of the Gentiles was outside the main part of the
Temple. Only Jews could enter the other parts of the Temple. Many people
came a long way to worship. The people with authority provided birds and
animals for sacrifice. People could not bring their own birds and animals.
In the court of the Gentiles there were tables. People could change their
own money into the special Temple money there. They needed special Temple
money to buy these things, they needed special Temple money to give. But
the people who worked at these tables were evil.
Jesus was angry, he
made a whip and chased out all the people who worked at the tables. He
said, “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market” (John
2:16). He sent away those who cheated people. We call this the “Cleansing
of the Temple”.
Jesus did this again in the week before his death. At that time, he said
these words, they explain what he did:
Matthew
21:13: Jesus said to them, “God says, ‘My house is to be
a house of prayer’. You are making it a ‘place for thieves’.”
(See Isaiah 56:7)
Jesus called
these men “thieves” because they were not honest. This behaviour was
terrible. These men worked in a holy place, but, even there, they were
cheating other people. Old records show us how much men cheated at the
Temple tables, Isaiah and the prophets spoke about this and Jesus was very
angry about it. We believe that Jesus had nothing but love for all people, however here we
learn about another part of his character. Jesus did nothing wrong, it was
sin that he hated.
There
could be nothing good for people at the Temple when bad things happened
there. Jesus was very angry three times. Twice it was when bad people used
the Temple in the wrong way. What the prophet Malachi had said now came
true.
Malachi
3:1-3: I will send my servant. He will prepare people for me.
You are looking for the Lord. He will come suddenly to his temple. You
want him to come and he will come. He will explain God’s covenant,
says the Lord. But what an experience this will be! Nobody can stand
when he appears. For he will make everything clean. He will be like a
man who melts silver, to make it perfect. He will make the Levites
perfect like that. [The Levites were the men who looked after the
Temple.] Then the Lord will have men who offer perfect sacrifices to
him.
Defiance of Evil While the
Arian Catholic Church does not advocate violence it recognises everyone’s
right to self defence. We can see that both the Old and the New Testaments
are teaching us that we should not tolerate humiliation nor evil
behaviour. Arian Catholics are akin to Knights because we have the
courage to question the practices of the so-called mainstream churches and
stand by our beliefs in the face of those who would try to silence us to
maintain their comfortable positions of power at the expense of others.
Over centuries past, many Arians and similar followers of Arianist ideals
have suffered humiliation, persecution and execution at the hands of
people who fear them. Arians shall not tolerate evil behaviour especially
by those who use Religion to try to cheat people. It is our holy right and
obligation to protect ourselves and demand equality by challenging the
authority of those who try to assert their authority over us.
Article
on Self Defence
by Mt. Rev. Dr. B.B. Michael John Mackenzie-Hanson
B.A.(Hons), D.D., acOSB
Primate Archbishop
The
verse in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 “Thou shalt not kill”
is our prime directive in relation to war, violence and self defence;
however it also works both ways, because it is just as wrong to kill
yourself as it is to do nothing when attacked by a killer!
-
We
believe in self defence and the right to use reasonable force to
defend oneself, loved ones and property.
-
If
there was a great evil threatening to wipe us out or enslave us then
there is justification for joining the armed forces, but if we are
being called to fight for a President’s reputation, take control of
someone’s oil wells or suppress a minority group from speaking the
truth then NO! Sometimes it is necessary to fight to protect that
which is Holy, Right and Good!
-
We
hate all forms of war, when war breaks out it is usually as the result
of either madness, greed or a gross lack of communication. But
unfortunately the Devil will bring war to us, and it would be
negligent not to be prepared (see Luke
22:36 below)! Therefore we acknowledge the need for a Nation to
have Armed Forces. Miss-use of the Armed Forces is a different matter;
however under the Geneva Convention every soldier has the right and
duty to question an unlawful command! In the British Army all Army
Chaplains must first complete their basic soldier training, after
which they are required to undergo regular BFTs (Basic Fitness Tests)
and, as they are Commissioned Officers, are all issued with a personal
fire arm, although most will
refuse to carry them in active service!
-
Under the
United Nations Charter VII, Article 51
states:
“Nothing in the present
Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence
if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United
Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to
maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members
in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately
reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the
authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present
Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order
to maintain or restore international peace and security.”
This
suggests that one has an inherent right of self defence. It is notable
that there is no actual reference in international law specifying self
defence as a right! Such a provision would actually have far reaching
political implications. However most governments do recognise an
individual’s right to use reasonable force to defend themselves
against unlawful attack; this includes killing if it is believed that
one’s life is in danger. Also to even threaten someone’s life can be
regarded as a form of assault! It would of course depend on the
circumstances as to whether or not it was acceptable to throw the first
punch! Generally it is not necessary to throw the first punch and
therefore not acceptable; however can you think of a scenario where
throwing the first punch could be justified? If an opponent has a weapon
and is about to use it then the life threatening “first strike” by
way of assault has already been made, and it is then justified to act
pre-emptively in self defence.
Martial
Arts and Oaths of Non-Violence
I
would recommend anyone to join a bona fide self defence course, in
addition to self confidence it also keeps your body in good condition,
teaches self discipline and control and teaches techniques to avoid
confrontation. When I was a teenager I joined a Zen-Buddhist dojo (Zen
Budo Kai Martial Arts Academy – although I never converted to Zen
Buddhism) and trained up to the grade of first Dan black belt (sempai) in
the Martial Art of Bujinkai, this is a combination of Wado Ryu Karate and
Praying Mantis Kung Fu; I continued my training during my years at
University and in the Royal Military Police; although it is now several
years since I have trained in self defence, it does stay with you!
However
during my ordination as a Bishop I vowed not to be given to fighting and
not to be a brawler. Furthermore as a Lay Oblate in the Arian Catholic
Order of St Benedict I have also taken an Oath that includes non-violence.
Yet all these refer to offensive actions not defensive actions. Many
Christians have died throughout history because they have literally turned
the other cheek when under attack! Let’s look at that passage…
Jesus
teaches us to stand our ground
In
Matthew 5:38-42 (Luke 6:27-31) (NKJV) Jesus teaches:
Matthew
5:38
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But
whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your
cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with
him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to
borrow from you do not turn away.”
“Luke
6:31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them
likewise.”
At
first glance this is appears to be teaching passiveness, but look again in
the context with which it was written. Jesus addresses four areas,
physical attacks (v. 39), legal suits (v. 40), government
demands (v. 41), and financial requests (v. 42). 2000 years
ago in Hebrew culture to strike someone across their face was a way to
assert dominance over someone lower in status than you, however to refuse
to back down and offer the other cheek was a way of asserting equality by
intimidating the striker and effectively saying “you can strike me all
you want but I’m not backing down!” Here we are being told not to
strike back but to stand our ground and assert equality with our
opponents. The striker is left embarrassed as he has lowered himself and
made himself look foolish in public! By giving the lender the cloak as
well the debtor was reduced to nakedness; public nudity was viewed as
bringing shame on the viewer, not the naked. The Romans had laws of
Compulsion and Impressment where they could press anyone into their
service to carry a load as far as one mile. Matthew records a Roman
officer doing this to Simon of Cyrene in 27:32.
Respecting the law with over enthusiasm gives the authorities no cause to
arrest you, but may also be intimidating to them! Christ was talking about
putting the shame onto the other person who is abusing you, and NOT
teaching passivism!
Our
Father is NOT a Pacifist God
There
are numerous references to self defence in the Old and New Testaments, for
example Exodus 22:2-3 (2
If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there
shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. 3 If the sun has risen
on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full
restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.)
is suggesting that lethal force can be used against an unrecognised
attacker in a potentially life-threatening situation but not to kill in
non-life-threatening circumstances as in this example during daylight the
thief can be recognised and apprehended;
1
Samuel 25:13 (13
Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every
man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about
four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the
supplies.) gives us an example of David, when he avoided capture in
the wilderness, telling his men to arm themselves and arming himself, the
Israelite army was a militia army which came to battle with each man
bearing his own weapons-from the time of Moses as in Numbers 31:3 (3
So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for war,
and let them go against the Midianites to take vengeance for the Lord on
Midian.);
Judges
5:8 describes what happens when warnings are not heeded and a foolish nation
chooses to disarm (8 They
chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or
spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.), the people had
rebelled against God and put away their weapons of self defence which left
them all vulnerable when war came, in Psalms 144:1 (1
Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my
fingers for battle) David writes that it is not a pacifist God that
we serve, Proverbs 25:26 (26
A righteous man who falters
before the wicked Is like a murky spring and a polluted well.)
reiterates the need to be confident and assertive in the face of
wickedness;
Nehemiah
4:17-18 (17
Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded
themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the
other held a weapon. 18 Every one of the builders had his sword
girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was
beside me.) tells us that the workers were prepared to defend
themselves as they re-built the walls of Jerusalem, and 1 Timothy 5:8 a duty to provide for one’s family and home includes
protection (8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of
his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.).
The
Cleansing of the Temple
Also
in Matthew 21:12-13 (Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46
and John 2:13-25), Jesus
himself becomes angry, he makes a whip and uses it to chase out the
“thieves” who were cheating people at the temple. Jesus uses force to
defend his Father’s house!
Jesus
commands his disciples to arm themselves
In
Luke 22:36 (36
Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it,
and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment
and buy one.) Jesus anticipates an attack from the servants of the
High Priest and tells his disciples to prepare and arm themselves. Clearly
most disciples either owned or had access to a sword and were ready to
take up arms when needed.
Matthew
26:52-54 (52
But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take
the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I
cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve
legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be
fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”) teaches how Jesus
responded when Peter used his sword to cut off the ear of a servant of the
high priest. Jesus told Peter he would be committing suicide to choose a
fight in this situation – as well as undermining God’s plan to allow
Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection.
Jesus
told Peter to put his sword in its place – at his side. He didn’t say
throw it away. After all, he had just ordered the disciples to arm
themselves (Luke 22:36). The reason for the arms was obviously to protect the
lives of the disciples, not the life of the Christ. What Jesus was saying
was: “Peter, now is not the right time for a fight.” Christ could have
saved His life, but his message of salvation to the people would have been
lost. These things only became clear to the disciples after Christ had
died, his spirit raised from the dead and the Holy Spirit had come into
the world at Pentecost (see John
14:26).
Saint
Michael the
Archangel
Revelation
12:7 (7
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the
dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,) shows us that
sometimes we all have to fight to protect ourselves, our loved ones and
for what is sacred and true!
The
Parable of the Good Samaritan
WE
should be good neighbours!
Luke 10:29-37 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said
to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”
30
Then Jesus answered and said: “A
certain man went down from
Jerusalem
to
Jericho
, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him,
and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now
by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he
passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise
a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on
the other side. 33 But
a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw
him, he had compassion. 34 So
he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine;
and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of
him. 35 On
the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them
to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever more you
spend, when I come again, I will repay you. 36 So
which of these three do you think was a neighbour to him who fell among
the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy
on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go
and do likewise.”
The
central issue concerning this parable is not who the Good Neighbour is but
about being a Good Neighbour to everyone. Part
of the beauty of the story of the Good Samaritan is the reversal of
stereotypes. The priest and Levite traditionally would have been the “good
guys.” The Samaritan would
have been a “bad guy,” a person who compromised in religious matters.
However, the Samaritan knew how to treat his neighbour. The neighbour here
was not someone the Samaritan knew or even someone of the same race, just
someone in need. Jesus was teaching us to be a good neighbour in all
aspects of our lives, not just to lend the lawn mower to the people next
door from time to time but to be ready to be there for our fellow man,
this should include protecting the vulnerable in our communities and being
mindful of the welfare of others.
Conclusion
Having
served in the British Army for three years I am at ease with the idea of
military service and I feel that it is an invaluable experience for young
people, teaching trades, life and social skills and character building.
Yes I believe we have a responsibility to defend ourselves and protect our
loved ones, homes and all that we hold sacred (Nehemiah 4:17-18, 1 Timothy
5:8). But at the same time we must be merciful, we must not be the
aggressor and nor put at risk what is precious and sacred.
In Matthew 7:6 (6
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before
swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in
pieces.) we are taught not to put at risk those things that we hold
sacred and precious before the enemies of the Church (the pigs and dogs).
Killing cannot be justified (Exodus 20:13), Mosaic Law teaches us this,
unless unavoidable by accident or by the unavoidable consequence of self
defence against an attacker’s actions (Exodus 22:2); this is comparable
with the use of reasonable force in self defence, and joining the armed
forces on this basis is therefore justified, although some roles in the
army require soldiers to be ruthless and to kill enemy soldiers in cold
blood in order to achieve an objective (1 Samuel 25:13); ultimately the
objective is to prevent evil from prevailing and protect one’s country
and people (Psalms 144:1), such things become a matter of the
individual’s own conscience.
Our
Father loves everyone in the world, good and evil, he affords them all
equal opportunities for redemption; we must respect this and afford love
even for our enemies (Matthew 5:45). However not only must we regard all
others as equals but also assert our own equality with them (Matthew
5:38-42).
[By
Mt. Rev. Dr. B.B. Michael John Mackenzie-Hanson B.A.(Hons), D.D., acOSB;
Primate Archbishop]
Anti-Semitism and
the Holocaust The term “Holocaust” has been abused and
according to the scriptures it has not happened yet; please note this is
by no means an anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish statement! The Arian Catholic Church
acknowledges that the Jewish people have suffered persecution throughout
the world and through history, witnessing attempts at ethnic cleansing by
the Romans in 70 AD and 135 AD, and by the Nazi’s during 1933-45. Also
being persecuted by the Roman Catholic church, during the crusades of
1095-1291, by the English at York in 1190, by the Spanish Inquisition
between 1300-1530 and in Germany, France, Austria and Hungary at the end
of the 19th century. The Roman Catholic church has been responsible for a great deal of Anti-Semitism and venerates many anti-Semitic saints such as John
Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of
Constantinople (c.347 to 407 AD), who wrote eight Homilies: “Against the
Jews”; he is however credited with a great many theological literary
works and is viewed only as a post-Nicene regional saint of Rome.
The Arian Catholic Church stands opposed to Anti-Semitism and maintains a
close relationship with Judaism, in particular Messianic Judaism and
Nasoreanism; most of genuine Christian theology has its basis in the
Hebrew scriptures and culture, which Jesus the Messiah clarified its
interpretation and implementation. We believe that Messianic Jews and
Gentiles who follow the true teachings and doctrines of the Messiah will
find salvation. The Haskalah and
the anti-Semitic reaction
Following the
political effects of the Haskalah in the 18th and 19th centuries the Jewish enlightenment movement, under the influence of Moses
Mendelssohn, which aimed to integrate Jews into Western European society (for example by the use of
German language, instead of Yiddish, and by emphasizing secular intellectualism rather than religious
learning), there began a political Anti-Semitic backlash particularly in
France and Germany during the late 19th century, the followers of
Anti-Semitism based their opposition not on the Jewish religion but on what they considered the Jewish race: the Semites. Political parties were formed in such countries as Germany, France, Austria, and Hungary to keep Jews from occupying positions of
eminence. An Austrian writer named Theodor Herzl, knew that the only solution to the problem of anti-Semitism was a Jewish national state. In 1896 Herzl became the founder of political Zionism. For the next
52 years the Zionist organization fought and planned to achieve its ambition, finally realized in the state of
Israel in 1948. Propaganda
and the Casualty of Truth
The fact that
atrocities occurred to the Jews in Europe in the build up to and during the 2nd World War,
including: inhumane forced encampment in squalid conditions, denial of basic
medical needs during the outbreak of typhoid in the concentration camps,
forced labour, starving to death and mass genocide, is not disputed and is
held as a disgraceful episode in the history of mankind. Yet it was a
further disappointing episode after such a monstrous campaign of genocide
when untruthful claims were made in an attempt to maximise on propaganda
for personal and political gains, which even have resulted in an extreme
restriction on freedom of speech in Germany and even an outrageous court
case over the numbers killed at Auschwitz, reducing the official figure to
800,000. Yet an estimated 6 million Jews
were still murdered throughout Europe during WWII. Truth became another
casualty of the war which has tarnished our history books! We
must however not forget that horrendous atrocities also occurred to other peoples of
Europe, Russia, Asia and Africa at the same time and also during the 1st
World War when millions of people suffered and died in what are widely
regarded as needless losses of life on an unprecedented scale.
“WWI
Casualties in the land forces amounted to more than 37 million, in addition, close to 10 million deaths among the civilian populations were caused indirectly by the war.
As well as the monstrous programme of extermination, the human cost of
World War II was appalling for most of the belligerents. The USSR lost the most—at least 20 million civilian and military personnel killed—including large numbers of Russian prisoners deliberately starved to death in German prisoner-of-war camps. Poland lost around a fifth of its civilian population. Allied civilian losses were 44 million; Axis losses, 11 million. The military deaths on both sides in Europe numbered 19 million, and in the war against Japan, 6 million (which included a sizeable number of Allied prisoners-of-war starved or tortured to death in Japanese forced-labour camps in Burma and elsewhere). Only the United States was spared any significant civilian losses, with 292,131 military deaths in battle and 115,187 military deaths from other causes.
The highest numbers of deaths and missing among the armed forces of the combatant countries were: USSR 11 million; Germany 3.25 million; Japan 1.7 million; China 1.4 million; Poland 480,000; Romania 360,000; Italy 350,000; United States 300,000; Yugoslavia 300,000; UK 260,000; Hungary 200,000; and France 125,000.”
[Microsoft ® Encarta ® Premium Suite 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.]
Discrimination and
Reverse-Discrimination
In dealing with ant-Semitism we must be careful not to become
anti-German as reverse discrimination is just as wrong! There has been suffering on
all sides, substantiated and unsubstantiated claims against each other on both
sides, but since the war the Truth has been the greater casualty
and in some circles is still being exploited. We
believe that all those involved should search their souls and consider the
pain and damage that has occurred to so many people and Nations, and
contemplate how they are going to justify their actions before God!
[by
Rev. Brian P. R. Lane-Fox (Edited by Archbishop Michael-John)]
Homosexuality
The Bible condemns the act of Homosexuality,
the term used being “sodomy,” many times and is regarded as an
abomination in the eyes of God. However, although homosexuals are regarded
in a derisory manner, the bible doesn’t seem to condemn a person for being
an inactive (celibate) homosexual, and is therefore not
specifically a sin. Modern society now recognises that in some cases
there are biological reasons why a person might have homosexual tendencies.
There have also been occasions where homosexual Clergymen have abused
their position of trust and taken advantage of children. The
Arian Catholic Church’s policy on homosexuality is quite clear: Homosexuality is
abnormal and wrong. The act of Sodomy is an abomination before God. People
whose homosexuality has a Biological cause should seek help to come to terms
with their affliction through counselling, meditation and prayer, if they
so wish. Others’
homosexuality may have a more sociopathic cause, where a man may have
lacked a father-figure in his childhood and a woman, a mother-figure in
her childhood, and in later life they are more vulnerable to the
attentions of a person of the same sex because of their deep rooted need
for a father or mother figure in their lives. These people should be
helped to overcome their condition of mind through counselling, meditation
and prayer, if they so wish. Children and teenagers are most vulnerable to older
homosexual paedophiles taking advantage of them, and therefore must be protected from
such people. The Church condemns practicing homosexuals and is opposed to
the ordination of homosexual clergy. The
Arian Catholic church
believes that a person’s true sex is dictated by their genetic makeup;
i.e. the possession of a “Y” chromosome denotes a male. However a person’s gender and sexuality are ultimately down to the
individuals’ own conscience. The
term “Gay” is an innocent old English word meaning happy,
carefree or brightly coloured, its association with homosexuality is an abuse of the English
Language and although modern interpretations of the word “Gay”
have restricted its use, such definitions are not advocated by the Arian Catholic Church.
Multiculturalism & Cultural Identity
The Church is critical when governments allow mass immigration from third world countries while doing nothing to substantially reduce world poverty, famine and civil conflict, especially as European food mountains are going to waste. This encourages the highly skilled to flee their countries leaving behind a critical shortage of skills while at the same time putting immense
pressure on the population, economy, culture and society of the receiving nations. The
Primate Archbishop has called for fair but strict and intelligent immigration policies and for the world community to jointly take responsibility for dealing with poverty and famine.
It is an inalienable fact that humans have evolved on the
Earth into four principle sub-species and these were distributed primarily
on separate continents. Their differences being the result of evolution
moulded by climate and environment and therefore are physically and
mentally optimised for these environments and climates. As technology
advances communications become easier and faster along with travel. Now
more people than ever, people around the world can travel and migrate to other
parts of the world. However this practice brings danger as diseases,
crime and fortune hunters are also benefitting. Many
governments have in the recent past opened their borders to allow mass
immigration of people into
their countries who are looking for a better quality of life, a policy forced
upon the people of these countries without their consent. Skilled people
from the third world such as Medical Doctors and Engineers are emigrating to
Europe,
especially Britain, leaving these countries desperately short of essentially
skilled people. This has been further proved to be a wrong
move as the ethnic communities throughout Europe have not mixed as was hoped and these countries
are now faced with housing problems, employment problems, pension and
health service problems plus the population living in fear of the mob, drug
dealers, robbers, muggers and rapists on a scale never seen before,
because the economy is buckling under the strain and there are too many immigrants from alien cultures that do not mix
and have vastly different social standards, traditions, religions and customs.
Neither side is willing to blend in with the other and conflicts and divides
have formed in these societies. The new generations are now struggling for
cultural identity as their old cultures seem archaic, oppressive and
unfashionable and other cultures seem too alien to them. This new
pseudo-cultureless generation is now at a loss. A society needs a cultural
identity that is shared by generations of its people; such societies have
respect, tradition and order. The Arian Catholic policy is to promote cultural
identity rather than multiculturalism.
God put the mechanism in place for
the world's continents to form and humanity to
evolve the way it has for very good reasons. Every species and sub-species
has evolved to
suit a particular continent with its own Environment and for humans their
different cultural ways of life, the diversity of life and culture on the
earth is beautiful and should be celebrated not destroyed.
Love
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe,
it can prevent, start and end wars. It should never be taken for granted
or taken advantage of as love is precious. People whose hearts are filled
with love and radiate love and good feelings to God and all around will be
blessed with love and good feeling in return. People in loving
relationships who are not married should be cautious not to confuse love
with lust. Pre-marital sex is a sin and is therefore forbidden by the Arian Catholic Church, lovers who are unmarried are only joined physically. Those
who are married before God are united in spirit. There are practical
reasons for this as loose morals can be responsible for heart-break,
the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases and for causing unwanted pregnancies. A
relationship built on love, honesty and understanding is built on strong
and stable foundations. A relationship build on sex and deceit has no
stable foundations and will probably be dictated by sorrow. Jesus
Christ taught us to love our neighbour, and to love the person but hate
the sin. In this context we mean comradeship and respect for other people,
even those who offend us, as they too have a soul and will be judged!
Contraception
Some forms of contraception are permitted by
the Arian Catholic Church, although premarital sex is forbidden, it is logical to
allow contraception in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and the use
of condoms will
provide additional protection against sexually transmitted diseases.
Preventing conception is not nearly as bad as killing a living embryo. The
Arian Catholic Church forbids the use of Post-Conception
drugs and methods of birth control (e.g. the morning after pill). However,
pre-conception contraceptives are permitted providing they are safe to use
and do not hinder health or cause sterility. This is because the soul is
linked to the body from the moment of Conception, therefore post-conception
contraception is killing a living human. Thou shalt not kill! Surgical
sterilization for the purpose of contraception (e.g. vasectomy and hysterectomy)
is unacceptable to the Arian Catholic Church as it is seldom reversible and is
interfering with the natural design of the human body. There are
exceptions where it may be necessary for health reasons.
Abortion
The Arian Catholic Church forbids abortion unless the child was
conceived as a result of rape or there are conclusive medical reasons why
the abortion should take place, such that would endanger the life of the
mother and seriously endanger the quality of life of the family; e.g.
downs syndrome, spina bifida, etc or a complication that has a very high
risk of killing the mother; However, if the unborn child is healthy,
then every effort must be made to ensure it’s successful birth. The Arian Catholic Church believes that the soul
is linked to the unborn body (the zygote) from the moment of conception
and that there is some degree of sentience by the ninth week of gestation.
Abortion is killing and the seventh Commandment states that thou
shalt not kill. However it should be noted that this Commandment works
both ways as one who allows them self to be killed, or is putting their
family’s lives at great risk, is also breaking this Commandment. There is
therefore a logical responsibility to make decisions based on the impact
of an infant’s death or that of the mother and to decide how detrimental
the effect of the birth of a disabled child would have on the family as a
whole. Celibacy
The Arian Catholic Church asserts that premarital sex is a sin, and
if this involves a person who is already married (before God) to somebody
else then this is also adultery. This is a logical rule as it controls
unwanted pregnancies, controls the spread of diseases and reduces heart-break. Premarital knowledge is purely a physical experience and the couple
are not united in spirit.
Legitimacy and Illegitimacy
Under Arian Catholic Lore, a Son or Daughter is still a Son or
Daughter regardless of whether the father was married to the mother or not. The shame of
illegitimacy is on the parents and not the child. An illegitimate child
can be legitimised either by marriage or by a charter from a Bishop or a
Monarch.
Health, Diet and Self Improvement
 Everyone should strive to better themselves at every
opportunity! This includes academically as well as physically and
spiritually. One should always attempt to further their boundaries of
knowledge and exercise their intelligence, for example, to learn a
trade or skill, to learn to play a musical instrument and to learn another language.
The Bible is clear that we are to take good care of our
bodies:-
1 Timothy 4:8 tells us...
“For bodily exercise profits a little, but
godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that
now is and of that which is to come.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us...
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not
your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Ephesians 5:29 tells us...
“For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes
and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.”
It is essential to keep
one’s own body in good condition, failure to do so can result in premature
illnesses developing with permanent consequences. We are living in an era
where we are expected to out-live many of our children because of the poor
diets they are consuming and inadequate levels of exercise they are
receiving. God has provided us with the ability to obtain an immense variety of
healthy fresh fruit, vegetables and meats to choose from, and man has developed efficient
ways of preparing and cooking food to maximise the utilisation of vitamins
and reduce the amount of salts, sugars and saturated fats; we should all
try to become accustomed to healthier eating and encourage our children to
do the same from the start. We should cut out unhealthy products such as
are high in caffeine, salt, saturated fats, artificial sweeteners (e.g.
aspartame, NutraSweet etc), artificial colours and artificial
preservatives. Food containing Caffeine and artificial ingredients
are to be strongly avoided, as is excessive drinking! Small amounts of alcoholic drinks
such as a glass of red wine with an evening meal can be good for us. But only drink in moderation, never to excess as
this can cause immense damage to health, premature aging and social
problems. NB Those who take a Nazirite vow cannot eat or drink anything
containing the flesh or juice of grapes for the period of their vow! It is important to keep fit and to learn self
defence, this is a policy promoted by the Arian Catholic Church. For example we should always try to opt for the stairs
instead of the lift, try walking to the corner shop instead of taking the
car, try cycling (going by bicycle) to and from work or to the railway
station if possible. Smoking is forbidden at all Arian Catholic events and
locations, the ACC discourages all forms of self abuse including smoking! Don’t entertain so
called recreational drugs or any others unless prescribed by a Doctor.
Take regular exercise and fresh air! Some examples of what we can do to
maintain all-round good health are: to ride a bicycle, engage in a sports activity,
join a Gymnasium and follow a fitness program, join a self defence/martial
arts class, go swimming regularly, take
regular walks, walk the dog often and regularly spend time with your
family on outings. As with most things, take care
to do these things in moderation.
Spiritual improvement can be achieved through a combination of hard work,
family love, meditation and prayer. Learning a Martial Art also conditions
the mind through concentration and meditation, and promotes self control. Meditation can help us to find
solutions to many problems, can help to relieve stress and anger, and to
concentrate on a particular thought by clearing one’s mind of worry, doubt
and other thoughts. Regular meditation combined with prayer can help to
condition one’s mind to be relaxed, calm and controlled, while at the same
time lowering one’s blood pressure and heart rate, which can improve or
maintain good health. Prayer itself can be a form of meditation, airing
your problem, query or request with God can help matters to come into
perspective, and you will find that God listens and responds.
Finally cleanliness might not be next
to Godliness but it comes close! It is important to keep clean for reasons
of personal health, confidence and sociability.
The Nazirite
Vow
The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church
encourages Christians to take a Nazirite vow at least once in their lives.
The Law of the Nazirite
can be found in the book of Numbers 6:1-20.
This can be a good way of focussing one’s self to keep to a strict diet,
to attain a level of fitness or for penance, and enables participants to
follow an unusual devotion to God for a fixed period of time, after which
they return to a normal way of life. Please see the entry on the
Liturgical Lore page.
Music
The Arianist culture is very musical. Not only are hymns
sung and psalms and prayers chanted musically but since our ancient ancestors music has been an integral way of life for us. Today
there is a broad selection of music, the Arian Catholic Church supports people
taking an interest in music and becoming musical themselves by singing and
learning to play musical instruments. This is constructive to our way of
life, especially as we promote self improvement by constantly trying to
improve our knowledge or to learn new skills. The Arian Catholic Church is not
opposed to “Rock and Roll” or “Rap” etc and some
churches have bands in their congregation that have their own form of
Christian Rock/Rap music! The Arian Catholic Church does however disapprove of
music that promotes violations of the Commandments.
Superstition, The Occult,
Clairvoyance & Premonition
The Church’s policy on Superstition and the Occult is
that much of this stems from ancient pagan traditions and their
variations. In some cases it can lead to Demonic Worship and therefore the
church’s stance must be to oppose Occultism and discourage Superstition.
The Book of Enoch teaches us the ancient belief of how evil spirits came
to be and how there is an order of angels commissioned to be the Watchers
of people. The Church therefore acknowledges that there can be evil
Spirits or Omens that feed on the souls of the weak and the sceptical.
Only through faith in God can such entities be driven away. In extreme
cases an Exorcism may be necessary but this is not a decision made
lightly, and requires the consultation of Bishops and clergy trained in Exorcism
(NB An article on Exorcism will be available soon). Premonition
is something that must be approached with caution. Evil spirits can elude
people with false prophesy and there is therefore a risk of being led down
a road to hell that is paved with good intentions. However premonition
does feature in the bible and can be a God given gift when associated with
faith in God. In the book of Matthew
22:7 and 24:2, Jesus alludes to the impending destruction of the Jerusalem
temple. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. There have been arguments
concerning when the book of Matthew was written because of this
premonition by Jesus.
Some schools of thought claim that the book must
have been written after 70 A.D. and that these words were put into Christ’s
mouth; this is because they cannot accept that Jesus was clairvoyant.
Other schools of thought try to use this as evidence of Christ’s Divinity.
In
fact, papyri fragments of Matthew 26 known as the Oxford Papyri
have been demonstrated by papyrologist Casten Peter Theide to have been
written before the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. The Oxford
Papyri were found in the same place, Egypt, as other Papyri which are
currently stored in Paris, France. These papyri all use the same style of
lettering in Greek, which means that they are from the same time period,
since Greek writing styles were all specific to certain periods of time. The
Paris papyri contains the date “the year 12 of Nero the lord, Epeieph
30” which in the Gregorian calendar is July 24, 65/66 A.D.
Hence, since the scraps of Matthew are from the same time period as these,
likewise they were written in the 60s A.D. Another piece of historical
evidence which attests to the early date of composition of Matthew comes
from an ironic source: a Jewish parody which treats the Gospel of Matthew
with derision. Obviously the original work must be older than the parody,
so since this story has been dated at about 70 A.D., the Gospel According
to Matthew must of course be even older.
This secures the
authenticity of Christ’s premonition. It is therefore not unreasonable to
suggest that there was nothing malicious, wicked or evil about this
clairvoyance and therefore other people who experience clairvoyance cannot
be labelled as pagans or witches. People who experience premonition should
worship God, take Holy Communion and engage in prayer on a regular basis and seek spiritual
guidance from a Priest.
The Name (number) of
the Beast The
following is an analysis of the passage of Revelation revealing the name
of the beast as something quite familiar in the modern world and which
could not have been interpreted in earlier times.
Revelation 13:11-18, The Beast from the Earth
11
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had
two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12
And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
14 And he deceives those who dwell on the
earth - by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the
name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man:
His number is 666.
Verse 11 speaks of the close relationship between
the beast of the earth and the previous beast that emerged from the sea,
even though their outward appearances are markedly different. The “two
horns like a lamb” in verse 11 is an emblem of Jewish worship and
religious authority and is the only place in the Book of Revelation where “Lamb”
does not refer to Christ. “Spoke like a dragon” probably indicates
that the second beast’s message comes from the dragon (Satan), just as
the first beast took his power and authority from the dragon (see Revelation
13:2). The second beast’s actions described in verse 12 make
it virtually certain that he is the false prophet spoken of in Revelation
16:13; 19:20; 20:10. The “great signs” described in verse
12, such as calling fire from heaven and giving breath and speech to the image of the first beast, are
persuasive; these signs are very similar to those performed by the two witnesses
(see Revelation 11:5, 6). The performance of great signs by the power of Satan is part of the mass deception prophesied by Paul in
2 Thessalonians 2:8, 9. After the preceding description of the tyranny of the beast, an explanatory comment designed to impart wisdom and understanding to the reader is given. The number (the
“name” in verse 17) of the beast is 666; it is also described as the number of a man. The beast is merely a man, not a god, as the signs might suggest. The number 6, just short of 7 (the number of completeness), is intensified as
666 - the number of the most powerful man who is not God. This man’s identity will someday be understood in relation to the number 666. It is a key for identifying the Antichrist.
The number of his name is the name of the beast. In the
Hebrew each number is represented by a letter, and the number 6 is
represented by the equivalent to “w”, therefore the name of the beast,
666 = www; could this also pertain to the World Wide Web?
Anathema of St
Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (Santa - Satan or Saint?)
 Christmas is a time
for setting aside our differences, it is a time for caring, kindness,
compassion and love; and a time for giving. But we should not lose sight
of the real reason for Christmas, that is the celebration of the birth of
Jesus Christ and the beginning of a series of events that would profoundly
affect the whole world for thousands of years, the birth of Christianity.
So who is that rather large man in a red suit that legend has it visits
every child on Christmas night around the world delivering presents and travels through the
air on a sleigh with nine reindeer (Cupid, Blitzen, Prancer, Vixen, Donner,
Dancer, Comet, Dasher and Rudolph)? Where does he come into the Christmas
story? He goes by numerous aliases: St Nicholas, St Nic, Father Christmas
(although the term “Christmas” first occurred in 1038 A.D.),
Santa Claus, Santa, Chris Crindle etc.
Traditionally Santa Claus (His real
name: St Nicholas of Myra) was a
third and fourth century
Bishop of Myra whom
was a very strict man where children were concerned, but is noted for his
generosity. St Nicholas was born around 270-280 A.D. in Myra, in the Roman
Province of Lycia in Asia Minor, he was
ordained as a Bishop while still a very young man, he was imprisoned by
Emperor Diocletian along with many other Christian Clergy and was released
by Emperor Constantine after which he was an avid supporter of Constantine
and the Trinitarian heresy. He is said to have
struck Arius across the face in anger and frustration during the council
of Nicaea in 325 A.D. An act of violence not uncommon among the pro-Roman
members of the Church at the time and a clear display of frustration when unable
to win an argument against Arius (Of course Arius’s philosophy dominated
the Church for fifteen years and continued to be followed by a large
section of Christians for 250 years after Arius’s death and was only
driven underground by the brutal might of the Roman Empire (See the
article: Romanisation of Catholicism)).
St Nicholas’s legend was
elaborated and, particularly since the 1860s, became the mythical Santa and patron saint of children that we
know today. St Nicholas died on 6th December
343 A.D. which is now observed as the optional Feast day of St Nicholas.
In 540 A.D. there was an elaborate Basilica built over his tomb which was
dedicated to the saint. In 987 A.D. he became the Patron Saint of Russia.
See the St Nicholas Centre
and Chronology
of Santa Claus, these give a comprehensive history of St Nicholas
and his legends. There are however some
disturbing aspects of St Nicholas, as his introduction into the theme of
Christmas is quite recent, i.e. since Victorian times (1860s), and does actually
divert attention from the true meaning of Christmas towards covetousness,
greed and gluttony; with people tending to treat Christmas as only a time for
presents and food. His legend has been hijacked by many quarters for
commercial gain, because of this people are losing sight of the true message of
Christmas. In fact the myth of Santa Claus is completely alien and
unnecessary to the story of Christmas! The story of the giving of gifts is
already told through the three wise men who brought Gold, Frankincense and
Myrrh to the crib although the season of Yule-Tide has been a celebrated
pagan time for giving for many thousands of years.
Then there are certain diabolical parallels to consider: e.g. a) early
Bishops did wear red, however that St Nic is
traditionally dressed in red from head to toe is also consistent with the
devil, b) the story of St Nic is predominantly aimed at children and
encourages them to think more about presents than any other aspect of
Christmas, c) the story of St Nic as told to children, though this is an innocent and a supposedly harmless fantasy, is an untruth and teaches
children wrongly that it is: i) acceptable to lie and ii) acceptable to put
covetous, greedy and gluttonous behaviour before Christ at Christmas. It
is also interesting to note that “Santa”
(a name commonly used in the English language for St Nic) is an
acronym of Satan (a name for the devil), also “Saint Nic” bears similarity to
“Old Nic” (another name for the devil). The
Arian Catholic Church therefore concludes that the story of Santa Claus is neither
necessary nor appropriate for the celebration of Christmas and there is a danger that
people could be inadvertently teaching children immoral values at
Christmas time instead of truly Christian values. References and imagery
pertaining to Santa Claus must therefore not feature in any part of the Christmas festival.
The 6th December is recognised as an optional feast day of Saint Nicholas
so that the true story of his life shall be made available and to
acknowledge Arius’s forgiveness, however the Arian Catholic Church anathematizes
Bishop Nicholas (Saint) for his heresy and the corrupt legend that has
become his legacy.
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