Sectarianism

Sectarianism refers to an exclusive, divisive attitude where people prioritize ideologies over relationships with people with different beliefs.

In Mark 9:38 we learn that other people had been facilitating miracles even though they were not followers of Jesus.

When the disciples bring it up, Jesus tells them that it’s fine, nothing to waste your time and energy on because after you have facilitated a miracle you can’t go back, you can’t talk bad about Jesus because those words no longer exist in your heart.

Sectarianism refers to an exclusive, divisive attitude where people prioritize ideologies over relationships with people with different beliefs.

How unfortunate then, that the Catholic Church engaged in sectarian violence when its subjects learned to read via the Gutenberg Bible which was the first book printed using moveable type by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany between 1450 and 1455. 100 years later Martin Luther published his violent anti-semitic treatise “On the Jews and Their Lies” (1543).

In essence, sectarianism is divisive discrimination of people based on differing beliefs. In Mark 9:38-41 Jesus shows no curiosity in how other people were facilitating miracles, just that he’s all for anyone who does.

In Matthew 8:5-13 we learn that a Roman Centurion (in charge of 100 soldiers) ask Jesus to come heal his paralyzed servant. Jesus agrees and then the Centurion decides that all Jesus has to do is speak the healing in the same way that Centurion gives orders! Jesus was blown away because his own people didn’t have faith or didn’t exercise it.

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, all you have to do is ask and you will receive, believe and it will be done for you. I bring it up because I’ve been repeatedly told that Jesus miracles were proof of his divinity. Not only is that contradicted by Mark 9:38-41, but powerfully destroyed by John 14:12-14:

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Greater works than Jesus are possible by him who believes. No other conditions are necessary, just belief.

Conversely, if you don’t believe that, then it’s instantly self-reinforced biologically.

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The Protestant movement broke away from Catholicism's social, economic, and political infrastructure. The Catholic Church retaliated against the protesters; sectarian violence begat sectarian violence and spread across Europe.

Well before that there were various Crusades against Islam by the Latin (Roman Catholic) Church.

Sectarianism is the inverse of the Golden Rule: treat others poorly and steal their health and wealth.

The Catholic Church borrowed the practice of 'simony' from the Pharisees. Instead of atoning for your sins via actions, you can pay to have that done for you. This is where 'sin tax' comes from and it was made lucrative by adding more rules than anyone can rightly grasp. I call that 'legalism', where the letter of the law cannibalizes the spirit of the law. You had tax collecting Rabbis on the prowl to collect taxes for breaking rules you never knew about.

That's how morality and obedience to man made rules by self-appointed authorities came to be and exists in almost every form of government today. The various über wealthy foundations collect donations in order to extend their reach to collect more donations at the expense of the health and wealth of the least amongst us. The thinking is that God will take care of them, and if He doesn't then that's on them because we're much more morally virtuous...God has richly rewarded us.

This ties directly into why people no longer believe in miracles: their minds are corrupted by believing the false prophets who appear to be morally virtuous but are in fact the most miserable human beings on the planet. Yes, they are miserable but when they are in public they put on airs of superiority. Just look at their vast wealth!

But Jesus made it clear that the greatest command is to be exercised on the lowest class of people in every society. Jesus healed people for free; the Rabbis simply collected sin tax. Jesus addresses the root cause, which is believing sin is a moral failing. When you believe that, you believe all the wrong things about absolutely everything else. That's because sin is believing the wrong things about yourself that cause you to act against your best interests and thus the interests of others.

The paralytic of Capernaum believed he was paralyzed because the Rabbis taught that bad things happen to people who sin. Pay the tax and see what happens.

Jesus tells him that his sins are forgiven, that is he is forgiven for believing the wrong things about himself, get up and walk. Jesus does that for free! He's cutting into the Pharisees lucrative business that requires people to never know how powerful they are, how powerful it is to be made like God. To be made in God's image means you are a very close copy of God. You didn't create the Universe, but you do co-create your reality. Best way to do that is to love your neighbor as yourself.