Christians Call it “Charity,” but Jesus Called it “Justice”

 The January 2021 issue of our monthly newsletter, Discovering the Bible and Exploring Our Biblical Heritages, in now online:

 

Reconnecting Jesus to His Jewish Culture

and Impacting Our Lives in 2021

 

This is one of the most important newsletters I have written in the past 35 years. It specifically addresses the single most important subject for Christians:

 

Salvation

 

The graphic above provides the answer. If you want to understand it –

 

Click Here and read the newsletter.

 

Which would be more important to Jesus:

People doing acts of justice or believing man-made doctrines about him?

 

How could this “belief change” impact our lives and society:

70% of the American population committed to doing acts of justice?

 

WWJD?

 

Thank you for Exploring Our Biblical Heritages. Please share and discuss it with others.

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

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Three Different Stories About the Ten Commandments in the Bible

 One thing Judaism and Christianity both value is The Ten Commandments. But did you know there are three stories about the Ten Commandments in the Bible -- and they have important differences? Today, I am going to focus on the commandment related to Day Seven.

 

The three stories are found in Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 34:21, and Deuteronomy 5:12-15. Based on our work, we believe the order below reflects the order in which they originally appeared.

 

Six days you shall work, but on the Seventh Day you shall rest;

in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

(Exodus 34:21)

 

The meanings reflected in this version appear to be very straight forward. Notice how the second story expands the commandment.

 

Remember the Shabbat Day, to keep it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the Seventh Day is the Shabbat of Yahweh your God.

In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter,

nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle,

nor your stranger who is within your gates.

For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea,

and all that is in them, and rested the Seventh Day. Therefore,

Yahweh blessed the Shabbat Day and hallowed it.

(Exodus 20:8-11)

 

● In front of the opening words of the first story, we find the words “Remember the Shabbat Day, to keep it holy” in the second story.

 

● After the word “Seventh Day” in the first story, we find, “the Shabbat of Yahweh your God” in the second story.

 

● The second story adds a list of people and animals that are not to work. Be sure to note that “your wife” is not listed.

 

● The second story adds a reason that “Yahweh blessed the Shabbat and hallowed it.

 

For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea,

and all that is in them, and rested the Seventh Day.

 

Now let’s consider the third story.

 

Observe the Shabbat Day, to keep it holy,

as Yahweh your God commanded you.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the Seventh Day is the Shabbat of Yahweh your God.

In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter,

nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox,

nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger

who is within your gates, that your male servant and your

female servant may rest as well as you.

And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt,

and Yahweh your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand

and by an outstretched arm; therefore Yahweh your God commanded

you to keep the Shabbat Day.

(Deuteronomy 5:12-15)

 

When we compare the second and third stories, we find these differences.

 

● The second story opens with “Remember the Shabbat Day,” while the third opens with “Observe the Shabbat Day.”

 

● The third story adds – “Yahweh your God commanded you.”

 

● The third story gives a different reason they are to remember the Shabbat Day – “you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm.”

 

● After that reason, this story repeats -- “Yahweh your God commanded you.”

 

In our opinion the three stories represent three different time periods in which the words were written.

 

● The first story reflects the period at the beginning of the Exodus journey when Moses received the two stone tablets.

 

● The second story reflects the reflects the end of the Exodus journey before the Israelites entered the Promised Land.

 

● The third story reflects the period after the Northern Tribes of Israel had been defeated by the Assyrians, but while the First Temple is still standing in Jerusalem.

 

Keep in mind those are opinions based on our studies, but the differences in the stories are FACTS. They are points that we will explore and discuss in future emails. Thank you for reading this educational email. Please share and discuss it with others.

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

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Are All Scriptures Given By Inspiration of God?

 

2 Timothy has traditionally been viewed as a message from Paul to Timothy. Today, many scholars view it as a document written by followers of Paul about forty-years after he was executed by the Romans.

 

The first part of verse 3:16 has been used by Christian institutions as a “proof-text” to support doctrines about the “inerrancy and infallibility of the Christian Bible:”

 

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God . . . .”

 

Biblical Heritage Explorers know that taking verses out of their immediate contexts can destroy the original meanings of the words.

 

Our first task is to establish the immediate context.

 

It is 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and we find important information about the meaning of “the Scripture” in those verses.

 

● You have known the Holy Scriptures from childhood.

 

● The Holy Scripture are able to make you wise for salvation.

 

● They are given by inspiration of God.

 

● They are profitable for doctrine.

 

● They are profitable for reproof

 

● They are profitable for correction.

 

● They are profitable for instruction in righteousness.

 

● They are given so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

Those statements make the meaning of Holy Scripture important for Christians. I grew up seeing preachers hold their King James Version up as they quoted 2 Timothy 3:16a. I did it myself when I was a pastor! Needless to say, it came as a huge surprise for me to discover I was wrong.

 

“Holy Scripture” is a reference to “Jewish Scriptures.”

No New Testament existed when 2 Timothy was written!

 

With that information I knew I needed to re-examine my beliefs about “salvation, righteousness, and the importance of good work.” I decided to do two things:

 

● See what Jesus said about salvation, righteousness, and good work in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and identify verses from the Jewish Scriptures that he quoted.

 

● Make reading the Jewish Scriptures that Jesus read a top priority in my Bible reading schedule.

 

I would recommend that you consider doing those things too. In addition, read my articles on the canonization of the Tanakh (Jewish Scriptures) and differences between the Tanakh and Christian Old Testaments. Go to the Tours page on the BHC website – Click Here.

 

Thank you for reading this and please share it with someone else.

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

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Welcome to Exploring Our Biblical Heritages 2021

 America has a big problem! How would you like to live in a society with networks of trusted friends and neighbors – with reliable sources of information? We don’t! That sums up the problem. Levels of trust in this country — in our institutions, in our politics, and in one another — are in precipitous decline. Few people consider the media as reliable news sources. The potential consequences of that toxic mix are well-known:

 

When social trust collapses, nations fail.

 

Exploring Biblical Heritages provides a way to deal with both problems. The first step is incorporate the BHC Primary Guideline in your life! It is based on science, not on institutional authority.

 

(1) My Belief System will be large enough to include all facts.

 

● Each Explorer focuses first on examining his or her own Belief System.

 

● They learn to make clear distinctions between Beliefs and Facts.

 

● Learning how to consciously label statements as fact-based or belief-based can be used on all information, not just religious beliefs.

 

(2) My Belief System will be open enough to be examined and questioned.

 

● Explorers give each other permission to examine their Beliefs and ask questions.

 

● This creates open safe environments for Explorers to interact.

 

● Asking questions is much better than arguing or defending conflicting beliefs.

 

● Those questions often lead to future Exploration Tours in which participants work together to find fact-based answers.

 

(3) My Belief System will be flexible enough to change if errors

or new facts are discovered.

 

● This increases trust between Explorers.

 

● It creates Transparency in Belief Systems.

 

● It is the right thing to do.

 

I created the Guideline in the late 1980s and I know from personal experience that it transforms mutually exclusive theology-based belief conflicts into mutually inclusive values-based relationships. One thing I have heard from participants over the decades is this:

 

I wish I could talk to other people the way we do in our meetings!

 

That is the result of members of the group trusting each other and knowing their decisions are based on reliable information.

 

Today, over 73.5% of the population of America have Biblical Heritages. We have an amazing opportunity to demonstrate something very important to the remaining 26.5% of the population:

 

We are willing to create transparency in our Belief Systems

by examining our most trusted Beliefs.

 

People of every skin color, race, gender and age have Biblical Heritages. Exploring Biblical Heritages creates an amazing opportunity for us to identify beliefs, values and standards we all share!

 

Bibles are found in homes across America and they are available online for free to everyone. Access to Exploring Biblical Heritages Information is online and free, too at our website.

 

Let’s make 2021 the year that new networks of trust

and reliable information go viral!

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

A Crazy Question Popped Into My Mind: What if Christians Worked Together?

 I am a “numbers guy” who “loves facts.” Amazon delivered “The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2021” to my back porch on Saturday, so you can probably guess how happy that made me. One of the first sections I always visit is the religion section. When I added the new information to what I already knew, this is what I visualized in my mind.

 

30 CE (Globally)

One Jesus with One Group of Followers.

 

1970 (Globally)

1,130,000,000 Christians & 18,630 denominations/paradenominations.

 

2000 (Globally)

1,888,000,000 Christians & 33,820 denominations/paradenominations.

 

2020 (Globally)

2,545,579,000 Christians & 40,000 denominations/paradenominations.

 

Next, I checked the number of Christians in America as we prepare to enter 2021.

 

245,264,000 (73.5% of the Total Population)

 

As I focused on the trends above, a seemingly crazy question popped into my mind:

 

What would happen if Christians found ways to work together?

 

And then another question popped into my mind:

 

What will happen if they don’t?

 

Answers to questions like those can be found by Exploring Biblical Heritages. Beginning in January 2021 we will upgrade the information delivery models subscribers to our mail list receive. Our educational emails will include blocks of information:

 

● Easier to understand with more graphics.

 

● That build on each other and create better overviews of history.

 

● Designed to create relationship building and networking opportunities.

 

We do not live in nice little compartmentalized boxes in which religion, politics, and money occupy independent spaces. They are part of daily life and exist together in billions of neural connections in the human brain. But now two words have ripped holes in the old institutional barriers that divided and polarized Christians for centuries:

 

Google it!

 

We are no longer dependent on mutually exclusive institutional sources for religious  (or other) information. Anyone with a smartphone has access to more information than has ever existed before in the history of the world. Our primary goal is to help you find diverse sources of accurate information.

 

We are entering 2021 with lots of good things working for us –

and one of those things is Exploring Our Biblical Heritages!

 

May You Have a Happy, Safe & Enlightened 2021!

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

Visit Our Website

A New Way to Talk About the Elephants in the Room

 

Christianity and Judaism are mutually exclusive monotheistic religions, which means a person cannot belong to both religions at the same time. In addition to that, some Christian and Jewish religious institutions do not agree about what important beliefs mean within their own religions. Those “polarizing beliefs” are “the elephants in the room” – beliefs that most people usually avoid talking about.

 

However, there is another reason that people ignore these “elephants.” They are “Institutional Truths” (see my previous email for more info about this), which means they are backed by the authority of powerful institutions.

 

Challenges to an Institutional Truth is viewed as a direct challenge

to the institution’s claim that it is an authorized representative of God!

 

For most people, emotions are much more involved in belief discussions than logic or reason. That is another reason people choose to “ignore the elephants.” The bottom line is people have not had “a peaceful way” to talk about conflicting beliefs.

 

I created the Meme Model to make belief discussions more transparent -- a new way “to see beliefs.” “Memes” are “pieces of information” in neural circuits of the brain and all beliefs are memes. Institutional Truths are complex meme structures constructed of four types of information.

 

● Identity Meme – Name

 

● Supporting Memes – Names of things related to the Identity Meme.

 

● Action Memes – Things the Identity Meme does.

 

Authority and Anchors – Anchors link the Identity Meme to specific times and places. Authority identifies Institutions that are linked to the Identity Meme.

 

Below are Meme Models for stories I have discussed in previous emails.

_________________________

 

The Creator of the Heavens and Earth in Enuma Elish

 

● Identity Meme: Marduk

 

● Supporting Memes: A God ○ Born ○ Not Immortal ○ Male ○ King ○ Creator

 

● Action Memes: Rules over other Gods ○ Uses Violence to Create and Rule ○ Actions driven by complaints of Gods  

 

● Authority & Anchors: (Date [2000 – 300 BCE] – Place [Babylon]) Kings of Babylon, Kings of Persia ○ Priests and Scribes of the Temple of Marduk

_________________________

 

The Creator of the Heavens and Earth in Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a

 

● Identity Meme: Unnamed

 

● Supporting Memes: A God ○ A RUACH (spirit, breath, wind) ○ Origin Unknown ○ Not Mortal ○ Creator ○ King

 

● Action Memes: Creates through speech and acts that are TOV ○ Follows a plan and creates in an orderly way ○ Values human life ○ Created humans in Its Image ○ Empowers humans to be Its representatives and exercise power as Co-Shepherds over all life on Earth.

 

● Authority Memes: (Date [5^th century BCE] – Place [Jerusalem Temple]) King of Persia ○ Priests and Scribes of the Temple of Yahweh.

_________________________

 

Yahweh The God Genesis 2:4b – 3:24

 

● Identity Meme: Yahweh

 

● Supporting Memes: A God ○ Origin Unknown ○ Not Mortal ○ Creator ○ Planter ○ King ○ Judge

 

● Action Memes: Created a man from dust of the ground ○ Planter of a garden in Eden ○ Giver of a commandment ○ Maker of animals ○ Maker of a woman from the rib of the man ○ Judge of human actions

 

● Authority Memes: (Date [5^th century BCE] – Place [Jerusalem Temple]) King of Persia ○ Priests and Scribes of the Temple of Yahweh

_________________________

 

Three models created from information of three different stories. Differences in the models were used to teach ancient Jewish audiences important lessons about their God, themselves, and their relationships to each other. Meme Models may be used to create transparency in any Institutional Truth – religious, political, or economic! Meme Models will soon become some of your most valuable possessions.

 

Thank you for reading this and please share it with others.

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

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Two Very Different Types of Truth

 

Wars have been fought over beliefs about God. People have been tortured in Inquisitions because of beliefs about God. Others have been excommunicated because of beliefs about God. Billions of peoples have beliefs about the afterlife that are based on beliefs about God. So, what is a “belief”? According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

 

“A belief is a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence

is placed in some person or thing.”

 

Trust is a feeling of confidence. Be sure to note that belief, trust, and confidence are all emotional states. Beliefs are the building blocks of religious belief systems and they are viewed as “truths” to believers.

 

In his book, Letters from an Astrophysicist, Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson discusses the difference between science and religion (p. 99):

 

“Science follows evidence. When strong evidence supports an idea, the concept of belief, when invoked the way religious people use it, is unnecessary.  In other words, established science is not an ensemble of beliefs, it’s a system of ideas supported by verifiable evidence . . . You do not ask if I believe in the sunrise. Or if I believe the sky is blue. Or if I believe Earth has a Moon. These are non-controversial truths about the physical world for which the word “believe” has no place.”

 

The term “verifiable evidence” means “facts.” “A “fact” is something that has actual existence. Facts are sensory perceivable. Facts are the building blocks of science.

 

But did you notice that in the above paragraphs, both religion and science used the word “truth.” It is defined as “the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality.” For this reason, it is essential for explorers of biblical heritages to make clear distinctions between the two types truths:

 

● Fact-Based Truths – This is what scientific truths are based on.

 

● Authority-Based Truths – This is what religious truths are based on.  

 

Religious truths are based on authority, including truths about “God.” I am not aware of any fact-based truths about God. But, in some cases, there are fact-based truths that are related to authority-based truths of religions – for example “beliefs about the Bible.”

 

Biblical Heritage Explorers are committed to following the guideline below:

 

My belief system will include all of the facts,

open enough to be examined and questioned,

and flexible enough to change if errors or new facts are discovered.

 

Now let’s use the guideline to examine the belief statement below:

 

My Bible is the inerrant infallible Word of God.

 

There are facts related to the “My Bible” part of the belief statement. It is a book that actually exists, and its words are sensory perceivable.  

 

The “inerrant infallible” part of the belief statement is an authority-based truth. In my case, those words were part of my church’s Statement of Faith. “Inerrant and infallible” means the words in the Bible are "without error or fault incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.”

 

One day I was reading my Bible, a New King James Version, and I read the verses below about God’s instructions to Noah. I have a banking background and numbers always catch my attention.

 

Genesis 6:19-20

 

And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

 

Genesis 7:2-3

 

You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.

 

The numbers in the verses above do not match:

 

2 of every male and female is different from

7 of every male and female.

 

Clearly, my Bible did not contain words that are "without error or fault incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.” Contrary to what some people say, what I discovered doesn’t mean I should throw it in the trash or that it is useless.

 

It simply means a belief about the Bible was wrong

and that I need to identify and examine the authority behind it.

 

Examining belief statements about God is a much more complex task, therefore we created a Meme Model to guide explorers. I will show you how to use it in my next email. Thank you for exploring with me. Please share and discuss this email with others.

 

Shalom,

Jim Myers

 

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