When Culture Becomes God - The Modern Day Baal

It's a dangerous thing when our culture, our way of life, becomes a religion. It's a dangerous thing when we build high places in our life to honor it, worship it, and offer sacrifice to it. Practically every war that's ever been waged, including those going on right now, are either directly or indirectly tied to the raising of culture to deity, resulting in either the passionate defense of culture or the forceful imposition of culture. Funny thing, but we humans are wired in such a way that we don't like other humans telling us how to live. We shouldn't like it. It isn't God's design.


1st Peter 5:3 instructs authority figures within the church to refrain from lording over the flock. Let's examine what that means a bit more closely. The phrase "being lords over" is translated from the Greek compound word "katakyrieuo". "Kata" means "down from/according to", or better stated, to be in an influential position. "Kyrieuo" means "to be lord of, to rule, to dominate, to influence, to have power over." If this is God's instruction to those to whom He does give a level of scriptural authority over His people, how much more would it apply to those who assume authority He hasn't given? Such as - a Patriarchal father forcing a brand of Christian Islam on his family?


The end result of ANY exercise of overt, forced, extra-biblical authority is that the eyes of those of whom submission is required are forced toward the human authority structure and away from Christ.


On various sites which expose the dangers of patriocentricity/CI, and on sites which promote it, I hear of parents (and occasionally the children of the movement) singing it's praises and speaking of joyous homes of harmony. I'll be the first to admit that, even in the worst of CI environments, not everything is bad. My ex-fiancee told me that even though her home was inaffectionate, dark, and dysfunctional, there were some good times. I don't doubt it. My upbringing was loving, VERY affectionate, and I was very blessed, but not everything was picture perfect, so I can easily accept that not everything is bad in a bad situation. Here's the problem...


For all of these who sing the praises of Patriarchy/CI, if one of their children doesn't accept the teachings whole-heartedly, the system breaks down, because the system is based on the authority structure - not on God. The authority structure protects a culture - not the gospel of Christ. These same people would go from singing it's praises to full-blown crisis mode instantly, and most will resort to manipulative and emotionally abusive techniques and practices to force the child, no matter the age, back into compliance. The smart money will always bet on it. I've yet to see even ONE instance of an adult child rejecting the patriocentric/CI beliefs and it not turning extremely ugly and abusive. All of these parents who sing the praises of Christian Islam would go ballistic and become emotionally militant if their children expressed dissent. You know it. I know it. God knows it. I've witnessed it. My ex-fiancee was subject to vile and disgusting emotional abuse and manipulation for her rejection of patriarchal authority. Let me be clear - she didn't reject Christ, just patriarchal authority...at almost 24 years of age. Had she merely denounced Christianity, but still willingly submitted to her father, her life would've been much easier. I couldn't be more serious in saying that. She survived, isolated amidst a barrage of emotional and spiritual abuse and manipulation (not just by her parents, but also by her grandparents and like-minded family friends) for several months before being beaten into emotional submission.


The offspring of these movements have no choice but to accept it. Let me repeat that for emphasis...The offspring off these movements have no choice but to accept it.


That's Christian Islam for ya in a nutshell. Lording. Domination. Rigid rule. Undue influence. Power over. Submission. Submission. Submission.


It's poison. It's poison. It's poison. Spread by vipers, latched onto by the well-meaning but spiritually vulnerable, contaminating families, hearts, minds, and souls. Killing the spirit. Blind leaders with willing followers who conscript helpless, defenseless soldiers, indoctrinating them in a manner more conducive to communism or militant, radical Islam than anything Christ is a part of - while hiding it behind forced smiles, forced, ritualistic practices of faith and religion, "God bless you"s, and "clean" living.


NO ONE leaves a patriarchal/Christian Islamic family on good terms. NO ONE. That's the one trait that's probably most common to spiritually abusive groups/family cults. It should be a wake up call.


There is but ONE God, and it isn't culture. There is but ONE mediator between God and man, and it isn't daddy.


Dagon couldn't stand in the presence of the Lord. Neither will Christian Islam. Dagon's head was knocked off. Will Christian Islam's headship obsession fare any better?