Dear Friends,
This week I had cause to be grateful for the protection afforded us by the Constitution
of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The Constitution was established by Act of the British Parliament pursuant to
deliberations of the states, which became those of the Commonwealth of Australia.
It came into force with the establishment of the Nation in 1901.
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia says inter alia:
"The Commonwealth shall not make any law for the establishment of any religion."
This law has the effect of forcing any law established prior to it and by any
state of the Commonwealth under it to be subordinate to it and renders any attempt
at the establishment of any state religion unlawful.
It has the effect also of making unlawful any decision of any court interpreting
any act that takes into account one system of beliefs over another.
This week lawyers, by questioning, tried to make motherhood type arguments regarding
Christmas, Easter and Birthdays.
It was suggested by a lawyer recently that if a man's children did not participate
in Easter functions and celebrations that it was potentially psychologically
traumatic to the child. The Bible position that thou shalt not follow a multitude
to do evil (Ex. 23:2) seems not to be understood. Children have different cultural
backgrounds and such divergence is well understood in our school systems. You
are not required to participate in prohibited practices and should take steps
to understand the laws in your nation and protect them.
The presiding magistrate correctly shut the arguments down but did not explain
that what was being done was contrary to the law and the constitution.
What fascinated me was the basic ignorance displayed by parties concerning the
origins and theology of the festivals being advanced as necessary and the implications,
or indeed direct evidence based in incorrect perceptions, that somehow we are
a new sect that holds these views.
We are familiar with these approaches used against us over the centuries.
I was very grateful that we were not in the nineteenth century or earlier, or
in Nazi Germany where the espousal of the Bible festivals (or Jewish festivals
to the ignorant) was considered aberrant.
Indeed those of you who have read Rabbi Kohn's work "Sabbatarians In Transylvania"
on our people in East Europe at the start of the Reformation will know that
they entered our homes and killed our women and children because we had goose
fat, and not pork fat, in our kitchens
Our founders in Australia laid down in the constitution a process of disestablishmentarianism,
or separation of church and state, that ensured we (or the Jews) could no longer
be killed or have our children taken from us because we followed God's Laws
and did not belong to the major sect or sects established in the nation.
In the nineteenth century, Sabbatarians were imprisoned for holding our views
on the Sabbath in the State of New South Wales.
Our founders made sure that this could not happen in our new nation.
What appears to be the case is that some lawyers have not understood the basis
of public law that guaranteed these freedoms.
Also, the basis of the theology is taught in such a way as to obscure the truth.
For example, regarding the Christmas issue, we see people who purport to be
Anglicans arguing for a Christmas that their founders would have regarded and
did regard as aberrant.
It is a matter of public record that the first elements of the Church of England
(called now Anglicans) of the Reformation argued for and banned Christmas as
a pagan festival. Henry VIII signed the prohibition into law. It was repealed
on Catholic request by Mary Tudor and remained lawful under the Stewarts, James
I and Charles I of England. However, Christmas was again proscribed by the Parliament
under Cromwell.
The reasons are clear and the Bible clearly prohibits the festival where God
spoke concerning it through the prophet Jeremiah (ch 10). "Christmas"
did not enter any Christian church until it entered Christianity in Syria with
Mariolatry in the sixth century and then entered the church in Jerusalem.
We have never kept it in 2000 years.
Look at the paper The Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235). This work is
under study among Protestant denominations in the USA. We know that the Churches
of Christ in the USA are renewing their position in opposition to it, as are
some Southern Methodist denominations including a spiritual advisor to President
Bush.
Our opposition to Easter goes back to the second century and was the cause of
the split between the church centred on Rome and our Quartocdeciman church.
As most of us know, our Polycarp of Smyrna argued with Anicetus of Rome ca 154
and we agreed to disagree but did not separate then. It was not until Victor
of Rome tried to force it on us in 192 CE, and we refused, that division was
inevitable. Polycrates disciple of Polycarp could not persuade him and division
followed. However, we still remained faithful as a national body in England
until 634 when we were forced by the Synod of Whitby to accept Easter, and we
went underground from that time onwards. The faith still remained in Wales and
Ireland and in Scotland. Sabbatarianism was not stamped out or converted into
Sunday Sabbatarianism until Queen Margaret persecuted it into virtual extinction
there. She was made a catholic saint for that work.
The history of the Easter controversy is in the paper The Quartodeciman Disputes
(No. 277).
The Church has never kept Birthdays. The arguments and history are in the paper
Birthdays (No. 287).
The Birthday is the holiest day of the Satanic Calendar.
I am concerned about the future of our nations and the family process and protection
of the family.
The modern system seems heavily weighted against males and officials have expressed
that concern to me.
The Churches of God are all faced with making their views known and clear. Their
history is also important. None of us should be faced with making arguments
concerning the validity or continuity of our faith and the churches. We should
all know it and be able to refer to it.
I was once discussing the progression of the faith and the connection between
the churches of God with a Roman Catholic professor in Austria. It was not until
he understood that we are not baptised into any sect or denomination, but into
the body of Christ and regard the baptisms of other churches of God as valid
that he understood that our progression was through the members and not through
a ministry in so called "apostolic succession". Our apostolic succession
is in the baptism of the elders and as such we would all have to die for the
church to die. Registered associations are regarded by us as administrations
and operations, but not the full body of Christ.
I have heard it stated that I was the founder of the Christian Churches of God.
Now it is logically absurd that a single person can found an association. How
can one man found a body of people? Even Christ was the corner stone and the
apostles the foundation stones on which the church was founded. A church or
ecclesia is a body of people and as such they come together in the faith. We
have been a powerful force despite intense persecution for two millennia and
we have not much longer to endure.
A relation of mine by marriage's brother was once staying at a university college
in Sydney when he was asked by a priest in the Catholic College in which he
was quartered what he believed. He explained and the priest looked at him and
reportedly said: "Oh I thought we killed all you people."
No they did not get us all and Christ says we will not all die. We will still
be here when he arrives, as the church cannot die.
Hold fast in the faith. Pray for one another.
Do not be discouraged but when asked give an account of the hope that lies within
you.
National Coordinators are to establish the laws in their nations and identify
weaknesses in the protection offered by the national legal structure. Make reports
to the World Conference and we will take that on file and have legal advice
prepared to deal with the issues.
Wade Cox
Coordinator General
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