The Greatest Lie Ever Told
To establish what the greatest lie ever told is, we must first establish the ultimate truths of our eternal existence.
For many, knowing who we are, who God is, and how we are connected constitutes the ultimate truth:
Knowing Who We Are:
Self-Identity: Understanding our true nature, purpose, and place in the universe.
Existential Understanding: Grasping the nature of human existence as divine potential.
Knowing Who God Is:
Divine Understanding: Comprehending God’s nature, attributes, and relationship with his creation.
Understanding Our Connection to God and Each Other:
The Atonement: Knowing that Jesus Christ came as a man and suffered all things that he could offer us grace and mercy and advocate for us so that we could return to God’s presence.
These elements address fundamental questions about identity, the divine, and relationships, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding the ultimate truth. If these are indeed the most fundamental truths, then the ultimate lies would prevent us from fully understanding them.
Before I begin, I want to be clear that I am not attacking the people who have been affected by the big lies. Likewise, I am not disparaging the faiths that have adopted the creeds established centuries ago. My purpose in exposing the creeds is to convince people they are missing out on knowledge that will unlock their full eternal potential.
As I considered approaching this subject, I asked several key questions. Among them were: If I were Satan and had the goal of deflecting people away from God, how would I go about it?
Perhaps convincing people there is no God would be the way to go? However, it is next to impossible to convince any thinking person that God does not exist. Notice that I did not say intelligent people. Intelligence has very little to do with a contemplative mind. Since the beginning, a belief in some version of God has been nearly universal among all cultures. Cultures with God or gods at the center of their cultures have been the most advanced and prosperous. When researching this idea, I came across a people in the Brazilian jungle called The Pirahã who have no belief in a divine being. I wondered if all people lived like they do, would they prosper? When I asked if all people lived the same way these people did, what would the earth’s population be? The answer was about 4.93 million people, which would be considered an endangered species by today’s standards. The point is that convincing people there is no God is a non-starter regarding a good lie.
Would developing competing gods be an effective tactic to deflect us off the path? Nations and empires that adopted this idea were all replaced by monotheistic beliefs, demonstrating that polytheistic cultures do not have enough moral impact on individuals to create lasting societies. Many polytheistic societies were gradually weakened or destroyed by internal strife, external conquest, and cultural assimilation. As these societies declined, their religious practices often faded or were actively suppressed by dominant monotheistic powers. So, as lies go, this, too, is not great.
Satan is called the Father of Lies for an excellent reason. He does not deal in blatant falsehoods that are easily discoverable. He is a subtle serpent who hides the lie in an ocean of truth. His goal is to make his lies plausible and believable. He uses all resources, such as scriptures that lack context and leaders lusting for control and power. He uses familiar language, innocent-sounding flattery, good intentions, and action that draw people into the lie. So, what if Satan could create a version of the true God that seems to check off almost all of the boxes but was off just enough to thwart God’s plan?
I contend that the creed developed by the council at Nicaea is the greatest lie ever concocted. It was not the council’s objective to arrive at the truth about the true nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but rather a consensus of belief to unite Christians into a political power. Fortunately for Satan, by violence and coercion (his go-to tactics), the creed became the foundational doctrine and principle of virtually all Christian churches. It has become so entrenched into the culture that questions regarding the nature of God are weighed against the doctrine of the Trinity rather than the words of Jesus, who is the ultimate authority on the matter. It is critical to note that a doctrine that has to be established by force is contrary to the gift of agency and, therefore, a false doctrine. Christ invites us to come to him; Satan forces God on us.
So, what is so bad about people believing in the Trinitarian doctrine? It is a valid question because the results of faith in the God of the creed has, and does, produce seemingly good fruit. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: (you never knew me: JST) depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” This devastating judgment is the result of Satan’s great lie.
Three ways that the creed and the early Church deviated from God are:
- Replacing God’s and Jesus’ explanation and definition of their natures with man’s. Using scripture, the council at Nicaea wove the opinions of its members into the creed. I could go through the list of the scriptures cited most often to defend the creed and show how they are taken out of context or blatantly misinterpreted, but there is not enough time to do it here.
- Setting up the Church as the ultimate source of truth rather than God and direct revelation through the Holy Ghost. The concept of heresy was developed to make the Church the only arbiter of true doctrine. Any deviation from the whims of the leaders was met with violence, torture, or death. The scribes and Pharisees that Jesus constantly rebuked used the same tactics to enforce their rule. Jesus was crucified for crimes against these entities, not blasphemy as they claimed.
- Having proxies for God in the form of pastoral leaders. One of the strangest practices among churches, especially Catholics, is giving their priests and Pope the titles of Father and Holy Father, respectively. Jesus taught us to do the will of, and worship, the Father. Giving that sacred title and reverence to any man who does not bear that role in any sense is wrong. Additionally, praying to anyone other than our Father in Heaven creates a barrier between us and God, which is Satan’s goal.
I have alluded to the primary purpose of the big lie, which is to make the mortal Jesus into more than a man. The followers of the creed state that Jesus was fully human and fully God at the same time. They cite that Jesus performed miracles, forgave sins, claimed divinity, and was resurrected. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” Does that make them divine? Are priests who forgive sins divine or acting on His behalf? Jesus’ claims of divinity all refer to his pre-mortal existence, not his present state. The power of the Father indeed resurrected Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:14 states, “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.” The point here is that none of these arguments prove that Jesus was God and man simultaneously.
If Jesus were more than human when he came to earth, it would be impossible for him to relate to us on the same level. His suffering would be tempered and controlled by his divine nature. But his suffering was real and had to be for him to understand us on our level. He lived by faith and learned of God the same way we must develop a relationship with the Father. I could go on, but you get the point.
The evolution of the creed makes God into something unapproachable and unknowable. Jesus said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” If god is unknowable and unapproachable, why would we try, and why would Jesus say that?
Satan wants us to fall short of the glory of God, and he concocted a lie so believable that most of the Christian world not only accepts but embraces it. To know God is to know ourselves. To know that Jesus suffered and overcame the same world we live in gives us hope and faith that we can do it too. Though the lie is the epitome of subtlety, it is by far the most effective lie ever told.