He’s Gone Rogue!

A loose cannon. Nut case. Bucking the system. A heretic.

I don’t know of a single person who finds any of these terms flattering. In a world of conformity, to color out of the lines is tantamount to being branded as a troubled child with a learning disability. Anti-social behavior of this caliber will not be tolerated around the common core of people who have mastered their sensibilities.

Then there was Jesus; trailed by a whole host of followers, many of whom decided on their own that maybe they couldn’t bear the stigma of being seen as different, so they renounced their following and returned to the status quo leaving twelve. Yet even these intrepid few didn’t start out as fearless as we count them to be today. They were quite full of fear. It wasn’t until they encountered the death-defying reality of Jesus that they too could claim the title of…blasphemer.

Does that sound like you? No! Of course not! You’re a good follower. A sheep following the master; one of the ninety-nine, right? Only trouble is that sheep don’t follow, they have to be led. Apparently, you have been led, by someone you thought was a shepherd, to follow, not to find a path on your own. But how did this happen?

Since the vast majority of humanity has lost the fine art of tending to sheep, allow me a brief moment to breath some ancient wisdom into our modern lifestyles. Sheep are stupid. (If you’re offended here, stop for a moment and realize that I’m not speaking of people.) The shepherd leads from the rear, pushing the sheep forward. This position allows him to watch their movements and spot any danger ahead. If you’ve thought that a shepherd leads his flock from the front, you are greatly mistaken. In this position, he could walk completely away from the herd and they would NEVER follow simply because they don’t know he left them. This is partly the reason the shepherd has a staff. The hook is to rescue a sheep who has gotten trapped in the brush or in the stream, yet on many occasions it is to provide a blunt reminder that the sheep is supposed to be moving forward.

Doctrines, dogma, and creeds defined by men, like a shepherd’s staff, are used to control followers. The people delivering these statements of faith always incite their prowess with admonitions of, “Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.” This is a claim made by someone at the head of the pack ignorant of how a wolf suddenly appeared in its midst. Since no one in the group really knows any differently, it sounds right, and insures that anyone who steps out of lockstep gets taken to the shed…

Consider the case of one of the original fathers of the church, Origen. Born in Alexandria, Egypt about 150 years after the death of Jesus, his prolific writings would form the basis of all Christian thought. However, 300 years after his death, he would be declared a heretic and most of his writings were burned by the church! The establishment he defined deposed him.

Today, to be declared a heretic brings images of being burned at the stake, thanks to the glories of the Inquisitions carried out over 600 years ago. However, what does it really mean to be a heretic? The term simply means to have another or different thought. Different from what? Whatever is deemed to be “orthodox”. In the case of Origen, he was orthodox until others declared him to be unorthodox. This change in status, as with all heretics, was due to the inability of the power structure to maintain control over the sheep because of what the “other” thought could produce.

What was the thought that resulted in Origen being cast as a heretic? There were a variety of things, but the main one was that he believed, and taught, how the soul of man, originally created by God and deemed good, could change from its fallen state and be reborn to its original purpose. Consider how his thought ran counter to the thought prevalent during the time of his judgment, and even still to this day: Once a sinner, always a sinner. So much for grace!

Now I recognize that there are a number of theologians who will dismiss this writing as being far too simplistic an account of events which occurred well over 1500 years ago. That’s the trouble with trying to recount history within the church: no one really understands what is the truth and what is the means to preserving control over the sheeple. Orthodoxy is the blue pill for most of the populace, but in keeping with the cinematic effect, the red pill is not un-orthodoxy. “The traditions of man make the word of God no effect.”

Truth is something which must be sought out. It is there for your discovery. However, once you find it, you are responsible for whether you will utilize it or not. This doesn’t mean that you now are empowered to create a world-wide deliverance ministry. It means that you are a bearer of truth which the majority of people are blatantly afraid to touch. In their eyes, you’re a dangerous person to be around because you think for yourself. This is something the status quo will never cotton to.

All the things which you have been told over the many years of religious indoctrination you’ve been involved in (don’t think being an atheist gets you off the hook here), are simply a means to keep you boxed in and reliant on the system to be your final arbitrator of worthiness. Truth is you were worthy even before your birth. You are loved beyond all comprehension. You have never been a sinner first – you have always been divine. Going rogue is simply following in the footsteps of the one who mastered the technique. Welcome to the family.