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Primitive Christianity

Note: The fact that God cannot die and original Christianity is so closely interwoven can be seen in the only celebration authentic Christians are commanded to observe.

It is the time of year when primitive Christianity and the subject of  when to celebrate the death of our Lord is so important. Last year you should should have observed it after sundown on Thursday April 9, but this year it falls on a Tuesday evening at the end of this month. It's March 30th after sundown.

Primitive Christians around the world are inviting people to come join them in celebrating the most important event in history. Will you be with us on Tuesday evening of March 30?

Here is some interesting information about primitive Christians who were called Quartodecimans. Just another instance where primitive Christianity differs so greatly from traditional religion.

The Christians of Asia Minor were called Quartodecimans [Fourteenthers] from their custom of celebrating the pascha [Lord’s Evening Meal] invariably on the 14th of Nisan . . . The date might fall on Friday or on any of the other days of the week.”—The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume IV, page 44.

“As regards the day for observing the Pascha [the Lord’s Evening Meal], the usage of the Quartodeciman churches of Asia was continuous with that of the Jerusalem church. In the 2nd century these churches at their Pascha on the 14th of Nisan commemorated the redemption effected by the death of Christ.”—Studia Patristica, Volume V, 1962, page 8.

Because they did so on Nisan 14, they were called Quartodecimans, meaning “fourteenthers.” “The Christians of Asia Minor were accustomed to celebrate this sacred feast, commemorative of the institution of the Lord’s supper, and the death of Jesus Christ, at the same time when the Jews ate their Paschal lamb, namely on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month [Nisan]. . . . They considered the example of Christ possessing the force of law.” —Historian J. L. von Mosheim.

For the next two centuries, many Christians held to Nisan 14, they being known as Quartodecimans, from the Latin for “14th.” “The churches of Asia Minor celebrated the death of the Lord on the day corresponding to the 14th of the month Nisan, on which day, according to the opinion of the whole ancient Church, the crucifixion took place.”—M’Clintock and Strong.

“The Christians of Asia Minor were accustomed to celebrate this sacred feast, commemorative of the institution of the Lord’s supper, and the death of Jesus Christ, at the same time when the Jews ate their Paschal lamb, namely on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. For . . . they considered the example of Christ possessing the force of law; and, as is equally manifest, they did not conceive our Savior to have anticipated the passover, . . . but that the Paschal lamb was eaten by him and his disciples on the same day on which the Jews . . . were accustomed to eat theirs.”—Historian Mosheim, History of Christianity, the First Three Centuries, Vol. 1, p. 529.

What tradition caused early Christians to stop observing what Christ commanded?

“It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom (the calculation) of the Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded.” —A History of the Christian Councils, by K. J. Hefele, Volume 1, page 322.

To be in such a position was viewed as a “‘humiliating subjection’ to the Synagogue which irked the Church,” says J. Juster, quoted in Studia Patristica, Volume IV, 1961, page 412.

Question to the reader:

This year, Will you follow tradition or will you observe Christ's command recorded at Luke 22:19? As a primitive Christian why Tuesday, March 30 this year and why it was on a Thursday April 9th last year and why it will be on a Sunday April 17th next year. You may reason that Christmas always falls on the same day each year and at least Good Friday and Easter Sunday fall on the same days of the week.

Why I believe in God

I have primitive Christianity to thank for returning my belief in God. I had no supernatural visions nor experiences. My faith is based on reason rather than wishful thinking.

What was it exactly that changed my philosophy about God in 1968?

All my previous fantasies about God were centered on me, what I expected of Him. And this is where I believe most people who deny God's existence fail to see the importance of this issue.

Most people reject God because they reject what traditional Christianity teaches; that we are immortal and that we somehow survive this life and continue on in a place called heaven or hell. Traditional Christianity is based on wishful thinking and has no Scriptural nor any logical support. All reasoning people know for a fact that our existence began at conception and ends when our vital organs cease to function, especially our most vital organ: the brain.

Surprisingly, primitive Christianity taught me that Scripture completely supports an atheistic view of death; namely at death, that's it. Ecclesiastes 3:19 explains that there is absolutely no difference between the death of a human and the death of a zebra, a dog or a cat. Death is the opposite of life. It is that simple. However, this is where the similarities between atheism and primitive Christianity begin and end.

Humans were not created in the image of God with regards to immortality, but instead with our capacity to love one another. It is this quality, not human immortality, that proves God's existence. Superstitions regarding human afterlife only get in the way of us coming to know God. "Heaven or Hell" theology is just a scare tactic used by Scripturally dishonest individuals who use pain/pleasure principles to misled and manipulate their followers.

At the end of the fifth chapter of Matthew, in Jesus' world-famous Sermon on the Mount, he commands us to be "perfect" in imitating his Heavenly Father. "God is love" as 1 John 4:8 tells us and only by practicing this godly trait can we come to know Him.

Primitive Christianity is the religion started by Jesus and continued by his followers. It is striped of all additions that creped in centuries later and contaminated it. Basically, in a nutshell, it states that God exists and that only He is immortal, in the same sense as when Jesus said that only His Father was "good" at Mark 10:18.

We come to believe in something when we come to understand what it is and thus I believe in God because:

• God is love. - 1 John 4:8

• Because He is love, God cannot use evil means. - James 1:13

• Only what is good and perfect comes from Him. - James 1:17

• Primitive Christians' identifying mark is love. - John 13:34-35

• Only love will allow us to understand His Word. - Daniel 12:10

• Only those who practice love by coming to the aid of Christ's brothers will ultimately be saved. - Matthew 25:31-46

The above Scriptural principles discard superstitious notions about God, such as the concept that He extends a person's life for the sole purpose of eternally torturing that individual. Would you not agree such an idea is an absurdity?

A onetime ex-atheist who became a primitive Christian and practiced the Christian principle (love) stated: "Even if there were no God and this life were all we had; there is no better way to live life!"

Trusting in God means exactly that. We are mortal creatures with a short life span and the only hope for a future existence rests in the hands of a Being who cannot die.

My book, God cannot die!, will be out in various formats (Word, PDF, Kindle, etc.) for you to download free-of-charge within the coming weeks.  I can send a rough draft first to those who request it and would be willing to point out errors or suggest improvements and changes. Please email your request to robinsonworld@hotmail or primitivechristians@hotmail.com

It is a good thing that millions of people are turning away from false notions of God, however, the bad thing about this is that they are going to the opposite extreme, namely, denying God's existence altogether.  A more sensible step would be to turn to primitive Christianity.

The corruption of Christianity came not so much from what was taken away from it but what was added to it.
S. D. Robinson, Sr.

It was the Christian tradition that produced atheism as its fruit; it led to the murder of God in the consciences of men because it presented them with an unbelievable God.
Paul Valadier

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Let us apply the above quoted statements to religion. People are entitled to their own opinions with regards to God and what death means, however they are not entitled to their own facts. What are the facts about God and what really happens to us when we die. We need to know the truth about our Creator and the hope He has given to us and to all those who have died in ignorance since the beginning of mankind on earth.

What is the Biblical definition of Judgment Day? Scripture plainly states:

God has overlooked the times of such ignorance. - Acts 17:30
He who has died has been acquitted from his sin. - Romans 6:7
The wages sin pays is death. - Romans 6:23

The principles involved in the above quoted statements from the Bible totally eliminate the possibility of eternal torment for the unsaved. We all die because we are sinners. Our judgment, whether saved or not, is the death we experience when our hearts stop beating and our lungs stop breathing and our brain stops functioning. However, this is not the Judgment Day spoken of in the Bible.

No where in the Sacred Scriptures do we read that Judgment Day is whenever it is we die. We are entitled to believe whatever our fancy is about an immediate afterlife, but there are no Scriptural facts that can back that assumption that traditional Christianity has imposed upon us throughout the centuries.

Fact: No one has ever died and gone straight to a burning hell to suffer for all eternity.

Scriptural logic to back up this fact: The three above quoted statements from the Bible prove that 1) since God overlooks ignorance, and 2) since the dead have been acquitted, and 3) since the dead have paid the wages for their sins; there is no legal basis for either temporary nor eternal torture in mythological places called purgatory and hell.

Did you know that both primitive Christians and ancient Jews accepted the Scriptural hope of a future resurrection of the death rather than pagan Greek philosophy that we somehow possess an immortal soul or spirit? It is a fact and by accepting this fact it will completely change the way your interpret Scripture!

Find the beauty of true unadulterated Christianity, which is actually what primitive Christianity is, in a nutshell.

Primitive Christianity's Mission Statement in a Nutshell: There are two basic concepts attached to Christianity that will never change. They are monotheism and the resurrection hope.

Monotheism means belief in One God. Resurrection means a return to life.  These are rooted in the faith that was started by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

From the very beginning Christianity was based on these two unchangeable concepts. After the death of the apostles, however, Christianity was contaminated by Platonic philosophies that injected into it myths such as a three-in-one god and the immortality of the human soul.

Therefore, the corruption of Christianity came not so much from what was taken away from it but what was added to it. 

Monotheism based on the resurrection hope is the essence of what Christ originally taught and in which his first-century disciples had faith. It is also the theme of my new book God cannot Die! which will shortly be available, free-of-charge, to download for your critical review.

If you are a primitive Christian, this site will not provide you with any new information. The basic understanding of Scripture has not changed for us over the years. The changes we have encountered are mainly in our understanding of prophecies and their fulfillment, this is something we have in common with early Christians as can be seen at Acts 1:6-7. Not all their expectations materialized at the time they had hoped for, either.

If you left primitive Christianity due to disappointments regarding your own personal expectations, it is my hope that this website may help you to return to the basics or fundamentals of primitive Christianity and trust in Jehovah, "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:17) for understanding all other issues.

Over the past 40 years I have seen people come into only to leave primitive Christianity over such silly things as a particular date when the end would come or questioning the way those who take the lead in the congregation handle their assignments. These things have nothing to do with our belief in the One True God and the hope He has given us through His Son, the Christ. Things that might not have set well with us personally involving fellow-believers should not have affected our relationship with God.  After all, the Scriptures show us that the first-century congregation was not a community composed of perfect individuals, and neither should we expect modern-day primitive Christians to be without their faults and shortcomings. All it takes to regain God's favor is to swallow your pride and return to the congregation that allowed you to understand the basic truths in the first place.

If you are a traditional Christian, I hope this website will be an eye-opener for you and that it will help you to resign from the "church" of your membership that has misled you for so long into believing myths associated with Christianity (i.e. in the immortality of the soul, in eternal torment for the unsaved, and a in a god divided into three parts, each being co-eternal, co-equal and almighty).  It is my hope you will come to realize that primitive Christianity holds very little in common with mainstream orthodox views because primitive Christianity has not been corrupted by human thinking and tradition.

Thank you for visiting this site.

Primitive Christianity Defined

Primitive Christianity is the generic name for the original teachings and practices of the first-century congregation founded by Jesus and his early followers. These basic teachings and practices were later corrupted by the tradition of men. (See the above quotations.)

Primitive Christianity is easily restored today by implementing in our worship what is plainly stated in the Scriptures. Traditional Christianity does not want to lead you in that direction because it exposes all of her false doctrines and misdeeds. Therefore modern Christianity has formed a united front, along with apostates as well as atheists, and has mounted a world-wide campaign in speaking against primitive Christianity.

Primitive Christianity in a nutshell was referred to in the instructions given by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when he sent out his disciples to do the work he himself was doing. He ordered them:

Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until you leave. When you are entering into the house, greet the household and if the house is deserving, let the peace you wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you. - Matthew 10:11-13.

Non-aggressive canvassing of territory! That is the first key in identifying the Christianity that was practiced in the first-century of our era. Primitive Christians were not interested in converting people who were not interested in their message; instead, they were to search out deserving ones who were interested in the message of peace they were offering. If they were interested, then they were invited into a household, and they would stay there until they left. They would attend to the householders' needs until it was (mutually) decided that it was time for them to leave. They did not impose themselves on the household.

Today primitive Christians use the same tactic in visiting each and every household, in order to search out those individuals who are deserving. If you try to confront them or argue with them, they will politely excuse themselves and continue their journey with a smile on their face. Their work and persistence does not depend on popular approval, for they are doing the work their Lord commanded them to do, regardless of third-party acceptance.

One of the last words Jesus spoke to a group of up to 500 disciples is found in the concluding words of the Gospel of Matthew:

Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things. - Matthew 28:19-20.

Primitive Christians were known for their preaching activity. It is truly amazing today how so many people belonging to traditional Christian organizations can spend so much time reading and studying the Bible and miss out on its message all together. Bible truths are not to be kept to ourselves, we must share them with others; as much as our circumstances allow.

There are over 38,000 different religious organizations today that claim to be Christian. But, How many of these practice the canvassing of territory in search of deserving ones? How many of these organizations emphasize the need for every member to go and make disciples, teaching these to observe all the commandments of Jesus?

There is no getting around what the first Christians did: They preached from house-to-house, from farm-to-farm, from village-to-village. They searched out deserving ones and attended to their spiritual needs. They made return visits on interested ones and studied the Scriptures with them to the point where these also became preachers of the Word.

There are two unscriptural concepts associated with traditional Christianity:

• The notion that we possess an immortal soul or spirit that somehow survives our physical death.

• The belief that God is a Trinity.

Assuming these myths hinders anyone from understanding what the Bible really teaches. My upcoming book, God cannot Die!, will show the importance of taking the needed time to thoroughly investigate this matter.