Christianity is not thought of as a secret society, but it truly is. Like most secret societies there is a side of good and a side of evil. In classic fashion both evil and good sides exist within it. From its inception up to present time there has been a continual struggle between these. Good and evil forces attempt to sway the will of mankind in Jesus' name.

The Holy Roman Catholic Empire dominated millions a thousand years ago. It claimed to have authority granted by the Bible. Of course, the common follower could not verify this claim, having no Bible, and no ability to read. The Church selected what works would be included in the Bible and which would not. They did not share reading and writing, reserving it instead for themselves. Their monks copied, page for page, all the written knowledge of the day. Historical records that might jeopardize Catholic rule were simply destroyed. Biblical passages not supportive of Paul's interpretation were either changed or removed. In short, the Church did all in its power to keep secret from the populace the very tenets of its professed religion. Small wonder this period is known as the Dark Ages.

Was this side evil? Jesus said that you know a tree by its fruit. History shows that the succession of Popes is in no way divine. The suppression of the masses by control of communication and use of torture is a matter of history. People were made to believe that Jesus preached poverty and compliance with authority. Who more authoritative than those who explained Jesus? The meek would inherit the earth - but not until after Judgment Day. While preaching poverty the Church was coating everything in its own sight with gold.

Bishops and priests made themselves fat and wealthy by creating the "sacred rite" of confession. The confessor revealed all their sins to a priest. The priest (who somehow always knew what was going on in his area), would forgive the sins, provided that the atonement exercise he prescribed was followed. This penance consisted of repeated prayers (best delivered on a busy corner dressed in sackcloth and ashes), and a payment to the priest - perhaps livestock, crops, or labor. An elaborate method of classifying the kind and severity of sin evolved. The very bad ones would send you to eternal hellfire. With proper payments, piously referred to as penance, one could avoid hellfire after death, but would have to stay in a place they invented called Purgatory, until God felt they had learned their lesson.

The Popes represented themselves as infallible. They said that the Bible (of which no one had possession of nor the means to read) said so. This infallible knowledge of secret doctrine even extended into matters of the afterlife! A follower dying in the service of the Church could be guaranteed instant admission into Heaven with a word from the Pope.

Today's Catholic religion is inherited from a thousand years of darkness. Protestant religions branched out from this same trunk of oppression. Protestant Reformation history reveals that few of the Reformist ideas were theological. More so they were anti-tyrannical. By the time the Protestant Reformation occurred, any vestige of true Christianity had been neutralized. Previously distorted rites and teachings were, for the most part, simply assimilated by the Protestants.

Fact. The foundation of today's organized Christian religions was cruel and tyrannical. It was devious and greedy. It rewrote history to suit its own ends and to justify its means. The majority of the official teachings had, and continue to have, little to do with the a historical man named Jesus. The tree is what its fruit shows it to be.

This is not an attack on people who call themselves Christians. The majority of Christians, like the majority of any religion, are instinctively sincere in their quest to find God. The Holy Bible is now widely distributed, and Christians are able to read it for themselves. However. The consistency of Christian lore they have accepted does not confirm the veracity of it.

Most readers of the Bible believe, as they have been taught to, that the Bible's content is the absolute Word of God. Poppycock. A few trips to the library to read but a few of the many books written about early Christian history will shatter this belief quickly. Briefly stated, the contents of the Bible were selected from many available manuscripts with much argument by some of the most despicable characters of their times. Again, keep in mind that this was done in times when the only people who were taught to read were the rich and powerful.

Then of course came the translations. And the translations of translations. Your trip to the library will educate you on the many examples of intentional distortions. There are even more numerous cases of simply incorrect translating caused by either a translator's limited knowledge of language, or an inavailability of original manuscripts.

The overshadowing distortion of the biblical content however, was intentional bending of facts to support the notion that followers were to look to their leaders for guidance. Given the history of Christianity's practice - that is, the use of it to subjugate people - it is extraordinary that its symbolism survives.

There are a few reasons for this.

First, what original symbolism survived is not fully understood by Christian leadership, and so is left alone.

Second, symbols preceding Christianity by hundreds, if not thousands, of years that required little to no intellectualism to be grasped (that is archetypes), were absorbed into the overall symbolism of Christianity.

Third, the "official" Church simply destroyed widely understood symbols wielded by the so-called pagans which competed with the notion that humans require guidance from "wise men".

Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, reading was a secret science. The inner circle of initiates, so fond of the shepherd/sheep analogy, led their flocks about by their intentionally uneducated noses.

Finally, the symbolism itself - not understood by its priests, misinterpreted to the masses - was needed to sustain an air of mystery that so pervades religions, and is the basis for its ritual. That the symbols are not understood simply adds more mystery, or "atmosphere".

The real meaning behind these symbols was reduced long ago to mumbo-jumbo chanting and ritual. Many Christians receive the sacred rite of communion in a very holy atmosphere, never pondering the symbolic significance of the Last Supper. Mumbo-jumbo or not, the feelings of closeness to God experienced by the receiver of communion are not diminished. Perhaps the feelings are even strengthened. Though the receiver may not grasp the symbolism of the Last Supper, it remains a valid symbol. The blind "good feeling" that comes about from practicing symbolic ceremony ensures the perpetuation of it.

It may be that there are parallel versions of Christianity, both using the power of the same symbols. One side subjugating people under the guise of religion, the other very quietly satisfying and shaping destiny.

On one side are the official churches, the Christian Faith. Chock full of hoodoo-ish symbols and/or events, it is the stuff of carnival showmen everywhere. Indeed, the religion was not created by Jesus. It was invented by Paul, who never met Jesus. Paul claimed the Apostles were so stupid they were not able to carry on the message of Jesus. He claimed that this was why Jesus appeared to him in a vision as he was on the way to persecute followers of Jesus, and commanded him to "take over". He went on to double talk his way through conflicts with the Apostles, the various Jewish factions, and the Romans; all the while collecting from each one huge sums of money to support his "ministry".

Examine the many Christian evangelists you come across on television. Watch them command you to give them money to "do God's work". See how they claim to have direct conversations with God. Observe how they cry and plead for mercy and "God's forgiveness" when their shady doings are exposed. They are merely emulating Paul, their founding father.

Was Paul simply a shyster out to enrich his own life? Perhaps. Perhaps he was a member of that force of darkness that succeeded once again in hiding the truth. The methods used did not attempt to erase symbols, it perverted them. It used the power of the symbols to command a following, then it changed their meaning to set a course to nowhere but the lining of a select few's pockets.

The disciples went up to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to them in parables?' He replied, 'It has been granted to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven; but to those others it has not been granted. - Matthew 13

The other version of Christianity devotes itself to the same tenets Jesus did. The Disciples carried on their work after Jesus died. In the Bible they are referred to as the Jerusalem Church, led by James and Peter. The struggle between them and the liar Paul is smoothed over in the Bible, but can still be ascertained. Details of this struggle can be found in numerous books about early Christian history.

After Paul succeeded in perverting their symbols and creating a religion out of it, this group quietly dispersed throughout the world and continued their efforts in secrecy. Their symbols have been remade by Paul's efforts, but remain intact. Thus Paul's trickery goes undetected only so long as the forces of darkness can hide the truth. Under the light of truth, the meanings of these symbols suddenly become obvious.

The idea that "secret knowledge" could be conveyed through religious institutions despite a corrupted leadership is pointed to in Matthew 23. Jesus gave a speech concerning religious and political leaders that is seldom if ever repeated in church. It clearly states the difference between the practice of religion and the significance of its symbols. The word lawyer in the Bible has a significantly different meaning than the modern day meaning of the word. Lawyer in biblical context refers to interpreters of religious law, those who "translated" God's word into rules concerning daily life.

Jesus then addressed the people and his disciples in these words: 'The doctors of the law and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses; therefore do what they tell you to do; pay attention to their words. But do not follow in their practice; for they say one thing and do another. They make up heavy packs and pile them on men's shoulders, but will not raise a finger to lift the load themselves. Whatever they do is done for show. They go about with broad phylacteries and with large tassels on their robes; they like to have places of honor at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues, to be greeted respectfully in the street and to be addressed as "rabbi".

'But you must not be called "rabbi"; for you have one Rabbi, and you are all brothers. Do not call any man on earth "father"; for you have one Father, and he is in heaven'...

...'Alas, alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You shut the door of the kingdom of Heaven in men's faces; but do not enter yourselves, and when others are entering, you stop them.

'Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to win one convert; and when you have won him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are yourselves...

...' Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like tombs covered with whitewash; they look well from outside, but inside the are filled with dead men's bones and all kinds of filth. So it is with you: outside you look like honest men, but inside you are brim-full of hypocrisy and crime.'

Note that Jesus specifically advised to call no man "father". Yet, this is what the priest in some Christians faiths are called. Clearly, Jesus was condemning those who were custodians of religion, while testifying to the validity of its symbols.

The existence of charlatans in possession of symbols they don't understand and can't explain does not deny the existence of the God the symbols describe.

These passages fueled anti-Semitic bigotry that span the time from Paul inventing his religion, to today. The generally accepted interpretation is taken to refer directly to Jews. It really refers to all organized religions. Paul perverted this and other passages in order to shift the blame from the Romans who executed Jesus to the Jews. The select group of Jews who were threatened by Jesus were collaborators with the occupying army of Romans, just as some French people collaborated with their Nazi conquerors.

The reason symbols are used to communicate in a hidden fashion is given in Matthew 13. Jesus tells a parable to a large crowd. On the surface is simply a story about where and where not a farmer should plant seeds. At the end of the parable Jesus says, "if you have ears, then hear." This strange statement, ending a remarkably simple story, prompted the disciples to question Jesus about it.

The disciples went up to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to them in parables?' He replied, 'It has been granted to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven; but to those others it has not been granted. For the man who has will be given more, till he has enough to spare; and the man who has not will forfeit even what he has. That it why I speak to them in parables; for they look without seeing, and listen without hearing or understanding. There is a prophesy of Isaiah which is being fulfilled for them:

"You may hear and hear, but you will never understand; you may look and look, but you will never see. For this people's mind has become gross; their ears are dulled, and their eyes are closed. Otherwise, their eyes might see, their ears hear, and their mind understand, and then they might turn again, and I would heal them."

'But happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear! Many prophets and saints, I tell you, desired to see what you now see, yet never saw it; to hear what you hear, yet never heard it...'

Jesus then explains the hidden meaning of the questioned parable to his disciples, and tells a few more.

...In all this teaching to the crowds Jesus spoke in parables; in fact he never spoke to them without a parable. This was to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah:

'I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret since the world was made.'

With this explanation, Jesus suggests three things:

· There are things that have been kept secret since the world was made.

· A secret society exists, since knowledge as ancient as "since the world was made" that was kept secret would have to have been handed down in a clandestine manner over many generations. Jesus' familiarity with these secrets identifies him as an initiate, if not leader, of a secret society.

· Secret knowledge is passed chiefly through symbols (of which the parable is just one form). This keeps its actual content hidden from those who would misuse or destroy it, and available to those who can understand.

Mark 3 records the same story:

With many such parables he would give them [the crowd] his message, so far as they were able to receive it. He never spoke to them except in parables; but privately to his disciples he explained everything.

That private explanations were given to the disciples clearly reveals that they, not Paul, were the custodians of this knowledge. References in the Bible inferring that the disciples were somehow missing the point were later additions aimed at discrediting them, with the aim of promoting Paul's lies.

The meaning of symbols, presented to all, are revealed privately to the initiate. It is not enough to grasp a symbol by its circulated definition. True symbols possess dynamic characteristics that enable their meaning to be ambiguous to some, multilevel to others. It is said that each symbol has seven interpretations, the last of which encompasses all the others. To be sure, the idea of seven interpretations is meant only to imply the multi-level nature of symbols, not to peg their interpretation to an exact figure. Symbols ultimately resolve to their most primitive fact.

The Christian Cross is such a symbol. The surface interpretation is that it represents the suffering and death of Jesus. To some it may represent individual acceptance of the burdens of life (taking up one's Cross) or the lesson that humility wins in the end.

Still others view it as the wood from the Tree of Knowledge, representing humanity nailed to the consequences of their knowledge.

Another, highly speculative, interpretation suggests the Cross is symbolic of the interbreeding (or cross) between humans and extraterrestrials. In this case man is nailed to a similar, if not synonymous, consequence.

The conflict between light and darkness over the meaning of the life of Jesus is a single incident of this struggle between secret societies. This single occurrence contains all the elements and patterns of the many struggles that have occurred throughout history. It is important to contemplate these issues and to learn to recognize their signatures. This facilitates identifying members of these societies, and recognizing which force they are agents of.