Is Christianity a Blood Cult?

A cursory reading of the Bible leads to only one conclusion: Christianity is a blood cult. The universe was only a few weeks old before Adam and Eve listened to a suggestion from a walking, talking snake and partook of fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of God and Evil. Before breaking God’s one command, Adam and Eve strutted around Eden sans clothing — the original nudists. The strange thing here is that Adam and Eve didn’t know they were naked. I don’t know about you, but when I’m naked, I know it. But, Adam and Eve didn’t; that is until they committed a big no-no by eating an apple from God’s private orchard. Immediately afterward, Adam realized, for the first time that Eve had a vagina and Eve realized her significant other had a penis. Thus began Puritanical Christianity. Adam and Eve sewed together fig leaves to use as aprons to cover up their genitals. Many artistic depictions of Eve wearing her fig leaf Versace apron covered her breasts too. Adam was free to show his mammary glands to the world, but not Eve. Thus began the sexualization of female breasts.

According to Genesis, God came to earth and took a stroll in the Garden of Eden. Which God? I ask. There are multiple Gods mentioned in Genesis 1-3. If, as Christians say, God, the Father is a Spirit and the Holy Spirit is a Ghost, was it Jesus who came to Earth to get in his Fitbit steps? If it was, that leads to yet more questions. I thought the first time Jesus came to earth was at his incarnation? Was Jesus some sort of alien, visiting earth on and off over the centuries before he made his grand entrance as a Holy Spirit-inseminated egg in the womb of a virgin girl? Again, so many questions . . .

According to Genesis 3, God was not happy with Adam and Eve. He had created them as perfect beings and placed them in a luxurious Garden. All they had to do was tend the Garden and stay out of his apple orchard. But kids will be kids, and Adam and his Rib disobeyed God. Dammit, God thought, now I am going to have to go to Plan B and kill some innocent puppies. And God did just that, killing and skinning some innocent puppies so he could make fur aprons to cover Adam’s and Eve’s genitals. Doesn’t this make God the original animal abuser? Imagine if PETA had an office in the Garden of Eden. Why, God would have been labeled a blood-thirsty puppy killer. And he was. From Table of Contents to Concordance, the Bible tells us that not only is the Christian God — including Jesus — a violent psychopath who relishes blood-letting, he also demands his followers do the same.

God could have kept Adam and Eve and their progeny from sinning, but he didn’t. He could have chosen a bloodless way of “saving” the human race. but he didn’t. Instead, the God of the Abrahamic religions patterned his religion after other extant blood cults. Christianity is hardly the only blood cult. History is replete with stories about cultures that believed only blood sacrifices could satisfy their deity’s wrath and atone for their sins. Some cultures would sacrifice humans, others would use animals. The followers of the Christian God did both, using animal blood sacrifices until God issued a new memo saying that he was going to come to earth himself, be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, brutally die on a wooden cross, resurrect from the dead three days later, and then ascend back to Heaven. Since that time, Christians have been preaching up the blood, the precious blood of Jesus. While technically it was the DEATH of Jesus that provided redemption and the forgiveness of sins, Christians choose to focus on the bloody aspects of Christ’s death. Evangelicals literally fight among themselves over whether it is Jesus’ “blood” or his “death” that redeems lost sinners. Years ago, Fundamentalist megachurch pastor John MacArthur said:

It was His death that was efficacious . . . not His blood . . . Christ did not bleed to death. The shedding of blood had nothing to do with bleeding . . . it simply means death . . . Nothing in His human blood saves . . . It is not His blood that I love . . . it is Him. It is not His bleeding that saved me, but His dying.

At the time, MacArthur was crucified by fellow Fundamentalists over his view, and to this day many Evangelicals believe he is a heretic. MacArthur may have been technically correct, but what’s a blood cult without blood?  The Bible is hardly ambiguous on the subject:

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.(Leviticus 17:11)

And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it . . . And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.  (Exodus 12:7,13)

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25)

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:14)

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:13,14)

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)

Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. (Hebrews 13:12)

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:19-21)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 5:7)

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5)

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9)

Just read Leviticus. It is one long bloody Quentin Tarantino movie.

Here in the land of God, Guns, and Republicans there’s a local Evangelical church that goes out of its way to remind locals that Christianity is all about the blood of Jesus. Free Christian Church of God in Continental, Ohio annually presents an Easter production called “Journey, The Story of the Blood.” Thousands of area Christians pay $5 a pop to be reminded that Christianity is all about Jesus’ bloody death. While the resurrected Jesus will certainly make an appearance in this production, make no mistake about it, Free Christian and the cast of over 200 people want viewers to know that divine blood sacrifice is required for the forgiveness of sins.

According to a feature article in the April 10, 2019 edition of the Defiance Crescent-News, James Fry, pastor of Free Christian said:

The message of the Bible is linked from Genesis to Revelation, with God telling us the same story over and over again in many different ways so that we will understand the relationship He desires to have with us, and the length he will go to in order to save us from our sin and restore that relationship. Everything is connected. Only God could give us such a wonderful book.

We are trying to make clear that Jesus is the Ark of Covenant and it is his blood that falls on the Mercy Seat where salvation is found.

During the show, the audience becomes part of the production, which enhances the experience. We don’t just want people to watch ‘Journey,’ we want them to feel part of it because this isn’t just a Bible story, but it is ‘our story.’ The ending is my favorite part. We want the audience to leave on a high, and what could be better than to get a glimpse into what God has in store.

Pastor Fry wants people to know that:

The Easter season isn’t about bunnies and eggs . . . but it is about the culmination of 4,000 years of history taking place with the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is God showing us that the only way to atone for the sin-curse of man is through the shedding of blood. Without it, there is no forgiveness of sins. May we never trivialize the greatest event in human history.

In other words, either buy into the myth or go to Hell. Either you let Jesus wash you clean with his blood or you’ll go through life as a dirty, filthy sinner and then spend eternity in the Lake of Fire being tortured by God (Jesus?) for not believing one of the most absurd stories ever told.

Fry cautions people to never “trivialize the greatest event in human history.”  Only cult members believe Jesus’ death was the greatest event in human history. Indoctrinated from a young age, Christians accept the Biblical narrative about Jesus’ divinity, human life, blood sacrifice, and resurrection without question. It’s just true, most Christians think, believing that the only way for them to be happy and have purpose and meaning is to continually wallow in the blood of a dead man. We perhaps can excuse Abraham, Moses, and first century Christians for buying into this nonsense, but, come on man, it’s 2019!

How dare I mock the blood of Jesus, Christians might indignantly say. However, before their righteous indignation hits a TEN, I want to ask them, what about other cultural religions that have blood sacrifices, even human sacrifices? Should we not accept their religions as truth? After all, Christianity rests on a foundation of human sacrifice. Why shouldn’t we accept other blood-based cults as equally valid? What makes Christianity superior to that of other religions? What if on Garfield’s birthday (who shares a birthday with me) I slit the throats of ten dogs and offered their blood as a sacrifice to my God, Bucky Katt? Would you be okay with that? After all, Christians want me to accept their Bronze age blood cult’s beliefs without question, going so far as to threaten me with eternal torture and damnation if I don’t. Of course, no Christian would be okay with me killing ten dogs, yet they don’t think twice about teaching their children about a God and his ancient followers who slaughtered countless animals just because a delusional man said God told him to tell them to do so. Perhaps what Christianity really needs is a new Bible and new narrative. The current one is way too violent and bloody for modern sensibilities.

I am sure this post will be met with outrage. I have no doubt that I will be reminded of the fact that the B-I-B-L-E says:

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29)

I plan to keep on trampling under my feet the blood of Jesus. I no more fear the Christian God than I do any of the other countless deities created by human minds. Sorry, but I’m more afraid of my wife than I am your God. You can take THAT to the bank.

About Bruce Gerencser

Bruce Gerencser, 61, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 40 years. He and his wife have six grown children and twelve grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist. For more information about Bruce, please read the About page.

Bruce is a local photography business owner, operating Defiance County Photo out of his home. If you live in Northwest Ohio and would like to hire Bruce, please email him.

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