The Church's Manipulative Strategies

As Easter celebrations unfolded last weekend, a plethora of misleading memes and videos flooded social media, featuring everything from bloodied crosses to fluffy bunnies. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram were inundated with these images, making it hard to escape their reach.

After witnessing countless posts proclaiming “AMEN!” or “HE IS RISEN,” I began to ponder: How does the Church manage to convince so many people to accept its myths as truth?

The answer is intricate and layered. For years, I was ensnared in the Church's fabrications, convinced that I needed Jesus to save me from my sins or face eternal damnation.

In essence, the Church utilizes a classic “sales pitch” strategy, employing a “sales funnel” to entice unsuspecting individuals into its web of deception.

At its core, the Church's approach centers on drawing people in through loved ones and trusted acquaintances. This tactic resembles a multi-level marketing scheme, but instead of a tangible product, it peddles religious hype. The so-called product includes “God’s love,” “forgiveness” one never realized they required, “eternal life” in a “heavenly paradise,” and the ultimate “get out of hell free card,” which is, in reality, unnecessary.

Yet nothing comes without a cost. Even Jesus’ “gift” of eternal life is accompanied by hidden strings that remain undisclosed.

Let’s delve into their “sales funnel” to understand how the Church propagates its deceptive gospel to billions globally.

Duped Individuals

Before any sales tactics can be applied, a target audience of unsuspecting individuals must be established—those who may not be particularly discerning and are eager to accept a falsehood.

And the larger the falsehood, the better.

No one believes they've been misled. Everyone is convinced that their understanding of God, Jesus, the Bible, and the Church is accurate. Even the Church's followers have convinced themselves that their beliefs are genuine, despite the reality.

Laypeople and leaders within the Church often manipulate facts to maintain their delusions. It’s a striking exercise in self-deception and cognitive dissonance. They desire to believe the Church's fabrications so intensely that they will discard hard truths, even those found in Scripture, to uphold the myths constructed from pagan traditions and forged texts by the Church’s early proponents.

Concealing the Truth

This widespread delusion can only persist if the Church obscures certain historical truths from public knowledge—even from its own followers. If the true historical identity of Jesus were revealed, millions would abandon the Church and its deceitful doctrines.

In fact, this exodus is already underway, thanks to the Information Age exposing the Church’s historical inaccuracies and its manipulation of Jesus' identity.

Yet billions remain unaware. These unwitting individuals become the next targets of the Church’s deceptive practices, often lured in by friends or family members who have also fallen prey to these lies.

Once identified as potential victims, the Church prepares to ensnare them with expertly crafted falsehoods.

A Grand Performance

Few things are more visually striking than a grand church cathedral or campus; the elaborate attire of clergy, the ornate services, and the uplifting music—all meticulously designed to enchant the unsuspecting and evoke feelings of divine presence.

This display can be nothing short of breathtaking. Let’s face it—these performances are impressive.

Whether it’s a Roman Catholic cathedral or a Protestant megachurch, the spectacle is undeniable. Bob Schuler’s Crystal Cathedral and its “Hour of Power” ministry set a precedent for other ministries, creating a template that many larger organizations, such as TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), have followed.

The Charismatic Salesperson

What sharpens this grand illusion is the manner in which it is presented. The charismatic leader, often utterly convinced of the truth of their message, genuinely believes in the falsehoods they disseminate. These pastors simply recycle narratives inherited from centuries of similarly misled leadership.

However, the true master manipulator is none other than Paul of Tarsus, the original architect of the Roman Catholic interpretation of Christianity. (For more on Paul’s true nature, refer to the article “Christianity’s Counterfeit Jesus.”)

Now enshrined in the Church’s own “Holy Bible,” the biggest deception in history has been presented as the “Word of God.” Questioning it is tantamount to questioning God.

But that’s yet another falsehood we will explore shortly.

The Deceptive Sales Pitch

As the pastor approaches the pulpit, the sales pitch has already begun. A relaxed atmosphere, accompanied by smiles and humor, is crafted to put attendees at ease before launching into a barrage of half-truths, misdirection, and blatant lies.

Christianity is built upon a foundation of significant falsehoods—scripture is selectively quoted, often taken completely out of context, particularly from the Torah (the Old Testament) and a handful of passages from the Hebrew prophets, while ignoring other verses that contradict their assertions.

And it all begins with a lie designed to instill the belief that one is a worthless sinner unworthy of God’s love.

The Sin Dilemma—More Complex Than It Seems

Like any effective sales pitch, the first step is to identify the “pain points” of the audience. Whether or not these issues exist, the pastor’s role is to convince attendees that they do and to amplify their severity.

Gradually, the narrative unfolds, weaving personal anecdotes or Biblical stories into a narrative that transforms a manageable issue into an overwhelming crisis that appears insurmountable—which is precisely the goal.

Here are the initial lies presented:

1. Lie #1: Everyone sins because Adam and Eve sinned; we inherit their “sinful nature.”
   • This is false. Humanity was created with the ability to choose between good and evil. God grants us free will. The concept of a “sinful nature” implies the existence of a “righteous nature” as well, which the Church denies.
2. Lie #2: You inherit the sin of Adam and Eve.
   • Not true. Ancient Israel had a saying: “The fathers ate sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” This means that children do not bear the consequences of their parents’ sins.
3. Lie #3: God is so holy that He cannot look upon sin; thus, He cannot see you because of your sin.
   • This is another falsehood. God, being omnipotent, observes everything within creation. The Church’s construction of sin serves to create a divide between humanity and God, allowing them to manipulate the uninformed.
4. Lie #4: Even the smallest sins separate us from God.
   • This is not true. God’s actual message is that we should repent for our own sins, mend our wrongdoings, and avoid repeating those mistakes.

You may feel compelled to apologize to God when you falter, but that’s insufficient. You must be perfect! Only a person deemed perfect in God’s eyes can be righteous, or so the narrative goes.

Continuing to reinforce these lies, the pastor elaborates:

5. Lie #5: No one is righteous in God’s eyes.
   • This is false. Righteous individuals do exist.
6. Lie #6: Your righteousness is like filthy rags in God’s sight.
   • This claim stems from a misinterpretation of the Prophet Isaiah, which is taken out of context.
7. Lie #7: You cannot save yourself from sin.
   • This is incorrect. Only you can repent for your own sins.

The pastor continues to weave together this tapestry of deception, culminating in a narrative that insists:

8. Lie #8: The Law of God is a curse.
   • This assertion is unfounded. The Law was intended as a guide to moral conduct, not as a means of condemnation.

Separating Truth from Fiction

Our Jewish brethren sometimes make the error of believing that one must adhere to all 613 Torah laws for salvation. This notion is incorrect. Many of these laws originated from human constructs rather than divine edicts.

The Church neglects to share this history, as doing so would expose Paul as a false prophet. Paul primarily addressed pagans who lacked cultural context, much like the modern pastor who perpetuates the same deceptive traditions.

God's Need for Sacrifice

We’ve arrived at a crucial juncture: Christianity must disregard God’s actual words to further its false narrative.

9. Lie #9: God required a sacrifice to forgive sin.
   • This is utterly false. God never demanded sacrifices as a means of forgiveness.
10. Lie #10: God’s Old Covenant was inadequate for salvation.
    • This notion is also false. The Old Covenant remains valid and does not require a human sacrifice.

The Only Path Forward

The pastor now presents the solution to a non-existent problem, insisting that his method is the sole means of escaping God’s wrath.

11. Lie #11: There is a New Covenant in Christ Jesus.
    • This claim lacks foundation.
12. Lie #12: God used Jesus’ sacrificial blood to cleanse sin.
    • This is yet another deception. God did not require Jesus to die as a payment for sin.

As the pastor intensifies the urgency of his message, he introduces:

13. Lie #13: You will suffer eternal damnation without being “saved” by Jesus.
    • Hell, as presented by the Church, is a construct of Greco-Roman mythology.

The Guilt Trip

14. Lie #14: Jesus loved you so much that He sacrificed Himself for you.
    • This assertion is rooted in pagan traditions and is not reflective of Jewish beliefs.

Finally, the pastor attempts to solidify the congregation’s faith in the very text he’s been quoting:

15. Lie #15: The Bible is the inerrant Word of God.
    • This claim is misleading; the Bible has undergone numerous alterations and corrections.

The Conclusion

The Church does not act on behalf of God; it serves its own interests and perpetuates a false gospel derived from pagan influences.

I urge everyone to seek the true nature of God and understand the genuine teachings of Jesus. God desires mercy over sacrifice.

Keith Michael is a Christian author and lay scholar with nearly 40 years of experience in various Christian communities. He has authored numerous works, including FALSE WITNESS: How the Christian Church Built a Foundation of Lies.