Lie #3:

'You are not smart enough or good enough to think for 
yourself.  We will do your thinking for you.'

~~~

Reader,

  Do you know what the most important invention in the 
history of the world was?

  It wasn't the computer.  And it sure wasn't the light bulb 
or the telephone.  (Or even the electronic voting machine.)

  It was the printing press.

  In 1445, Johannes Gutenberg invented the world's first movable
type printing press.  He didn't know it, but he was unleashing a 
revolution that continues to this day.  Even the mighty Internet 
in 2005 is just an extension of Gutenberg's original, 
revolutionary machine.

  The first book he printed was the Bible.  And that led
to controversy, too, because Luther translated it into
German, the people's language, instead of Latin, the 
lingo of the religious elite. 

   Suddenly, ordinary folks could not only afford a copy, 
but they could read it for themselves instead of getting 
some guy's self-serving interpretation.  Soon the cat was
out of the bag--there were copies scattered all over Europe.

   When people started to read it, they were alarmed at what 
they saw, because between the covers of this book was an 
amazing story that had seemingly little to do with the politics 
and shell games they saw in some corners the church.

   Luther wrote a list of 95 accusations against the church -- 
priests taking bribes and granting 'indulgences', an 
institution setting itself up as a 'middleman' between 
man and God.

   He argued that God didn't need a middleman, or a 
distributor, or an agent, or a bureaucracy.  People 
could go direct to the source.

   This little 'schism' in Wurms, Germany unleashed a 
firestorm of protest and permanently changed the way people 
approached education.  No longer was a big, faceless institution 
responsible for your spiritual progress -- YOU were.  Now that 
you had the knowledge in your hands, you were accountable
before God to do something about it.

   I'm not trying to attack the Catholic church, by the
way.  The problem is not institutions per se; it's just
that it's always easier for us to mindlessly follow someone
else than to listen to God and use the minds He gave us.

   It's no coincidence that the scientific enlightenment and 
industrial revolution began in earnest within 50 years of this.  
Not that it wasn't already underway (it had already gathered 
considerable momentum) but now that ordinary folks had access 
to knowledge and the freedom to pursue it, the possibilities 
were limitless.

  The printing press took the handcuffs off of knowledge and 
spirituality, and the world has never been the same.  Equal 
access to knowledge empowered people everywhere, and it 
was only natural that the Renaissance, and in time, democracy 
too would follow.

   What's troubling now is that most people still don't do anything 
with the knowledge that's available to them.  Why would you accept 
a 'canned' answer or empty platitude when you can open the book 
and read about it for yourself?

  People have debates about Jesus, but most have never read the 
real story--they just believe what they're told.  How sad.

   If you want a 'Just the facts ma'am' version of what really 
happened, grab a Bible (please -- a modern English version that's 
easy to read, not something from the 1600's) and read the book of 
Luke.  A truly fascinating story will unfold.  

   I dare you to read for one hour and then stop!

   And you know what?  Nobody will need to tell you what it means.  
You'll be quite able to figure it out for yourself.

  You can get the book of Luke free online by clicking here:

Blue Letter Bible

   Print it out and take it with you. (I like this
NLT translation a lot, btw.)

   Or, you can listen in MP3 by clicking this link:

http://www.audiotreasure.com/mp3/Luke/Luke.htm

   You might like to burn the MP3 onto a CD and listen to it in 
your car.

   Tomorrow I'm going to attack Lie #4:

'Women are spiritually inferior and must submit to the 
authority of men.'

   Talk to you tomorrow!

   Respectfully Submitted,

   Perry Marshall

   www.CoffeeHouseTheology.com

P.S.: Speaking of scientific revolutions, you may enjoy my 
other 5-day email course, "Where Did The Universe Come From?"
I explore the Big Bang, the wonders of DNA, and the
relationship between science and spirituality:
http://www.CosmicFingerprints.com 

CoffeeHouse Theology, 705 Jackson Boulevard
Oak Park, Illinois USA 60304