Religion is all about behavioral modification. This is how it has always been. Even secular "non-religious" regimens use the same methods used so successfully in religious ceremonies and organizations. In the past centuries, men have used threats, torture and other forms of coercion, as well as flattery and promises, to modify other men’s behavior. Crude, but effective. However, since the turn of the twentieth century, the underlying principles of behavioral modification have been so refined and codified that even the novice psychologist has access to as subtle arts the devil himself might envy. What used to be limited to a few, crude, methods is now a supermarket full of, and an industry devoted to, pseudoscientific methods for behavioral modification.

Why such widespread interest in a subject usually reserved for tyrants and con-artists? The Bible has an answer. It states that once someone has been given the chance to know the truth and rejects it, then he pursues delusional paths until he meets his death. The Greeks were content to waste their time in frivolous pursuit of philosophy; but the moderns demand results. The Greeks did not have the truth until Christ came along and God opened the way to the Gentiles. The moderns have had the truth all these thousands of years and have rejected it in favor of Nietzsche or Marx, who look for a race of supermen. But men have inherent weaknesses that must be bred out of them. So comes to the rescue behavior modification in the form of sly psychological techniques learned from Christian principles and tainted with devilish ambitions.

Most of the modern psychometrics were developed over the centuries by the Church. Once men were educated in the fine arts of manipulation by overzealous priests and popes, then left the fold via new thought, they turned into rabid dogs whose fleas have college degrees. Armed with fatalism, nihilism and materialism, they improved upon manipulation techniques inherited from the church and became the new clergy for the godless masses. Not to be outdone by the secular humanists, and in a cruel twist of fate, the envious church then adapted the new techniques for use in their own religious practice .

Some years ago, a man appeared on the scene who claimed to be able to set people free from sin. His name was Jesus and he claimed to be the Christ, the Messiah, promised in the Jewish religion. He said that behavioral modification consisted of dispensing with the old life and replacing it with a new life. In the sixties and seventies of last century, it became popular to get "born again" through various drugs and dogmas, and this is at the heart of the matter. Men feel that they need to change, but they are so resistant to the truth!

Jesus said something like "Modify your behavior! The kingdom of God is at hand!" Actually, he said "Repent!" To repent is to change one’s ways. But the Bible points out to the Jews that they could turn their skin another color, or remove the spots on leopards, before they could change their evil ways (Jeremiah 13:23). In other words, it was valueless to try.

Then why would God demand it? Then why do men long to modify their behavior so much that they will attend Forum seminars, join cults, spend their life’s earnings on psychiatrists (after the surgeons have modified their bodies)? Why do they fall for so many schemes that rip them off?

Why?

On God’s part, he demands holiness. Men are not holy. Therefore, they have to repent and become holy. On man’s part, he is selfish and knows he is not attractive enough, or smart enough, or rich enough, or healthy enough...or holy enough...So the need for some adjustment. God offers the required adjustment, but men by and large reject it. It is, as said before, the need for the old life to be done away with and a new life to be given. But men want their old life and do not want to die, and yet their old life is killing them. They refuse the truth and turn to the lie.

"Because," the Bible says, "they refused the simple truth, God sent them a strong delusion so that they would believe a lie, so they could be judged for their wickedness." (2 Thess. 2:11).

God is doing this! Actually, he himself does not delude people. He gives them the truth. For instance, he told the first two human beings not to do something or they would die. He told the truth. But there is one who is only too anxious to deceive, and he is the devil. He tells people things they want to hear. God gives the devil permission to delude people (1 Kings 22:22). The amount of delusion is also determined by God. The devil can’t just decide he’s going to go after someone without checking in with God first (Job 2:6). Maybe we don’t like the kind of God who is in control of things, even things like delusion. That’s because we are deluded. As God has given the devil power to snare people, only God has the power to release them (2 Timothy 2:25-26). The Bible says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of it is death."

The reason things seem right, but are very wrong, is because of sin. The mind of man is prone to the lie and not the truth. Generally speaking of the human race as a whole, a way that seems right is actually a way that is condemned by God. That’s why we need behavior modification. Everyone seems to sense this in some way, or else why would people make New Year’s resolutions, or why are they so anxious to tell you about the wonderful results they had attending the latest ripoff scheme like Scientology? Even though a person says he is satisfied with himself and who he is, we can tell right away this is a convenient lie, just so we won’t know the inner anguish. Those that continuously rebel against God have this deep anxiety within their souls and try everything to conceal it, or if they become desperate, they try to rid themselves of it by behavioral modification.

The child abuser, for instance, may be very actively involved in youth programs and well-liked by the kiddies and the parents. He may be a priest and have the best credentials. Not only does this prove to himself that he is better than the average man around children, but it affords those opportunities he so desperately needs to satisfy his lusts. He tries to modify his behavior, but down deep he is a wicked sinner and his path goes to hell. Or maybe he is a Sunday school teacher (of children, of course). He coaches football (children’s, of course). He is trying real hard to be a pillar of the community. Sometimes, he tries to break free of the child-molestation thing by devoting himself to more adult activities, but in the end, he falls. Maybe the subject of child abuse is repugnant to you and you don’t even want to think about it.

O.K., then what’s your "phobia"? Or how have you been abused? Did someone you trust steal the company’s money and leave you in debt? Or did you do that to someone else? Did you commit adultery against your spouse? Or did your spouse do this to you? How about divorce? Murder? Did you murder someone? How about covetousness? Are you an average Christian American? Then you are probably covetous, and this is idolatry. Instead of modifying your behavior by getting rid of your stuff like Jesus said, you are actively in pursuit of the things of this world and cannot get enough. Your Christian friends invite you to their houses and you are envious of their stuff. You invite them to your house and you are proud of your stuff (or you are ashamed because you can’t keep up with the Joneses). You need some real behavior modification, my friend, because you need to be saved.

The Pharisees were repugnant to Christ because they made the outside of their lives very white, very pure-looking. They were like today’s churchgoer who prides himself in being a cut above the others. More often than not, he is a pastor or a bishop or a deacon or some such authority figure. He is practiced in the things of his religion. Depending on what sect of Christianity he belongs to, he is very adept at fooling others regarding his spiritual position. He surrounds himself with yes-men and they protect him from the truth. They in turn are led astray. They are the blind leading the blind, Jesus said. They are always offended by the truth. These do not need behavior modification; they need to be pointed out as examples of hypocrisy and then they need to be rejected. Paul had to fight these behavior modification experts. See what he had to say in Galatians 6:12 and Colossians 2:23.

If we continue to follow these men (and women), we will certainly have our behaviors modified, but not for the good. These are expert at manipulation. They hold very controlled meetings in which all of the results can be predicted. They isolate troublemakers when necessary and play them videos or give them how-to manuals with lots of paid-for testimonials. As we become convinced of their unproven theories, we fall into the type of behavior so well-loved and well-hated by most men: hypocrisy. We believe that our faith or our love or our meds are accomplishing something. There is a shallow outward effect of conforming to a set of expectations, but there is no experience of God himself. The more we pursue this hypocrisy, the more our friends pat us on the back. We become the Rock Hudson’s of the church actor’s guild. Outwardly we appear the man of God, the gentleman and the attractive role model. Women love us (and men). However, we hate the gospel and we refuse to repent, even though we go endlessly to Christian therapy called "counseling."

Pop religion cannot modify our behavior enough to qualify us for eternal life. There may be some instantaneous results, but they are short-lived (Luke 8:13). In order for us to really modify our behavior, as Christ demands, we must believe him and not the false prophets. We must not follow our own inclinations and think this is the Spirit of God. If we read our Scriptures, then we find that the danger is all around us and nothing to be trifled with (1 Peter 5:8). Our righteousness must surpass the righteousness of the religious hypocrites (Matthew 5:20). If we read the so-called Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5,6,7), we see the behavior modification spelled out.

Stay away from vain psychobabble and futile abstinence schemes, because although they appear to have results, they do not deliver from the bondage of the flesh (Colossians 2:23, 1 Timothy 4:1, Ephesians 4:17, Titus 3:9, 2 Timothy 2:16, 1 Timothy 6:20, etc.).

Peter recommended Paul’s teachings thus: "Consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation - as also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 2 Peter 2:15-18.

- Chris Simonson

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