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The following is an edited outline/commentary of a presentation made in Destin, Florida on

September 20, 2005 by Richard Woodall. This is based in large part from the book, The
Separation of Church & Faith by Daniel Gruber, and specifically chapter 4, entitled A Good
Church is Hard to Find. While this is not in full article form, it nevertheless is adequate in
substance and content to present the issue at hand. For your consideration, comments and
thoughts:

Our God (Yhwh), our Father, our Creator has made many promises that have not yet been
fulfilled.
The Holy Days picture some of the fulfilled promises, and some not yet fulfilled.
This Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth) pictures a remembrance of a past event or time, and
in type- both current and still future events.

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Lev 23:42 brought out of Egypt in booths.

Leviticus 23:42-43
42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:
43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought
them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Genesis 15:18
18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land,
from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Gen 17:1-8 Land promise

Genesis 17:1-8
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am
the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many
nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land
of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
(17) Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies;
Genesis 28:13-14
(13) And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I [am] the LORD God of Abraham thy father,
and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
(14) And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to
the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of
the earth be blessed.

Isa 2:1-3 all nations flow unto it

Isaiah 2:1-3

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(1) The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
(2) And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be
established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall
flow unto it.
(3) And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to
the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:
for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isa 11 Wolf & lamb Calf and young lion. This has not happened- yet!

WHY HAVE THESE PROMISES OF GOD (YHWH) NOT BEEN EMPHASIZED BY TRADITIONAL
CHRISTIANITY OR EVEN THE VARIOUS CHURCHES OF GOD, EXCEPT ON THE HOLY DAYS?

What Hebrew words in the Old Testament (TANAKH) are used to describe the community
Israel?
WHAT IS THE SEPTUAGINT LXX ?
It is a translation of the TANAKH (OT) Hebrew scriptures into the Greek language around the
2nd century BC, and written in Alexandria, Egypt.
If we can see how these words are translated in Septuagint, then we can see if the translators did credible
job of translating the same word into the Messianic Scriptures(NEW TESTAMENT).

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The vast majority of Theologians, virtually without exception, do not realize, nor even
consider, that the Messianic writings (New Testament) were written in a Jewish Greek,
similar or even identical to the Greek found in the Septuagint, where many words were created
by the Jews in Greek for the purpose of sustaining a Hebrew idiom that would be lost in the
Classic or Koine Greek, while at other times the normal Greek words were used with normal
Greek meanings. This point cannot be overstated. Without this understanding, one will always
assume that the apparent Greek word will always carry with it a meaning peculiar to Greek,
when in fact, many words were actually coined by the Jews, who literally created new
Greek words based solely on a Hebrew usage and meaning particularly not peculiar to the
Greeks of that day. They, the Greeks, would have no comprehension at all of what the new
Greek word meant, or even what it was, or why or how it came to be. In a number of cases, a
normal Greek word was used, but by comparing it to the Septuagint, which is then compared
to the Tanakh, we can readily see that it, too, is Jewish Greek because the meaning will
reflect a purely Hebrew or Jewish usage and meaning. Thus, the writings of what is commonly
known as the New Testament can only be fully understood from the perspective of the Jewish
culture of the day and the Hebrew meanings behind these new Jewish Greek words.
The HEBREW words used for the COMMUNITY of Israel are almost always --- EDAH AND KAHAL
translated: Congregation, Assembly, meeting, gathering, community, group
Prov 5:14 both Kahal and Edah used in same sentence

6951
6951

The

5712
5712

translated the Hebrew word

as

and the Hebrew word

= as
Edah is almost always translated as Sunagoge.
Guess what word we get the English word Synagogue from? Yes Sunagoge!
However, lets remember that words change meanings over time. What did (the word) GAY
mean to my dad? (Compared to what it might mean to the average person of today.) Disk to a
farmer is not the same thing as it is to a computer expert.
In the first century SUNAGOGE did not mean synagogue - a Jewish religious meeting place! It
was just a common word for a GATHERING.
Gen 1:9 Let the waters of heaven be GATHERED ..

EDAH=Hebrew=SUNAGOGE=Greek in the Septuagint.

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Ex 12:3 Speak to all the CONGREGATION of Israel. EDAH=Hebrew SUNAGOGE=

Greek in the Septuagint.
Exodus 12:3
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation5712 of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they
shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an
house:
KAHAL in the TANAKH is a: COMMUNITY, AN ASSEMBLY OR AN ASSOCIATION
OF DIFFERENT COMMUITIES.
GEN49:5-6 Let me not join their ASSEBLIES=KAHAL=Hebrew
Genesis 49:5-6
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly6951, mine honour, be not thou united: for
in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

NUM19:20 Cut off from the CONGREGATION.KAHAL=Hebrew

Numbers 19:20
20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the

congregation6951, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not
been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean.

AND

and the word simply means: MEETING,

GATHERING, COMMUNITY OR ASSEMBLY. NEITHER WORD, IN ITSELF,

CONTAINED ANY RELIGIOUS MEANING OR CONNOTATION- IT WAS NOT
CONNECTED TO ANY SPECIFIC GROUP.
In standard Greek EKKLESIA is simply an ASSEMBLY..
The Classic Greek used the word as: AN ASSEMBLY CALLED OUT BY THE
MAGISTRATE OR LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY.
In JEWISH/GREEK the word EKKLESIA did not signify an institution.
EZRA 10:8 Separated from the CONGREGATION=KAHAL=Hebrew=EKKLESIA
=GREEK=CONGREGATION
Ezra 10:8

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8 And that whosoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the
elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of those that had
been carried away.

is translated as
The word Church was not the first
century Meaning, nor a Christian word. At the time of the Septuagint nothing CHRISTIAN
EXISTED. EKKLESIA WAS EVERYWHERE in the GREEK world. They all had their
meeting places.-

(what we
rather mistakenly call the New Testament)
MATT 2:4 Gathering together (SUNAGOGON) 4863 sunago: Collect, gather, accompany
assemble, come together.
Matthew 2:4
4 And when he had gathered 4863 all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of
them where Christ should be born.

MATT 13:47 Gathered (Sunagogouse) all kind of fish.

Matthew 13:47
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered4863 of every
kind:

The Expression Synagogue of the Jews What else could it mean? Isnt Synagogue
automatically Jewish? NO- Not in the first century usage of the word. It just meant a meeting
place.
ACTS 17:10 Luke just tells us what kind (whose) of a synagogue it was.
Acts 17:10
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went
into the synagogue4864 of the Jews.

LUKE 21:12 Deliver you up to the SYNAGOGUES (Sunagogai) Be careful of mens and not

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just JEWS synagogues. SUNAGOGAI does not mean Jewish at all. The ROMANS established
Sunagogai for their own purposes, and it was Roman, or non-Jewish, gatherings or meetings,
that Jesus warning referred to.
REMEMBER: HEBREW KAHAL= GREEK EKKLESIA in the messianic writings.
The word is used 100 of times and means meeting or assembly. It has no religious connotation,
neither Jewish nor Christian.
Ps 22:22 Congregation=Kahal=Ekklesia
Psalms 22:22
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation 6951 will I praise thee.

Hebrews 2:12
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church 1577 will I sing praise
unto thee.

Ekklesia, #1577= calling out, a popular meeting, especially a religious

congregation, (Jewish Synagogue or a Christian community of members on earth
or Saints in heaven or both) assembly, church.
116 times, 77=church 36=churches 3=assembly
Heb 2:12 in the King James Ekklesia is CHURCH
Acts 7:38
38 This is he, that was in the church 1577 in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the
mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

He (Moses) was in the Ekklesia in the desert (Kahal=church)

Peter was not speaking Greek, he did not use the word Ekklesia but Kahal Assembly
Stephen and Moses knew nothing of a
church.
Matthew 16:16-18
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church 1577; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

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I will build my EKKLESIA (CHURCH)? NO, only 2 possible words used, either KAHAL or
EDAH

Yeshua (Jesus) came to fulfill Gods promise, not annul it. God had promised to make
ISRAEL HIS Community-Kahal-ekklesia of nations. Its what the promises are all about.
Matthew 18:15-18
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him
alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church 1577: but if he neglect to hear the
church1577, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye
shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Tell it unto the CHURCHKahal- Ekklesia From what we have been learning, does this make sense?
There was NO church at the time Messiah spoke these words. Not even a concept of A or THE Church.
Yeshua spoke Hebrew. There was not even a word in the language that meant church. There was no such
thing as a church in the Greek world.

To be treated as a gentile, meant that you had no standing in Israel, you were treated as an
outcast. So the instruction is, if he would not listen- treat him as an outcast of Israel.

Acts 19:32
32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly 1577 was confused; and the more part
knew not wherefore they were come together.

James 5:14
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church 1577; and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

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Lets see now, IF there is NO CHURCH, Then there is no Church Age, NO True Church, NO
Church RANK. AND IF THERE IS NO CHURCH, Then Jesus the Christ (Yeshua) IS NOT
BUILDING A BODY CALLED THE CHURCH, but something else.

Yeshua is building a commonwealth of Israel, which God YHWH Promised to Abraham,

Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets of old.
The Scriptures speak of the Body of Messiah, and they speak of the commonwealth of
Israel, but they do not speak of a separate CHURCH.
MATT 19:27-28 What a shame all they did and they wont even have a position in the
church, but are stuck with Israel.

(Act 1:1) The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began
both to do and teach,
(Act 1:2) Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy
Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
(Act 1:3) To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible
proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the
kingdom of God: why did Christ tell them about the new structure he was
setting up called ( THE TRUE CHURCH OF GOD?) He had 40 days to do
it.
(Act 1:4) And, being assembled together with [them], commanded them that they
should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
[saith he], ye have heard of me.
(Act 1:5) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost not many days hence.

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(Act 1:7) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons,
which the Father hath put in his own power.

Lets now look at future looking scripture.

This is a study all in itself (for further reference please see: What in the World Are All
Things? at [ www.israelofgod.org ], but it certainly refers to the Coming Kingdom of God.

What was one of the last things Paul discussed at the end of the book of Acts?

And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto
him,
(31) Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus
Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Jeremiah 31:1-13
The LORD said: Israel, I promise that someday all your tribes will again be my people, and I
will be your God.
(2) In the desert I was kind to those who escaped death. I gave them peace, and when the time is
right, I'll do the same for you. I, the LORD, have spoken.
(3) Some time ago, the LORD appeared to me and told me to say: Israel, I will always love you;
that's why I've been so patient and kind.
(4) You are precious to me, and so I will rebuild your nation. Once again you will dance for joy and
play your tambourines.
(5) You will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria and enjoy the grapes.
(6) Someday those who guard the hill country of Ephraim will shout, "Let's go to Zion and worship
the LORD our God."
(7) The LORD says: Celebrate and sing for Israel, the greatest of nations. Offer praises and shout,
"Come and rescue your people, LORD! Save what's left of Israel."
(8) I, the LORD, will bring my people back from Babylonia and everywhere else on earth. The

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blind and the lame will be there. Expectant mothers and women about to give birth will come
and be part of that great crowd.
(9) They will weep and pray as I bring them home. I will lead them to streams of water. They will
walk on a level road and not stumble. I am a father to Israel, my favorite children.
(10) Listen to me, you nations nearby or across the sea. I scattered the people of Israel, but I will
gather them again. I will protect them like a shepherd guarding a flock;
(11) I will rescue them from enemies who could overpower them.
(12) My people will come to Mount Zion and celebrate; their faces will glow because of my
blessings. I'll give them grain, grapes, and olive oil, as well as sheep and cattle. Israel will be
prosperous and grow like a garden with plenty of water.
(13) Young women and young men, together with the elderly, will celebrate and dance, because I
will comfort them and turn their sorrow into happiness.

) Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of
Israel and with the house of Judah,
(32) not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt (which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a
husband to them, says Jehovah).
But this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days,
declares Jehovah, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and I will write it on their hearts; and
I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
(34) And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying,
Know Jehovah. For they shall all know Me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
declares Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

(16) Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah,
and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write
upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and [for] all the house of Israel his
companions:
(17) And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in
thine hand.
(18) And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou

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not shew us what thou [meanest] by these?

(19) Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of
Joseph, which [is] in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows,
and will put them with him, [even] with the stick of Judah, and make them one
stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
(20) And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
(21) And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children
of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on
every side, and bring them into their own land:
(22) And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and
one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither
shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
(23) Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their
detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of
all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall
they be my people, and I will be their God.
(24) And David my servant [shall be] king over them; and they all shall have one
shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do
them.
(25) And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant,
wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, [even] they, and
their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David [shall
be] their prince for ever.
(26) Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting
covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my
sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
(27) My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and
they shall be my people.
(28) And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when
my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

YHWH LOVES HIS PEOPLE, AND IF WE ARE TO BE HIS PEOPLE, WE HAD BETTER BE PART OF
ISRAEL, not part of a church that doesnt exist.
Addendum:
While many there be who arrive at the above understanding through whatever route their journey has taken,
many others will read this article, or even the book, which is very explicit, and come away thinking nothing is
different. This, in large part, or totally, has to do with the natural filter through which new information is
always and without exception, viewed- The Copernicus Syndrome!* Thus, the mind will only allow an
individual who has been up until now operating in the traditional church mindset, at least on the first glance
or reading, to automatically categorize the various points, especially those concerning the use of ekklesia and
its relationship to the Hebrew words and their usage- as well as the demonstrated connection of the Hebrew
and Greek through the Septuagint, would immediately put forth the argument that the word Church,
congregation, assembly, are all one and the same. Therefore, we can indeed be the True Church, whomever

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we are (Church of Christ, Church of God, Baptists, etc.), and the ekklesia of Israel can be physical Israel,
and the four books of what we call the gospel uses and appearances of ekklesia can still be the true, uh, oh,
hmmm, ah, well, actually they cannot be the church, can they?! (rhetorical, not interrogative)
Hmmm, thats right, the I will build my church cant refer to the church that did not even exist yet.
Likewise, the if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church,
let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican, also cannot possibly be a reference or instruction to
a non-existent church. But surely the 7 churches of Revelation 2 & 3 are to the true church? Well,
they are to the ekklesia, true enough, but there is no biblical, nor logical reason that creates an ekklesia any
different than the one in Matthew, which already existed long before Pentecost 30, 31, 33, or whenever AD.
If you think so, please write to me and elaborate on your reasoning and point. I would appreciate seeing and
reading your information. Then, we can compare your truth to my error and see what happens.
If we note the logic incorporated to dismiss the above article as inconsequential to our church, although we
freely allow it to apply to everyone elses church, we have completely missed the entire point. If there is no
church in the way we have been taught and have thought, then to say that the assembly is the church (or
especially our church, which would naturally be the true church) vacates the very evidence presented
solely on the basis of our presupposed preconceived notion and premise, and not on counter evidence, nor
fact, which then fails to address the supposed shortcoming of the article. If you think we have lost it, please
write and explain why, how, or where. We would greatly appreciate such a letter. Perhaps we have missed
something that would alter the outcome of this article. We are only human and as our brother or sister we
beseech you to intervene on our behalf in this matter. There is much to learn and we freely admit we have no
corner on the understanding market. We have simply put forth that what we were taught was not based
on fact or direct understanding of the biblical context and the culture of the day, but rather on the
presupposed theology of those who came before and the influence of the Greek culture, Gnostic theology,
and Roman rule on them, not to mention their own lust for retention of their power and authority.
While we may certainly still be in error, there is no question remaining that what we once thought can no
longer be sustained with veracity. The evidence is overwhelming and conclusive at this point. This article only
lights on one single point. May we humbly suggest you enter your own examination of what the ekklesia is
and share your finding with us. Thus, if we are still in error, at least it is no longer the previous error, but a
new one, and it is our hope that we will eventually find our way, or be led by the spirit, to the complete
understanding of just what this ekklesia really is. Either way, we hope we are in it, and that you are, too.

Richard Fix
October 2005
*Copernicus Syndrome reflects a circumstance where all the world knew without any question- because it
was so obvious to anyone and everyone, that the universe revolved around the earth. In other words, the
earth was at the center (we can relate this readily to humanity and vanity) and the sun, moon, and stars
revolved around us. However, there were numerous difficulties with what people saw in the skies that created
overwhelming difficulties with the known truth that the earth was at the center. Many realized that what
they saw made the supposition of the earth being the center impossible, but no one could, or would, take a
stand against the obvious truth of the day. The Roman Church perpetuated the myth by declaring it so, thus
to even think the earth was not the center was heresy.
Yet, the earth is not the center of the solar system, nor the universe. We have no idea where the center of the
universe is, and we factually are now aware that the Sun is at the center of the solar system. We factually
know that the stars do not revolve around the planet earth. It was not until Copernicus, that the truth that was

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error began to be undone.

Similarly, because we all know that the church is what it is, it surely cannot be something different than
what we have been taught, or something different than what the establishment of today (which includes
our true churchs teaching) teaches it is? (This is neither rhetorical nor interrogative, but thought
provoking sarcasm) The point being- that anything read, seen, or heard is viewed from a perspective that it
must fit into our present understanding- that we are at the center of the universe and everything revolves
around us. Thus, our filter will alter what we hear or read by how we already know it must be.
Unfortunately, that approach seldom works, but it is also seldom realized, and as a result, many continue
blithely with their beliefs, certain that they are right and that they are in the true church, and that those
others and other churches are less fortunate, after all, we must be right, simply look up to the sky and we can
see it so plainly-

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