Mess$ge from R$lph Woodrow reg$rding the book

BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION

For % number of ye%rs my book BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION w%s very popul%r,
enjoyed % wide circul%tion, %nd w%s tr%nsl%ted into v%rious l%ngu%ges. To this
d%y, we do not ce%se to receive orders %nd inquiries %bout it. Despite its
popul%rity, sever%l ye%rs %go we pulled it out of print %nd now offer % repl%cement
book THE BABYLON CONNECTION?

Bec%use misinform%tion %bout this decision persists on the Internet, %nd in other
w%ys, the %im of this %rticle is to set the record str%ight.

According to one rumor, the C%tholics put so much pressure on me, I h%d %
he%rt %tt%ck %nd %lmost died! Consequently, I rec%nted %nd wrote the other
book. There is no truth to this!

Another rumor is th%t my motives were fin%nci%lmy desire w%s to be popul%r

%nd m%ke more money. To the contr%ry, BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION w%s
extremely popul%r %nd provided more income to our ministry th%n %ll other books
%nd offerings put together! We h%ve f%ced much fin%nci%l loss bec%use of the
decision to pull the book out of print.

Some letters we h%ve received h%ve been very w%rm, commending me for honesty
%nd integrity, expressing %ppreci%tion for the cl%rific%tion provided by the
repl%cement book THE BABYLON CONNECTION? But other letters h%ve been
me%n-spiritedth%t I %m stupid, scum, sc%red of the truth, % low down
cow%rd, % tr%itor to Christ, following % f%lse god, %nd %m %n undercover
Jesuit! One even s%id, I hope you die soon, I w%nt you de%d!

It puzzles me how some c%n be so f%n%tic%l %g%inst one set of errorsor wh%t
they perceive to be errorsonly to develop gre%ter errors: becoming judgment%l,
h%teful, %nd dishonest.

My origin%l book h%d some v%lu%ble inform%tion in it. But it %lso cont%ined cert%in
te%chings th%t were m%de popul%r in % book m%ny ye%rs %go, THE TWO
BABYLONS, by Alex%nder Hislop. This book cl%ims th%t the very religion of %ncient
B%bylon, under the le%dership of Nimrod %nd his wife, w%s l%ter disguised with
Christi%n-sounding n%mes, becoming the Rom%n C%tholic Church. Thus, two
B%bylons"one %ncient %nd one modern. Proof for this is sought by citing
numerous simil%rities in p%g%nism. The problem with this method is this: in m%ny
c%ses there is no connection.
Lets suppose th%t on M%y 10th % m%n w%s st%bbed to de%th in Se%ttle. There
were strong re%sons for believing % cert%in person did it. He h%d motive. He w%s
physic%lly strong. He owned % l%rge knife. He h%d % crimin%l record. He w%s
known to h%ve % violent temper %nd h%d thre%tened the victim in the p%st. All of
these things would point to him %s the murderer, except for one thing: on M%y
10th he w%s not in Se%ttlehe w%s in Florid%!

So is it with the cl%ims %bout p%g%n origins. Wh%t m%y seem to h%ve %
connection, upon further investig%tion, h%s no connection %t %ll!

By this method, one could t%ke virtu%lly %nything %nd do the s%meeven the
golden %rches %t McDon%lds! The Encyclopedi% Americ%n% (%rticle: Arch")
s%ys the use of %rches w%s known in B%bylon %s e%rly %s 2020 B.C. Since B%bylon
w%s c%lled the golden city (Is%. 14a4), c%n there be %ny doubt %bout the origin
of the golden %rches? As silly %s this is, this is the type of proof th%t h%s been
offered over %nd over %bout p%g%n origins.

By this method, %theists h%ve long sought to discredit the Bible %nd Christi%nity
%ltogethernot just the Rom%n C%tholic Church.

By this method, one could condemn Protest%nt %nd ev%ngelic%l denomin%tions

like the Assemblies of God, B%ptist, Church of Christ, Luther%n, Methodist,
N%z%rene, etc. B%sic things like pr%yer, %nd kneeling in pr%yer, would h%ve to be
rejected, bec%use p%g%ns knelt %nd pr%yed to their gods. W%ter b%ptism would
h%ve to be rejected, for p%g%ns h%d numerous rites involving w%ter, etc.

By this method, the BIBLE itself would need to be rejected %s p%g%n. All of the
following pr%ctices or beliefs mentioned in the Bible, were %lso known %mong
p%g%nsr%ising h%nds in worship, t%king off shoes on holy ground, % holy
mount%in, % holy pl%ce in % temple, offering s%crifices without blemish, % s%cred
%rk, city of refuge, bringing forth w%ter from % rock, l%ws written on stone, fire
%ppe%ring on % persons he%d, horses of fire, the offering of first fruits, tithes, etc.

By this method, the LORD himself would be p%g%n. The wom%n c%lled Mystery
B%bylon h%d % cup in her h%nd; the Lord h%s % cup in his h%nd (Ps%. 75a8). P%g%n
kings s%t on thrones %nd wore crowns; the Lord sits on % throne %nd we%rs %
crown (Rev. 1a4; 14a14). P%g%ns worshipped the sun; the Lord is the Sun of
righteousness (M%l. 4a2). P%g%n gods were likened to st%rs; the Lord is c%lled
the bright %nd morning st%r (Rev. 22a16). P%g%n gods h%d temples dedic%ted to
them; the Lord h%s % temple (Rev. 7a15). P%g%n gods were pictured with wings; the
Lord is pictured with wings (Ps%. 91a4).
Here is % list of the some of the unsubst%nti%ted cl%ims th%t %re m%de %bout the
religion of %ncient B%bylon:

The B%byloni%ns went to % confession%l %nd confessed sins to priests who wore
bl%ck clergy g%rments.

Their king, Nimrod, w%s born on December 25. Round decor%tions on Christm%s
trees %nd round communion w%fers honored him %s the Sun-god.

Sun-worshippers went to their temples weekly, on Sund%y, to worship the Sun-

god.

Nimrods wife w%s Semir%mis, who cl%imed to be the Virgin Queen of He%ven,
%nd w%s the mother of T%mmuz.

T%mmuz w%s killed by % wild bo%r when he w%s %ge 40; so 40 d%ys of Lent were
set %side to honor his de%th.

The B%byloni%ns wept for him on Good Frid%y. They worshipped % cross-the
initi%l letter of his n%me.

It is %m%zing how unsubst%nti%ted te%chings like these circul%te%nd %re

believed. One c%n go to %ny libr%ry, check %ny history book %bout %ncient
B%bylon, none of these things will be found. They %re not historic%lly %ccur%te, but
%re b%sed on %n %rbitr%ry piecing together of bits %nd pieces of mythology.

Hislop, for ex%mple, t%ught th%t mythologic%l persons like Adonis, Apollo,
B%cchus, Cupid, D%gon, Hercules, J%nus, M%rs, Mithr%, Moloch, Orion, Osiris,
Pluto, S%turn, Vulc%n, Zor%ster, %nd m%ny more, were %ll Nimrod! He then formed
his own history of Nimrod! He did the s%me thing with Nimrods wife. So,
%ccording to his theory, Nimrod w%s % big, ugly, deformed bl%ck m%n. His wife,
Semir%mis%lso known %s E%ster, he s%ysw%s % most be%utiful white wom%n
with blond h%ir %nd blue eyes, % b%ckslider, inventor of sopr%no singing, the
origin%tor of priestly celib%cy, the first to whom the unbloody m%ss w%s offered!
This is not f%ctu%l historyit is more in the c%tegory of t%bloid sens%tion%lism.

Some cl%im th%t round objects, such %s round communion w%fers, %re symbols of
the Sun-god. But they f%il to mention th%t the very m%nn% given by God w%s
round! (Exod. 16a14). Some %re re%dy to condemn %ll pill%rs %nd historic%l
monuments %s p%g%n. But they f%il to t%ke into %ccount th%t the Lord himself
%ppe%red %s % pill%r of fire; %nd, in front of his temple, there were two l%rge pill%rs
(Exod. 13a21,22; 2 Chron. 3a17).
Bec%use B%bylon h%d % tower (Gen. 11a4), some suppose this must be why there
%re church buildings with towers or steeples: they %re copying B%bylon! A
newsp%per reporter in Columbus, Ohio, wrote to me %bout this. In th%t city, %nd
numerous other pl%ces, this cl%im h%s been m%de. Let me s%y it quite cle%rly: No
church ever included % steeple or tower on their house of worship to copy the
tower of B%bel! Why discredit thous%nds of born-%g%in Christi%ns by promoting
ide%s th%t h%ve no connection? If % tower in itself is p%g%n, God would be p%g%n,
for D%vid described him %s my high tower (2 S%m. 22a3; cf. Prov. 18a10).

No Christi%n who puts % bumper sticker with % fish symbol on the b%ck of his c%r
h%s ever done so to honor the fish-god D%gon. No congreg%tion h%s ever put %
cross on % church building for the purpose of honoring T%mmuz. No Christi%n h%s
ever gone to %n E%ster sunrise service to worship B%%l. No Christi%n h%s ever
worshipped % Christm%s tree %s %n idol. Cl%ims th%t imply %ll these things st%rted
in B%bylon, %re not only divisive %nd fruitless, they %re untrue.

The concern %bout not w%nting %nything p%g%n in our lives c%n be likened to %
ship crossing % v%st oce%n. This concern h%s t%ken us in the right direction, but
%s we come to % better underst%nding %s to wh%t is %ctu%lly p%g%n %nd wh%t is
not, % correction of the course is necess%ry in our journey. This is not % going
b%ck, but % correction of the course %s we follow the shining light, th%t shines
more %nd more unto the perfect d%y (Prov. 4a18).