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What is the holy faith of Reformed Samaritanism?




Reformed Samaritanism is a call to return to the ancient path; to go back to the simple faith originally revealed by God to all mankind. Such faith can be summarized as follows: “No God, King, Judge, nor Savior is greater than י ה ו ה (Adonai Yah, blessed be He); no prophet, messenger, or teacher is greater than our master Moses (peace be upon him); and no theology is greater [nor more just and coherent] than ‘measure for measure’ (or ‘sowing and reaping’)- rewarding everyone with the same goodness [or evil] he has voluntarily sowed”.
As for theology, Reformed Samaritan theology includes the following set of no-nonsense, down-to-Earth tenets:

(1) That the rational and infinite nature of our physical universe bears witness to the glory and wisdom of the rational [and infinite] GOD who is behind it (“ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge…. Who put wisdom in the heart, or gave the mind understanding? Who has the wisdom to number the clouds…? Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven…? ”- Psalm 19: 1-2, & Job 38: 36-37, Christian Standard Bible),

(2) That this Creator is the God worshiped by the ancient Hebrew people; the God of Abraham, who delivered Israel from the Egyptian bondage, and whose name is spelled י ה ו ה (“YAH”, “ADONAI”, or “The LORD”). As it is written: “ Sing unto God, sing psalms unto his name; extol him that rides upon the heavens by his name Yah … And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, The Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou (morally) perfect … I am The Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery. Thou shalt have no other gods before me”- Psalm 68: 4, Genesis 17: 1, & Exodus 20: 2-3, Jubilee 2000 Bible.

(3) “Yah” is the only Deity; He is almighty; He is mankind’s only refugee; and He is no man. Therefore, He has no father, no son, no brother, and no physical image. As it is written: «and [Israel] said unto Joseph, “For thou art great and doest wondrous things; thou alone art God… God almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me” … The Lord of the hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge … for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee… Thus saith The Lord (י ה ו ה ) the King of Israel and his redeemer, the Lord (י ה ו ה ) of the hosts; “ I am the first (as I have no father), and I am the last (as I have no son); and, beside me, there is no God (for I have no brother) ”… See now that I, I am He, and there are no gods with me (as there is no other being within me who can rightfully claim to share my divinity) … Diligently guard, therefore, your souls, for ye saw no manner of likeness on the day that the Lord spoke unto you in Horeb of the midst of the fire, lest ye corrupt yourselves and make yourselves a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female”)»- Psalm 86: 10, Genesis 48: 3, Psalm 46: 7, Hosea 11: 9, Isaiah 44: 6, Deut. 32: 39, Deut. 4: 15-16, Jubilee Bible 2000.

(4) Not only is י ה ו ה the Supreme Savior (“I, even I, am י ה ו ה , and besides me there is no savior ”-Isaiah 43: 11), but He also is morally perfect (“He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment, a God of truth and without iniquity; just and right is He ”- Deut. 32: 4, 21st Century King James Bible).

(5) Yah judges mankind with perfect justice, letting everyone reap the same goodness [or evil] he has voluntarily sowed (“Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding. It is impossible for God to do wrong, and for the Almighty to act unjustly. for He repays a person according to his deeds, and He gives him what his conduct deserves. Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly and the Almighty does not pervert justice ”- Job 34: 10-12, Christian Standard Bible).

(6) In the end, God will bestow goodness upon those who do good; and He will likewise bestow evil upon those who have done evil (no matter if they call themselves Jews, Samaritans, Christians, or Muslims). As it is written: “ Do good, o Lord, unto those that are good… upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup”- Psalm 125: 4, & 11: 6- 21st Century King James Bible.

(7) That the goodness we ought to perform has been concisely summarized in the Ten “sayings” (or commandments) comprising God’s covenant with those who represent Abraham’s spiritual seed. As it is written: “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant… And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and He wrote them upon two tablets of stone”- Psalm 25: 10 (Jubilee 2000 Bible), & Deut. 4: 13 (21st Century King James Bible).

(8) That, since God is morally perfect, His favor doesn’t depend upon a person’s ethnicity, but rather upon the purity of his heart. As it is written: “ truly God is good to Israel (to which Israel? )- to those who are pure in heart ”- Psalm 73: 1, English Standard Version Bible.
Thus, the Israel alluded in the Hebrew Bible represents God’s paradigm of His true people: anyone who will exalt the God of Abraham, doing the good ordained in His commandments [no matter if such person is an Israeli, an Egyptian, or and Assyrian]. As it has been written: “For the Lord of the hosts shall bless them, saying, blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance ”- Isaiah 19: 25, Jubilee Bible 2000.

(9) Although י ה ו ה has raised many prophets and messengers (Jesus, Muhammad, Martin Luther- peace be upon them all) so as to enjoin the nations of the World to make peace with their Creator, God has set apart Moses, making him mankind’s supreme spiritual guide; the divine instructor who, by means of the parables and allegories contained in his Law, can teach us the most exalted way to observe [and understand] God’s covenant. Thus, although the Samaritan believer is free to recognize the teachings of Jesus, Muhammad, or any other prophet (peace be upon them all), if he wants to obtain maximum blessings, he will do well believing [and obeying] what our master Moses wrote in The Five Books of The Law.
As it is written: « Thou didst lead thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses … if there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in dreams. My slave Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my house. With him I will speak mouth to mouth and by sight, not by enigmas; he shall see the similitude of the Lord. Why then were ye not afraid to speak against my slave Moses? … And the Lord said unto Moses, “Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever”… this book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success »- Psalm 77: 20, Numbers 12: 6-8, Exodus 19: 9, & Joshua 1: 8, 21st Century King James Bible).

(10) If a man sins against Yah [or against his fellow human being], he can always make confession and restitution, asking God for forgiveness. How? By offering the sacrifice of a humble and contrite heart (“… When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person is guilty, then they shall confess their sin which they have done, and he shall recompense his guilt with the principal thereof… If a person commits a sin, a trespass against the Lord, and denies unto his neighbour that which was delivered unto him to keep or left in his hand, or in a thing stolen, or has slandered his neighbour… in any of all these in which a man can sin… he shall restore that which he stole… the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, o God, thou wilt not despise…. if my people, upon whom my name is invoked, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then i will hear from the heavens and will forgive their sin and will heal their land ”- Numbers 5: 6-7, Leviticus 6: 2-4, Psalm 51: 17, 2 Chronicles 7: 14, Jubilee Bible 2000).

(11) God’s true religion is “results oriented”. As it is written: “ Depart from evil and do good; and you will dwell forever [securely]… for I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings … But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord … all has been heard; the end of the matter is: fear God [revere and worship him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of god’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man… seek that which is good, and not that which is evil that ye may live; and so the Lord, the God of the hosts, shall be with you …”- Psalm 37: 27 (Amplified Bible), Hosea 6: 6 (Jubilee 2000 Bible), Jeremiah 9: 24 (Amplified Bible), Ecclesiastes 12: 13 (Amplified Bible), Amos 5: 14 (Jubilee Bible 2000).

(12) Therefore, God’s ultimate will for our lives isn’t to have “the correct Messiah”; to have “the correct theological interpretation”; to embrace “the correct religion”; to follow “the correct prophet”; to live in “the correct city” in “the correct land”; to worship inside “the correct temple”; to be part of “the correct people and/or culture”; or to speak “the correct language”.
God’s ultimate will is that we renounce to our own agendas, in order to let the Creator “sit upon the throne of our hearts”; to let Him make us “a sap of His Garden” [placing our lives in His hands, and under His personal care], so we may yield “the good fruit” [or “lifestyle”] that will not only praise Him and bless our fellow human beings, but also bring us peace and Life everlasting.
As it is said: “ Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in the mountain of thy holiness? He that walks in integrity and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. He that does not backbite with his tongue nor do evil to his neighbour, nor take up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes the vile person is not esteemed; but he honours those that fear the Lord. He that swears to his own hurt, and does not change. He that does not put out his money to usury, nor take a bribe against the innocent. He that does these things shall never be moved ”- Psalm 15: 1-5.

In short, God wants to guide us towards a life characterized by justice (punishing the guilty, and rewarding the innocent), mercy, and humility. As it is written: “ He [God] has declared unto thee, O man, what is good, ¿ and what the Lord requires of thee? Only to do right judgment, and to love mercy, and to humble thyself to walk with thy God ”- Micah 6: 8, Jubilee 2000 Bible.
And the fact that everlasting life is the reward of living in peace and brotherly love with our innocent neighbors is attested by the psalm that goes on to say: “ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! …” (Psalm 133: 1, Jubilee Bible 2000). And what does the end of the psalm promise to be the reward for those living in peace? “… for there the LORD commands blessing, and eternal life ” (Psalm 133: 3).
Finally, Reformed Samaritanism is to believe that “truth is truth”, regardless of who says it, nor where can it be found (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc). Thus, we acknowledge as valid any religious practice that promotes a lifestyle of humility and obedience to God’s commandments. What are some of these practices? Among them are the followings:
To praise God on a daily basis; to bless Him [with raised hands] aloud, using passages of the holy Scripture; to bow down [to the ground] during prayer; to take off our shoes while performing the religious service; to wear chaste and modest attires; to keep male and female properly separated from one another; to have word of honor; And to stay away from usury, from falsehood, from pride, and from open immorality.

 

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