CHURCH & STATE & BYZANTIUM (WITH JAY DYER) | CHARLES H. SULKA (home page)

VIDEO: CHURCH & STATE & BYZANTIUM (WITH JAY DYER)

By: John Kiriakou

Youtube Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZTfTx4UV50

Comments by: Charles H. Sulka

Rev 1.0 05-21-2026 1245 -0500

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This short video raises some important questions about the role of religion in public life. Everyone should watch this video thoughtfully, as the issues are central to the fundamental question of what kind of society do we want for ourselves, and, more importantly, for our children? How do we want to organize society? What is the appropriate role of religion in governance?

In this video Jay Dyer makes a case for a close relationship between church and state. His ideas are not necessarily unsound, although they are controversial from the standpoint of a modernist, secular society heavily influenced by con artists and false prophets. Mr. Dyer is well versed in Orthodox teachings, and he makes clear the need to avoid the excesses and abuses of the religious movements of prior years.

Like most Americans and Europeans I abhor the theocratic states which seem to be in ascendancy in the modern world. And so do most Americans; we are experiencing a reflective reaction to modernism, the New Age movement and the occult, the rise of leftist extremism such as radical feminism, the LGTBQ+ movement, and widespread pedophilia in high places (church and government.) This nonsense has resulted (in the West at least) of society bereft of logic and reason. It is painful to watch the collapse of morals and ethics which is destroying the West.

The collapse of traditional values has left much of human society bereft of logic and reason. As a result, there is a rising call for a closer church-state alliance. Theocracies do tend to produce social adhesion; people tend to think alike and embrace the prevailing cultural and religious values when dissent results in one having one’s head chopped off by religious zealots enforcing one form of sharia (religious law) or another. Capital punishment is all too often a horrific result of the union of church and state.

Theocracies tend to be ruthless and merciless. As the Grand Inquisitor instructed the torturers as to how they should proceed, “Kill them all. The Lord will know His own.”

A leading example of how theocratic rule leads to ruin is Zionist Israel, the most immoral and evil nation in the modern world. Zionist Israel combines theocracy with racism — master race theology — and fascism. Ironically, this theocracy invokes the name of God to justify its murderous policies and actions. In truth, Zionist Israel is a fraud, insofar as it’s policies are based on an archaic, brutal religion the Jews do not practice, and a god they do not even believe in. If you think God approves of genocide, Zionism and the apartheid state of Israel, you are sadly mistaken.

It is not just the Islamists and the Zionists who make a mockery of God with their twisted religious doctrines. Christendom is not much better….

I asked AI about the Christians’ atrocities in enforcing religious doctrines down through the ages. Here is how it went….

(A) ROMAN CATHOLICS

From the Introduction to the book,

ESTIMATES OF THE NUMBER KILLED BY THE PAPACY IN THE MIDDLE AGES AND LATER

CHAPTER 0. Introduction

For two or three centuries, many Protestants have given figures concerning the total number of people killed directly or indirectly by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The numbers given include 50 million, 68 million, 100 million, 120 million, and 150 million. Roman Catholics typically give much smaller numbers. Frequently the figures are stated without any information about where they came from or how they were computed. The purpose of this note is to describe where some of these figures come from and to comment on their reliability. Surely nearly all Roman Catholics as well as Protestants disapprove of past religious persecutions, so this discussion should not reflect negatively on current members of the Roman Catholic Church. However, events in Nazi Germany show how easily persecution can revive, so it is necessary to be on guard against it and maintain an awareness of its history. Of course, many other groups besides the Papacy have persecuted. And all of us, without Christ, have the roots of sin in ourselves. The reason the Papacy stands out is that it has ruled for such a long period of time over such a large area, exercised so much power, and claimed divine prerogatives for its persecutions. The magnitude of the persecutions is important for the following reason: One can excuse a few thousand cases as exceptional, but millions and millions of victims can only be the result of a systematic policy, thereby showing the harmful results of church-state unions.

(B) ORTHODOX CATHOLICS

The Eastern Orthodox Church and Orthodox states have historically persecuted other Christians and religious groups. While Orthodox theology generally condemns killing in the name of faith, historical records and Orthodox commentators acknowledge significant instances of violence, forced conversions, and execution driven by the close alliance between church and state (Caesaropapism).

Key historical instances include:

Persecution of the Old Believers: In Russia, the state and church violently suppressed the Old Believers in the 17th century after reforms were introduced by Patriarch Nikon. This led to executions, torture, and the forced exile of tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians who rejected the liturgical changes.

Suppression of Heretical Sects: Byzantine emperors and Orthodox authorities persecuted various Christian sects deemed heretical, including Monophysites (Miaphysites) in Egypt and Syria, Iconoclasts during the 8th and 9th centuries, and groups like the Bogomils and Paulicians in the Balkans. Leaders such as Basil the Physician, a Bogomil, were burned at the stake in the 12th century.

Conflict with Catholics and Uniates: Orthodox authorities were involved in the Massacre of the Latins in Constantinople (1182), which some historians view as a precursor to the Fourth Crusade’s sack of the city. In later centuries, Orthodox hierarchs in Ukraine and Romania colluded with communist authorities to persecute Greek Catholics (Uniates) who sought union with Rome.

Other Atrocities: Orthodox history also includes the forced conversion of Jews in Byzantine times, the suppression of pagan practices during the conversion of the Rus, and modern criticisms regarding the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for military actions against Ukrainians.

Orthodox apologists often argue that the church as an institution never established a formal “Inquisition” or held direct command over executioners, attributing these acts to secular rulers acting in the name of the church or to political power struggles rather than purely theological doctrine. However, many historians and Orthodox critics alike admit these events constitute a difficult part of the church’s historical conscience.

AI-generated answer.

Protestant persecution of other faiths and groups was primarily a phenomenon of the 16th and 17th centuries, intensifying alongside the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent wars of religion. Prior to this period, the unified Catholic Church largely ignored or prohibited witchcraft prosecutions, but the split into competing denominations created a religious marketplace where churches used witch trials as a competitive strategy to demonstrate their power and commitment to protecting citizens from Satan.

Persecution of Witches

Religious Competition: Economists Peter Leeson and Jacob Russ argue that witch hunts were driven by non-price competition between Catholic and Protestant churches for “religious market share.” In regions with high Protestant-Catholic rivalry, such as Germany (which accounted for nearly 40% of European prosecutions) and Scotland, witch-hunting was most intense.

Theological Consensus: Despite political differences, Protestant Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin held theological views on the Devil and witchcraft virtually indistinguishable from those of Roman Catholics. Luther approved the execution of witches, and Calvin advised Geneva to “extirpate the race of witches,” leading to severe local persecutions.

Secular Enforcement: In Protestant areas like England and Scotland, the state often became the enforcer of religious orthodoxy, with secular courts conducting the majority of trials and executions, whereas the Catholic Inquisition in Spain and Italy executed very few witches.

Persecution of Jews and Other Minorities

Shift in Scapegoating: While witches were previously a target, the decline in witch-hunting in some regions saw a resurgence of accusations against Jews, including ritual murder claims. Historical records note that accusations of devil worship and magic were frequently projected onto Jews, who were often portrayed with horns and claws.

Protestant Accusations: Protestants actively accused Jews of worshiping the devil, continuing a long tradition of using accusations of diabolical pacting to marginalize religious minorities.

Persecution of Muslims and “Conversos”

Context of the Inquisition: The prompt mentions Muslims and Jews, but it is crucial to distinguish that the primary persecution of these groups, particularly conversos (Jews and Muslims who converted to Christianity), was led by the Spanish Inquisition, a Catholic institution.

Protestant Stance: Protestant regions generally did not have an equivalent inquisitorial system targeting Muslims or Jewish converts. Instead, Protestant persecution focused heavily on heretics within Christianity (such as Anabaptists or Catholics in Protestant states) and those accused of maleficium (harmful magic). Alchemists and occultists were not systematically persecuted by Protestant authorities in the same manner as witches; the distinction between “magic” and “science” was not yet clear, and accusations typically required proof of a pact with the Devil.

Summary of Scope

Timeframe: Major persecutions of witches occurred roughly between 1550 and 1650, declining sharply after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 ended the wars of religion.

Geography: The Holy Roman Empire (Germany) was the epicenter of Protestant-led witch hunts, while solidly Catholic regions like Spain, Italy, and Portugal saw significantly fewer executions for witchcraft, focusing instead on heresy and religious conversion.

Q: Did Protestants persecute Anabaptists or other Christian sects?

Yes.

Protestants actively persecuted Anabaptists and other dissenting Christian sects during the Reformation.

Widespread Persecution: Both Catholic and Protestant authorities violently opposed the Anabaptists, who were seen as radical threats to both religious and social order. Major Protestant reformers like Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, and John Calvin condemned them as heretics and supported their suppression.

Reasons for Persecution: While Anabaptists are known for their pacifism and adult baptism, they were persecuted not just for theology, but because their rejection of infant baptism and the state church undermined the unity of the “Christian commonwealth.” Their belief in a voluntary church separate from the state was viewed as seditious.

Methods of Execution: Anabaptists were executed across Protestant regions. In Zwingli’s Zurich, Felix Manz became the first Anabaptist martyr, executed by drowning in 1527—a method mockingly called “the third baptism.” Luther advocated for the death penalty for Anabaptists, and Philip Melanchthon, his associate, recommended executions to force conversions.

Severity: The persecution was severe, with thousands martyred across Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands. The 1529 Diet of Speyer decreed death by the sword for all Anabaptists, a decree enforced in many Protestant territories.

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As can be seen from the examples above, the harmful results of church-state unions have been present in virtually all such unions throughout human history, These harmful effects are prevalent, and persist to this day; they seem to be directly proportional to the degree of adoption of a religion by the people. What reason do we have to think that things would be any different in church-state unions today, when logic and reason seem to be at an all-time low?

I have long held that the greatest factor impeding the development of the human spirit is religion. Furthermore, that throughout history — with recent history being no exception — religion has been used, almost universally, as an instrument of oppression and exploitation. I find nothing more offensive than hearing America’s false prophets, TV preachers, and fundamentalists — liars, hypocrites, and con-artists to a man (and woman) — calling for government funding of religious schools under the guise of school ‘choice’, or invoking the name of the Lord to justify murderous foreign policy decisions, military adventurism, economic exploitation, and even genocide. The state of America today is shameful, and America’s corporate religion is at the center of the scandal.

And yet, the Christian message — sadly, a message that is all too often misunderstood — does show us the values we should embrace. In this regard, at least, Christianity does represent the “one true faith.” But the danger of misinterpreting the message to the detriment of both Church and State is all too real.

To emphasize the point…. Recently, one of President Trump’s closest advisors, the Secretary of Death and Destruction (from the Ministry of Peace, to use Orwellian double-speak in reference to America’s “Department of War”), said that America’s support of, and participation in, Zionist Israel’s genocide and crimes against humanity was the will of Jesus. Let me make this point clear: when this fool does actually encounter the Lord on Judgement Day, he will have some explaining to do. He can expect the same merciful treatment from the real Jesus as the Americans military, in support of Israeli genocide, gave the women and children in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Frankly, I would not want to be in his place.

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One way to avoid the traditional failure of church-state alliances might be to list the aspects of religion that are desirable vs those that are specifically prohibited, and write them into the constitution without naming any specific religious cult, sect, or denomination. This would be in keeping with the intent of the Founders, which enshrined in the Constitution a prohibition on religious tests for public office.

In thinking this through, for example, the new Constitution could prohibit any religious activity which imposed arbitrary discipline or engaged in mind-control or brain-washing techniques to strip the practitioner of free will and personal liberty. Religions could be (and surely should be!) prohibited from incorporating blood sacrifice (human or animal sacrifice), using mind-altering drugs or practices (i.e.witchcraft, hypnotism, or altered states of consciousness.)

The prohibition against religions incorporating blood sacrifice would put an end to all this “Third Temple” nonsense about the emerging new World Order with a one-world government led by the Jews, based in Jerusalem.

The occult, and witchcraft in its many forms, is particularly dangerous. Witchcraft appeals to the marginalized, the alienated, those who perceive themselves to be powerless — resentful, envious, and confused … but not necessarily feeble-minded. Witchcraft, by definition, has as it’s central purpose to bend reality to the practitioner’s personal wishes, usually through drugs, spells, incantations, etc. If the practitioners of the occult really did have the power to bend reality to their will, then everyone else would be deprived of their own free will.

I’m not here saying that witches should be put to death. Too many lives have been lost to religious persecution based on the superstitious fears of ignorant people. But occultists surely should not be permitted to serve in public office or serve in leadership roles in society. Most of all, occult practitioners should never be allowed to be in contact with children. Practitioners of the occult are unbalanced, to say the least. They have the right to live — all God’s children have a right to live — but not to practice their perverse ‘religion’ publicly, or recruit others into their ranks.

There is no need to claim that suitability for public office and leadership roles in society is to be based on Biblical principles. Especially since no two people can agree on the meaning of the Bible texts, or even which ancient scriptures constitute the Bible (there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different “Bibles”.) Instead, suitability for leadership roles should be based on common sense, mental stability, integrity (truthfulness), intelligence, analytical ability, communication skills, and an adherence to the principles of socialized democracy.

This is, after all, what the Founders intended. This is pretty much the exact opposite of what we are seeing in America today. And therein lies the problem. It is a tragedy that the U.S. Constitution has been totally abandoned in America today.

(CHS 05-21-2026 1245 -0500)

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John Kiriakou: CHURCH, STATE, BYZANTIUM with Jay Dyer

John Kiriakou

May 12, 2026

John Kiriakou recently hosted Jay Dyer on his program Deep State to discuss the relationship of Church and State and Church history on the matter.

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Youtube Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZTfTx4UV50

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