Christianity and Cults Throughout History

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, Ezra said:

So we should just throw up our hands since everyone could be in a cult? That's ludicrous.

 

18 hours ago, Joline said:

Similarly Christianity used to anyway, hold to the essentials of the historic faith, to be considered a Christianity. I think that criteria better than this

???? I already gave my views on the matter.

[Kan]

The term "cult" is related to "culture" in the Latin (17th century). And it means worship.

A true religion is one where the belief creates a "lifestyle" or a "culture."

The Christian belief is a new life style. It is a culture, and a very good one.

But the term "cult" nowadays has been directed as an accusatory label on extremist/ non mainstream groups.

True Christianity has always been - in the minority. False Christianity or nominal Christianity has popular acceptance, and is now the prime mover to label true Christianity as extremist/fundamentalist/cultism.

That is easy to achieve, with numerous examples of small groups which have laid claim to the Bible and abused themselves, or others.

The fact remains that in the last days the true saints will be marked as the worst criminals that ever existed. A demonic cult.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Kan said:

The term "cult" is related to "culture" in the Latin (17th century). And it means worship.

A true religion is one where the belief creates a "lifestyle" or a "culture."

The Christian belief is a new life style. It is a culture, and a very good one.

But the term "cult" nowadays has been directed as an accusatory label on extremist/ non mainstream groups.

True Christianity has always been - in the minority. False Christianity or nominal Christianity has popular acceptance, and is now the prime mover to label true Christianity as extremist/fundamentalist/cultism.

That is easy to achieve, with numerous examples of small groups which have laid claim to the Bible and abused themselves, or others.

The fact remains that in the last days the true saints will be marked as the worst criminals that ever existed. A demonic cult.

Hi Kan,

I did think about the original use of the term cult in looking at this. And I do think it is unfortunate that the term has morped into something else. Similar to the idea of dogma. But since it all boils down to what people believe, then simply let everybody create their own essentials, and let groups outside of that be considered outside.

As for the last days....That's why I think it is harmful to use Characteristics like this. We should all be dogmatic about truth and faith. The Apostles certainly were. Just let everyone instead go by what they consider essential. It is not a new concept, the Church has been doing it for two thousand years. The last thing any of us want is to be hypocrits, and holding the truth in that kind of unrighteousness.

Just sayin

[SINNERSAVED]

Fruits, we need to be, fruit inspectors,  we need to see , that the sheep are not howling, and that others are not able to come in and scatter the flock,

we need to be watching and in prayer and in the word , we need to be asking for strength and wisdom, and most of all, even when all else fails, kill them with loving kindness,  for there guilt and there actions will be on there head, and you have done, all that you could as a child of God

 amen ...blessings  and shalom

[Guest Robert]

3 hours ago, Ezra said:

So we should just throw up our hands since everyone could be in a cult? That's ludicrous.  Here's how we should view this matter:

Bible Christianity -- doctrines and practices derived from Scripture, which are properly interpreted in the light of all Scripture.

False Christianity -- mixes the doctrines of men with the truth of God.

Apostasy -- denies Bible truths altogether.

Cults -- promote doctrines which contradict Bible truth while brainwashing their adherents.

Agreed; we need to have discernment and be alert. The greatest lies are those that contain enough truth to look legitimate, but deviate from the straight course oh-so-slightly.

Cults do two things: 1) They  use manipulative psychological “mind control” techniques to recruit and control their members. It can run the gamut from "instant friends" and emotional blackmail, to physical/emotional isolation and preventing them from seeing their families and friends outside of the cult; 2) They claim to be a Christian group, but teach something that is not Biblical/ Scriptural (such as Jesus was a alien from planet Zorak-3 or some such nonsense). They essentially trick people into joining, and force them to stay once they are there; that said, they do not "show their hand" right away. While some cults can be easy to spot, many others can look fairly legitimate, and seem like a "decent church" or group. This is called "being relatable" in the cult circles.

Mind Control is inherent in a cult; they do not want you reading info that is critical of their group, they do not tolerate any differing opinion or perceived "dissent", and anything that disagrees with their collective view is punished.

 

Here's a list of things to be alert for:

"Hyped" meetings

Constantly happy members, 24/7

"Instant friends": you join and next thing you know, 500 people like you and want to be your new pal!

They tell you who you can and can't talk with or hang around

They keep their teachings hidden and side-step any sort of criticism (constructive or otherwise)

Say they are the only true group, or the best so why go anywhere else.

Wanting money for "the next level"

One single, charismatic leader.

 

Keep in mind: what they are seeking is control.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

52 minutes ago, SINNERSAVED said:

Fruits, we need to be, fruit inspectors,  we need to see , that the sheep are not howling, and that others are not able to come in and scatter the flock,

we need to be watching and in prayer and in the word , we need to be asking for strength and wisdom, and most of all, even when all else fails, kill them with loving kindness,  for there guilt and there actions will be on there head, and you have done, all that you could as a child of God

 amen ...blessings  and shalom

LOL, yeah

But, isn't that what we are talking about? How we characterize others can be our fruit.

[SINNERSAVED]

1 minute ago, Joline said:

LOL, yeah

But, isn't that what we are talking about? How we characterize others can be our fruit.

I would say you are correct, but it would be of what spirit you follow, for we are filled with the holy spirit,  but we can still be persuaded to do the things, we are not to , for it is still the sinful flesh that we are trapped, in , until we no longer live in these tents ?

as paul stated I do the things I do not want, but this is life,

shalom

[Kan]

1 hour ago, RobertS said:

Agreed; we need to have discernment and be alert. The greatest lies are those that contain enough truth to look legitimate, but deviate from the straight course oh-so-slightly.

Cults do two things: 1) They  use manipulative psychological “mind control” techniques to recruit and control their members. It can run the gamut from "instant friends" and emotional blackmail, to physical/emotional isolation and preventing them from seeing their families and friends outside of the cult; 2) They claim to be a Christian group, but teach something that is not Biblical/ Scriptural (such as Jesus was a alien from planet Zorak-3 or some such nonsense). They essentially trick people into joining, and force them to stay once they are there; that said, they do not "show their hand" right away. While some cults can be easy to spot, many others can look fairly legitimate, and seem like a "decent church" or group. This is called "being relatable" in the cult circles.

Mind Control is inherent in a cult; they do not want you reading info that is critical of their group, they do not tolerate any differing opinion or perceived "dissent", and anything that disagrees with their collective view is punished.

 

Here's a list of things to be alert for:

"Hyped" meetings

Constantly happy members, 24/7

"Instant friends": you join and next thing you know, 500 people like you and want to be your new pal!

They tell you who you can and can't talk with or hang around

They keep their teachings hidden and side-step any sort of criticism (constructive or otherwise)

Say they are the only true group, or the best so why go anywhere else.

Wanting money for "the next level"

One single, charismatic leader.

 

Keep in mind: what they are seeking is control.

 

 

 

 

This is what we understand is meant by the word "cult" as used today.

We could show several examples of this kind of recruitment, and some of these characteristics, we could expect to see among the saints, only with a different motive, we hope.

Because the line between the true and the false is made deliberately fine by the Liar, can we really trust what is going on in the world, and how it will define a cult with its different social norms? 

A cult can be any group of any particular following, depending on who we are listening to.

The characteristics of cult as mentioned in this thread, can be judged and misapplied to the innocent by any social stigma. And surely bigotry is not free of that mistake.

A cult can make a bad name for itself, and these are used as examples of what not to be or to join, but then again a group which is not necessarily a cult can quite easily be labelled as one, and treated as one. 

And while we think of a cult as the minority, either locally or globally, how do we know that the whole world is not a cult, and that minor groups are diversions from that fact?

In which case Jesus becomes the greatest cult leader. But on the other hand if you have a false Christ, then he truly becomes a cult leader, and as far as the Bible seems to indicate, the last cult will be global, by a globally known false Christ - Satan himself.

[Guest Robert]

2 hours ago, Joline said:

LOL, yeah

But, isn't that what we are talking about? How we characterize others can be our fruit.

If someone is running a cult, deliberately teaching falsehood under the guise of "Christianity" while trying to control others, that's not "characterization"; that is blatant heresy that we need to warn believers of!

 

[Guest Robert]

1 hour ago, Kan said:

This is what we understand is meant by the word "cult" as used today.

We could show several examples of this kind of recruitment, and some of these characteristics, we could expect to see among the saints, only with a different motive, we hope.

Because the line between the true and the false is made deliberately fine by the Liar, can we really trust what is going on in the world, and how it will define a cult with its different social norms? 

A cult can be any group of any particular following, depending on who we are listening to.

The characteristics of cult as mentioned in this thread, can be judged and misapplied to the innocent by any social stigma. And surely bigotry is not free of that mistake.

A cult can make a bad name for itself, and these are used as examples of what not to be or to join, but then again a group which is not necessarily a cult can quite easily be labelled as one, and treated as one. 

And while we think of a cult as the minority, either locally or globally, how do we know that the whole world is not a cult, and that minor groups are diversions from that fact?

In which case Jesus becomes the greatest cult leader. But on the other hand if you have a false Christ, then he truly becomes a cult leader, and as far as the Bible seems to indicate, the last cult will be global, by a globally known false Christ - Satan himself.

As I mentioned to Joline: If someone is running a cult, deliberately teaching falsehood under the guise of "Christianity" while trying to control others, that's not "characterization"; that is blatant heresy that we need to warn believers of! And "Jesus becomes the greatest cult leader"?If we are going to start defining words as we like them by using the definitions we perfer, then what makes us any different from those who choose to define Christianity any way they wish?

 

Another point: "how do we know that the whole world is not a cult, and that minor groups are diversions from that fact?" Then it could be said that Christianity is merely one of those groups. But that goes against scripture:

 

Quote

" And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, NASB)

This seems to simply be a game of "word gymnastics" that is only serving to distort meaning, not clarify it. I'm sorry, but per scripture, I can't buy what's being sold here, Kan.