Defining "Cult"

[shastajade]

So are you saying any religion that does not subscribe to the ONLY God is a cult? Or must it be detrimental as well?

The only difference I am hearing between a cult and religion is that religion is the cult you believe to be truth.

Did ya happen to read what was written below the 7?! Don't pinpoint the things you want to attack. Read it ALL and go from there.

Hinduism, is a cult
Buddism, is a cult
all these 'religions' that worship other Gods that are dead, or their animals, or statues are cults. The Bible says there is only one God.

Mark 12:32 - And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

Exodus 20:3 - Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Exodus 23:13 - And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

Deuteronomy 6:14 - Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;

Deuteronomy 7:4 - For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Deuteronomy 8:19 - And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.

Deuteronomy 11:16 - Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

 

[Spike~]

Did ya happen to read what was written below the 7?! Don't pinpoint the things you want to attack. Read it ALL and go from there.

Hinduism, is a cult
Buddism, is a cult
all these 'religions' that worship other Gods that are dead, or their animals, or statues are cults. The Bible says there is only one God.

Then Christianity is also a cult.

 

[Dale]

Ryal Kane in post #19:
<< There was an organization called the Cult Awareness Network, which kept an eye out on cults, helped people who'd left etc. They started being critical of Scientology. Scientology piled lawsuit upon lawsuit, not to win, but do bankrupt them through court fees. They went bankrupt and were purchased by a company. The company was run by Scientologists. They then continued to run the CAN, with same phoneline and website, removing anything bad about scientology, damning all former members of the CAN. It's scary. >>
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Yes, I have heard this. Scientology has a long history of intimidating critics. In one case a Roman Catholic priest became a critic of Scientology. Scientology responded by ordering inflatable dolls and other sex toys to be sent to the priest's address, making him look like a porno buff, sex maniac, and of course, a bad priest.
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Another tactic Scientology has used is blackmailing former members. Scientology practices "reverie" using the E-Meter, which members believe is an infallible lie detector. It is much like going to confession with an infallible lie detector hooked up. If the member leaves, Scientology has been known to blackmail former members with information learned in these sessions. This would be much like a Catholic priest blackmailing people with information learned in the confessional. (As far as I know, no priest has ever been accused of such a thing.)

 

[Dale]

shastajade in post #21:
<< Hinduism, is a cult
Buddism, is a cult
all these 'religions' that worship other Gods that are dead, or their animals, or statues are cults. The Bible says there is only one God. >>
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The questions is, Shastajade, what do Christians gain by calling these well known religions, foreign religions, cults? When people talk about a cult they usually mean some kind of a church looking for new members. Hinduism is not looking for new members. It is not even possible for a non-Hindu to become a Hindu. The only result of calling Hinduism and Buddhism "cults" is to make conservative Christians sound intolerant.

 

[Lionheart_03]

well, in our country, cults are the ones that worship other things or somebody... like there is one cult here that is called rizalista coz they worship our national hero jose rizal... and they lived in this one area... so if you worship other gods not God then your in cult...

 

[ForeRunner]

A cult is a religion without power.

A religion is a cult with power.

My opinion.

 

[Lionheart_03]

so just like a religion having an authority and cult has no authority?

 

[ForeRunner]

Did ya happen to read what was written below the 7?! Don't pinpoint the things you want to attack. Read it ALL and go from there.

Hinduism, is a cult
Buddism, is a cult
all these 'religions' that worship other Gods that are dead, or their animals, or statues are cults. The Bible says there is only one God.

Traditional Buddhists (Therevada) do not worship anything. They do not worship a god, animals, or statues. By your definitions Christianity is more of a Cult than Buddhism.

 

[ForeRunner]

so just like a religion having an authority and cult has no authority?

Basically. What causes something not to be a cult? Acceptance by the general public and this is achevied by obtaining political power.

 

[Dale]

Lionheart_03 in post #25:
<< well, in our country, cults are the ones that worship other things or somebody... like there is one cult here that is called rizalista coz they worship our national hero jose rizal... and they lived in this one area... so if you worship other gods not God then your in cult... >>
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I'm not familiar enough with the area to say too much about that, except that it is my impression that these cults you are talking about are sects of recent origin. That's one reason it is jarring to hear Buddhism, a religion older than Christianity, described as a mere "cult."

 

[Anovah]

Did ya happen to read what was written below the 7?! Don't pinpoint the things you want to attack. Read it ALL and go from there.

Hinduism, is a cult
Buddism, is a cult
all these 'religions' that worship other Gods that are dead, or their animals, or statues are cults. The Bible says there is only one God.

Hi.

Not only did I read below the 7, but my questions were directly in response to it. Allow me to clarify...

True Biblical christianity does not teach its followers to depend soly upon the members or "church" that they attend. It always teaches to follow Christ and no person. Cults always encouragement of following leaders of that cult. That they make the ultimate decision. Cults harm rather than heal. Cults destroy rather than build up.

So it sounds like you are saying biblical christianity is not a cult because it teaches to follow no one except Christ. Also that real cults are detrimental. So far I am understanding you,
until...

Cults deny the power of a higher diety called God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and encourage worship to another "diety" they call themselves, the moon, the stars, the sun, the earth etc etc, need I go on. A cult is a cult. Degrees mean nothing.

This is where it sounds like you are saying all religions are cults except yours. But from an outside perspective, Jesus Christ IS another "diety".

Just because a cult is obvious about worshiping satan doesnt mean that the ones who make themselves out to look like they are doing right and sugarcoat their acts to encourage followers aren't cults too.

I thought you said "Cults harm rather than heal. Cults destroy rather than build up." Now you are saying they can do right too, but only to realize an agenda? This is confusing to me. It seems extreamly cynical and not consistent with human nature.

You need spiritual discernment to determine what a cult is and what it isn't. Ultimatly, there is one God, and one only. The Bible states "Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that I am Lord of all". That is the God of the Bible speaking. The ONLY God.

You say that one needs to use spiritual discernment however the evidence you give is the same every other religion (you call cults) uses. That it is the correct religion because it says so. I don't see how your definition of a cult can not be applied to your own religion.

Do you now see how my questions were asked in earnest? I hope so, so that you may answer them in kind.

 

[Magisterium]

Does no one own a dictionary!?



Main Entry: cult
Pronunciation: 'k&lt
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate -- more at [size=-1]WHEEL[/size]
1 : formal religious veneration : [size=-1]WORSHIP[/size]
2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion


From the definition of the word, we can see that the term cult is not one which is objective in nature. much like the terms "infidel" and "unbeliever" it refers to systems outside of the speakers (or writer"s) accepted sphere or belief. therefore, to a Muslim, Christinaity may be considered a cult while to a Hindu, Taoism may be considered a cult. In this case it's all relative.

 

[ravenwolf]

From the definition of the word, we can see that the term cult is not one which is objective in nature. much like the terms "infidel" and "unbeliever" it refers to systems outside of the speakers (or writer"s) accepted sphere or belief. therefore, to a Muslim, Christinaity may be considered a cult while to a Hindu, Taoism may be considered a cult. In this case it's all relative.

I think this is the reason why this word is so hard to define. It seems to be used as a means to explain that which we dont understand or agree with. Which for different people can be many different things.
Blessings,
~ravenwolf

 

[transientlife]

The Billy Graham organization officially defines a cult as any religion with a creed different from theirs. In other words, they define a cult as any religion significantly different than their own.

What do you expect for Billy Graham?

I find this definition to be maddeningly unhelpful. It certainly is not what most people mean when they call a group a cult. Yet I gather that many conservative Christians use much the same definition.
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Personally, I would define a cult as a religious organization marked by secrecy and authoritarianism, particularly when led by a cult leader who can be removed only by death.

I see it in a very similar way - not so much based on beliefs in particular, but methods of practice...like forced isolation and excommunication from family, abuse of authority, forced superiority, etc.

 

[Dale]

Spike in post #9:

<< I think a cult is more like the one David Koresh had, at the Branch Dividian Compound in Waco, Texas. That was a cult. Or that Heaven's Gate cult. The one in which all of it's members commited mass suicide in 1997. I believe some 60-70 ppl died that day. Those are true cults. >>
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David Koresh has been described as fanatical Seventh Day Adventist, but if so, he took it to an incredible extreme. Koresh referred to the laws of Texas and the US as "Babylonian law," under the assumption that the US is the Babylon in Revelation.
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The actual death toll in the Heaven's Gate suicide is 39 dead on March 20 to 23, 1997. Since the bodies were discovered days later the exact day of death is debatable. Cult members were told that their souls would be picked up by a UFO identified with a comet.
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The death toll in Jim Jones' People's Temple mass suicide in Guyana was 913 dead on November 18, 1978. All of the dead were Americans. The massacre was precipitated by the visit of US Congressman Leo Ryan, who wondered what was going on. When Ryan was killed by gunfire, cult leader Jones feared the authorities would rapidly close in and ordered members to take the poisoned kool-aid.
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Although the death toll is not as high as the People's Temple, the Solar Temple is, if anything, stranger. Fifty-eight members committed mass suicide in five separate incidents between 1994 and 1997. These cult suicides happened in Switzerland and Quebec. Apparently members believed that the suicides would result in their souls making "transit to Sirius."
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It seems to me that we need a word to describe organizations, supposedly voluntary, marked by secrecy and authoritarianism, especially when they promise supernatural rewards. That's what a lot of us mean by a cult.

 

[Dale]

TrueQ in post #2:
<< Hmm, a religion that covers up prophecies and books written that undermine it's authority, it claims that following every stricture and law it puts forward is the only way to avoid damnation, the only way it's leader can be removed is by death, eh?

Catholicism is kind of cultish, I suppose. >>
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The leader who can be removed only by death is a surprisingly constant feature of cults, inward looking authoritarian churches. I had a book tape (before I loaned it to the wrong person), Churches That Abuse, by Ronald Enroth, put out by Zondervan. He describes life in a number of cultlike churches, less extreme than those that lead to mass suicide, but still quite cultish. Many of these are contemporary, but he also goes back to what is known about some cultlike churches from the early 1900's.
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Nothing seems to affect the cult leader's continuation in office--being sued by the family of members, for instance, has no effect. In one case that Enroth gives the cult leader was prosecuted, convicted, sent to prison, and went on running his cult from a prison cell.
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You're right, Catholicism does have many of the characteristics of a cult, but it is usually exempted because it has been around so long. Its faults appear to have stabilized.