What Constitutes A Cult?

[Matthan]

Several threads in the past have touched on "cults". But what, exactly, is a cult? And, how can a person recognize a cult? One of the most accurate ways is to always watch for the claim of "This is the one and only TRUE church." Here are some of my thoughts:

1. There is always total and absolute authority, without any accountability from or to the general membership.
2. There is never any financial disclosure regarding either the church budget or expenses. Money is collected, but never accounted for.
3. Constant warnings or expressed fear/apprehension about all other churches/denomanations, often with suggestions of pending or ongoing persecutions or conspiracies. This is the one true church.
4. There is never any acceptance or debate concerning questions regarding basic church policies/teachings.
5. Adhereants/followers are constantly warned that there is never any legitimate reason for leaving the church. And, former members are always lost/sinful/not real members/wrong for leaving.
6. One of the critical teaching lessons is that followers are led to believe they are almost never "good enough".
7. The leader or leadership, and the accepted rules, are always correct and the only source of true knowledge.
8. The leader or leadership has an exclusive means of knowing the "truth", often with the understanding that he or she is lead directly by "god".

I am sure there are many more, but these seem to cover most aspects of most cults. Do you have others? If so, post them here, and all of us might be better equipped to recognize and deal with these insidious organizations.

Matthan <J><

 

[Jessica Lauren]

I 100% agree with #4 on your list. If the leader says you have to obey them with no questions at all, I believe it to be a cult.

 

[ZiSunka]

Anything that someone wants to defame and discredit is a cult. It's an inflammatory word meant to prejudice people against people of another faith.

 

[SonOfThunder]

Several threads in the past have touched on "cults". But what, exactly, is a cult? And, how can a person recognize a cult? One of the most accurate ways is to always watch for the claim of "This is the one and only TRUE church." Here are some of my thoughts:

1. There is always total and absolute authority, without any accountability from or to the general membership.
2. There is never any financial disclosure regarding either the church budget or expenses. Money is collected, but never accounted for.
3. Constant warnings or expressed fear/apprehension about all other churches/denomanations, often with suggestions of pending or ongoing persecutions or conspiracies. This is the one true church.
4. There is never any acceptance or debate concerning questions regarding basic church policies/teachings.
5. Adhereants/followers are constantly warned that there is never any legitimate reason for leaving the church. And, former members are always lost/sinful/not real members/wrong for leaving.
6. One of the critical teaching lessons is that followers are led to believe they are almost never "good enough".
7. The leader or leadership, and the accepted rules, are always correct and the only source of true knowledge.
8. The leader or leadership has an exclusive means of knowing the "truth", often with the understanding that he or she is lead directly by "god".

I am sure there are many more, but these seem to cover most aspects of most cults. Do you have others? If so, post them here, and all of us might be better equipped to recognize and deal with these insidious organizations.

Matthan <J><

wow, having come out of being one of Jehovah's Witnesses you mirrored what is practiced.

I didn't see it as wrong to be led by people who had direct instruction from Jehovah God. It was an asset.

When I was questioning it was right for me not to discuss it with others in the congregation and go to the elder who were better equipped to assit me.
Since I left my family and friends do not associate with me as they see me as 'lost' and prayerfully hope I return from mixing with apostates.

Did you get those ideas from material you read? do all 'cults' have the same basis?

James

 

[Matthan]

I did a lot of research for a book I am writing, part of which asks a question about cults. The information in my original post is in my own words, gleened from reading many different papers by others, and extracting what I considered to be the most important or relative points. You can see a lot more on this subject by searching for "religious cults" or variations of that term.

Matthan <J><

 

[SonOfThunder]

why is the term cult, viewed as negative?

 

[BT]

Matthan I did a Series of Bible Studies on Cults. I'll see if I can dig it up to aid you.

 

[Sinai]

Thank you for a good list of general traits of cults. Your list may be more helpful than the definition used in The Kingdom of the Cults: "Any religious group which differs significantly in some one or more respects as to belief or practice, from those religious groups which are regarded as the normative expressins of religion in our total culture"--though that book's discussion of individual cults mirrors many of the thoughts you summarized.

In his book The Four Major Cults, Anthony A. Hoekema discussed such general characteristics as having an abrupt break with historic Christianity, having a tendency to major in minors (elevating rather peripheral matters into having prominence far greater than they deserve), and a tendency for members of a cult to have a feeling of superior holiness to those in other groups--and then he lists such "distinctive traits" as the following: An extra-scriptural source of authority; the denial of justification by grace alone; the devaluation of Christ; the group as the exclusive community of the saved; and the group's central role in eschatology.

 

[Terri]

Well, I agree with everything said in this thread except what LL said.

Great study Matthan. All of your posts are such a blessing to me.

And your courage SonOfThunder at coming out of the Jehovah's Witnesses. You are quite an encouragement!

I enjoyed your post too Sinai. I really agree with the things you mentioned from The Four Major Cults. Sounds like a great book. Of course we know that only Baptists will have a central role in eschatology!! OK, I'm just teasing!

 

[GreenEyedLady]

Anything that someone wants to defame and discredit is a cult. It's an inflammatory word meant to prejudice people against people of another faith.

LOL

Then we are all cultist!!!!!!!!!

 

[Matthan]

Thank you, Terri, for your wonderfully kind words. They are truly a blessing.

Matthan <J><

 

[Tenorvoice]

Want to know what a "cult" is. Find out how they belive who Jesus Christ is. If they do not belive that Jesus Christ was 100% man and 100% God while He was here on earth, or belive in the Trinity, then it most defiantly is a "cult".

 

[Gwenyfur]

Matthan I did a Series of Bible Studies on Cults. I'll see if I can dig it up to aid you.

BT...if you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd love a copy as well, please?
Thank you
K

 

[eldermike]

I like the list, good work!

 

[SonOfThunder]

Want to know what a "cult" is. Find out how they belive who Jesus Christ is. If they do not belive that Jesus Christ was 100% man and 100% God while He was here on earth, or belive in the Trinity, then it most defiantly is a "cult".

You cannot say anyone that does not understand the trinty falls into a 'cult'. (Guess you did though)

Many many people I have spoken to on this topic (within this forum) say that they do not understand 'trinity' and I imagine if we were to do a survey of 'most' christians that many will say they do not understand it.

Jesus does not base salvation on out intellectual knowledge of Spirit matters.

Just because you do not understand the things of God or grasp this concept of trinity does not make you a 'cult'.

As Mattan outlined, it is complex, I still wonder why the term 'cult' is viewed as a negative?


James

 

[Tenorvoice]

^^^ I did not say that they had to understand it. (mainly because with our finite minds we will probley never be able tounderstnad how it works). I was stating that they need to belive in it.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

[SonOfThunder]

^^^ I did not say that they had to understand it. (mainly because with our finite minds we will probley never be able tounderstnad how it works). I was stating that they need to belive in it.

Sorry for the confusion.

There was no confusion on my part, I understood what you meant.

Again stepping out and believing without 100% conviction is difficult.

I was taught the opposite all my life, now I just plain dont know!!!

does that mean I am not Christian? Because I cannot say for certain Jesus is God?

Jesus is the Son of God
He came as a ransome sacrifice for the world

JOHN 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
JOHN 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

If you believe that He died to free you of your sin and He is risen.....

JOHN 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

if you confess and speak to God that you understand this and know it and embrace it......

ROM 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
ROM 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
ROM 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.


I am not ashamed, I dont understand trinity, but that doesn't alter what jesus did for me, it didn't alter that I know His love for me and know I am free of my sins.

James

 

[Sinai]

Anything that someone wants to defame and discredit is a cult.

Well, so much for our politicians and political parties.....

 

[Sinai]

I enjoyed your post too Sinai. I really agree with the things you mentioned from The Four Major Cults. Sounds like a great book. Of course we know that only Baptists will have a central role in eschatology!! OK, I'm just teasing!

Thank you, Terri. I think The Four Major Cults may now be out of print, but you should still be able to get it on interlibrary loan or purchase a copy on eBay.

 

[Tenorvoice]

Last night I was reading in Josh McDowell's book "A ready Defense" and came across :


What is a Cult?

A cult is a preversion, a distortion of Biblical Christianity, and as such, rejects the historic techings of the Christian Church. The Apostle Paul warned there would be false Christs and a false gospel that would attenpt to deceive the true church and the world:
2CO 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

2CO 11:14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

2CO 11:15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

Walter Martin gives us a good definition of a cult when he says :

A cult, then, is a group of people polarized around someone's interpretation of the Bible and is characterized by major deviations from the orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith, particularly the fact the God became man in Jesus Christ.

(Page 332 of "A ready Defense" the best of Josh McDowell"