What is a cult?

[scriptures]

What is a cult?

1. A religion or a sect considered extremist or false.
2. An obsessive devotion to a person or principle.

In that case anthing obsessive and false is a cult, correct me if I am wrong.

 

[wayseer]

A cult is anything others deem it so to be.

The early Christians were a cult.

Now days it has taken on a meaning all of its own and generally refers to some small group which is not orthodox in doctrine - which could cover a multitude of groups.

 

[2ducklow]

what one person considers extreme and false, another person considers normal and true. So really a cult is anyone who doesn't believe like the majority does. majority vote decides who is and isn't a cult.In reality, calling someone a memeber of a cult is just a slur, not much better than cussing them out.

obeying scripture that the majority pretends like doesn't even exist, is a very good way to get labeled as a cult.

 

[OzSpen]

Scriptures,

What is a cult?

1. A religion or a sect considered extremist or false.
2. An obsessive devotion to a person or principle.

In that case anthing obsessive and false is a cult, correct me if I am wrong.

Let's check out some other understandings.

World Book Encyclopedia states that

Cult is a religious group devoted to a living leader, a new teaching, or an unusual practice. . . Most historians of religion use the more neutral term new religious movement instead of cult. . . Because there is no one definition of cults, their number and membership cannot be accurately measured. However, experts have estimated that about 3,000 cults exist throughout the world. Together these cults claim a membership of about 3 million persons, most of whom are young adults (vol. 4, p. 1185).

Dr. Charles Braden, former professor at Northwestern University, provides this definition:

"By the term cult I mean nothing derogatory to any gorup so classified. A cult, as I define it, is 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 expressions of religion in our total culture"(These Also Believe, New York, Macmillan, 1951, p. xii.)

Based on this definition, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians (whose beliefs are parallel with the JWs), Christian Science, Spiritism, New Age, Mormons, etc. are cults, as their beliefs diverge considerably from orthodox Christianity as summarised in, say, The Nicene Creed.

 

[scriptures]

Scriptures,

Let's check out some other understandings.

World Book Encyclopedia states that


Dr. Charles Braden, former professor at Northwestern University, provides this definition:

Based on this definition, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphians (whose beliefs are parallel with the JWs), Christian Science, Spiritism, New Age, Mormons, etc. are cults, as their beliefs diverge considerably from orthodox Christianity as summarised in, say, The Nicene Creed.

Thank you very much,

My next question is, Is cult the same as heretics?

 

[OzSpen]

Scriptures,

My next question is, Is cult the same as heretics?

What's your understanding of the meaning of "heretics"?

 

[AMR]

Here is a useful checklist to determine if a group exhibits cult-like characteristics:

1. The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to its leader and (whether he is alive or dead) regards his belief system, ideology, and practices as the Truth, as law.

2.‪ Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

3. Mind-altering practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and debilitating work routines) are used in excess and serve to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s).

4. ‪ The leadership dictates, sometimes in great detail, how members should think, act, and feel (for example, members must get permission to date, change jobs, marry—or leaders prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, whether or not to have children, how to discipline children, and so forth).

5. The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s) and members (for example, the leader is considered the Messiah, a special being, an avatar—or the group and/or the leader is on a special mission to save humanity). Or the group denies the central doctrines of Christianity: the Trinity (One God, three Persons), the deity of Christ as the second person of the Trinity, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and salvation by grace through faith. These doctrines so comprise the essence of the Christian faith that to remove any of them is to make the belief system non-Christian.

6. The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which may cause conflict with the wider society.

7. The leader is not accountable to any authorities (unlike, for example, teachers, military commanders or ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream religious denominations).

8. The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members' participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities).

9. The leadership induces feelings of shame and/or guilt in order to influence and/or control members. Often, this is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion.

10. Subservience to the leader or group requires members to cut ties with family and friends, and radically alter the personal goals and activities they had before joining the group.

11. The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.

12. The group is preoccupied with making money.

13. Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group and group-related activities.

14. Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members

15. The most loyal members (the “true believers”) feel there can be no life outside the context of the group. They believe there is no other way to be, and often fear reprisals to themselves or others if they leave (or even consider leaving) the group.

AMR

 

[OzSpen]

Mr Religion,

I notice this list on a number of sites on the www.

In your view, which religious groups could be defined as a "cult"?

 

[AMR]

In your view, which religious groups could be defined as a "cult"?

Mormons, JWs, Christian Science, and SDAs immediately come to mind.

AMR

 

[OzSpen]

Mormons, JWs, Christian Science, and SDAs immediately come to mind.

AMR

They would be in my group as well, along with the Christadelphians whose beliefs are almost identical to the JWs. On my homepage I have an article written by a friend of mine: "Why I left the Seventh-Day Adventist Church." My friend is a native born Sri Lankan and has become a born-again evangelical Protestant. I would add groups like Scientology, the continuing World Wide Church of God (not the group that has become evangelical and has left the WWCG), and Unitarians (also including Oneness Pentecostals).

I'd be interested in how you group some of the mass media personalities who have aspects of heterodoxy in their teachings. I'm particularly thinking of people such as Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer. Where would you put the Fellows of the Jesus Seminar such as the late Robert Funk, John D. Crossan, Marcus Borg, Burton Mack, John Shelby Spong, etc.?

In Christ, Spencer

 

[k2svpete]

along with the Christadelphians whose beliefs are almost identical to the JWs.

So very wrong there. Better educate yourself a bit better before making statements such as this.

 

[OzSpen]

k2svpeter,

I said that the Christadelphian beliefs were parallel to the JWs. Your response was:

So very wrong there. Better educate yourself a bit better before making statements such as this.

An assertion proves nothing. Please show me that the Christiadelphian beliefs that I posted here are not similar to the JWs.?
In case you haven't seen them, these are Christadelphian beliefs from a Christadelphian website:

What Christadelphians Believe

The Christadelphians, "Brothers and Sisters in Christ", are a body of Bible believing people, who aim to live by faith in Jesus Christ, according to the teaching of his followers from the first century AD, finding their instruction in a wholly inspired Bible. Central to Christadelphian belief is that Christ will one day return to the Earth to establish the Kingdom of God and grant eternal life to his people - those who have tried to follow him and God.
What Christadelphians Believe gives an introduction to each of the key areas of Christadelphian belief. Although you may disagree with some of the points made here you will see that all Christadelphian beliefs are firmly rooted in the Bible.
The fundamental Christadelphian beliefs are:

1. The Bible is God's word and the only message from him. It is without error, except for copying and translation errors. (2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 1:1. See also: The Bible, Why I Believe the Bible, and Alleged Biblical Errors.)
2. There is only one God - the Father. The Holy Spirit is God's power. (John 17:3, Luke 1:35, Deuteronomy 6:4. See also God, Jesus and the Crucifixion, and The Trinity.)
3. Jesus is the Son of God, and also the son of a human being, his mother Mary, so making him Son of Man. Jesus was tempted just like us because of this. But Jesus was not just a great man, he was the Son of the Most High God, and was perfect. (Luke 1:30-31, John 3:18.See also God, Jesus and the Crucifixion, and The Trinity)
4. Man is mortal, having no existence when dead. (Psalm 6:5, Isaiah 38:18, Acts 2:29,34)
5. By living a sinless life, ending with his sacrificial death by crucifixion, Jesus has opened the way of salvation from death. (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Corinthians15: 20-23, Galatians 3:27-29)
6. Belief and baptism are essential steps to salvation. (Mark 16:16. See also Baptism and Salvation.)
7. God raised Jesus from death. Jesus is currently in Heaven, on God's right hand. He will one day return. (Acts 10:40, Romans 8:34, Acts 1:11)
8. When Jesus returns, he will raise his "sleeping" followers from death and grant immortality to the faithful who have tried to live by God's precepts. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
9. His followers will help him to rule, bringing justice, righteousness and peace to the whole world - the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 15:23-26)

I don't have the time at the moment to show that these are essentially the same as the JWs. I'll do that in the next day or so. Work is calling.

 

[wlajoie74]

k2svpeter,

I said that the Christadelphian beliefs were parallel to the JWs. Your response was:

An assertion proves nothing. Please show me that the Christiadelphian beliefs that I posted here are not similar to the JWs.?

I just posted a thread which raises this very question please go there to respond. Thanks!

 

[OzSpen]

wlajoie74,

I just posted a thread which raises this very question please go there to respond. Thanks!

Would you please provide the link to show me the direction to where you have made the post about the Christadelphians having similar beliefs to the JWs? This is a large Forum and if you don't direct me to the exact spot, I won't know where to find it.

Thanks.

 

[wlajoie74]

wlajoie74,

Would you please provide the link to show me the direction to where you have made the post about the Christadelphians having similar beliefs to the JWs? This is a large Forum and if you don't direct me to the exact spot, I won't know where to find it.

Thanks.

http://www.christianforums.com/t7378530/

 

[k2svpete]

I'll answer there so this thread is kept on track.

 

[BlackSabb]

What is a cult?

1. A religion or a sect considered extremist or false.
2. An obsessive devotion to a person or principle.

In that case anthing obsessive and false is a cult, correct me if I am wrong.

I have a couple of definitions of "cult".

1. As in your OP, any religious group that significantly deviates from orthodox Christianity. So, for eg, Scientologists and Mormons are cults.

2. Any religious group that has unorthodox restrictions of its members, as compared to orthodox Christians. For eg, all mainstream Christians prohibit pre marital sex, drunkeness, drugs etc. But some groups like the Plymouth Bretheren prohibit their members from listening to the radio or television. And women are prohibited from wearing pants and must have their heads covered. To me, that is a cult. I personally would classify the Amish as a cult on that basis, as their lifestyle is unorthodox and restricted to the absolute extreme. Also Jehovah's Witnesses for restrictions on blood transfusions, birthdays, Christmas, Easter etc which is all commonly accepted by mainstream Christianity.

3. Any religious group that claims that they are the one true denomination and that all other denominations are false. Again, this would include Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, elements of the Seventh Day Adventists (traditional fundamentalists as opposed to moderates), Plymouth Bretheren etc.


I don't however classify any religious group as a cult based on 1. alone. There are plenty of religions that are unorthodox but that I wouldn't call a cult, eg, Bahai. I wouldn't classify the Bahai for eg as a cult because (to the best of my knowledge) they don't have unorthodox repressive personal limiations and they don't claim to have exclusive truth. So even if they believed something as ridiculous as God is a giant ant and Daffy Duck was his messenger to mankind, I wouldn't classify them as a cult-merely highly unorthodox.

But any religion with points 2. and 3. are definately a cult, even if they have orthodox Christian beliefs. So for eg, if I travel to the American South, I can come across plenty of very traditional Baptists with orthodox Christian beliefs but are fanatical in their approach with very repressive lifestyle limitations. To me, even though the beliefs are orthodox, I would classify that as a cult.

 

[OzSpen]

Black Sabb,

You wrote:

But some groups like the Plymouth Bretheren prohibit their members from listening to the radio or television. And women are prohibited from wearing pants and must have their heads covered. To me, that is a cult.

You need to investigate the Plymouth Brethren more carefully. On the very night that you made your post, my Plymouth Brethren brother-in-law was watching rugby league on TV with me. He is married to my sister who was playing Scrabble online while we watched the footie.

The Plymouth Brethren, started by J.N. Darby, is a rather broad denomination in Australia. My sister and her husband belong to the "Open Brethren" or "Gospel Hall" dimension of the Plymouth Brethren. They are fine evangelical, Bible-believing Christians. My sister does not wear a head covering of any sort (apart from her natural hair) when her assembly gathers.

I think that you could be referring to the Exclusive Brethren, which is an extremist division of the Plymouth Brethren.

 

[BlackSabb]

Black Sabb,

You wrote:
You need to investigate the Plymouth Brethren more carefully. On the very night that you made your post, my Plymouth Brethren brother-in-law was watching rugby league on TV with me. He is married to my sister who was playing Scrabble online while we watched the footie.

The Plymouth Brethren, started by J.N. Darby, is a rather broad denomination in Australia. My sister and her husband belong to the "Open Brethren" or "Gospel Hall" dimension of the Plymouth Brethren. They are fine evangelical, Bible-believing Christians. My sister does not wear a head covering of any sort (apart from her natural hair) when her assembly gathers.

I think that you could be referring to the Exclusive Brethren, which is an extremist division of the Plymouth Brethren.

Oops, sorry. I think you're right, so my bad. Yes, I meant the Exclusive Bretheren.

 

[Blackmarch]

What is a cult?

cult - 6 dictionary results
cult

  /kʌlt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kuhlt] Show IPA
Use cult in a Sentence

–noun 1.a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2.an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical [COLOR=#23a009! important][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#23a009! important][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]fitness[/FONT][/FONT][/color][/color] cult.
3.the object of such devotion.
4.a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5.Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6.a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7.the members of such a religion or sect.
8.any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
–adjective
9.of or pertaining to a cult.
10.of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.

Origin:
1610&#8211;20; < L cultus habitation, tilling, refinement, worship, equiv. to cul-, var. s. of colere to inhabit, till, worship + -tus suffix of v. action

Related forms:
cultic, cul&#8901;tu&#8901;al &#8194;/&#712;k&#652;l

t&#643;u

&#601;l/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kuhl-choo-uh

l] Show IPA , adjective
cultish, adjective





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Based on the Random House Dictionary, &#169; Random House, Inc. 2009.
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