Believers Beware...Wolves On Godtube or Sheeps???: Definition of a Cult and Warning Signs
Written by avoiceforothers
Posted on Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 05:55 PM.
Resume from Let Us Reason Ministries...
DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF A CULT- A GROUP BOUND TOGETHER IN A INTENSE DEVOTION TO A PERSON, IDEAL OR THING; A SYSTEM OF BELIEFS AND RITUALS THAT ARE BOGUS. In other words they are practicing a false system of spirituality while claiming to be authentic.
There are two ways a cult operates in falsehood. Theologically and sociologically. From belief and practice. Some are theologically dangerous others are sociologically dangerous. Not all cults are harmful to someoneâ³ physical well being, but they are harmful spiritually if they mislead someone in their relationship to God through another gospel. They will all have control or manipulation over people in some fashion. They will hold the person to this particular group or church often with fear convincing them that there is no where else to go, no one else has the truth like they do.
There are two categories of cults, non -Christian and Christian cults. The Christian cult claims to have the truth of Christ and salvation but they deny one or more of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. To simplify an identification of a Christian cult it would be noticeable in several categories. Who is Jesus, the way of salvation, what is your final source of authority and how they relate to others. They want to call themselves Christian without adhering to the tenets of the historic "doctrinal " faith. They change the major core teachings to mean something other than they are defined in the Bible and by the history of the church. The cults do not agree with the historic (Biblical) Christian faith.
The Bible does not use the word "cult." However the Bible does address religious errors in teaching and practice. It does not take these teachers lightly and it does not excuse those who teach them. The Bible applies to them words such as "heresy," "heretic," "false teachers," "false prophets," "false apostles, and "false Christ's". Those who teach contrary to the core teachings may say of themselves "we are not a "cult" but this does not change the fact that they are in this category. The Bible reprimands heresy, false teachings, false doctrines, and false prophecy and tells us to refute, reproof, correct, and expose it by defending the truth (Jude 3). This can often take place publicly as they teach their falsehood publicly. Those who claim to be Christian that are found to teach heresy will often be the strongest opponents against those who point out their false teachings. They want to censure them so they can continue to teach unchallenged. It is for this reason cults do not like be too noticed and will not debate or discuss the issues brought up publicly.
Both cult's and a sect adhere to a distinctive doctrine that oftentimes is majoring on the minors. Sect's on the other hand refer to a religious denomination or a group of people that broke from another body they were involved with to form their own. For example there are sects in Islam and Mormonism (like the RLDS). The term sect can at time have similarities to a cult but its identification does not help someone identify how severe a deviation from the original they are. This is especially true with those who claim their Christianity is exclusive only to themselves being the only way as the one true Church.
What are some of the teachings that cults hold in common?
1. THEY DEIFY MAN...
TEACHING THAT MAN MAY BECOME GOD, OR IS A PART OF GOD. MAN NEEDS TO BE A PART OF A CERTAIN GROUP OR CHURCH TO LEARN NEW REVELATION OR KNOWLEDGE TO PROGRESS TO GODHOOD. SOMEONE, USUALLY THE LEADER WILL SAY THEY ARE GOD OR HAS THE CHRIST SPIRIT IN A GREATER WAY. THAT THEY ARE COMMISSIONED OR APPOINTED TO BE THE LEADER BY GOD.
2.THEY HUMANIZE GOD...
SOME GROUPS DENY THAT GOD IS ETERNAL. SOME BELIEVE IN MANY GODS, OR THAT ALL IS GOD (PANTHEISM). OTHER GROUPS SUCH AS JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES TEACH THAT GOD'S NATURE OR STATE OF BEING MUST BE UNDERSTOOD AND REASONABLE TO BE TRUE. IN OTHER WORDS, IF FINITE MAN CANNOT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING ABOUT GOD THEN IT IS NOT TRUE. THIS TECHNIQUE SUBTLY ELEVATES MAN'S MENTAL ABILITY TO THAT OF GOD.
3.THEY MINIMIZE OR ELIMINATE SIN...
THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF SIN IS NOT TAUGHT, OR IS COMPLETELY ELIMINATED BY SOME GROUPS. THIS IS SEEN IN CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, MIND SCIENCE, RELIGIOUS SCIENCE, AND NEW AGE GROUPS. MEANINGS THAT ARE BIBLICAL ARE CHANGED TO THEIR OWN PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO THE CONTEXT OR ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE AUTHOR.
4.THEY MINIMIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIBLE...
MOST ORGANIZED HERESIES (CULTS) USE "ANOINTED" INFORMATION, BOOKS, MAGAZINES OR SCRIPTURES. THESE ARE BELIEVED TO BE JUST AS OR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE BIBLE. THEY ARE INDISPENSABLE IN UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE. SOME GROUPS STRONGLY DISCOURAGE THEIR MEMBERS FROM READING THE BIBLE ALONE, AND SOME DO NOT BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD ALONE. OTHERS USE THE BIBLE WITH THEIR OWN UNIQUE INTERPRETATION UNKNOWN EVER IN THE CHURCH HISTORY OR ALIGN THEMSELVES WITH WHAT WAS CONSIDERED HERESY.
5. THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF SALVATION...
MANY ORGANIZED HERESIES TEACH A "GRACE PLUS WORKS" SALVATION. MANY TEACH THAT MAN POSSESSES AT LEAST SOME ABILITY TO EARN ETERNAL LIFE BY THEIR OWN WORKS BY GRACE PERFECTED THROUGH THEIR WORKS. SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS CHRIST ON CALVARY IS DENIED. THE CROSS IS NOT SUFFICIENT. A SYSTEM OF GOOD WORKS, DICTATED BY THE GROUP, HELPS THE MEMBERS EARN ETERNAL LIFE . MEMBERSHIP IN THEIR ORGANIZATION OR CHURCH IS A REQUIREMENT FOR SALVATION IN MOST OF THESE CULTS.
6. THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT JESUS...
VIRTUALLY ALL ORGANIZED HERESIES DENY THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST, THEY TEACH THAT JESUS IS NOT THE TRUE GOD MANIFEST IN HUMAN FORM BUT SOMETHING LESS, SUCH AS A CREATED BEING, AN ANGEL, A PROPHET, AN ASCENDED MASTER OR JUST "a god" (SECONDARY). SOME TEACH WE TOO CAN BE THE VERY SAME AS JESUS. IN THIS WAY THEY CHANGE THE CLEAR TEACHING OF THE BIBLE OF HIM BEING THE UNIQUE (ONLY BEGOTTEN) SON OF GOD.
7. THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT SPIRIT...
MOST ORGANIZED HERESIES TEACH THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT GOD BUT AN IMPERSONAL FORCE OR ENERGY THAT EMANATES FROM GOD TO PERFORM CERTAIN FUNCTIONS, MUCH LIKE THE ENERGY FLOWING FROM A BATTERY TO START A CAR. SOME TEACH THAT IT PERMEATES EVERYTHING AND WE CAN BREATHE IT IN. PRACTICES OF SPIRITISM INCLUDING VISITS BY SPIRIT BEINGS ARE COMMON IN THE NEW AGE AND THEY HAVE COUNTERFEIT MIRACLES TO VALIDATE THEMSELVES.
8. THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE THE ONLY TRUE CHURCH...
THE ONE MARK OF AN ORGANIZED HERESY THAT IS THE MOST COMMON IS THEIR CLAIM TO BE THE ONLY GROUP OR CHURCH ORDAINED BY GOD. THEY ALONE SPEAK FOR GOD ON EARTH TODAY. GOD DIRECTS ONLY THEIR ORGANIZATION, OR CHURCH. THIS IS DONE EITHER THROUGH A LEADER WHO HAS ALL THE SAY OR A GROUP. IF ANYONE COMES TO YOU CLAIMING THEY REPRESENT THE ONLY TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST OR GOD, AND DENY THAT ANYONE ELSE OUTSIDE THEMSELVES CAN BE PART, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT THEY ARE NOT FROM GOD. ALL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES WILL RECOGNIZE OTHERS THAT HOLD THE SAME CORE TEACHINGS THAT THEY DO, THAT WERE ALWAYS PART OF THE HISTORIC CHRISTIAN FAITH.
THE CORE BELIEFS UNITE ONE IN CHRIST AS THERE IS A CERTAIN CRITERIA FOR BIBLICAL DOCTRINE. THIS HAS BEEN HELD SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE SCRIPTURES WRITTEN BY THE APOSTLES AND TAUGHT BY THE CHURCH.
THIS A SUMMARY OF A LARGER ARTICLE FROM LET US REASON MINISTRIES
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WELL DONE, Sister Linda!!! There is also a summary of "THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT OF ERROR" in 1 JOHN 4: 1-6..."Beloved, do NOT believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of GOD; because many false prophets have gone out into the world...By this you know the SPIRIT of GOD: Every SPIRIT that confesses that JESUS CHRIST has come into the FLESH is of GOD...And every spirit that does NOT confess that JESUS CHRIST has come in the flesh is NOT of GOD...And this is the spirit of anti-CHRIST, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world...You are of GOD little children, and you have overcome them, because HE who is in you is greater than he who is in the world...They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them...We are of GOD, He who knows GOD hears us. By this we know the SPIRIT of TRUTH and the spirit of error."...HALLELUJAH to the LAMB of GOD!!! LOL!!!<br />
By AWE7 on 6-1-08
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Jhn 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM the door of the sheep. <br />
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Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? <br />
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Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. <br />
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24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. <br />
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Jhn 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. <br />
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It all comes down to the person and work of Christ Jesus...who do you say that He is?? If you get this wrong then you do NOT know Him and you ideas/beliefs are in vain...you have an image of 'jesus' that cannot save.<br />
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Thank you my sweet sister for posting this information... May the Holy Spirit use this to edify His Church and bring us in rememberance as the DAY approaches that we need to be watchful - wise - warned regarding the sheep-eaters out there.