I made the mistake of going to Carm.org again and looking through their arguments for Christianity. One of the pages there is on cults and presumably intended to help differentiate between Christianity and a cult. The problem is that reading through their explanation of what makes a cult they are almost perfectly defining Christianity.
So let’s take a look.
What is a cult?
A. Generally, it is a group that is unorthodox, esoteric, and has a devotion to a person, object, or a set of new ideas.
Think about any serious Christian you know, not just somebody that goes to church but one that is very serious about their beliefs. Are they devoted to Jesus? Are they devoted to the cross? Are they devoted to the teachings of Christ? To me that is a very unorthodox viewpoint.
i. New Teaching – has a new theology and doctrine
At the time that Jesus, assuming he existed, was walking around the Middle East his teachings were new.
ii. Only True Teaching – often considers traditional religious systems to be apostate and it alone possess the complete truth
No one shall come to the father except through me. Sound familiar? Heck, many Christians refer to Christianity as “the Truth”. Wouldn’t a Christian consider Islam apostate?
iii. Strong Leadership – often an individual or small but powerful leadership group holds control over the group’s teaching and practices.
This one seems to apply more to Catholicism than Protestant Christianity, but even the Protestant groups have deacons, pastors, and other groups within the church that hold power. And they are certainly in leadership positions.
Even for those churches that welcome members to read the Bible on their own and claim that they’d like members to come to their own conclusions the pastor leads sermons with what they want to say.
iv. Asset Acquirement – often requires tithing and / or property transfer to the religious system.
I can’t believe they even listed this one. Have you ever been to a church that didn’t at least pass around a offering plate? I’ve been to some that station a deacon on the door to guilt you into giving on the way out the door.
Building funds, mission funds, they’re all giving your property to the religious system. Sure, they may say your giving back to God based on how He blessed you, but I’m pretty sure that bank account that my checks were getting deposited into didn’t have Yahweh as a signor.
v. Isolationist – to facilitate control over the members physically, intellectually, financially, and emotionally
Church camps for the kids. Sunday school instead of little league. I was told to stay away from friends that aren’t Christian. Sounds pretty isolating to me.
vi. Controlling – exercises control over the members. Sometimes this is through fear, threatening loss of salvation if you leave the group. Sometimes through indoctrination.
Control through fear. Like the fear of death? Like the fear of not seeing your dead loved ones again? Like the fear of Hell?
Loss of salvation. How many times have you heard that if you’re not a Christian now you never were a Christian?
vii. Indoctrination – possesses methods to reinforce the cult’s beliefs and standards where opposing views are ridiculed and often misrepresented.
Ever hear a Christian explain evolution? “Why are there still monkeys” or “banana being perfectly formed for human consumption” both sound terrible misrepresented.
viii. Apocalyptic – to give the members a future focus and philosophical purpose in avoiding the apocalypse or being delivered through it.
Come on! Read the Book of Revelations? The entire point of being Christian is so that when the world ends you’re not left here with the sinners.
ix. Experience – various practices including meditation, repetition of words and / or phrases, and ’spiritual’ enlightenment with God are used as confirmation of their truth.
a – Deprivation – sleep and foot deprivation which weakens the will of the subject.
b – This is uncommon, though practices by more severe cults.
“Repetition of words and / or phrases”. Like the Lord’s Prayer? I can’t count how many times I had to repeat John 3:16. And the line between silently praying and meditation is so thin it’s almost absent.
And how about the deprivation of dating, sex, alcohol, dancing, and fun? I feel that I missed out on a lot during my time as a Christian.
x. Persecution – predictions of being persecuted and often combined with claiming any opposing views demonstrated against them as a form of persecution.
You’ve got to be kidding me. If you listen to the average Christian they are the most persecuted people on the earth. Hell, the Bible even says they’ll be persecuted. And I’ve heard that “gay rights” is persecutory against Christians.
B. Many have a non-verifiable belief system
i . For example, they would teach something that cannot be verified.
Like man formed from dirt, woman formed from his rib, a guy living in a fish for 3 days, a pregnant virgin, fitting 2 (or 7 depending on the verse) of each animal on a boat?
a. A space ship behind Hale-Bop comet
Or a executed prisoner coming to life.
b. Or, that God, and alien, or angel appeared to the leader and gave him a revelation
So Joseph Smith is out but apparently if God had given him 10 commandments on 2 stone tablets instead of gold plates then it’s real.
c. The members are seeded angels from another world, etc.
Or that members were created from dirt.
C. The leader of a cult
i. Often charismatic who is considered very special for varying reasons:
a. The leader has received special revelation from God.
Like stone tablets.
b. The leader claims to be the incarnation of a deity, angel, or special messenger.
Like claiming to be the messiah.
The leader claims to be appointed by God for a mission.
Like to die for all of mankind’s sins.
The leader claims to have special abilities.
Like healing lepers and walking on water.
ii. The leader is often above reproach and is not to be denied on contradicted.
So the leader could, for example, molest preteen boys and not be prosecuted for it? Oh wait, that happens already.
D. Cult ethos
i. Usually seek to do good works, otherwise no on would join them.
How dare a non-Christian do something good for the planet. Next thing you know there might be friendly Jews and Muslims giving to charity. Just imagine. The world would end.
ii. They are usually moral and possess a good standard of ethical teaching.
I’ve heard dozens, if not more, Christians claim that without God there are no ethics and morals.
iii. Many times the Bible is used or additional “scriptures” are penned.
a. The Bible, if used, is always distorted with private interpretations.
So if somebody names Strong has an interpretation it is correct but if Joseph Smith’s interpretations are wrong? How am I supposed to know if the pastor in the pulpit’s interpretation is right or wrong?
iv. Many Cults recruit Jesus as one of their own and redefine him accordingly.
Not totally on topic, but I love that they capitalized “Cult” on this one.
Every Christian denomination claims Jesus. Which denominations are right and which are cults?
Ok, I’ve got to stop for now. I’ll come back to this in a couple of days. I really wasn’t expecting that every single line that Carm is trying to apply to a cult would apply to Christianity as well.
Oh, I know. Do you know of Hank Hanegraff? He is the president of the Christian Research Institute. He’s got a list to probe if something is a cult. I heard his radio show for a couple of years, so I know how close-minded Hanegraf is.
He is the kind of guy who people call on the phone to say, I go to this or that church and they believe this or that. Are they a cult?
Mr H. usually has a black-or-white answer for them. He knows it all. There are no doubts in his brilliant head: all’s been figured out.
So one day, I was reading his list of cult-for-sure traits. And frankly, I had no choice but to qualify his movement as a cult, based on his own list.
Comment by Lorena — October 26, 2007 @ 3:59 pm