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WHAT ABOUT CULTS?
Our first commandment
that we shall have no other gods before us is very
clear. Throughout the Bible we are warned of the
deception of the cults and told how to avoid them.
In different ways Jesus warns us in the gospels
about the cults and false teachings. In Matthew
24:4-5; Mark 13:5-6; or Luke 21:8, Jesus says many
will come in my name, claiming I am the Christ and
will deceive many. Paul in Galatians 1:6-10 warns
about another gospel, and in 2 Corinthians 11:4,
Paul warns about another Jesus, a different spirit,
or a different gospel. So cults and false teachings
started in the time of Genesis with Adam and Eve in
the garden and will not end until we get to heaven.
In fact we are told that they will increase as the
end grows near. Being a complete book, the Bible not
only warns us about these false teachings, but gives
us the rules to follow in checking them out, and how
to avoid them. The Bible also gives us the
limitations or rules the cults will follow. So now
let's look at the cults as Christians should.
Cults are grouped
into several different subdivisions depending on the
various authors.
The Eastern cults
Although it may be
headquartered in the United States, or Europe, is
based upon some Eastern philosophy. While some will
claim to be in harmony with Christianity, their
roots are always founded in Hinduism, Zen Buddhism,
Taoism, or mixtures of Oriental philosophies. Some
of these cults are, Hara Krishnas, Meher Baba, and
the Divine Light Mission, Soka Gakkai (or Nichiren
Shoshu of America - perhaps the largest and fastest
growing cultic group in the U.S.), and the Self-Realizationship
Fellowship
The Humanistic cults
These are most often
based on the belief that one can be capable of
self-fulfillment without recourse to
supernaturalism. Often it teaches people to find
fulfillment in their own inner self, in nature, or
in the idea that we are constantly evolving upward.
Some groups claim to be in harmony with
Christianity. Examples of this group include;
Scientology, the Forum (for Lifespring,
Transcendental Meditation (TM), and the Sylva Mind
Control. Some of the New Age Movement falls into
this group.
The
Psychic/Occult/Astral Cults
These groups feast on
"secret" wisdom and knowledge supposedly once held
by a few ancient seers. It is usually claimed that
this secret wisdom was lost with the rise of science
and technology. The resulting void has caused come
to search for these "lost Truths." Although most of
these "lost truths" originate in the Eastern
religions, a fair share of them come from spiritism,
paganism, and witchcraft. The Aetheris Society,
along with various other UFO cults, the Association
for Research and Enlightenment (founded by Edgar
Cayce), and Astrology are included here.
The Western Cults
These are of
Judeo-Christian origin and usually founded in the
United States, Western Europe, or Australia. Most of
this group base their beliefs upon a distortion of
historic/orthodox Christianity. They often claim
Christ or the Bible as the central part of their
faith. Although the Western cults claim to be
Christian, they are always in direct opposition to
Christian doctrines such as the trinity, salvation
by grace through faith alone, etc. They frequently
misrepresent historic Christianity, to make their
group necessary to correct Christianity's errors.
Some members of this group are the Way
International, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses,
Christian Science, The Boston Church of Christ.
ECLECTIC/SYNCRETISTIC
CULTS
This group usually
combine strains from several religious traditions
into a new "hybrid" religion. This is "smorgasbord
religion." The Unification Church, for example, is a
combination of Eastern philosophy, spiritism, and
Christianity. Other groups in this category also
usually combine a mix of Oriental religion and
traditional Christianity. This group includes,
besides the Unification Church (Moonies), The Church
Universal and Triumphant (headed by Elizabeth Clare
Prophet), Eckankar, and Sufism.
EXTREMIST
POLITICAL/SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
These are movements
that can be cultic in psychological or social sense
but are not necessarily religious in mature. They
can resort to violence, intrigue, deceit, and terror
to achieve their ends. The goals are primarily
political as opposed to religious, through they
often espouse a twisted version of Christianity.
Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the White
Aryan Resistance, Lyndon LaRouche's political
movement and certain extremist terrorist movements
represent this kind of cult.
COMMERCIAL
These groups promise
quick, easy, sizeable earnings (or even instant
wealth) to anyone and everyone who dedicates himself
to their sale of products. Members are often
encouraged to use deception as they sell and recruit
others to sell.
There are a couple
ways to remember what a cult is. One of my favorite
is the simple math test. The four functions of math
are addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division. From a scientific principle if we can
prove a theory mathematically using the four
functions, it's no longer a theory, but a scientific
fact. So let's try.
ADDITION
Does the group under
question consideration add to the word of God? This
is usually done by indispensable publications that
claim to give the Bible's clear meaning or through
present-day revelation from God.
Just a couple
examples here are the Watchtower magazine and their
other publications of the Jehovah's Witnesses. The
Book of Mormon, and the Divine Principles of the
Unification Church are other examples.
SUBTRACTION
Does the group in
question subtract from the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ by making Him less God than His Father?
Generally the cults
will make Jesus simply a man, an angel or lessor god
than the Father. The Jehovah's Witnesses teach that
Jesus is a lessor god and Michael the archangel.
This is a critical area to look at. If Jesus is not
the God of the trinity, then the group is definitely
a cult.
MULTIPLICATION
Does the group
multiply the requirements for salvation by making
works a necessary condition for redemption? They may
require that you work for the organization for
salvation.
DIVISION
Does the group in
question divide the loyalty of it's members between
God and itself and its leaders? Do they make
devotion to the organization a test of faith and
consider adherence to itself the vehicle of
salvation for the followers?
Now that we have a
definition and a test for cults let's look at some
of their features.
There are many
similar characteristics of a cult. These
characteristics may be used to determine if a group
or organization will fall into our cult category. Do
not depend upon any listing in books. With two to
five thousand different cults I and promise you they
are not all listed in the books. Almost daily I am
adding new names to my listings, or changing the
names of a group that has renamed itself.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A
CULT
They have a strong
leader to follow.
They demand obedience
of the followers.
Their primary goals
are growth and wealth. Charitable programs are not
priorities for most of the cults.
They teach they have
the sole possession of truth and knowledge, and
superior to the sinners who remain unsaved.
The leader usually
ends up having a free rein to decide what the
followers will believe.
Because debate is
discouraged and unquestioning obedience praised,
followers learn to suppress critical thinking.
There are some basic
rules you can follow to protect yourselves against
cults.
Learn to cope with
stress. All of us face different levels of stress in
our lives. When we feel it is starting to get the
best of us, we are most likely to be seduced by
someone selling happiness.
Never be afraid to
question. Always be wary of anyone who tries to
prevent or discourage you from questioning.
Learn to recognize
common cult recruitment tactics and situations.
People who are
excessively or inappropriately friendly.
People with
invitations to free meals, lectures, and workshops
People who claim to
be just like you. This is often a device for
disarming your vigilance.
People who pressure
you to do something you don't really want to do.
Don't be afraid to say NO.
People who
confidently claim that they can help you solve your
problems, especially when they know little about
you.
People who make
claims about saving mankind, achieving
enlightenment, or following the road to happiness.
If their claims seem to good to be true, they are
probably false.
People who promise
quick solutions to difficult problems.
People who always
seem happy, even when common sense dictates
otherwise.
People who claim that
"you need to destroy the mind to find God," or "the
devil works through the mind," or otherwise
disparage the critical mind.
Your mind is your
primary defense against psychological manipulation.
PROTECT IT!!
For More Information
Contact:
True Light
Educational Ministry
(631)395-4646
www.tlem.net
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TLEM