Cults
The first thing
many people think of when they hear the word “cult” is ‘weird religious belief’
or something similar, but a cult can be as wide as a business or corporation,
as well as a narrow, religious view of life.
The word “cult”
comes from the Latin ‘cultus’ meaning ‘to worship’. The dictionary defines it
as a “system or community of religious worship and ritual. It can also mean an
obsessive devotion to a person, principle or ideal. A cult is always an
exclusive club, or group which shares a belief or idea which other people
cannot accept. Outsiders can’t join unless they conform to the cult beliefs.
Taken this way, we
can identify cults by three marks :
1. exclusive
2. religious
3. obsessive
Another way of
looking at a cult is to imagine some fish in a bowl. The bowl has been painted
black, so the fish know only the world inside their bowl. As far as the fish
are concerned there is no world anywhere except the one they live in inside
their bowl.
Cults tend to close
themselves in and exclude anything from ‘the outside’ which might spoil their
world view. Many cults actively forbid members from reading newspapers,
listening to radios, or talking to non-members – in case of ‘contamination’.
Cult members often become so afraid of being persuaded out of their beliefs
that they learn responses to critics, rattling off learned answers whenever
questions or objections are raised. Other cults aggressively seek to persuade
other people into their cult. There are two reasons why they do this:
1. They are insecure. One way a sense of being right can be achieved is by seeing other people coming to
believe what the cult-member believes. If ‘so and so’ thinks I’m right then I
must be right. The more converts the cult can gather, the more it believes it
is right.
2. They are misguided. They think they owe it to people on the outside
to persuade them to join the cult. This will ‘save’ these people from terrible
consequences.
Sadly, some
Christians also fall into these two traps, instead of trusting God
One thing a cult
doesn’t like is anti-cult material. Rather than open themselves to the
possibility of being exposed, they build a defence against criticism, and rely
on repetition of their own beliefs to counteract the effects of criticism. They
refuse to examine their beliefs thoroughly because they are afraid they might
find errors, which would mean having to repudiate their beliefs. This would
remove their sense of being different (elect, special, superior)
For example, the Mormons isolate their members
so securely that the average door-to-door worker has no idea how far from Bible
truth he is. The same can be said of JWs. Cults like these print their own
material, make their own Bibles, read their own material, listen to their own
speakers, meet in their own buildings, and so isolate themselves that members
might as well be on some other planet. Like the fish in the bowl, they lose
touch with the outside world and live in their self-styled world.
There are two very
good questions that can be asked of a cult member:
The first question:
1. Did you come to be an “x”
because of what the Bible says, or because of another “x”? The reply will no
doubt be evasive, because no “x” likes to admit that they became an “x” because
they were talked into it by another “x”. They will claim that the Bible has
guided them (through the work of a devoted “x” member), or they will come up
with some other similar evasive bit of reasoning, but in the end (if you force
them to it) they will admit that they did not become an “x” simply by reading
the Bible. Some other “x” had to persuade them.
The second question:
2. Which is more important, a written document by somebody reliable
and honest, or a feeling that the
document is true?
The first question is crucial, because
it exposes the cloning effect of a cult. Nobody in the history of the world
ever became a Mormon, or JW, or Christadelphian, or UFOlogist, or Christian
Scientists, or Theosophist, or any other cult simply by reading the Bible. It
always involved some outside influence. This shows that God’s Word has to be
reinterpreted before it can be used to produce a cult.
Christians on the
other hand can claim that the Bible and the Bible alone has brought them to
Christianity. Sure, someone may have preached, or taught the Word, or some
Christian book, or video, or friend may have done the persuading, but the
Christianity came from the Bible, not from an interpretation. What the Bible says
is plain and clear and doesn’t need interpretation. The Bible itself actually prevents a person from turning into a
cultist. It is only when people move away from the Bible that they open
themselves to perversions of the truth.
The second question shows how different
a cult is from true Christianity. Christians are told that they “walk by faith,
not by sight”, in other words, they don’t rest
on experiences, but on what they read
in the Bible.
For example, if you
suddenly received a million dollars, and you read the cheque, and saw the
signature, you would know that the money was yours because of what you read,
NOT because of how you felt. You might jump about and shout with joy, but your
feelings are extra to the written word. The cheque is worth just as much
regardless of your emotions. It’s the same with the Bible.
Mormons and others
encourage people to “ask God to confirm our beliefs to you” and they talk of an
“anointing” or some “inner knowledge” which indicates that their cult is right.
But if people could be persuaded by feelings and not by the Bible, they could
also be dissuaded by feelings. These ‘confirming feelings’ are either
fleshly, or Satanic. By the same ‘experience’ as God supposedly confirms a
cult, the same ‘experience’ could also confirm an Eastern religion, or a New
Age spiritual teaching.
Christians believe
the written Word of God regardless
of how they feel. God’s Word is true whether we feel joyful or gloomy – just as
the words and signature on the cheque are true regardless of how we might react
to it.
Ways of dealing with cults.
Religious cults –
the sort which include the Bible, go from obviously wrong to so subtle it is
difficult to tell them from genuine Christians. JWs for example are always
quick to quote the Bible when it suits them. Other cults never use the Bible,
but claim to be Christians, or from
that end of the spectrum anyway.
I would not presume
to know every way to deal with every cult. Sometimes a simple personal
testimony is enough, or a polite “No thank you”, or a statement to the effect
that you are a Christian and that is enough. Some Christians like to show
hospitality, others get their Bibles out and have a debate at the door. God
guides each person in a different way so I’m not interested in providing any
formula.
One method which I
have found very effective is to arrange a meeting. I have done this with
Mormons, and invited several other Christians to join the meeting, mainly as an
audience. At the meeting I use a book called
‘A Ready Defence’ by Josh McDowell (Here’s Life Publishers,
1. It allows the case for Mormonism
to be presented clearly – something they actually like, because it seems to
them that their case is being propagated,
2. It avoids ignorant comments by
badly informed Christians,
3. It shows the Mormons themselves
where their cult comes from (often news to them!)
4. It avoids either side from
getting into a ‘conversion banter’. Obviously, when Mormons and Christians
meet, both sides want to convert the other side, so swords are drawn. By simply
reading from a book, the third party is brought in, and some dialogue can occur.
I present the
material politely and show that I am not trying to attack anyone. My presentation
goes something like this :
“Is it true that “Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism,
was born on December 23rd, 1805, in
They say “Yes”.
“Is it true that .
. . “ (
The presentation takes
at least half an hour, and goes through the alleged visions which Joseph had,
the writing of the Mormon books, the fact that on June 27th 1844 a
mob of about 200 people, their faces blackened to avoid recognition, stormed
the jail and shot and killed Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and that according to the
Mormon records Joseph shot and killed several of the mob members before he died
. . .”
Some of this stuff
is embarrassing, but of course the Mormons are keen to win converts, so they
will sit quietly and try to be friendly, but they must admit, step by step,
that what you are reading out to them is true. Gradually their wolves’ skin is
removed until they realise they are not representing such a good thing after
all.
Sometimes at this
point they will retreat and ‘dig in’, like soldiers trying to make a last stand
- they will switch to their learned banter and try to use repetition of learned
phrases to avoid the situation, at which point I suggest that the meeting is
over. This prevents emotions from rising, and anger, with hasty, unloving
words. It pays to be in control, to
open and shut down the meeting yourself, rather than allow the Mormons (or
whatever cult you are talking to) to get into their banter.
The essential issue which decides whether a person is saved or not is the identity of Jesus
Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that for a short time
he humbled himself, taking on the form of a human, that he died for all sin,
and that he came back to life and returned to heaven. Now on the throne, Jesus
is equal to the Father in every way. Because God made Man, only God Himself can
redeem Man – hence the basis of salvation, that Jesus was God in the flesh. All
other issues which do not have these statements at their centre are
distractions, or non-essential beliefs to salvation.
Some cults will
argue about genealogies, the age of the earth, certain Greek words and phrases,
the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, baptism, history and so on. No side issue is important
enough to bring salvation. Only a belief in Jesus as God, come to die for
sinners, is required for salvation.
All cults (without
exception) do not attribute to Jesus his full equality with the Father. For
example, here are some different views of Jesus and salvation as interpreted by
:
1. Christian Science – “The material blood of Jesus was no more
efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed . . . than when flowing in his
veins . . .” (SH 25:6-9) So the death of Jesus was not really a
sacrifice for sin.
2. Spiritualism – “Each must work out his own salvation; each has an
equal opportunity to do this when he shall have atoned for the wrongs . . .”
(SM p.184) So we don’t really need Jesus to die for us.
3. JWs – “Jesus Christ laid down in
sacrifice a perfect human life, equal to that which Adam forfeited” (You May
Survive Armageddon p. 39) So Jesus was just a man dying for other men.
4. Armstrong’s World Wide Church of God – “Jesus alone, of all humans,
has so far been saved” (WWYB p. 11) “The blood of Jesus Christ does not finally
save anyone. It saves merely from the death penalty of sin (All About Water
Baptism p. 1-3) “You must be baptised to become a true Christian” (TW Feb. 1971
p. 16-17) So we need Jesus plus baptism to be saved.
5. Mormons – “Even the unbeliever, the heathen,
and the child who dies before reaching the age of discretion, all are redeemed
by the Saviour’s self-sacrifice from the individual consequences of the Fall”
(Talmage p. 58) So everyone will be saved
regardless of whether they believe in Jesus or not.
6. Eastern mysticism – “Be still and know that you are
God, and when you know that you are God you will begin to live Godhood . . .”
(Ibid., p. 178) So we can save ourselves
without any help from Jesus.
7. Unity – “The error lies in the belief
that He was the only begotten Son of God, and that He overcame for us, and that
by simply believing on Him we are saved” (UTC p. 68,69) So
Jesus wasn’t really the Son of God and we cannot be saved by believing on Him.
8.
9. The Way International – founder and leader, Victor Paul Wierwille
regularly proclaimed “Jesus Christ is not God, never was and never will be.” So
Jesus was not able to redeem fallen Man after all.
Cults usually have leaders, or founders, who seem to become more important the longer
they reign, or the longer they are dead. These leaders are given, or take,
great authority. This is part of the obsession of belonging to a cult. (In the
Church there are also some dangerous situations where Pastors, Ministers, Priests
and Popes have taken take far too much power to themselves.)
Some examples of
religious cult leaders:
· John Robert Stevens, the “Apostle”
of the Church of the Living Word
· Guru Maharaj Ji, called “the
Perfect Master”, of the Divine Light Mission
· Mo Berg, called “Father David” of
The Children of God church
· Elizabeth Clare Prophet of the
Church Universal and Triumphant, called
“Mother of the Universe” and “Messenger for the Great White Brotherhood”
· Moon, called “The Messiah”
You can tell if you
are close to, or part of a cult when you see the following signs :
Authoritarianism. Members are not allowed to think
for themselves, or present alternative views. Opposition is suppressed and the
‘party line’ is upheld.
Opposition. Members are encouraged to attack
non=members verbally at least, and to live differently to everyone else. Cults
always separate themselves from the world around them, cutting themselves off
from it.
Exclusiveness. Cults claim to be the only ones
who know certain truths. They (proudly) hold to what they believe as if they
alone are the only people in the whole world who will be saved, and they often
consider anyone who does not believe what they believe to be inferior or fit
for destruction.
Legalistic. Cults are ruled by rules.
Subjective. This is a very important aspect of
a cult. Members place huge emphasis on their experiences, or feelings. Many
cults work at feeling happy, blissful, joyful, ecstatic. As feelings are
encouraged, objectivity is suppressed, which is why most cults will not accept
the plain statements of the Bible – there are no feelings attached to a written
word.
Persecution. Cults either imagine or provoke
antagonism, then feed on the rejection as a ‘badge of honour’. They call
themselves an “oppressed minority” and claim that they are rejected by society
because they are God’s people or some such claim.
Conformity. Members of a cult force themselves
to conform to the beliefs, lifestyle and practices of the cult.
Mysteries. Cults usually contain some beliefs
which are mysterious, hidden, esoteric, or said to be deeply spiritual. Only
special members can understand these mysteries of course.
Hierarchy. Cults usually involve ordinary
people, common people, and have very few ranks. The leader usually has one or
two specially appointed helpers, but most of the people in a cult are happy to
do their part in keeping it going. Like the pastor-centred church, a cult may
have only one main leader and many obedient, submissive workers.
If you belong to a
group with many of these characteristics, perhaps you ought to check the Bible
and see if you are on the right track?
How do cults come about?
If you were given
a counterfeit $20 note, you might think
it was a real one. It would look right, feel right, and have all the right
markings and numbers, but when you compared it to a real $20 note you would see
differences. Sometimes holding the money up to a strong light is enough to reveal the faults.
Cults are
counterfeits.
They may claim to
be Christian (i.e. the Mormons, who call themselves ‘The Church of the Latter Day Saints”), or say that they are based on
Christian principles (i.e. A Corporation) but when they are compared with the
Scriptures, there are large and obvious differences. We are not talking here
about the usual differences between the Mainline Church Denominations. These
are usually superficial. The differences we mean here are basic and specific
Christian doctrines.
One Bible example
of a cult is found in 2Tim.2:17,18 “ . . .among them are Hymenaeus and
Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection
has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some”.
Romans 16:17 “Keep
your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching
which you learned, and turn away from them”.
God has appointed
over every fellowship a number of “elders”, and other people, whose job it is
to guard, protect and nurture the fellowship. Quite often, when a church
becomes lopsided and pastor-centred, and grows beyond 20 or so attendees, the
work of protecting the flock falls into neglect, because a single pastor cannot
care for every member of a large flock. (Eph.4:11-14) Sometimes a ‘lone-ranger’
will appear with his or her own personal teachings, or the man who takes the
title ‘Pastor’ will teach unscriptural things and carry on with them because he
is unchallenged (or too powerful to defeat).
Why does God allow cults?
In any training
program, tests and obstacles are given to the team or trainee in order to build
up and strengthen the muscles or mind. Opposition can actually serve as a
blessing, and cults serve this purpose because they force Christians back to
the Scriptures to make sure the teaching is correct.
Because people
ought to be so based on the written Word of God that no deception should be
able to fool them. But cults have ‘taken out’ thousands of Christians, with ease – what does this show us? It shows
us the lack of interest those Christians must have had in the Bible. In some
ways they got what they deserved.
If Christians aren’t tenaciously hanging on to what God has given them, they deserve to
lose it. Look at it this way : God passes to the Christian His written Word –
the most precious, the most fantastically valuable document in the whole world,
and they either flip through its pages hurriedly when they have a minute, or
fill their lives with so many things to do they don’t read it at all. Or some
charismatic person convinces them that feelings and so on are more important
than the written Word. Or ‘signs and wonders’ seem to back up certain
teachings. Along comes the cult and they slip easily into its clutches.
Instead of the
Bible, they now read the ‘interpreted’ books, or completely different books.
They trust the leadership. They abandon their former beliefs because they are
told the new beliefs are superior. And at every step it is entirely their
choice, so they are accountable for what they have done. No cult member can
blame God for his or her predicament.
People who are not Christians, who have been led into
cults are very often sincerely seeking God, or some sort of meaning in life, or
a sense of value, or belonging. Many cults offer acceptance and love. The
‘family’ feeling draws many lonely and hurt people in. Behind all the
deceptions which tangle these people up are the lies of Satan – often very
appealing lies. The spiritual hunger inside every person is appealed to.
Freedom from guilt, of fear, of ignorance – are all things offered by cults.
Whatever people want is found in some cult, somewhere – not to forget money,
which some huge ‘Business Cults’ offer to members. The Mormons, for example,
run their cult like a multi-million-dollar business, so financial security is a
big drawcard.
In the end, the only really sure
way to keep yourself free is to read the Bible as often and as intelligently as
possible. The Bible is truth, and no counterfeit can get near you if you know
the truth.
Suggested reading :
· ‘Secret History’ by John Ahmanson
· ‘Is Mormonism’ Christian? By
Gordon Frazer
· ‘Mormonism, Mama and Me’ by Thelma
Geer
· ‘The Four Major Cults’ by Anthony
Hoekema
· ‘Confronting the Cults’ by Gordon
Lewis
· ‘Jehovah and the Watchtower’ by
Walter Martin
· ‘Kingdom of the Cults’ by Walter
Martin
· ‘Those Curious New Cults’ by
William Peterson
· ‘What the Cults Believe’ by
· ‘The Changing World of Mormonism’
by Jerald and Sandra Tanner
· ‘Victor Paul Wierwille and the Way
International’ by J.L.Williams
· ‘Open letter to a Jehovah’s
Witness’ by Roy Zuck
· ‘A Ready Defence’ by Josh McDowell