XII. Comparative Religions

Final Wrap-up

All Religions do NOT teach the same thing about basic issues

I. God

     A. Different views on the number of gods

          1. If one, then which one? - YHWH, Brahman, Allah

          2. If many, then which ones? - the Phoenician gods, the Greek gods of Olympus;

               the Roman gods, the millions of gods of Brahmanism, etc.)

     B. Different views on God’s Nature

          1. Eternal Spirit (who creates, rules, and communicates, or who hides)

          2. amplified humanity (gods that are larger versions of humans)

          3. personality: merciful or cruel; covenant-maker/keeper or whimsical?

     C. Relationship of humans & Deity:

          1. humans created by/accountable to God (Bible)

          2. humans developing into deity (Mormonism) or recovering their prior deity

               (Scientology)

          3. slaves serving the needs of the gods (feeding & clothing idols, etc.)

II. Salvation

     A. Gift or Paycheck? - A gift from God or something humans achieve by their own

          works?

     B. Different paths:

          1. Thru faith in/covenant relationship with God thru Jesus

          2. achieved incrementally as a soul endures countless reincarnations and improves

               their own karma through one of three possible paths (Brahmanism; Sikhism)

          3. by escaping the reincarnation/karma system thru the 8-Fold Path (Buddhism)

          4. voluntary self-starvation (Jainism)

          5. Professing Allah to be God and Muhammad His Prophet and keeping the “5

               Pillars” of Islam

III. Godliness / Dealing with outsiders

     A. Love your enemies (Jesus - Matthew 5:33-34)

     B. “kill the infidels” (Mohammad - Koran 2.191; 9:123)

     C. Keep your self unpolluted by contact with Gentiles (Judaism)

IV. Marriage

     A. One man & one woman (Judaism/Christianity)

     B. A man can have up to four wives (Islam)

     C. Men must have multiple wives (Mormonism, Doctrines & Covenants 132).

V. Scripture/Authority Source

     A. Genesis - Malachi + Rabbinic Tradition/Talmud (Judaism)

     B. Genesis - Revelation (Biblical Christianity)

          - Bible + Denominational Literature (Protestant Christianity & “Christian” cults

     C. Genesis - Revelation + Church Tradition and ex cathedra Papal pronouncements

          (Roman Catholicism)

     D. Book of Mormon/Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price + KJV Bible (Mormonism)

     E. Bible and Science & Health (with key to Scripture) - Christian Science

     F. Vedas/Puranas/Bhagavadgita (Brahmanism)

     G. Purvas/Angas/other texts (Jainism)

     H. Avesta (Zorastrianism/Parsi)

     I. Granth Sahib (Sikhism)

     J. Quran (Islam)

VI. “Christian” Denominations

     Before you get to “cults,” you have numerous denominations that share elements from Biblical Christianity, but each has its own peculiar elements which separate it from what we find described in the New Testament.  Most promote “grace/faith in Christ” to some degree.

     A. The Lutheran Church - developed in Germany from Martin Luther and Philip Melancthon’s theologies.  Luther thought of himself as a good Catholic trying to reform certain elements who was then “shoved out.”  In America, Lutherans are divided into several synods, with the Wisconsin and Missouri being those most often heard of.  Lutherans practice infant sprinkling as baptism and some practice “closed communion.”

     B. The Methodist Church - arising from the work of John and Charles Wesley, Methodists separated over the Civil War (Southern Methodists).  They generally practice infant sprinkling as baptism and the United Methodist Church became quite liberal, ordaining practicing homosexual women as ministers.

     C. The Presbyterian Church is the American version of the Church of Scotland.  It is Calvinistic in theology, but has also suffered numerous divisions.  Some Presbyterians are quite liberal and embrace evolution, abortion “rights,” and accept homosexuality to some degree, as do the Methodists.  Other Presbyterians are fairly conservative.  Most, if not all, practice infant sprinkling as baptism.

     D. Baptist Churches arose from the European Anabaptist movement and come in two major varieties - Calvinistic (God manipulates everything) and Arminian (free-will and choose to believe/obey God).  Also seeing division over the Civil War (Southern Baptists), Baptists baptize believers by immersion, but for congregational membership rather than for salvation, which they believe is by “faith alone.”  They often observe a “probation period” to determine the sincerity of people’s faith before baptizing them into their congregations.  Many are Premillennial in their eschatology.  Independent Baptist Churches tend to be KJV only.

     E. The Episcopal Church is the post-Revolutionary War American remnant of the Church of England (Anglican).  The Anglican Church was the reformation blend of Catholic liturgy and forms with protestant doctrine.  While drifting in a liberal direction, Episcopalians are still arguing about allowing homosexual clergy.

     F. Hutterites/Mennonites/Amish - One of the Biblical expressions of the Reformation spirit in Europe was to return to a more Biblical pattern for the church.  Thus, strong political agendas were dropped for Bible reading, a believer’s immersion, pious individual lives, and independent congregations.  Since it had taken a “team-effort” between reformation and local political leaders to break with Catholicism, the belief persisted that religious unity was required to have political unity.  In Zurich, Switzerland Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz were initially supporters of Zwingli's Biblical preaching and reform movement.  However, they wanted a free church and did not believe that infant sprinkling was what the Bible taught concerning baptism.  Repudiation of infant sprinkling was viewed as a threat to the social order, and Zwingli’s group won the debate that followed.  Refusing infant sprinkling in favor of a believer’s immersion was punished, first with banishment, then drowning, and it became a heresy to be persecuted.  Many of the persecuted Swiss believers fled north or into Moravia, consolidating under the leadership of Jakob Hutter (d. 1536).  Hutter taught that property should be held on a communal basis and his followers were called "Hutterites."  Ordained a priest in 1524, Menno Simons (1496-1561) began to have doubts about the Mass within a year.  He broke with Rome, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin on the issue of infant baptism, having himself "re-baptized" by Obbe Phillips.  Finally settling in Denmark, Simons advocated complete separation between church and state (holding government office is not proper for Christians).  His followers (“Menno-nites”) divided into two major strands over the severity of “separation” (shunning) required towards sinning members.  Jakob Amman (d.1709?) generally followed Simon’s teachings , but separated on the basis that they were "extreme separatists" and practiced "shunning," which is the avoidance of social contact with all those not in their fellowship.  This is why the "Amish" tend to live separately from the surrounding culture - it is a mark of orthodoxy to them.  Agriculture has become a chief focus of American Amish folks and they do it well.

     G. The Assembly of God hold to the Gospel message and baptism by immersion (though usually not for salvation), but their “signature” doctrine is “baptism of the Holy Spirit” as a post-conversion experience producing tongue-speaking.  Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart were both AoG men who emphasized the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit while entangled in fleshly, sexual sin. 

     Pentecostalism in general has been around in the West since 1800, with a strong movement developing in the 1970’s.  But personal experience and numerous reports heavily suggest to me that modern “tongues” are not the same Holy-Spirit caused miracles described in the New Testament, but are humanly and/or demonically caused pseudo-signs given a Biblical label.  The number of bona fide miraculous physical healings associated with this movement are so few and far between that much of the talk is unfounded claims for the gullible.  When “miracles” do not happen and opponents raise questions, the claims are countered with the excuse that any failure is due to a “lack of faith” in the unhealed person.  I know of numerous instances of people telling others to “expect a miracle” if they just have enough faith - and those advocating this have major unresolved health problems of their own (it hasn’t worked for them yet either - surgery, deformed hands, etc.).  During my first ministry (Cadillac, MI), a “spirit-filled” Associate Minister came in from Oklahoma and successfully split the Assembly of God congregation within a year and he tried to get his group into our building (which was for sale).  He signed a purchase agreement, but the down payment never materialized and (having been warned by AoG folks) we refused to allow possession without the down-payment.  Then he had a lawyer threaten me for “breach of contract,” but when the lawyer learned that his clients were the ones who had failed to live up to the agreement and our lawyer responded, that quickly ended.  Under the cover of “Holy Spirit” jargon, there is no doubt in my mind that the unholy spirit was at work in that man.  Joining the ranks of Bakker and Swaggart, Paul Crouch of TBN has also been found to have been involved in sexual immorality and attempted to cover it up with “hush money” in the last few years.

     H. United Church of Christ - The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline liberal Protestant Christian denomination formed in 1957 by the merger of two denominations, the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches.  The UCC’s “doctrinal position” is pretty loosey-goosey, claiming to affirm the Bible, traditional creedal statements, and Reformation confessions. 

The United Church of Christ embraces a theological heritage that affirms the Bible as the authoritative witness to the Word of God, the creeds of the ecumenical councils, and the confessions of the Reformation. . . . The UCC therefore receives the historic creeds and confessions of our ancestors as testimonies, but not tests of the faith.^[1].

Essentially, they note the Bible and many historical creedal statements, but view them as historic “testimonies” (i.e., “what people used to believe”) and not “tests of faith” (i.e., “today, we can believe whatever we want”).  Following website links and seeing what the UCC big-shots are saying, they are for “equal marriage without respect to gender” (translated: “gay marriage is ok”) and warning against letting conservatives exert too much influence.  The UCC has been ordaining practicing homosexuals to clergy positions for over 30 years. 

     I. Seventh Day Adventism - This group began with the “Adventist” (second coming emphasis) movement associated with William Miller (1782-1849), who believed that Jesus would return March 21, 1843 - and then October 22, 1844.  When Jesus failed to return on either date, Miller admitted his mistake and abandoned the movement.  Hiram Edson headed a group in western New York State and claimed that October 22, 1844 was the correct date, but that this when the “investigative judgment” began in the heavenly sanctuary.  Joseph Bates’ group, in Washington, New Hampshire, began emphasizing the observance of the Jewish Sabbath (7^th Day).  Ellen G. White headed up another group in near Portland, Maine and claimed that was a true prophetess receiving divine visions and words that were to be followed.  It was Ellen G. White (1827-1915) that became the leading player in the transition of Miller’s “Adventists” into the “7^th Day Adventists” of today.  By 1855, the three groups merged and established a headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, with the name “Seventh-Day Adventists” adopted officially in 1860.

     Doctrines - Ellen G. White’s prophetic claim is taken very seriously, with her writings held to be as divinely-inspired as the Bible (where her teachings contradict the Bible, White’s views hold higher authority).  The “true remnant church” requires keeping the Mosaic Ten Commandments, especially the Jewish Sabbath and food laws.  After death, souls “sleep” unconscious until resurrection and judgment day.  They continue to have a prophecy emphasis, holding that Jesus pleaded for penitent sinners in the heavenly “Holy Place” because their sins remained on the books until 1844, when the Temple door was shut and the “investigative judgment” began.  After that, only those who accept the SDA “investigative judgment” doctrine can be saved.  The baptize by immersion for salvation.

     The 7^th Day Adventists are a strange mixture - they hold to many orthodox Biblical doctrines, advocate holiness/strong families/good health/, and giving sacrificially for the work of their church.  On the other hand, their Mosaic Sabbath/Food law teachings are, simply, wrong according to New Testament teaching and basic covenant principles.  Their “1844 Investigative Judgment” doctrine is a fictional reinterpretation concocted to preserve some appearance of value in Miller’s date-setting preaching and keep people involved enough to embrace the revised version of Adventism.  According to the Apostles’ teaching (especially the book of Hebrews), White’s belief that Christ’s death did not provide complete atonement is false teaching.

     J. Christian Science - Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) was a sickly child, given to fits of lethargy that led to violent spasms of hysteria and then unconsciousness.  She also exhibited a neurotic temper when her wishes were denied.  She was married to George Glover, then Daniel Patterson, and finally Asa Eddy.  Ongoing illness eventually led her to P. P Quimby, founder of mental healing in the United States.  The same year as Quimby died (1866), she claimed to have discovered the principles of Christian Science as the result of a “life-threatening fall” on slippery pavement and reading Matthew 9:2-8.  She then began to embellish Quimby’s mental therapeutics with her own blend of idealistic metaphysics and pantheistic theology.  Her system was published in Science and Health (with Key to the Scriptures) in 1875, with The Church of Christ, Scientist organized in 1879.

     Doctrines - The Bible is given lip-service “authority,” but Science and Health is held to be inspired and better as it explains the Bible (which contains over 330,000 errors).  God is Divine Mind and the only reality that exists (Monism).  Asked to edit Science and Health, James Henry Wiggin later claimed to have re-written the entire work because it was filled with grammar and spelling errors, as well as generally disorganized and filled with contradictions.  Man is not made of matter and is not sinful, illness is an illusion.  Jesus was a Spirit, not a man, and his death has nothing to do with salvation, which comes when men stop sinning or cease believing in the reality of sin.  Essentially repudiating all major Christian doctrines, Christian Science is not Christian or Scientific, but is largely a syncretistic expression of Eastern Monism/Brahmanism.^[2]

     K. Unity - The Unity School of Christianity began with Charles and Myrtle Fillmore.  Suffering long term illnesses, they attended a lecture by Eugene Weeks of Illinois Metaphysical College (founded by a former associate of Mary Baker Eddy).  Myrtle recovered from her tuberculosis and malaria, while Charles’ pains and difficulty walking were cured.  The concept Myrtle embraced was that she was a child of God and, thus, “do not inherit sickness.”  Their new-found faith in healing principles led the Fillmores to form an organization called Unity (in 1891) emphasizing the principle of Unity of: the soul with God, all life, all religions, the spirit/soul/body, and all men.  Because of their dislike for fixed religious doctrine, Charles did not even write a statement of beliefs for thirty years and, when he did he made it plain that nothing was set in stone and might change tomorrow.

     Doctrines - The Bible is not divine revelation.  Man’s primary problem is not sin, but mistaken thinking.  Jesus was not deity, but a man who was a good example.  In his death, Jesus was not an atonement for sin, but an example of the power of mind over matter.  The resurrection was not a miracle, but Jesus’ example of thought control.  Faith is like a magic wand that uses divine principles to satisfy personal desires.  “Salvation” is not about grace/faith, but human striving to overcome the “lower self” with the “higher self.”  Each life is eternal and after death is reborn in another body - reincarnation.

     Essentially, Unity is a variation on Christian Science developed by the Fillmores.

     L. Unitarianism - A humanistic reaction to New England Calvinism, Unitarianism is named for its rejection of “trinitarianism” (belief that God is a “three-some”).  The founders of this movement were Jonathon Mayhew, Charles Chauncey, and William Ellery Channing.  Mayhew and Chauncey were deeply involved in Harvard College and did much to turn it away from its Christian roots.  In a sermon delivered in 1819, Channing delivered a sermon in which he rejected the Calvinistic doctrines of the predestination and sinfulness of man, which led to the formation of the American Unitarian Association.  There were several groups: (1) one group placed Jesus somewhere between God and man, (2) Ralph Waldo Emerson founded a group upon his belief that everything in nature was part of a great “Oversoul,” and (3) a group that embraced the writings of German theologians arguing that the Bible is not the Word of God.  In 1961, these three groups merged into the Unitarian Universalist Association.  Essentially, the Universalists believe that all will be saved because God is too good to condemn anyone and the Unitarians believe that all will be saved because humans are too good to be c ondemned.

     Doctrines - The Bible is not the Word of God, at best some of it is God’s Word mixed with superstition.  God is not personal, but is a Force, and Oversoul, a Prime Mover, or dead.  Jesus, if he existed at all, was just a man.  Since man is not a sinner, there is no reason to believe in the existence of hell.  Essentially, Unitarianism is an optimistic humanistic religion - man is good and needs to solve his own problems with education and science.  As far as official membership goes, this a group that is small in numbers but has great influence over a wide area through Enlightenment-minded intellectuals.^[3]

     M. The Unification Church (Moonies) - Sun Myung Moon (b. 1/6/1920) is a Korean converted to Christianity at the age of ten.  Easter morning 1936, he claims to have received a vision in which Jesus appeared to him and told him to complete the mission Jesus failed in - marry and begin raising a new humanity of sinless people.  He began his church, The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, in 1954.  The Divine Principle is Moon’s 536 page explanation of doctrine. 

     Doctrines - God was incomplete and created humans for His own needs.  Lucifer seduced Eve (sexually) in the Garden and this interrupted God’s program, causing all of Eve’s descendants to inherit “original sin.”  Jesus was God’s Messiah, but he was just a man (free of original sin) and did not come to die on a cross, but to find a bride and begin to produce a new and sinless humanity.  The return of Christ will be the coming of the “third Adam” in the flesh (as Jesus came) to marry and begin producing sinless children.  He will be born in Korea and the Korean People will become the “Third Israel.”  Moon’s marriage to Hak Ja Han in 1960 is called “The Marriage of the Lamb” and the nine children born to Moon are considered sinless.  Essentially, Moon teaches that He is the 2^nd Coming Messiah, the “Third Adam,” and is fulfilling Jesus’ mission.  Moon’s followers “work” their way to salvation selling flowers and marriage is essential to salvation.  Moon claims that it was revealed to him that the Holy Spirit is a female.^[4]

     N. Wicca - Wicca is a Neopagan religion and a religious movement found in many different countries, though most commonly in English-speaking cultures. Wicca was first publicised in 1954 by a British civil servant named Gerald Gardner after the British Witchcraft Act was repealed. He claimed that the religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witch cult, which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian Paganism of Europe. Wicca is thus sometimes referred to as the Old Religion. The veracity of Gardner's claims cannot be independently proven, and it is thought that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s. Various related Wiccan traditions have since evolved, or been adapted from, the form established by Gardner, which came to be called Gardnerian Wicca. These other traditions of Wicca each have specific beliefs, rituals, and practices. Most traditions of Wicca remain secretive and require members to be initiated. However, there is a growing movement of Eclectic or Solitary Wiccans who claim to belong to the religious movement, but do not believe any doctrine or traditional initiation is necessary in order to substantiate the claim.

     Doctrine - Wicca is primarily a religion and its adherents often identify as witches, but Wicca and witchcraft are not necessarily the same thing.  Wiccans may worship a Goddess and/or a God; they observe the festivals of the eight Sabbats of the year and the full-moon Esbats; and they have a code of ethics that most live by (magic is to be used for good only).  Wicca does incorporate a specific form of witchcraft, with particular ritual forms, involving the casting of spells, herbalism, divination and other forms of magic.  It is commonly understood that most Wiccans worship two deities: the Goddess, often associated with Gaea or Mother Earth, and her consort the God (sometimes known as the Horned God).^[5]

Groups Like Us

     The American Restoration Movement, arising from the thoughts and work of Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, and Walter Scott is a bit unique.  While we hold to what is a widespread concept of salvation through God’s grace and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, our insistence on baptism by immersion as the time/place of forgiveness, salvation, new birth, etc. sets us off a bit from the broad scope of post-Reformation Church (which hold to infant baptism) and the Evangelical and mainstream Baptist Churches (that hold water baptism to have nothing to do with salvation).  While we believe that our understanding of baptism is in harmony with the New Testament Scriptures and the faith of the early church, it is fair to ask if there are others “like us” on these things.  Other Restoration Movement “branches” - Non-Instrumental Churches of Christ and the more conservative Disciples of Christ congregations will probably be in general agreement with us, as will a few independent thinkers on the internet.  Roman Catholicism remembers the Biblical reasons for baptism, but has changed the candidates (infants) and mode (sprinkling).  Baptists have the candidates and mode right (believer’s immersion), but claim it has nothing to do with salvation, remission of sins, or getting “into” Christ - instead, it is often essential for membership in the Baptist Church (or a particular congregation).

     ICoC - The roots of the International Church of Christ are tied to the "Crossroads Movement" that developed out of the campus ministry of the 14th Street Church of Christ (later called the Crossroads CoC) at the University of Florida.  Campus minister Chuck Lucas created a very successful style or method of ministry and evangelism. The church established a school of ministry to teach its unique and controversial discipling methods. These methods may have been learned from the "Shepherding Movement" that came to prominence within Charismatic and Pentecostal churches in Florida during the 1960s and 1970s. Kip McKean and other "Boston Movement" leaders, including McKean's brother Randy, were trained at the Crossroads school.  In 1979, Kip McKean led 29 people into what became known as the Boston Church of Christ.  Organization methods were a key element - Once a month, the whole Boston Church of Christ (3,000 members when I visited (1987?) would meet in the rented Boston Gardens NHL Hockey arena, this group divided into groups of 200, which each sub-divided into groups of about 40, then into “Bible Talks” (small groups) of up to 12 people each.  There was great excitement, lively worship, and a strong sense of “world mission.”  Plans were underway to send Mission teams to major cities around the world.  Ed Powers (evangelist of the 1,000-member Indianapolis congregation) openly questioned a couple of the more controversial practices (mandated giving and the exclusivity doctrine of salvation) in 1994 and Kip soon flew in, with others, to nip that in the bud.  They split the church and departed.  By 2001, some of the other regional evangelists were questioning the effectiveness of the leadership structure and urging changes.  Kip stepped down in 2002 and by 2005 there were three identifiable groups: (1) some have held firmly to what has traditionally distinguished the ICOC; discipling, Bible Talks (small groups), baptism and evangelism; (2) some Reformed congregations have sought to eliminate controversial elements while still holding to the key characteristics such as baptism and evangelism; and (3) other churches are gravitating toward Evangelicalism and Protestantism.

     Doctrines - Salvation doctrine was basic Restoration Movement concepts, non-instrumental in worship but this was not a major discussion point.  What concerned me then was part of what became a real problem for the movement - lots of power concentrated in the hands of a very small number of people.  Kip and two elders were in charge of a 3,000-member body and they were making the decisions - who goes where, who marries who, etc.  “Discipleship” meant having a discipler/mentor that got into every aspect of life - it’s one thing to have someone you choose to open up to, but another to have someone “prying into” every aspect of your life.

VII. Cults & -isms

     "Cult" - As with many words, the term "cult" has undergone some change in meaning in regard to both time and who is using the term.  In traditional theological study, the Latin term cultus is used to denote all that is involved in worship (such as OT Israel Temple worship system).  In more modern and popular usage, it has come to mean some type of heretical off-shoot from Biblical Christianity.  "Cults" do not have a prior organizational tie with an earlier religious body, but appear as "new truths."

     "Sect" - tend to be groups that see themselves as revitalized, authentic, restored versions of the religious systems from which they split.  Most religious groups and denominations arising out of the 16th century Reformation movement could be properly included under this heading (depending on who is doing the labeling).  The early Christian church was called a "sect" (hairesews - party, school, faction, opinion, heresy) by the Jewish community (Acts 28:22).

     "Denomination" - depending on the vantage point, there may be little difference between this term and the "sect."  If there is a difference, it would probably be that "sects" are viewed as just outside the bounds of orthodox Christianity, while "denominations" are, allegedly, divisions within those bounds.  Just what those “bounds” are and who is doing the labeling may have a lot to do with which term is selected and who it is applied to.

General Attributes of "Cults"

1. Ronald Enroth^[6] says the essential marks of a cult are:

     a) A false or inadequate basis of salvation (stressing ongoing human works, rather than responding in faith to the Gospel as the basis of salvation)

     b) A false basis of authority (new revelations, new interpretations, and/or single authoritative charismatic leader figures)

     c) Personal experience and emotional feeling are more important/valid than doctrine and rationality

     d) Belief that a "new age" is dawning and they alone have the key to what's happening

2. Dave Breese^[7] adds the following useful points:

     a) although they emphasize the superiority of their "new revelations" to the Bible, there are usually a lot of changes made in their revelations as the movement continues, as well as major doctrinal changes as new leaders must cover the errors of their predecessors.  [pp.58ff}

     b) "special, secret discoveries" which only the group, because of its inspired leader, has.  This was at the heart of the "Gnostic" problem that the early church had to deal with.  [pp.68ff]

     c) Defective Christology (also a major problem that the early church had to combat) which make Jesus human only, Divine only, a created being, etc.  [pp.76ff]

     d) Segmented Biblical Interpretation, by which favorite passages are interpreted in accord with the groups needs, but without concern for sound exegetical methods or attention to historical and grammatical context.  [pp.85ff]

     e) Enslaving Organizational structure uses "disciples" to keep money flowing in as they panhandle or sell things on the streets.  Maintaining the organization is paramount.  Disciples are controlled!   [pp. 95ff]

     f) Denunciation of all other religions as satanic and totally corrupt.  [pp. 110ff]

3. Maurice C. Burrell^[8] contributes one crucial element:

     The cult sees itself as an "elite group" since they alone possess "the truth" and the only true representative of God in their age in the person of their leader.  Thus, there is a feeling of superiority, rather than humility, in both the leader and his followers.

4. Jack Sparks^[9] makes a fundamental point that all should consider:

     The safe and correct belief in Christianity is that which was taught by Christ's apostles.  This should be the original standard by which all subsequent doctrines, popular phrases, and terms are evaluated.  Cults, sects, and even "orthodox" denominations have all had considerable input from equally uninspired thinkers and have the potential to adopt ideas, terms, phrases, and practices which have become "orthodox" merely by the fact that they became accepted and "traditional," but which may actually contradict the original standard to which some adhere and others merely give lip service.

Methods Employed by Cults to Make and Keep "Disciples"

     1. They look for those who have a need for love/attention and/or meaning in life, meet it, and after they have drawn them in they unveil their real program and come to control the individual with close supervision and never allowing the "disciple" to be alone or with outside influences, fear and harsh discipline, a complex system of peer and psychological pressure.

     2. Cults often foster paranoia about everyone outside the group, separation from family and non-member friends.  Only within the group is there any security.

     3. Indoctrination keeps the mind in tune with the group, while lack of sleep and a highly structured environment keeps the disciple physically in line.  [Enroth, pp. 48,62, 69, 71,75]

     4. False emphasis on Bible, confident/aggressive/authoritative proclamation of false doctrine, rapid growth makes it look acceptable, give the lonely and unloved attention.^[10]

Listings of Cults

     The “Ontario Consultants on destructive doomsday cults”^[11] - We define Doomsday/ Destructive/Apocalyptic cults to be religiously based, very high intensity, controlling groups that have caused or are liable to cause loss of life among their membership or the general public.:

Homicides directed against the public: Aum Shinri Kyo & The Family (Charles Manson); Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, Jeffrey Lundgren; Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God (Uganda); The People's Temple (Jim Jones); Solar Temple; Concerned Christians; House of Yahweh; Eckankar; Falun Gong/Falun Dafa; Neo-Paganism; New Age; Santeria; Satanism; Unification Church; Vodun (Voodoo); The Way; Wicca

     The “Cult Awareness & Information Centre” identified the following groups as “cults” based on their behavior and/or theology.  Branch Davidians (David Koresh, Peoples Temple - Jonestown), Aggressive Christianity, Missions Training Corps, etc. ; Attleboro Community; Bruderhof Community; Branhamism - William Branham; Christadelpians; Community Chapel; Christian Science - Mary Baker Eddy; Children of God - AKA The Family; Cooneyites (Nameless House Church or 2x2s); Exclusive Brethren; Faith Assemblies - Hobart Freeman; Garbage Eaters; House of Yahweh; International Church of Christ (Boston Movement); Jehovah's Witnesses; Jesus Christians; Local Church of Witness Lee; Little Pebble; Church of the Firstborn; KKK; AA; Jesus Army; Mormons(Latter Day Saints); Potters House; Revival Centres International; Seventh Day Adventistism; 12 Tibes Missions - AKA - Messianic Communities; The Walk of John Robert Stevens; Unification Church (Moonies); United Pentecostal Church; Way International; Worldwide Church of God - Armstrongism.^[12]

     The Wikipedia^[13] gives the following list as “cults” according to media sources: Aesthetic Realism; Al-Qaeda; Alchoholics Anonymous, Communal/Institutional; Antoinism; Aquarian Concepts; Aum Shinrikyo; Beasts of Satan; The Body of Christ (AKA Attleboro Cult); Branch Davidians; Chado, the cult of the Japanese tea ceremony; Chen Tao; Children of God (a.k.a. "The Family"); Christian Science; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons); Church of Scientology/Church of Spiritual Technology; Church Universal and Triumphant; Colonia Dignidad or Villa Baviera of Paul Schäfer; Concerned Christians; Creativity Movement; Deer Tribe Metis; Elan Vital (previously known as Divine Light Mission); Endeavor Academy; EST; Exclusive Brethren; Falun Gong; Grail Movement; Green Dragon Temple; Heaven's Gate; Holy Ghost People, Church of God/Snake-Handling cult (George Dearborn Spindler); Ho No Hana; House of Yahweh; Iglesia ni Cristo; International Churches of Christ; ISKCON (AKA Hare Krishna); Jeffrey Lundgren; Jehovah's Witnesses; Landmark Forum; London Church of Christ; Lyndon LaRouche movement; Mahikari-Sukyo Mahikari; Manson Family; Ma Tsu cult; MOVE; Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God; Mungiki; Nation of Islam; National Labor Federation; Neo-Apostolic Church; Opus Dei; Order of the Solar Temple; Pana Wave; Peoples Temple; Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association; Posse Comitatus; Psychology of the self (Jungian); Quillabamba Pentecostal; Raelism; Rajneesh/OSHO; Rastafarianism; Randian Objectivist movement; Roch Theriault; Sathya Sai Baba; Shia (Humayun Ansari); Soka Gakkai; Sunni; Symbionese Liberation Army; Synanon; Certain Kali-worshipping Tantriks in Uttar Pradesh; Temple of Set; Thuggee, the cult of Kali; Transcendental Meditation; Unification Church; United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors/Malachi York; Universal Alliance; Universal Church of God; Vishwa Nirmala Dharma/Sahaja Yoga; The Way International; Westboro Baptist Church of Fred Phelps.

Final Thoughts

     Sincerity is NOT a substitute for objective truth - In High School, I was a nice kid and put down a lot of very sincere answers on Algebra tests.  However, most of those tests came back with lots of wrong answers marked in red ink.  I didn’t like bad grades, but I also had no trouble realizing that I was the one that was “out of sync” with the larger reality around me (I didn’t study well and wasn’t looking for truth back then - too much work).

     A person’s internal character disposition is one thing, but how many marbles are in the bag is a matter of objecting, external (outside of our minds) reality and that reality does not change because of the sincerity of a person’s imagined belief about how many marbles are in the bag.  A backpack doesn’t turn into a parachute because the wearer imagines it to be a parachute.  My checks are good to the degree that I deposited money in the bank, not because I sincerely thought I made deposits.  That object I kick and mash my toe against walking in the dark is there regardless of whether I know/remember it is there!  Nice and sincere people suddenly find themselves surprised with divorce papers or fired from a job all of the time - a person’s “sincerity” reflects the inner conviction one has about their beliefs/thoughts and reality, but sincerity does not manufacture or re-structure the outer realities.  The earth doesn’t actually change shape when my imagination pictures it as different things (flat, triangular, square, etc.), dogs don’t stop knocking over my garbage cans just because I don’t want to believe that it is happening, etc.  What I “sincerely believe” about reality, depending on the facts, can fall anywhere between “accurate/truth” and fantasyland! 

     When my sincere belief differs from external reality, then I am wrong (sincerely wrong, but still wrong).  “Truth” has to do with objective reality - the way things really are.  When a person accurately understands that reality, then they are “right” about it.  “Error/falsehood” has to do with incorrectly understanding reality, and “deception” has to do with intentionally mis-portraying reality so as to mislead others.  It is possible to “deceive ourselves” when we have reason to question something and choose to not pursue our mental alerts for various reasons.  Crime scenes occur because of some particular interaction of people and events that really happened, while investigators want to identify the explanation that accurately portrays that event.  Other explanations can be imaginatively produced that seem to explain some/most/all of the pieces of evidence, but they may not portray what really happened.  Believing a false religion is embracing an explanation that seems to fit some/most/all known evidence and may teach some good moral ideas, but is not how things really are.  It is true that most, if not all, religious systems have some very nice and sincere people involved.  The “niceness/sincerity” of individual people is a separate issue from the objective truth of what they believe.  “Faith” is what we exercise when we are convinced of something for which essential hard evidence is lacking (Hebrews 11:1).  Christians who believe in a divine creation event are just as “rational/scientific” as materialistic atheists who believe that given enough time chemicals accidentally turned into people - neither event was witnessed by human observers, nor can either be reproduced today under laboratory conditions.  Both positions are embraced (by faith) from a larger set of worldview presuppositions.

     There is some truth in other religions - some of it has to do with moral principles and wisdom about how life works that human wisdom and experience can identify.  However, Christianity is based on the claims of Jesus, who claimed to be genealogically and miraculously-credentialed promised Messiah and the “only way” to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).  If the claims of Jesus are true, then other “salvation systems” are false hopes in the same way that 2 + 2 = 4 and any other answer is wrong (regardless of the sincerity of the person offering a different answer).  Paul laid it on the line - If Jesus was not who He claimed and restored to life after death, then we are wrong and wasting our time (1Corinthians 15:1-20).  If His claims are true, then non-Christians are in a lot of trouble.  Reality matters!

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Charles E. McCoy

2006/06/26

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Charles E. McCoy

2006/06/06