What beliefs do you see as a cult?

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Can you list some?

Scientology?
JW’s?
Mormon’s?
Mormon Fundamentalists?

What is your opinion?

Iam only asking because I have heard alot of talk that people
think these beliefs are cults. Can someone give me a definition
of what makes a belief as a cult?

I can think of a valid one, where the members are kept from questioning their belief, and told that if they exercise independent
thinking, and investigate it, they are not trusting God, ext. What do you think?
 
Hi- the OED defines cult as:
1-“Worship; reverential homage rendered to a devine being.
2- sysetem of worship, esp. as expressed in ceremoniess,ritual, etc.
3-Devotion or homage paid to a person or thing esp. a fasionable enthusiasm; derog: a transient fad of an ingroup”

In the correct english usage, all religions are a cults. I have always wondered why the word raises hackles for some people.–nicolo
 
David Koresh from the Waco Texas compound - that was a cult.

Scientology is a cult because of their weird beliefs in Xenu? and weird beliefs against drugs used to treat depression, etc

** Mormons **- they believe in 3 levels of heaven, that they’ll become “gods” (only if they are worthy?), that Jesus and Satan are equal… :eek: Oh, and God the father had physical sex with Mary to conceive Jesus…which considering they say we are ‘all God’s **spiritual **children’ would be incest?

** Jehovah witnesses** - besides the beliefs against birthdays (creature worship & because John the Baptist was beheaded as a birthday present…um, yeah…), christmas and most holidays (except thanskgiving), they also don’t like to be patriotic (refuse to stand for patriotic songs) they also forbid blood transfusions (which do help treat diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia). They have “predicted” the end of the world a lot…the most famous being 1914…and they believe that Jesus was Michael the Archangel. They also rewrote the bible so any references to the trinity was removed.
 
Jehovah’s Witnesses is NOT a cult. JW’s believe in Jehovah God and his son, Jesus, who died for their sins. JW’s have respect for Mary, His mother, though they do not worship or pray to her. Matthew 6:9 & John 14:6, 14 explains why. They are neutral when it comes to political involvement or voting since they are Christians. Refer to John 17:16, John 6:15, John 18:36. Holidays, well, isn’t it a given? Any research that is done on this, a person will find out the origin of the holidays and know why a TRUE Christian should not celebrate them. Think about it. If you had a glass of pure drinking water and just put a tiny bit of poison in it, would you still drink it? Would you let your child drink it? Isn’t this the same? Sure some holidays have many good things about them, but when they are tainted with a history of worship of other gods and paganism, etc. is it really honoring our Most Holy Father? Do as Ephesians 5:10, 11: “Keep on making sure what is acceptable to the Lord; and quit sharing with them in the unfruitful works that belong to the darkness, but rather, even be reproving them.” 🙂
 
JWs are** not** Christians. They do not believe in the trinity (a basic belief of christianity is the belief of three persons in one GOD). They don’t celebrate Christmas (one of the biggest Christian Holy Days of the year). They also changed one of the most important verses in the bible from ‘The Word was God’ to ‘the word was a god’.

I think you’d better educate yourself:

catholic.com/library/Distinctive_Beliefs_of_Jehovahs.asp
 
Hi–I posted the Oxford English Dictionary for the definition of cult in post #2 . What defintion are you guys using? What does “cult” mean that it is so derogatory toward a person of a different faith? thanks, nicolo
 
I think in the broad sense a cult is any religion that hasn’t obtained worldwide acknowlagement. Say for instance worship of ancient Egyptain Gods. Way back when, when Egypt -was- the known world it was the religion. If a group of people went back to that worship it would be an isolated thing, and therefore a cult. I recall a book that said the religion/cult differentiation is recognition by others.
 
I don’t think “weird beliefs” is enough to make a cult. (Yes I know cult is really just another word for religion or religious practice but I’m referring to the popular modern usage.) To someone who had never heard them before, some Catholic beliefs such as the belief that what appears to be bread and wine is the living body and blood of a man who died 2000 years ago, would be very weird.

In addition to weird beliefs, think a cult involves most or all of the following:
  1. Mind control - members are told they must not think for themselves but obey orders unquestioningly. The slightest doubt about any belief is condemned as a sign of evil. Often brainwashing techniques are used.
  2. Exclusivism - Everyone outside the cult (including other religions and organisations and the government) is dismissed as unspeakably evil and not to be associated with, or actively combatted.
  3. Secretiveness -The leader and/or senior members are told secret beliefs/practices which are not revealed to ordinary members. In contrast to other religions which enthusiastically publicise their beliefs and writings to seek converts, the cult’s beliefs and writings are carefully hidden from non-members.
  4. Sexual Immorality - often the beliefs include “reasons” why the leader/senior members should receive sexual favours from junior members. Often members are told who they must marry and who they may associate with. They may be told to have no contact with family members or even to divorce their spouse.
  5. Compulsion - members who want/try to leave are placed under great psychological or even physical restraint to prevent them doing so.
  6. Absurd Contradictions and abrupt changes in doctrine - when under pressure from government or public criticism or when eg the predicted end of the world does not eventuate, somebeliefs are simply deleted and changed and members are expected to immediately dump them and embrace the new replacement beliefs.
Some religions which are not cults may have one or two of these to some extent, but no more.
 
Hi Petergee-Thanks, I have heard ‘cult’ used often enough but used in so many different ways that I wasn’t sure. I don’t use the word myself, as it seems to have negative connotations and is seldom used with the OED definition any more except in anthropolgy.
–nicolo
 
Hi westmoreland and welcome to the forum! :tiphat:

I personally don’t like to use the word “cult” because I believe it is most often understood as a pejorative. I think that if a person has issues with another religion, whether they be doctrinal or control issues, or something else, than they should learn how to express themselves in describing those specific subjects. That, it seems to me, is the most helpful.

Obviously, there are people here who would disagree with you about the “origin” of holidays, etc.

I look forward to seeing more posts from you. God bless, AHF
 
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westmoreland:
Jehovah’s Witnesses is NOT a cult. JW’s believe in Jehovah God and his son, Jesus, who died for their sins. JW’s have respect for Mary, His mother, though they do not worship or pray to her. Matthew 6:9 & John 14:6, 14 explains why. They are neutral when it comes to political involvement or voting since they are Christians. Refer to John 17:16, John 6:15, John 18:36. Holidays, well, isn’t it a given? Any research that is done on this, a person will find out the origin of the holidays and know why a TRUE Christian should not celebrate them. Think about it. If you had a glass of pure drinking water and just put a tiny bit of poison in it, would you still drink it? Would you let your child drink it? Isn’t this the same? Sure some holidays have many good things about them, but when they are tainted with a history of worship of other gods and paganism, etc. is it really honoring our Most Holy Father? Do as Ephesians 5:10, 11: “Keep on making sure what is acceptable to the Lord; and quit sharing with them in the unfruitful works that belong to the darkness, but rather, even be reproving them.” 🙂
Click to expand...
Hi westmoreland,
Even if JW’s are not a cult, they ARE a false religion. They deny the divinity of Christ and according to God’s definition in Deuteronomy 18:20 - 22… they are false prophets who do not speak in His name. Throughout their brief history, they have made numerous predicitons in the name of “Jehovah” that have not come true. I understand that they have now backed away from their “this genereation (1914) will not pass away” claim… obviously since the generation that witnessed the events has indeed passed away. One more failed prediciton to add to their dismal record.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are very dedicated, sincere people. Unfortunatly their devotion is to a false religion based on the imagination of Charles Russell and his followers. I pray for them often.

God Bless,
CM
 
Hi there Carol Marie. Good post! your correct of course! I can only say to westmoreland, read the book called "Answering Jehovah’s
Witnesses " By Jason Evert. The watchtower organization is a false religion.
I posted this at the thread entitled : “Was the star of Bethlehem Satan’s Star?” posted by Sacramentalist.

Here is one of the replies I put there, which is relevent to this thread.

Here is one more point to consider. From the book “Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses” by Jason Evert.

chapter 17 " Can you Trust Watchtower Doctrine? "

“Besides erroneous predictions, the Watchtower has misled its members through countless changes in doctrine and practice.
Though the Watchtower acknowledges its fallibility and admits its mistakes, one must keep in mind that it has consistently held itself up as God’s sole " channel of communication,” asserting that it has his constant guidance and direction. If that were true, then whatever doctrines the Watchtower originally taught should still be true today,
as truth does not change."

" The Watchtower’s own history tells quite a different story. An examination of it shows that, not only have minor teachings been
altered, but major ones have undergone mutation as well."

“God is not the author of error and contradiction, so the explanation for such mistakes and mutations is that the Watchtower does not speak for God.”
 
I agree with Petergree’s post. I don’t see a cult as simply a group with strange beliefs. Too some, Catholics have strange beliefs.

I see a cult as a group that exerts unusual control over its members. To me it is the actions of the group and their leaders that make a group a cult.
 
nico, your dictionary gives the older usage of the word cult. Some people still use it in that sense, but mostly nowadays it implies a mind-control organization with aggressive recruiting and retention methods. Petergee thanks for your full list of characteristics of a cult (in the modern sense).
 
Reply to At His Feet: Exactly!

Read this also from the book “Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses”
By Jason Evert.

From chapter 1 : " Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Leaders"

“Charles Taze Russell”

" Grand claims were nothing new for Russell. In his earlier days he marketed what he called “miracle wheat” for a dollar a pound ( sixty dollars a bushel, which was expensive at the time ), promising that it would grow five times faster than regular wheat. The farmers who purchased it soon discovered that it was not miraculous at all, and they sued Russell. In fact, government experts testified that it yielded less than regular wheat. Russell was found guilty and returned the money. "

" Russell later decided to offer a cure for “surface cancer” saying ,
“No fee will be charged” for those who wanted the formula, provided, that they wrote him “directly, stating particulars” about their disease. He also marketed alleged cures for typhoid and pneumonia."

"Russell’s theology and scholarship were also the subject of much scrutiny. A Baptist pastor, J.J. Ross, published a booklet denouncing the “self-styled pastor.” In it, Ross claimed that Russell was a pseudo-scholar who “never attended the higher schools of learning; knows comparatively nothing of philosophy, systematic or historical theology, and is totally ignorant of the dead languages.”
 
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buzzcut:
nico, your dictionary gives the older usage of the word cult. Some people still use it in that sense, but mostly nowadays it implies a mind-control organization with aggressive recruiting and retention methods. Petergee thanks for your full list of characteristics of a cult (in the modern sense).
Click to expand...
You can also view this site for definitions.

apologeticsindex.org/c09.html#defcults
 
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Marilena:
Can you list some?

Scientology?
JW’s?
Mormon’s?
Mormon Fundamentalists?

What is your opinion?

Iam only asking because I have heard alot of talk that people
think these beliefs are cults. Can someone give me a definition
of what makes a belief as a cult?

I can think of a valid one, where the members are kept from questioning their belief, and told that if they exercise independent
thinking, and investigate it, they are not trusting God, ext. What do you think?
Click to expand...
IMHO, I think the most dangerous and prevalent cult in America is the cult that each individual is his own magisterium and that their personal revelation and interpretation of the Bible is inspired and/or correct. This errant philosophy via the charisma of a human being allows the development of organizations that institutionalize these errant teachings into a cult or denomination.

The infallibility of our own Pope is limited to the infallible Teachings of prior Popes and the continual without division of the Magisterium since Peter and the Apostles. For instance, if the Pope were to decree that Christ were not God, this would not be deemed infallible by definition. No infallible teaching can be in conflict with a previous infallible teaching.
 
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Orionthehunter:
IMHO, I think the most dangerous and prevalent cult in America is the cult that each individual is his own magisterium and that their personal revelation and interpretation of the Bible is inspired and/or correct. This errant philosophy via the charisma of a human being allows the development of organizations that institutionalize these errant teachings into a cult or denomination.

This is a good point.
Click to expand...
 
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