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WHAT IS A CULT?
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Cult
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cult is a religious group or other organization with deviant and novel beliefs and practices. However, whether any particular group's beliefs are sufficiently deviant or novel enough to be considered a cult is often unclear, and thus establishing a precise definition of cults is problematic.
The term 'cult' was originally used to describe a group of people who worshiped a deity. The term was first used in the early 17th century denoting homage paid to a deity and borrowed via the French culte from Latin cultus (worship), from the adjective cultus (inhabited, cultivated, worshiped), derived from the verb colere (care, cultivate). The English term often carries derogatory connotations and is used selectively by proponents of "brainwashing" theory.
In the 1930s cults became the object of sociological study in the context of the study of religious behavior. Cults have been criticized by mainstream Christians for their unorthodox beliefs. In the 1970s the Anti-cult movement arose, partly motivated by acts of violence and other crimes committed by members of some groups. Some of the claims of the anti-cult movement have been disputed by other scholars, leading to further controversies.
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According to sensible authorities without an ax to grind and a vengeful agenda, a cult is a sect of Christendom that is not orthodox in their faith and practice - such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons - why? They deny the deity of Christ; see their own writings as Scripture; deny the existence of hell; and thus seek to change the basic foundations of the Christian Faith. Any group who can trace their faith and practice back to the historic apostolic church and the Word of God is not a cult. Not one of our beliefs or practices is "novel" or new. Every individual part of our faith and practice as a separate entity is even now held by multiplied thousands of Christians worldwide, and is easily established as "historic Christianity". Our combination of all these beliefs puts us in a narrower bracket — not because of any particular belief or practice, but because of the combination we adhere to. For example: We accept divorce and remarried couples and reject that Jesus was correcting Moses in the Sermon on the mount — this stance is held by multiplied thousands, and is historically orthodox; but it keeps us from the mainstream of Mennonite/Amish thinking. We agree with the Mennonites on head covering, modest apparel, and the doctrine of salvation — this position separates us from mainstream denominationalism. We are stuck in the middle, because we can prove from the Bible that both mainstreams have some error, and we want to avoid such error.
Calling us a cult is a convenient and cowardly escape from reality for those who are condemned by our adherence to truth and righteousness. It is an easy way to slam us without having any facts to back up the statement. This is exactly what the Jewish leaders did to early Christians. Christianity was looked upon as an illegal "cult" for the first nearly 300 years of its existence. In speaking to the Roman authorities, this is how the Jews represented the apostle Paul.
Ac 24:5 For we have found this man (the apostle Paul) a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
If you are a lover a truth and righteousness, then I probably don’t even need to explain this to you; but in case some are seriously confused and concerned, I say, “check out the facts”; don’t just listen to the slanderer.
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