What is it about the Christian faith that makes it so easy to create a cult from it? Why is it that so many health and prosperity teachers arise from Christianity and not from the other religions out there? Do we hear of Muslim name it and claim it clerics? Do we see compounds of faithful zealots ready to drink poisoned Kool-Aid in the name of Brahma or Vishnu? While I am sure there are people who take advantage of other religions to exploit them, I am still interested in why this happens so frequently within the realm of Christianity.
At this point, I am certain that some Christians would claim that this is because the devil, God's ancient enemy, is doing his best to discredit the true church of Jesus Christ by bringing about all of these atrocities. These kinds of people would use all of this to try and establish Christianity as the one true religion. After all, which other religion has this going on? Obviously it is an attack against the truth! I know that arguments like this are used because I had used them myself.
Recently a news report was released about a church in Virginia called Calvary Temple which is exhibiting cult-like tendencies. According to the investigation, the pastor of that church, Star Scott, "urged some church members to divorce spouses and shun children who resisted the pastor's teachings." Scott also described those that left the church as "depraved," and Calvary's practice is to cut them off."
Click here to read the entire article.
While different churches with cult-like behavior may differ in their core teachings (doctrine), they all tend to exhibit one thing in common: they ostracize those that would dare to leave them and, in the process of doing so, try to paint those that have left in as bad a light as they can. They may call them apostates, reprobates, deluded, anti-Christs and a whole bunch of other names that are intended to destroy the reputation of those that have left while at the same time bringing fear to any that remain.
Whether one believes the Bible to be true or not, it is obvious to most people that churches that behave like this are clearly violating clear biblical teachings. While the Bible certainly does give instruction about separating from apostates, it never tells its followers to speak badly of them. Its New Testament leaders are never instructed to lord it over the faithful and their actions are to be selfless. It is amazing to me how many churches claim to follow the teachings of Christ and yet follow anything but what is written in red.
9 comments:
RELIGION is a dangerous thing. Jesus didn't teach religion. Religion marries you and buries you and lights candles. The BIBLE is a whole other thing apart from these radical, insane churches.
As for "name it and claim it" leaders in the Muslim world or other religions - there are off shoots of EVERYTHING.
Dan,
Wow.What a sad sad thing. I know of you, and of heritage. And I have to say that your blog has been very eye opening to the situation. I will be praying for you.
Hello Me in Va! Please feel free to email me. A link to an email for me is on the left on the main blog page.
Dan, I just wanted to thank you for your fairness and not lumping all Christians together in the "wacko" camp together. There's a difference between saying that someone has left the faith or saying things contrary to it and treating someone with hostility for leaving the faith. Funny thing is, the idea of the Anti-Christ is someone who tries to deceive from within the church. In that regard, I find it a bit puzzling and funny that someone who genuinely separates themselves from the faith, acknowledges openly and honestly that they don't believe it, would be called an Anti-Christ!
You've also made an interesting observation on why it seems there are more Christians going off the deep end than other religions. Personally I would say your statement of "attacking the one true faith" is right on the money. Of course, that's showing my bias as a Christian :)
I've been following your story, Dan, and seen your news interview and read all your posts and I am keeping you in my prayers and I'd really be interested in chatting with you one-on-one sometime, if you're interested.
Hello Rev Russ,
Thank you for your comments. I am glad to see that those still within the faith are not seeing my comments on this blog as being mean or against all Christians. I have been surprised by some of the nice emails I have received by some Christians in relation to what I have written here.
If you would like to contact me (or anyone else, for that matter) there is a link to an email address on the left side of the blog. You can certainly use that. I will do my best to respond.
Dan
Hi, I'm an atheist following you over from Pharyngula. You'll probably get a lot of us.
My observation on christianity spawning cults is that it's nothing special about christianity. First, you've got *lots* of christians. Then, you've got the apocalyptic thread in the religion. Add that to the apocalyptic thread in American culture and you've got all you need. Other religions don't do cults the way christians do, but they still get apocalyptic nutjobs.
We understand christianity better and are closer to it, so we see more cults and understand them better. We can differentiate between a typical church and a wackjob one. We don't have that proximity or familiarity with other religions.
Some faiths do seem less likely to spawn craziness - at least, the kind of craziness that leads to people dying. But it's not because one is right or one is wrong, it's because of the nature of the beliefs incorporated into the package. If you're evangelical and apocalyptical, you're going to get death cults. If you're pacifistic, you're going to get suicidal monks.
I don't think Christians get any crazier than Muslims, etc. But the direction the craziness takes is shaped by the rest of the society. The "prosperity gospel" seems quintessentially American, to me, and I think it has more to do with America than with Christianity.
Hi William,
The prosperity Gospel is in many places around the world and not just in the good ol' US of A. Benny Hinn, for example, draws big crowds of thousands when he goes to Israel. This type of theology is also rampant in Mexico, throughout South America and in places like the Philippines. If you talk to missionaries (from the background that I was in), then you find that they are constantly battling the prosperity Gospel no matter where they are in the world.
Cults or cult-like religions seem to form when there are clear factors at work:
1) Strong religious beliefs
2) Oppression or persecution (real or imaginary)
3) High levels of youth
4) Lack of fulfilment for the future
So in USA you get Christianity, persecution from atheists (or other religions), lots of young people and a belief in premillennial dispensationalism. Perfect for charismatic leaders to step in to form cults, unfortunately. (The same is true in the Middle East...)
This URL seems to sum it up well: http://www.sossobriety.org/cults.htm
The simple tests seem to be:
1) Can you think objectively on your own and discuss openly?
2) Can you freely leave the group w/o consequences?
If you can't do either then it's likely to be a cult (or religious offshoot cult). Unfortunately many religions are incompatible with spirituality which is why so many people are having problems nowadays with religion.
People who are rediscovering their spirituality (as you have) are now finding that their existing religious group is incompatible with their new beliefs since they have transcended the need for the group and broken their dependency on it.
I read that attendance at the Church has dropped 50%... so regardless of the outcome, you have done good by making so many people re-evaluate their priorities.
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