Cults

A cult is basically a group which aligns itself with a world religion but distorts or denies some basic tenants of that world religion. 

Cults are not exclusive to Christianity .  Some friends joined my wife and I to a debate at a mosque in California.  The subject was, “Who is our Messiah: Jesus or Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.”  Mr. Ahmad died in 1908, and you can visit his home in Pakistan which is preserved for pilgrims.

This denied the basic belief of Islam that the Messiah is yet to come. It is a cult.

So, not all cults are calling themselves Christians.  We’ll call ours “non-Christian cults.”  Non-Christian cults would be groups which claim the title of Christian but do not adhere to one or more of the basic beliefs of Christianity: the Trinity, the bodily resurrection of Christ, the deity of Christ, and salvation by grace alone.  All major cults have writings besides the Bible which either interpret the Bible to their way of thinking.

The larger non-Christian cults today are Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Science.

Mormonism:  Mormonism was founded by Joseph Smith in the late 1820s and 1830s.  It denies the classic doctrine of the trinity.  They teach that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate gods.  The Father and Son are physical beings, but the Holy Spirit is a Person of spirit.

Unlike other non-Christian cults, Mormons believe Jesus was raised bodily.  They believe Jesus is divine but was the result of sexual relations of God the Father with the virgin Mary.  Of course, that is not the biblical Jesus, and so they deny the person and deity of Christ.

For Mormons, salvation is not by grace but through baptism and works.  Here is a quote from Mormon.com:

Within Jesus Christ’s teachings we find the plan for our happiness, our redemption, and our salvation—a divine blueprint that includes faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, keeping God’s commandments, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. These are the saving principles taught by Jesus Christ, the bedrock on which His Gospel is built.

The Mormons, of course, have the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrines and Covenants to interpret for the follower what they say the Bible says, and they have a living prophet who heads the organization.

Jehovah’s Witnesses:  The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ organization, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, was incorporated in 1884 by Charles Taze Russell.   Jehovah’s Witnesses deny all four major doctrines of the Christian church.  They believe only the Father is God.  The Son was the archangel Michel, became the man Jesus until His death, then was recreated as the archangel Michael and ascended to heaven.  That denies both the trinity and the deity of Christ. They also believe the Holy Spirit is just a force.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus was raised as a spirit creature and that His body probably evaporated into gasses.  This of course, denies the bodily resurrection of Christ.

Jehovah’s Witnesses publish a plethora of magazines and books dating from the founding of their organization.  Their major publication is the Watchtower Magazine.   Jehovah’s Witnesses have changed their doctrines a number of times over the years along with making prophecies which did not come to pass.  This results in the need to publish corrections and denials of their doctrinal and prophetic stances.  The updates are called “New Light.”

Christian Science:  The First Church of Christ Science was founded in 1879 by Mary Baker Eddy who claimed to have discovered the “Science of Metaphysical Healing.”  Christian Science is like Grape Nuts.  It isn’t Christian, and it isn’t science.  Christian Science is a Gnostic faith.  

For the members, God is an impersonal but omnipotent Being.  Jesus is separate from Christ.  Jesus is the human being Who holds the Christ ideal.  They believe matter is an illusion, it isn’t real, so when you see a Christian Science funeral, they are all wearing white rather than black to demonstrate this.  Sickness is not real nor is evil.  So, the Christian Science beliefs are in no way aligned with historic conservative Christian views.

The main text for Christian Science is Mrs. Eddy’s Science and Health with Keys to the Scriptures.

Why is this important?

Understanding a bit about the beliefs of others helps us to better understand the differences and know the terms they use when discussing our faith with them.  Our job is to inform people who do not know Jesus.  In the case of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, they come right to our door ready to discuss religion.  What could be better?  Sadly many Christians feel too inadequate to face them, and the cultists leave more sure of their faith.

Since they all deny at lest three of the major doctrines of the Church, we can learn one of those doctrines well enough to discuss it with them.

Next time you run into one of these folks, ask them about what they believe and share what you do and why.