Church cults

[JohnDB]

"About 1870, [Charles Taze, JW founder] Russell and his father established a group with a number of acquaintances to undertake an analytical study of the Bible and the origins of Christian doctrine, creed, and tradition. The group, strongly influenced by the writings of Millerite Adventist ministers George Storrs and George Stetson, who were also frequent attendees, concluded that many of the primary doctrines of the established churches, including the Trinity, hellfire, and inherent immortality of the soul, were not substantiated by the scriptures."—Wikipedia, "Charles Taze Russell"​

I remember reading that in a book also. The JWs followed in Miller's footsteps of date setting. JWs have set so many dates it's impossible to keep up with them.

Oh yes their writings influenced the JWs...
I thought that was a given.

I was merely speaking of location.

Laurie White settled right in amongst those that had crawled away from the field. (It wasn't like they could afford to travel)

And she went a bit nuts about "personal vice" . I'm not sure if she caught her husband doing it or what was her issue with it. But she put it on almost every sermon and page of her writings.

 

[Nehemiah6]

In my view, just needs to be any extreme stance on a non-essential, or tertiary, doctrine.

This is incorrect. Cults primarily focus on rejecting the deity of Christ and the Holy Trinity, and some make a false teacher into an incarnation of Christ. Or present "another Jesus" (e.g. Mormonism's Jesus or Michael the archangel = Christ). These are key and essential doctrines of Christianity. Following that, they fall into every kind of error, particularly in eschatology.

 

[Runningman]

This is incorrect. Cults primarily focus on rejecting the deity of Christ and the Holy Trinity, and some make a false teacher into an incarnation of Christ. Or present "another Jesus" (e.g. Mormonism's Jesus or Michael the archangel = Christ). These are key and essential doctrines of Christianity. Following that, they fall into every kind of error, particularly in eschatology.

I disagree with that because "even the demons believe and tremble" but that isn't helping their case much. They are not trusting on Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls like the same way many people do who create idols out of pet doctrines.

If someone is preaching you have to trust in anything other than the shed blood of Jesus Christ to be saved then it's a cult even if they acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.

I've caught adherents of pre-tribulation rapture doing this and also preachers of water baptism doing it.

Idols can sneak in and hide right under our noses. Stay vigilant.

 

[ResidentAlien]

I think a lot of churches are becoming political cults, that's what I have noticed.

I tend to agree. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book. Whip up fear then offer the solution. It doesn't hurt that people will pay you for the solution either.

 

[Lanolin]

Jim Jones was initially affiliated with the Disciples of Christ church denom and was ordained by them...they kind of didnt do anything when he started preaching marxism.

?! I mean what can denoms do when wolves infiltrate the church. He was already ordained I guess it was then too late to stop him.

 

[Blik]

Exactly. And politics don't save. They are stepping away from God's Truth for man's truth

When their days are filled with media from the world instead of keeping company with God, it is a natural result. The food given the soul is what feeds it. Many spend days without daily bread from the Lord, they starve the soul





g

 

[ResidentAlien]

Jim Jones was initially affiliated with the Disciples of Christ church denom and was ordained by them...they kind of didnt do anything when he started preaching marxism.

?! I mean what can denoms do when wolves infiltrate the church. He was already ordained I guess it was then too late to stop him.

True, good point.

 

[ResidentAlien]

Yesterday I came across this great podcast at Cultish, a sited dedicated to exposing cults. I was surprised and delighted to see a four-part series on William Branham with guest John Collins, who created the William Branham Historical Research website and is author of Preacher Behind the White Hoods: A Critical Examination of William Branham and His Message.

Many may not know who William Branham was, but briefly he was a healing evangelist in the early to mid 1900s. Though he may not be a household name, many modern-day faith healers and "prophets" know him very well. According to them, Branham had one of the greatest anointings of all time. Some, like Benny Hinn have visited his grave to "soak up" Branham's anointing.

Collins' interview is very revealing and exposes the truth about Branham. One of the more interesting things I learned was that it was Branham who gave Jim Jones his first opportunity as a healing revivalist. At Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple there are many informative articles about the connections between Jim Jones and William Branham. Of course a lot of things Jones said must be taken with a grain of salt, but after listening to the podcasts, Jones' statements about Branham seem a little more believable. From what I understood them to say, another podcast will be forthcoming which will discuss the Jim Jones Connection.

There's also great YouTube channel that has exposed the truth about many of the early faith healers that are revered by todays "healers." It's called LongFroTruth1. What this guy has done is really quite ingenious. He simply subscribed to Newspapers.com and started looking up what he could find about them. If you get the time I heartily encourage you to have at look at some his videos. You'll discover that the truth is quite different than the modern propaganda!

 

[ResidentAlien]

Daniel Long has a great new video up at LongForTruth1.

I post this because it demonstrates conclusively two very important facts: 1) Parham and his early followers believed that the gift of tongues they received were languages, not an angelic prayer language. Why is this important you might ask? We'll see shortly; 2) When they went out into the field to put their new gift to the test, it was a total failure. No one understood a thing they said.

Parham is acknowledged by the Assemblies of God as the founder of Pentecostalism. This is important because the more that is learned about Parham, one has to wonder about the religion that started with him. The image below is of a plaque from the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in Springfield, Missouri.

Parham believed the gift they received manifested actual languages, demonstrating that he believed (correctly) that the scriptures teach that tongues are languages. He apparently has no conception that it be might some kind of angelic prayer language. This idea only appeared later after missionaries put it to the test and discovered they weren't languages at all.

 

[Lanolin]

how did they test the langauges?

where they doing the chickens guts thing as well?

 

[ResidentAlien]

how did they test the langauges?

In a newspaper article in the Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu), May 31, 1901, Parham makes all kinds of grandiose claims about how his missionaries wouldn't need to study the languages, etc., etc., etc.

Then, another article in the Evening Times-Republican (Marshalltown, Iowa), March 7, 1908, reports how some missionaries were sent out to India, China and Japan expecting to be able to preach to the people of those places in their own languages, but couldn't. When they got there and started preaching in "tongues" no one understood them. The reports came from the missionaries themselves.

Think about it. if this would've worked, if they had been able to speak to the natives in their own languages, we'd have tongue-speaking missionaries all over the place. However, what we ended up with is an "angelic prayer language."

 

[Blade]

Jim Jones was not always bad In our own life just what point in TIME do you think believe this GOD who is out side of time will be looking at? Murder as awful as that is, its sin. A lie that cute white lie we MIGHT tell others to protect them or our selfs. That is also a sin and will not as murder will not enter heaven. ALL are what Christ already died for. Some times our thoughts can be just as awful to GOD for its the same as doing it.

So again what part of your life is Christ going to be looking at? Only the moment after He found you only the good things? Or at all the parts you fell over and over. Will He gather all those faults sins you did after you were found accumulate them to hold against you? Don't think for one second we can't fall. I don't mean fall away. Song playing right this second said this "Its by King&Country" "hold on to me. Don't let me loose my way". Prefect timing again praise GOD!

Me as a man what (jim jones) did was so wrong so evil yet.. Yet the Fathers love.. there is no sin that made it past the blood of Jesus Christ. That moment you gave your life to Him. All angels rejoiced. Is all that toss out when the enemy comes and deceives you confusion comes you can't see that path any more. You start listening to the real truth..yet you can't see its a lie. Where and when do your actions void out the Cross?

So many times we judge others only based on our personal truth. If some person or group is doing something we don't like agree with.. they might be called "CULTS". One group some make fun of call them cult gave there jets to help those in Afghanistan get people there set free to come to America. That is not all they are doing. Its one of countless things they do that never.. oh not worth it. I don't need to stick up for His kids lol.

Why do I talk like this? Been on this earth for 60 years and only once did HE show me someones heart. I have to tell you.. their heart was nothing what so ever like what I always see.. how to word this. I judged because of how they were at that moment and for so many years acted talked like. Anyone could see theres no love there. One moment He shows up and shows me the heart. It was the flip side everything I saw heard. We tend to know what we see is exactly what is in side of them. True sometimes yet.. if this one was not what it appeared to be.. I must. give all look at all the same. He sees the heart I you can not. We must always take this in to consideration.

 

[ResidentAlien]

So many times we judge others only based on our personal truth. If some person or group is doing something we don't like agree with.. they might be called "CULTS".

How about Jones controlling, manipulating and ultimately leading over 900 people to their deaths? The number of lives he actually influenced was higher than that when you count all those who didn't go to Jonestown. How about all the people he deceived and robbed? How about the rapes and the brutality? How about the people he led to Hell? I wonder what the Father thinks about all that?

Yeah, Jones may be the kind of person only a mother could love, but I know what his heavenly Father thinks. That's not my personal truth, it's in His word.

No one's perfect and doesn't hurt any of us to be reminded of that; but saying we shouldn't make conclusions about people or situations simply because we're imperfect is saying everyone might as well do whatever is right in their own eyes. That's the ultimate end of such thinking.

 

[Lanolin]

yea over 900 people dead from poison that they never would have taken had not Jones TOLD them to take it is quite a lot of people dead
There have probably been others just as bad (suicide bombers, the atomic bombers, those who kept the concentration camps, arsonists, sex traffickers, slaveowners, drugdealers, corrupt govt leaders who starved their populations to death or commited genocide) but I would say its pretty evil what he did, and also because he pretended he was Christian, which was even worse.

 

[Lanolin]

Unless...someone isnt telling us something...who knows, maybe you are being convicted right now

I can think of many who may hide behind cloak of christianity who lead others to death...people who secretly believe in eugenics and advocate aborting any baby who isnt going to be born in wedlock,
landlords who speculate or raise rents so high that many end up homeless or only the rich cna afford to stay in the 'extra' housing
people who operate dubious tax free billion dollar businesses from Delaware

youth church leaders who groom the young into porn
charity administrators who skim off donations
pastors who tightly control their congrgation and directly interfere with their parishes lives. or commit adultery with the women (often the church secretary)

its not MY truth...all the above goes directly against what the Bible teaches

 

[Lanolin]

yea I dont know why SOOO many people claim an 'angelic prayer langauge' when its just a language they dont know.
People ought to really make the effort to try and find out what langauage they have been given so they can use it!

And since when has anyone in the Bible ever used 'angelic prayer language' when they encountered angels. When Jesus prayed and it was recorded exactly what He prayed in John's gospel, did John write well he prayed in angel langauge?

Or when Jesus was teaching others to pray 'like this' the Lords prayer did he say 'use your angel tongue?'

 

[Lanolin]

there are over 135 language groups in the world, so wonder just how many tongues are tested to conclude well it cant be a tongue, you just saying stuff nobody understands lol.

Most people cant even speak english that well.

 

[ResidentAlien]

Or when Jesus was teaching others to pray 'like this' the Lords prayer did he say 'use your angel tongue?'

LOL. . .true.

 

[Jackson123]

How can you tell if a church group has become a cult?

Just wondering. Any survivors want to tell their tale.

I was reading about Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. That was some scary cult. And it had the veeneer of christianity. Jones was definitly a wolf in sheeps clothing.

For those that had no idea just google Peoples Temple, Guyana, mass suicide.

EEk.

If the church use bible for other than salvation is a cult. Example Jim jone use bible verses to kill.
I believe catholic is cult too. Use bible to create one world government.

https://www.businessinsider.com/whoops-vatican-lets-slip-plans-for-one-word-government-2011-10

WHOOPS! Vatican Lets Slip Plans For One World Government

 

[ResidentAlien]

If the church use bible for other than salvation is a cult. Example Jim jone use bible verses to kill.
I believe catholic is cult too. Use bible to create one world government.

https://www.businessinsider.com/whoops-vatican-lets-slip-plans-for-one-word-government-2011-10

WHOOPS! Vatican Lets Slip Plans For One World Government

Good article. The Vatican's pushing hard for globalism and ecumenism. But it's not true unity they seek, they want control of it all. Same thing they've always been about, just a new plan to bring it about.