92% of Americans believe in God. But then it breaks down from there. There's all kinds of varieties of belief in God out there.
People differ greatly as to their faith expression, practice, worship, and understanding of God. Yet, despite the diversity of faith expressions and beliefs, most Christian faith-groups are, shall we say, “safe” and respectable. And by that I mean that even though they are different from each other, they are nonetheless open and transparent as to the demands and expectations of its adherents. Insiders as well as outsiders are free to learn about its tenets and practices, rites and rituals, its leadership structure, and its means of incorporating new members or dismissing wayward ones (apostates). People are free to “take it or leave it,” to agree or disagree, and to embrace or un-embrace the faith-group as they will.
Not so with Religious Cults. A Cult is different. They are neither open and free nor safe and respectable. Cults are dangerous and need to be avoided. What are the signs of a cult verses the normal variety of differing faith-groups?
Warning Sign A: cults are usually personality driven. One highly visible, gifted, charismatic leader is usually at the head of a cult. This leader is usually its founder or handpicked by the founder as his/her successor. This leader is usually very authoritarian, demanding absolute obedience and is intolerant of any who would disagree with him. In short the leader is usually controlling, domineering, and godlike in expectation of submission and obedience by his/her followers.
Warning sign B: Absolute authority is exercised by its leader(s) and absolute obedience is demanded of its adherents. Followers are not to question commands or the decisions of their leader(s). The leader(s) are constantly saying something like, “We know what’s best for you.” Its leader(s) presumes that he never makes any mistakes and that she is in a sense all wise and all knowing. When a leader presumes to think in your behalf and commands you to follow without question, my advice is to run. No leader, no matter how saintly or godly or wise and intelligent he/she may seem to be, should ever be given that kind of power and authority over others. Healthy followers are followers who are clear minded, free to accept or not accept, follow or deviate from following, according to their own conscience and understanding.
Warning sign C: A cult leader will often presume to be perfect saying in effect, “I am holy. Live as I live. Do as I do. Aspire to be as I am.” This is a critical warning sign. First of all the presumption is that real goodness is measured by outward conformity to a prescribed set of rules and regulations established by the leader himself and has little to do with one’s inner heart. Holiness becomes a question of behavioral submission, compliance and conformity to the leader’s dictates, rather than a question of the motive, purpose, and values set within one’s own heart. But Jesus made it very clear that it is the state of one’s heart that determines a person’s purity, not simply the outward conformity to a certain set of rules and regulations established by a religious leader. The Pharisees were strict advocates of the law yet were called vipers and full of dead bones on the inside.
Warning Sign D: Members of a cult, from its leader down to its most humble of followers, assume that they and only they are the true representatives of God here on earth. They are the only ones that truly qualify as God’s real children, God’s truly chosen. All other faith-groups, of whatever name, brand, denomination, or persuasion are misguided and wrong in absolute terms. Consider for example that most of the many hundreds of Christian denominations that worship on any given Sunday will readily admit that they are one of many acceptable Christian churches with which people can choose to identify. That is, they do NOT see themselves as having exclusive right to the Christian faith as to its interpretative meaning and practice. Thus, Mennonites, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Reformed, Lutheran, Catholics, and others, all recognize that though they differ as to particulars in faith and practice (and their differences ARE significant), they still acknowledge and respect each other’s core unity in Jesus Christ regarding his person, life, death, and resurrection. A Cult on the other hand gives no such recognition and rejects outright all variant beliefs and practices but its own. A cult believes itself to be THE one and only TRUE church—no exceptions, no qualifications, no grey area, no accepting of any other church period!
This leads to warning sign E: Cults are not only totally and absolutely exclusive, believing that all other denominations are absolutely in the wrong, totally misguided and must be converted to the cult’s own specific and particular way of belief, practice, and understanding. They also make it very difficult for a person to leave the cult once the person has entered into it. Take warning! They make every effort to prevent its followers from being “negatively” influenced from people on the outside, especially family, friends, and other loved ones. Most will not threaten your life, but they will make life very difficult for those who “want out.” Oh yes, they also expect their followers to give the major portion of an individual’s resources, assets, time and talent to the interests of the cult organization, demanding huge personal sacrifice on the part of the individual adherent.
Cults are dangerous and should be avoided. They are manipulative, attempting to control the mind and body, behavior and lifestyle of its followers. Healthy, open and safe, faith-groups are first of all non-controlling. They leave you in charge of your own conscience. They also demand no more than Christ Himself demanded of anyone in terms of obedience and most importantly in terms of accountability, that it is a matter of the heart: peace, patience, love, gentleness, kindness, and goodness.
Also remember, religious groups are not the only kind of cults out there. There can also be political and social cults as well (e.g., the Nazi party of WW II could be categorized as a political Cult). Any group that becomes mind-controlling, manipulative, secretive and demanding of absolute obedience from its adherents is dangerous, be it religious, political, or social. Take care and heed the signs.
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