Seventh-day Adventist Cult?

Question

There were several questions regarding whether or not the SDAs are a cult, but all of the questions were closed to answers. There are a lot of opinions, but I would like to draw attention to the Christian Research Institute's (a non-SDA organization) findings on this question.

This is still the position taken by today's Christian Research Institute:

Though several capable Christian scholars (e.g. Anthony Hoekema, J.K. van Baalen, John Gerstner) have concluded that SDA is a non-Christian cult system, CRI has continued to assert that this is not the case. We take this position based on the content of the doctrine which was stated in an official SDA publication (1957) entitled Questions on Doctrine.

Since SDA does accept the foundational doctrines of historic Christianity (The Trinity, Christ's true deity, His bodily resurrection, etc.) we do not believe that it should be classified as a non-Christian cult.

Official Statement of the Christian Research Institute.

Answer 1

"If you are not a member of thee 7th Day Church == YOU ARE DOOMED."

WRONG! Seventh-day Adventists believe that people of all faiths can be saved and only God knows people's hearts to know if they are saved.

“If you eat meat or don't keep the Shabbot== YOU ARE DOOMED.”

WRONG! Seventh-day Adventists believe that we should keep the food laws in the Bible. This means that everyone can eat clean meat if they want to.

“STILL A CULT -- they can't shake that label that easily.”

WRONG! The Seventh-day Adventist Church is not now, and has it ever been a cult. There has been no real evidence given to this claim; it is just a rumor.

Answer 2

I think the definition of a cult is a personal thing, and not something that is "fact". In my opinion the difference between a cult and a religion is by answering this question, "Do I respect this?" Some people view the church I belong to as a cult, but of course I don't. :) Early Christianity was viewed as a cult. It just depends on what the person making the judgement believes, I guess.

Answer 3

what's a cult? In faith and sociology, a cult is a cohesive team of people (many times a particularly small and those days depending non secular flow) committed to beliefs or practices that the encompassing subculture or society considers to be a procedures outside the mainstream. Its separate status would take position both with the aid of its novel idea equipment, because of its idiosyncratic practices or because it opposes the pastimes of the mainstream subculture. different non-non secular communities could also demonstrate cult-like features. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sevent-day Adventist church follows the bible instructions 100%. i assume which will be outside of the mainstream. ------ some communities use the note to label different communities that they think about to be at variance with their own doctrine, or that they think about to be competition. some communities called "cults" by using some critics would evaluate themselves now to not be "cults", yet could also evaluate another communities to be "cults". Understandably, maximum, if not all, communities that are called "cults" deny this label. that is been argued that no individual yet has been able to outline “cult” in a way that permits the time period to grow to be responsive to purely communities that were claimed as problematical. ibid

Answer 4

And Jews consider Christians a non-jewish cult.

One group of Christians calling another a cult just seems ridiculous and ironic. Why not put the efforts into people who need help (the poor, the homeless, hurricane victims, war veterans) rather than tearing other religions down?

Answer 5

This is completely wrong. They believe in all these things you had specified. We have to be careful how we come to a conclusion of one's believe, not unless we did a thorough investigation ourselves. They believe in Isaiah 8: 20 "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. "

Very often, when we come to a discussion about religion, we all tend to argue that we are on the right track and others are wrong. Sometime, unaware of how we put the message across. So it all depends on who you discuss religion with. And with these in mind, certainly, it is not their believes to force anyone to be a vegetarian or a Sabbath keeper. They believe that God gave us all a " free will " otherwise Adam and Eve would have been created a robot. Like the majority of you all, they hold the Bible and only the bible as the truth.

Answer 6

All of Christianity is a collection of cults, including SDAs.

Answer 7

VERY INTERESTING -- But:;

If you are not a member of thee 7th Day Church == YOU ARE DOOMED.

If you eat meat or don't keep the Shabbot== YOU ARE DOOMED.

etc.

STILL A CULT -- they can't shake that label that easily.