Serious respectful question, is Christianity a cult, please read details?

Question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AhasHJSHW9aZ.oXH0ssZrRHzy6IX?qid=20060807070517AAaSJSx

I ask is Christianity a cult based on the above question and related questions. What disturbs me is that I read in Romans 1:28-31 that all non-Christians are murderors and in 1 John 2:22 that all non-Christians are liars.

I fought 4 years in the military for the rights of all religious people in America to worship in their churches. I'm all for people having their own religion. But it must go two ways.

I believe in protecting my son from going to public school and not having to learn about Genesis or Intelligent Design. What about the non-Christian non-agnostic children whose parents are Hindu and have their own believe?

I love every American and everyone on Earth. If you believe in God that is wonderful I wish I could also believe in God.

But is it the Bible that makes people believe Atheists are murders, badder than terrorists, and liars?

Don't you know we are

Don't you know atheists and agnostics in general are decent hard working loving people, and sure there are murderors amougst the Atheists and Agnostics just as there are amougst the Religious population.

I fought 4 long hard years in the military with a lot of atheists and agnostics and we all agreed while we don't agree that there is a God we definately loved fighting the enemy who wanted to destroy America for the rights of those who would want to worship a God.

Go in peace.

Answer 1

Jim, Hope we are in the same boat. But I differ in taking the total christian community into that Circle and I am christian by birth. As in all religion there are some ethnic belife and wrong interpretation of holy books. Rather Bible was reproduced by the followers of Jesus and may be tampered some were for the benefit of christain community development. About cult, really there are some behavior which support that view. I ve noticed some of Pentecost christian children suffering from serious disease and the parents not taking them to hospitals and praying around them, this is typical behavior of cults.They leave there job and start some religious service and taking the fund from earning people, 10% as per bible. The guy paying is also a cult.It slowly becomes a addiction for fame and power. When people belive that they are cured by any Gospel preaching individual, the idea of lord disappears and the human faces are put in front for worship. This is a chain were many people change to a cult finally.

Answer 2

Well, as a Christian, I can say that it is not a cult. In fact, what you're seeing is that Biblical text is being taken out of context. You can't read one verse and take it as an absolute because there is generally more the the story.

Of all the Christians I know, not a single one would agree that all non-Christians are liars or murderers. I have several friends that just don't believe in any God at all, I have homosexual friends, Buddhist friends, and the list goes on and on. I don't judge them nor do I hate them or believe anything negative about them. They are who they are and they feel the way they feel for a reason. I just read a question where someone asked if Islam was a violent and sexist religion that kind of goes hand in hand with this same sentiment.

To say that all Christians think and act the same is like saying that all Aetheists are drug addicts and sexual deviants. Or that all Aetheists are homosexuals. Extremes are extremes, and the people that believe in extremism aren't exactly a viable source of information. But I suggest you do your research, find what you believe and it will be true to you. Just don't believe what you hear about much of anything. For the most part, it's going to be biased.

Answer 3

Well first of all I've been a Christian and in the church a long time and I have never heard any say that they believe the Atheists a murders and worse the terrorists.

About the verses you are sighting.
In 1 John he's talking about the Antichrist. He says in verses 26 "I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray." He's not talking about all Atheists in general.
In Romans Paul is setting up the gospel in this way.


Introduction (1:1–15)
Theme: Righteousness from God (1:16–17)
The Unrighteousness of All People (1:18—3:20)
Gentiles (1:18–32)
Jews (2:1—3:8)
Summary: All People (3:9–20)

Answer 4

First off let me truly thank you for your military service that is truly appreciated. However I do have an issue with you misquoting the scriptures.If you take a small part out of the scripture you can make it say almost anything you want it to. You refer to Romans 1: 28-31 You should start back at 21 to get the full picture of what is being talked about. Because the people would not do as told they were given over to their sinful desires of their hearts. It also tells how they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped created things rather than the creator. please do not take the Bible out of context you can take out a part but you will not have the true meaning. I also believe in protecting my children from public school as much as possible. That is also honorable. I hope you see the truth of these verses in their fullness. I feel very bad for you for Christ is love and he does not condem people to be the way they are. He gives them the choice to choose their path and then tells what they will end up when they choose certain paths . He would that all would be saved and noenw ould perish but the hardness of people's hearts ahs caused teh problem not Jesus Christ or God I will praay for you to have better understanding and a change of heart. May God bless you and yours.

Answer 5

>>>I read in Romans 1:28-31 that all non-Christians are murderors and in 1 John 2:22 that all non-Christians are liars.<<<

Wow ... you are really reading things into those verses that just plain aren't there.

Romans 1:28-31 says nothing about "all non-Christians being murderers."

Romans 1:28-31 simply speaks of people who have turned away from God, and lists some of the wicked things they do.

It does not say in the slightest that "all non-Christians are murderers."

1 John 2:22 simply reinforces the teaching of Jesus that "I am the way and the truth and the life." It simply reaffirms the teaching that getting to God the Father is dependent upon believing in the Son.

1 John 2:22 simply refers to those who deny the Messiahship of Jesus. It does not call all non-Christians liars in the "liar liar pants on fire" sense.

In this sense, "liar" simply means someone who does not accept the truth of Jesus being the Son of God.

I think it's best to always dig into what the Bible is really saying by researching it and allowing for the fact that things don't always translate into English so smoothly.

The way NOT to read the Bible is to do it the way you apparently did -- to draw the worst possible interpretation from it, and to read into it things that aren't there just for the purposes of supporting an anti-religious and anti-Christian agenda.

Answer 6

It was considered a cult of Judaism when Jesus was still with us and in the early post-Pentacostal years. The day it became an organized religion was the day it was accepted as such by the Roman Empire (back then Christians and Jews didnt really distinguish much from one another other than the fact that one believed Jesus was messiah and the other had yet to do so). As for those letters you quoted...I dont really pay much attention to them...just the Old Testament and the Gospels.

The root of mutual understanding between all people does lie in mutual (as opposed to one-sided) tolerance and respect...it is good you know this.

Telemarklover...I assume (using your question) that you dont freaking care about your own country then when it is attacked...hmm

Answer 7

I personally don't believe that I belong to a cult, and I thank you for being someone who has defended my right to believe what I want, because I don't have the guts to do that! I really believe that it is all-around ignorance of the part of so many people that makes the world what it is, after all, God gives us free will to choose what we're going to do with ourselves. I wish you could believe in God too, but I'm not going to sit here and lecture you on why I think you should. I also can't tell you what I think the Bible is truly saying with that passage in Romans because I don't consider myself a very good scholar of the Book. But it also says in Romans 2:1 "Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgement, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." Ulitmately what I believe is that everyone will be judged by God and only He can say who will be in Heaven and who will not.

Answer 8

What is love? Who is an atheist, agnostic,Christian?
If you knew that the world's salvation (freedom) depended on you sacrificing your son would you? If your son fell on his face and begged you to put a stop to the sacrifice would you?
I'm a Christian and I believe that the greatest cause of atheism (ignoring God) is Christians professing Christ with their lips but denying Him with their lifestyle (me included).
There are professed Christians who do not believe, or ignore God. There are professed atheists who do not believe but cannot ignore God's constant calling within their souls.
You love your country, son. Did not the communists truly love their country and sons? Was their love actually hate? Are you telling me that love for something can make someone hate another human being so much as to kill him? You did not hate
the people you killed, it was just out of necessity that you killed
them? Most of us has murdered or killed in one way or another.
Who did Jesus kill besides Himself? Who did He tell us to kill?
You know J. you know the Bible perhaps more than most of us Christians. But you know who knows it better than us all besides The Author? The Devil.
I don't see atheists, agnogstics as a threat, where is their power? I am threatened by my own kind, who turn their eyes away from their belief for a season, leaving them with power that can truly terrorize.
Nothing makes sense except for what you have expierenced, whether partially or fully. When we expierence something partially then it's like looking into a mirror untill it's fullness arrives.

Answer 9

Dear Lost Friend;
God is real! And you and your friends and the rest of the
world, Prove it everyday! By asking questions, Making statements
By saying you don't want creationism taught in school, By trying
to have the words in the pledge changed! By trying to have the
words of the ten commandments removed from all Government
Buildings. Being strong supporters, of Satan. You and those of you who fight for all these things to be done! You really don't want to be a part of anything greater than yourselves. No christianity is not a cult. And by quoting Bible verses to us, out of
text, shows me also, you do acknowledge God exists. You truly
do not have the love you say you do, that kind of love is only of
God. next time you set down toread the Bible, Pray to God, the one you don't believe in, and meditate and then read the Bible!
Please don't take things out of text and twist them to your liking.
I pray that you will come to Know Jesus! Have a Great Day!

Answer 10

I'm not sure how to answer your question, but I do believe the religious efforts to affect governmental policy have gotten a little scary. I have seen a lot of posts that indicate Christians feel this government is their's and should cater to them. Ex. "We should be tolerant of them [atheists] but we should NOT let them have any say in our government." I didn't realize it was such a common assumption in their community.

A lot of people have worked hard, fought, and died to give us all the right to practice our own religious beliefs and it is selfish for any individual religion to take advantage of that just to overturn it. I think we should all remember what our ancestors have done to give us all the freedoms we have and to respect that. Religion has no place in the government of this country.