Why does fundamentalist Christianity create the division of truth/lie between Christian and Non-Christian?

Question

Example from an answer to my previous question:

"If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" - from the Bibe

Jesus warned about people like you pal.
"Many false teacher shall arise and deceive many".--Jesus Christ
You are merely helping fulfill the Bible prophecies.

(12 minutes ago )

Why does fundamentalist Christianity create the division as follows amougst human beings on Earth:

If you speak Jesus is God - you are someone of truth. If you are speak that Jesus is not God - you are someone who is a liar.

Is this any different that when David Koresh told the branch dividians that he was God and all who spoke otherwise were liars? Is this any different than Jim Jones or Heaven's Gate?

While I believe people are all entitled to their beliefs, part of me believing in that entitlement is not calling someone else "false" or "liar".

Is fundamentalist Christianity behavior akin to cult behavior. Why or why not?

Answer 1

I'm not sure about all that, but I do get irritated every time a fundamentalist Christian attempts to tell me that, as a Catholic, I am not a Christian.

If you do a search for posts regarding the Catholic Church, there is really a remarkable amount of hatred for the Church and Catholics demonstrated on Y!A. Some comes from athiests or ex-catholics, but some comes from other ostensible Christians. And I never could understand how a Christian could hate that much, and it makes me really sad to see it.

If you believe in Christ, then you are a Christian. By definition.

I think this plays into what you are saying: not only are they trying to create a divison of truth v. lie between Christians and non-Christians, they are trying to exclude as many people as they can from their definition of "Christian." Which seems to be contrary to what Christ taught.

Of course, not all fundamentalist Christians do this (thank you so much to those that do not), but there are sufficient of them that do such as makes it an issue.

Answer 2

"Is this any different that when David Koresh told the branch dividians that he was God and all who spoke otherwise were liars? Is this any different than Jim Jones or Heaven's Gate?"

The difference being that David Koresh was not filled with words from God, but from himself.

And you wold be right that christianity would be a cult... if it weren't for the fact that Jesus is real.

Jesus could only make those claims because he is really the son of God.

So if any follower of Christ speaks using proper context of the bible, he speaks the truth.

Answer 3

Very good question...and very difficult to answer in a brief space!

Obviously, there has to be SOME type of distinction between true and false doctrine. If "truth" is merely subjective, then there is no real absolute of "right"/"wrong". The admonition to "hold onto the truth" was made from the beginning:

"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16).

The Christian Church was still in its infancy when people began to distort the message. Again, Christians had been warned about this happening:

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (2 Timothy 4:1-3).
Likewise, Christians are warned of those who would promote false doctrines (e.g.- 1 John 4:1-3...`denying that Christ had come in the flesh') & (Galatians 1:6-9...`new revelations from later day prophets').

What is "sound doctrine"? That is where things get a bit less black-and-white. Historically, Christians have differentiated doctrinal beliefs between "primary" and "secondary". The doctrines concerning Christ and the Atonement would be examples of primary doctrine.

An example of secondary doctrine might be eschatological beliefs drawn from the book of Revelation. In that primary doctrines deal with our relationship to God and Christ's role in our salvation, they were expounded via the early "Creeds" of the Christian faith.

Now, relative to your depiction of what constitutes a "cult". A definition of a cult might well be `a group whose members are controlled almost entirely by a single individual or by an organization'. However, this type of group is typically associated with a sort of manipulation -- where the leader demands total commitment and loyalty from its followers (e.g.- Jim Jones). In those groups, converts are usually cut off from all former friends and family.
Relative to the Christian faith, a cult is often defined as any group that deviates from orthodox teaching (i.e.- historic Christian faith as derived from the Bible and confirmed in the original ecumenical creeds).

Fundamentalists, while they can be "controlling", do not fit either definition for a cult. They are merely being zealous in their pursuit of truth. The issue comes down to what qualifies as "sound doctrine". As I indicated earlier, Christians are in agreement that the primary doctrines (as they are summarized by the creeds) are an indisputable part of "sound doctrine". However, most Fundies want total agreement on ALL doctrinal issues...to them, "sound doctrine" is every obtainable Biblical doctrine.
In that not every doctrine is as clearly defined as others, this is a tenuous position. While there are those who would distort doctrine for their own ends, some secondary doctrinal differences come down to simple disagreements. In my opinion, there should certainly be room for such differences in opinion. If some Fundamentalists do possess "cult-like" qualities, it is in the area of leaving no room for discussion that they might be wrong on a matter.

Answer 4

Uh, the premise of using David Koresh as an example to link Christianity to an occult, is way off base. Trust me, any true Christian will flat out tell you that anyone claiming to be God, is not only a liar, but will most certainly burn in Hell for making such claims.

Also, if you look into the subject, occults are generally, if not always, based on the brainwashing of all members to benefit the leader. Not to say that some Christian evangelists don't personally profit from the ignorance of their followers, because they do, but it isn't really brainwashing by definition, it's feeding off of people's fears and using their "religion" to do so.

Just keep in mind, a high percentage of occults believe they are going to somehow kill themselves to move on to a more enlightened existance. I'm not aware of any productive thought process that would in any way support such a flawed logic.

Now, are there occults out their that should be considered to be more of a religion than an occult? I'm sure there are, but I'm also sure we never hear about those particular occults, as they aren't spouting off ridiculous beliefs. Just like I'm sure there are religions out there that should be considered to be more of an occult than religion.

Answer 5

The bottom-line is this. Jesus Christ proclaimed himself to be the Son of God. Christians believe Him. You cannot say that you don't believe Him, but that He was a good man or a prophet or whatever fence-hugging phrase you like to use for Him. He was the Son of God or He wasn't. If you say He wasn't the Son of God, then you say He was a liar or a lunatic. To the Christian, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Unfortunately, if you do not believe in the Truth of Jesus, then your truth is in some way anti-Christ or anti-Christian, and therefore a lie. Your truth, whether a religion or ideology is not Jesus' Truth---and His is the only truth.
You seem to take this very personally, but it is not personal. Christians want all people to know and hear the Truth that is God through Jesus. God wants all of His children to love Him and accept Him. It is the purpose of those of us who believe to help non-believers to see the love and hope of Jesus and the defeatism and hopelessness in clinging to one's own personal doctrine or false religion. So many of God's children are rebels, but He wants all to come home to Him. True Christians are not hateful or boastful toward non-believers, but stand firm in the Word and gently lead them to the ever-lasting love of the One True God.
The people you speak of, David Koresh, Jim Jones, did not speak as followers of God. They spoke for themselves and used God to forward their own twisted agenda. They were the false teachers the Bible warns of.

Answer 6

Something must be right about Christianity. Christians are under constant scrutiny for their beliefs. And as long as I have been here you attack mostly Christianity. That alone says alot.
Jesus said His followers will be attacked because of their faith in Him.
Just because David Koresh and the Jim Jones said they were Christians does not make it true.
This should be clear to you.

Answer 7

In my opinion it is a cult, just like any other. But, I don't really care if they call me a liar or not. Who really knows who is right and who is wrong, not me. I just have an opinion, like everyone else. I choose atheism for myself, not only because of all the sound scientific theories that support it, but also out of disgust over the thought that, if I'm wrong, "god" would sit back and watch us hurt eachother all over our planet while doing nothing. And, I think that anyone who chooses to worship such a being is either a big a.s.s. kisser, who doesn't care about the state of the world, only their own afterlife, or a complete retard who can't see what's going on around them beyond their church. Baaa baaaa baaaa

I don't care what happens to me by the hand of an unfair and egotistical deity. I have experience in dealing with people like that here on earth, and will cope just fine in the event that all those fundie xians were right.

Answer 8

The Catholic Church replaced into based via Jesus. people who say that the Catholic Church began during the time of Constantine are incorrect. there is not any historic data pointing to this. via the time the Edict of Milan, permitting non secular tolerance (some revisionist erroneously say that this edict created the Catholic Church and made it the respected church of Rome) replaced into proclaimed there had already been greater beneficial than 50 popes that reigned from the time of Peter. The Church replaced into already stated via fact the Catholic Church as early as advert 107 in accordance to the writings of St. Ignatius of Antich. it rather is extremely feasible that the term already utilized during the 1st century. particular, the fundies and evangelicals have new heretical doctrines that weren't taught via the Apostles of Jesus. those fake doctrines are in keeping with their incorrect interpretation of th Bible. And the intense ingredient is that a lot of those fundies say that they are the only authentic Christians and that Catholics are no longer Christians.

Answer 9

If you believe that something is true, then you believe that the opposite of that is false. That's simple logic.

It is not clear what you believe, but it seems you want to believe that something is right while at the same time you are reluctant to say that those who teach the opposite are wrong. This is not openmindedness; this is irrationality, George Orwell's "duckspeaking" at its worst.

Is Christianity a cult simply because it teaches that those who disagree are wrong? Aren't you saying that people are wrong for disagreeing with you?

Answer 10

At times. I think there a varying levels of fundamentalism.. from the ok we believe this and it's true but we won't really bother you to the .. if you don't believe exactly as I do you are going to hell and such ....

It is a spectrum with varying degrees of tolerance/intolerance. The most extreme does look like a cult, while those at a less extreme don't.