A cult technichaly is a group of people that believe the same thing. Now it is a group of people that follow one man and that man's teachings. So how is jehovah's witness a cult seeing that they follow only god's word? God is perfect, man isn't.
2007-07-10 08:26:39 · 17 answers · asked by IslandOfApples 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes it is true that JWs follow Christ. This is not popular for Trinitarians who have adopted Egyptian pagan teachings and tried to apply it to the bible. Like Jesus who did not follow the view point of the majority of his time so JWs are labeled a cult from the very ones who ARE the majority.
2007-07-13 03:28:59 · answer #1 · answered by keiichi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. a system of religious worship or ritual. 2. devoted attachment to, or extravagant admiration for a person, principle, etc., especially when regarded as a fad; as, the "cult" of nudism. 3. a group of followers; sect. Yes. My view is that any belief system that says their views are the ONLY true one is a cult. Man isn't perfect, but he printed the holy books. He is capable of changing the interpretations of them. You should follow your heart, and search for a belief system that feels right and true to you. If it doesn't feel right, respect the rights & feelings of others, go somewhere else. All religions have a part of the truth. Religion was set up to control people; ask any honest student of theology.
2007-07-10 15:45:29 · answer #2 · answered by Wire Artisan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A cult is a group that has the same views and that's hard to get out of. Cults don't necessarily have to be religious.
JW are a cult in the way that it's hard to voluntarily leave if you have most of your family and friends in the organization. JW are forbidden to speak to former members as they can be thrown out if they do. Get "disfellowshipped" or voluntarily leave and you are cut off from just about everyone you know since they discourage you from socializing with "worldly" people while in the organization.
2007-07-10 15:32:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The only way I can describe a cult is if the cult separates you from your family and loved ones - to the exclusion of their "teachings".
I do not see the Jehovah's Witness's as a cult anymore than I can see Christians as a cult.
2007-07-10 15:32:10 · answer #4 · answered by sarah m 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I joined a local church that turned out to be a cult. My daughter and I were lucky to be able to get out. My son-in-law
is still ensnared in this cult. When we first joined, everyone was very friendly and we didnt think it was too unusual for us to spend almost every day either with the people in person or over the phone. The first indication that something was wrong was when we told one of the core members that we planned to have a birthday party for my grandson on one of the many nights the church had a "service". We were asked if we had gotten permission from the pastor to have the party. It was going to be in our home. We did ask the pastor if we could have this party and he said we would have to have it at the church so everyone could join in. The end came for me when the pastor had gone on a vacation and had the core members lead the services. It wasnt done to his satisfaction and he read the riot act to the members-in front of everyone. One of the members became suicidal. Not because of the dressing down, but because she had failed the pastor's expectations. When we stopped going, they came to our house daily and called frequently to demand that we return. My daughter was recovering from surgery and I had to stay with her-to protect her from their daily calls and visits. They never kept records of donations and said it wasnt big enough to keep track of. My daughter and her husband are now getting a divorce.
2007-07-10 15:41:26 · answer #5 · answered by phlada64 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A cult is any religious or political group that seeks to cut off it's adherents from any significant contact with outsiders. This is to "protect" members from what we would consider a reality check which the leaders don't think the belief system would survive.
2007-07-10 15:30:17 · answer #6 · answered by Maya 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's not only a group that believes the same thing, but are isolated, don't want the outside world to see them, are distant and don't allow to many people in.
Mormonism is not a cult. We are very public people and we like people to join us.
2007-07-10 16:19:31 · answer #7 · answered by princezelph 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You are assuming that this "god" you speak of is even real.
My definition of a cult is a group of people who all believe in some fictional storybook and they are willing to do anything for their beliefs and for the leader(s) of that cult. They are admonished by an enthusiastic leader against all things that would cause said leader to lose his/her power over that group of people. That "anything" could be getting up at the crack of dawn to knock on people's doors and spread the good word, protesting people/places their beliefs are against, persecuting/looking down on/belittling/murdering those who do not believe the same thing as them....etc...etc...etc Whatever it takes for those cult members to prove to themselves and to their leader that they are worthy of the rewards their cult claims they will receive in their afterlife. Meanwhile the leader gets more powerful and the sheep keep massing together at the leader's feet. Those sheep recruit other sheep.. and the cycle continues. In some cases it continues for a short period of time until the leader convinces the sheep to do something drastic like drink poisoned kool aid...... and in other cases the cult gains more and more members over passing years and it gains respect because of it's power and it is given a new word....... it is now called a religion.
Religions are just cults on a larger scale that have more staying power, and they have earned more respect by fooling more people into following their stories. Basically, a cult becomes a religion when they have enough people to say they are a religion.
2007-07-10 15:32:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
Your "definition" of a cult is narrowly construed and does a great disservice to those whose lives have been detrimentally affected by cults. You cannot define cults within a simple sentence because they possess characteristics and dynamics which are far too complex to be reduced to such.
The following are websites that are employed by therapists (some that I have personally worked with) whose focus is on providing support for ex-cult members, and they provide guidelines for identifying cults.
2007-07-10 17:38:48 · answer #9 · answered by Esmerelda 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
A cult is one that follow man's rules, and political agenda for this world. to follow a cult you follow evething todays world wants.
2007-07-10 20:22:26 · answer #10 · answered by lydia 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋