Christians, do you realize.............?

Question

Do you realize that all of the cults began with someone other than Christ? Russell for the JW's, J. Smth for the Mormons, Mary B. Eddy for the Christian Scientists, the Ballards for the Great I Am. . . and so on?? Only the Christian faith was started by our Lord Jesus. Christians use only the Bible. All the cults add to the Scriptures. Can you defend your faith?

"Defending one's faith" simply means that you are so grounded and settled in your own mind about what you believe that you are not 'blown about by every wind of doctrine' !!!

To GNOSTIC and others.....in Psalm 138, verse two, we read that God Himself magnifies His Word above His Name. God's Word is truth, it has never been disproven and never will be disproven. It is infallible. Jesus is the Living Word. God's Word will never pass away. It is our lifeline, our guide, our compass. It is our rule, and by God's Word everything is measured and tested. God's Word has already stood the test of time.

Answer 1

I realize it, and I can defend my faith well.

Answer 2

Yes, not only do the cults teach a false gospel, but they tend to pur forth a very complicated gospel. This is nothing new; it was happen in Paul's day as well. Paul had to counsel the Corinthians as follows:

2 Cor. 11: 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted-you may well put up with it!

What is Paul trying to tell us when referring to the events in the Garden of Eden in verse 3? He says that the devil deceived with craftiness. How? By convincing Eve that there was more to the matter than what God had revealed to them. Do not the cults do this? Oh, yes! They say, in essence, "The Bible is fine, but it is not complete until organization X helps you interpret it or until you accept the testimony of prophet X who has been given further divine revelation".

Do the cults preach another Jesus? Yes! To the JWs, he is Michael the Archangel who took the form of a man. To the Mormons, he is one of many Gods in a vast pantheon of gods, the same as all Mormon males who attain the priesthood will be. Other cults define him in other ways, but not as the Bible defines him. They all preach a different
Christ. Even if they give lip service to believing he is the "Son of God", they add or take away dimensions of his nature and character and they misunderstand exactly what the term is meant to convey.

What does Paul say goes hand in hand with having a different Christ and a different gospel? That such people have a different spirit. IN that case, I submit: If the Church that Christ built has the Holy Spirit, as Christ said it would, what spirit do the others have?
HMMMMMM.....

Membership in an organization was never put forth in
Scripture as a means of salvation. Neither are the works that the cults proscribe for their members thru these organizations or as commanded by a group's "prophets". The Bible is clear: It is faith in and confession of Christ that saves (justifies us in God's sight). Works are important in our walk as Christians, along the path of sanctification, but nowhere does the Bible say that we are saved by going door to door, by giving all our possessions to a cult
leader, by jumping through the hoops to receive some "temple recommend" so that we can belong to the Mormon "priesthood", or any of the rest of it.

Certainly, the cults complicate the Gospel message and they do not put faith in the true Christ, who is all we need for salvation. By adding a long list of works to the requirements of salvation, the cults are saying that Christ's atoning work is not enough to save us. Must be they don't believe in the right Christ, if that's how they feel. They are beguiled by the devil, just as Eve was and are unwittingly under the control of him and not the Holy Spirit.

This is also evident if you ask them how fulfilled they feel in their empty ritual/worship and whether or not they have a personal relationship with Christ. Christ's disciples have a personal relationship because Christ, by the Holy Spirit, is within us. Without that, it is impossible to have a personal relationship with Christ. However, while one is being kept busy jumping through the hoops of the cult leader(s), one doesn't get a chance to stop and think about whether or not he/she actually feels fulfilled and loved by God. They are getting the recognition of men/organization and that is what is really keeping them going, along with the idea that
what they are doing is pleasing to God.

If they simply opened their eyes and read what the Scriptures say God requires of us, they would see that neither is all that stuff required but that it is complicating a very simple Gospel.

Another point I meant to make:

How is it that we know we have the spirit and, thus, truth?

2 Corinthians 3: 17 says--"Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty."

Liberty does not mean being bound by law, whether the Moasic Law or the law and dogmas of a man-made organization. Those who are in bondage to the WT or any other man-made organization that proscribes a whole list
of "works" to attain salvation, do not have liberty, therefore, they don't have truth. It is plainly evident from this verse.

Answer 3

Don't forget: Scientology, founded by L. Ron Hubbard, the Worldwide Church of God founded by Herbert W. Armstrong (although it changed somewhat toward the mainstream after his death, there are still a lot of questions remaining), and The International Church of God founded by Herbert's son, Garner Ted Armstrong. A couple more that come to mind are the "Jesus Only" United Pentecostal Church which, by definition, is not "full-gospel". Then there are the smaller ones like: The People's Temple founded by Jim Jones in the 1970s, The Way International founded by Victor Paul Wierwille in the 1970s, the Toronto Vineyard Movement in the 1980s and the Branch Davidians founded by David Koresh in the 1990s. There's even the somewhat questionable "revival" which took place at the Brownsville Church in Pensacola, FL, which included, "Shaking in the Spirit" and "Laughing in the Spirit" in my own denomination, the Assemblies of God!

Edit: "Diana", United Pentecostal is "Jesus Only"!

Answer 4

A cult of Christianity is a doctrine that puts anything between you and Jesus. It's usually works and affiliation with the specific cult.

Catholics put Saints between you and Jesus as they teach prayer to Mary and saints. In this way, Catholicism is a cult. However, I do believe there are some Catholics that don't pray to Mary and have a relationship with Christ. Catholics put their traditions over the Word of God.

Answer 5

Of course, you do realize that the christian faith was started by a man named Saul of Tarsus, right? It's just another in a long line of cults that borrow stories from previous cults.

I know you don't want to hear that, but to hear you say that the others are cults and that yours isn't, well, I find that to be a bit hypocritical. Typical of chrisitan behavior, but hypocritical none-the-less.

Now, can you defend YOUR faith? Show me ONE book written by your lord, as a matter of fact, pray that your lord makes me a believer. I promise that you will give up trying before I even consider believing your religious myth is true.

Answer 6

The Bible was written by people as testimony of God. By elevating scripture to the point of being infallible you have raised it to God status for only God is infallible. You may argue that since God inspired it it is perfect but I'd have to argue back that God made everything and none of it is divine. You have raised a testimony up to a Idol. You worship a book instead of God. The Children of God are the "Living" word of God. I pray that some day God will reveal what the experience of Godly love actually is. God is love, so love and become the revelation of God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh-1JVctSOY
♥Blessed Be♥
♥=∞

Answer 7

Actually, Christianity, while it started with the LRD, started thousands of years before the arrival of Jesus.

Read Matthew 2:2-5.
Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
Mat 2:3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mat 2:4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
Mat 2:5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written

The reason why King Herod was able to ask if this was the Christ, King of the Jews, is that the arrival of Jesus was first prophesied in the Book of the Jews-the Old Testament,
That is why all the other cults and religions cannot be right...there was only one person who met all the prophesies that applied to the Messiah ben Yoseph (the Messiah who was to be like Joseph, a Suffering Servant), and that was Jesus,

The word "Christ" means the anointed one, it comes from the Greek. The word "Messiah" means the "anointed one," it comes from the Hebrew.

In the Book of Isaiah, chapter 53, there is a passage that applies to Jesus--how One would die for our sins and be above sin, and he would make Intercession--in other words to get to GD, we would have to go through Him.

In Ezekiel:34, the Prophet Ezekiel said that GD told him that GD would come down personally to lead the sheep back to pasture because the ones he had put in charge had led the sheep astray. GD said that his "servant David," one who comes from the House of David, would be the Good Shepherd. GD was angry with these men who had led the flock astray, and He said in Ezekiel that He would deal with them. When Jesus spoke against these men, He was not speaking against ALL JEWS-He was speaking against the same group of Jews that GD had been angry with in the Old Testament...the Pharisees (Pharisees means "dissenters") because these men preached one thing and practiced another, they got fat off the people in power and money. They defined GD's words to Moses, but when GD came down, as He said He would, in the form of Jesus (Hebrew is Yeshua), He put everything back on track.
All of what is in the New Testament is prophesied in the Old Testament. Jesus Himself said He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets in Matthew.
In the Book of Daniel 9:26, it was said that all this, the arrival of the Messiah ben Yoseph-Jesus-would have to happen before the fall of the Second Temple. That happened in 70 AD. Only 1 person fulfilled all the prophesies of the Suffering Servant that would be the King of the Jews before 70 AD--and that was Jesus.
He came from the right family, born in the right town, at the right time, lived the prophesied type of childhood, died as was prophesied and led to the arrival of the Holy Spirit, as was prophesied.
For thousands of years, the rabbinic Jews--those who followed the Pharisees and denied that Jesus was who He was--have denied the New Testament. For the same years, the church has denied that the Old Testament is as valid today as it ever was, because it prophesied Jesus' arrival. Look at all the books of the New testament, including and especially the book of Hebrews.
There are people who say Messianic Jews got started in the 1970's--but the truth is, before there was a Jew there was a Messianic Believer, and before there was a churchgoer or an Apostle there was a Christian. Messianic Judaism was re-developed recently for 1 reason-the end is near, and the Jews and the former gentiles will be united for the first time, in their belief in a Messiah--in their mutual belief in Jesus-in the LRD-and in a Bible that is not 37 chapters of an Old Testament and 27 of a New Testament, but 56 chapters of 1 Book.

That Book, centered around GD as He was on the Outside of Man, as the LRD on High-GD as He was Beside Man-as Jesus, another Man--and GD as He is Inside of us-as the Holy Spirit, And NO BODY BUT YESHUA/JESUS, THE MESSIAH/THE CHRIST, can make that claim.

Answer 8

You might notice that Christian Science is Christ-ian. Christ is in the name.
With your method make sure you list the Catholics as a cult. If you look at their rule book you shall find it much larger than the Bible. And they sure don't stick to the Bible. Just to their excessive pride.

Answer 9

Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult because they try to cut you off from others who do not have the same beliefs, including family.

http://www.freeminds.org/psych/lifton.htm how to identify a destructive cult

Answer 10

your additional details were good.

"But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

2 Timothy 3:10-15.

Answer 11

The only difference is that the Cult of Christianity began with Christ,because that's all it is,a very big Cult.

AD