Pentecostals a cult?

Question

I just read a question on here where someone referred to Pentecostals as a cult. This is the first time I have ever seen this claim. So what do you think of Pentecostals? Christian or cult?

Please tell me your denomination when answering.

Aloe Vera And Casite - Just wanted you to know. I do not think Pentecostals are a cult either. I happen to be one. It just shocked me to see someone refer to us as a cult. I was wondering if this is a general perception that I had not heard before.

AlliesForChrist - I am Pentecostal and grew up Pentecostal. It is not about feelings in our church. Yes the feelings are great but in my church at least you will often be told it is not about the shout. It is not about the feelings. At times we do not feel God and that is when we have to walk by faith. Those are the times we grow the most.

Answer 1

Well first of all I am southern Baptist and I personally know a few pentocostals and I will certainly tell you that NO that religion is definatly not a cult! While it is a very strict religion and belife its not a cult its just like any other religion. Second of all what is your religion and are you a christian? And yes pentocost is Christian. Who ever said that evedentally hasn't researched the religion that well to make such a degrading claim toward it.

Answer 2

Pentecostals are not a cult. They are genuine Spirit filled Christians.
However there is a cult called the "United Pentecostal Church" that denies the Trinity. This has confused some people into thinking that the Pentecostal Church is a cult.

Baptist Christian Here

Answer 3

I don't think its a cult, but I was very disappointed when I went to a Pentecostal church for Thanksgiving Sunday. Instead of thanking God, the guest pastor spend the whole time saying bad things about Baptist Christians and how they are not filled with the Holy Spirit.
I was amazed and shocked as all the times I've been to church, I've never heard another denomination put down another one openly before. It was a disgusting thing to do on a Thanksgiving Sunday when they had a lot of visitors.

If a person accepts Jesus, they have the Spirit of Jesus in them. The Holy Spirit is Jesus Christ and every Christian is filled with him. The Pentalcostal preacher was asking for miracles and signs like the pharasees. He said Baptist churches don't grow, because they don't have the Spirit. Well, if I'm not mistaken, Billy Graham is a Baptist and thousands and thousands of people have been saved because he is filled with the Spirit and can preach.

So, for me, the Pentecostals place way to much ephasise on speaking in tongues and are blind to the other gifts of the Holy Spirit .

Answer 4

About 95% of Pentecostals in the USA are Bible believing Christians who accept the Bible as God's Word, the Trinity and all of the historic doctrines which define Bible based Christianity.

The largest of these groups would be:

Assembles of God ( David Wilkerson was originally A/G )

Church of God based in Cleveland, Tenn.

Calvary Chapels

The Vineyard

Foursquare ( Jack Hayford is part of this group )

There are also lots of independent non denominational churches which fit the above as well.

There are also lots of Baptists who are Pentecostals such as Pat Robertson of the 700 Club.

According to George Barna, the above groups have the highest percentage of their people who are born again and have a Biblical World View. ( www.barna.org )

In addition, there are about 5% of Pentecostals in the USA which reject the Trinity and teach if you don't speak in tongues you aren't saved. They also teach you aren't saved until after you are baptized in the "Name of Jesus" only. They believe that Acts 2:38 is the central verse in the Bible.

The two largest of those groups are called the UPC or United Pentecostal Church and the Apostolic Christian Church.

They are known as Onenes Pentecostals or Jesus only people.

Those two groups merged a few years back and their headquarters is based in a north suburb of St. Louis.

Some would claim this minority would qualify to be called a false cult.

The only well known TV preacher from the latter groups is Bishop T D Jakes.

However, other than this small but very vocal minority, most Pentecostals should not be considered false cults.

And the correct term is "Pentecostal".

You should never use the term "Pentecostalist" any more than you would use the term "Lutheranist" or "Presbyterianist".

I might be properly classed as a non denominational Bible believing Christian who is also Pentecostal. My beliefs, except for the church politics, would line up with the first group of denominations which I mentioned.

So if you've been reading my answers and like them remember, I am a Born Again Bible believing Christian and God's Holy Spirit gave me the gift of tongues back when I was still in high school.

( You will notice I don't talk abou this much unless someone asks. )

Which occured a couple of years AFTER I became a Born Again Christian.

Pastor Art

PS: I was raised Lutheran.

Answer 5

I have read some of these answers to the Pentecostal church and I am stunned! I have relatives that belong to this so called church, but it is very scary. Tongues??? This is so ignorant its is sad. The church makes up it own rules. This is the twenty-first century that we are living in and times are modern, not the times of Christ. This church won't even let women wear pants! That is pretty stupid. They tell their members to vote for the worst politicians ever. They hate Obama not because they know anything about, but the church tells them he is bad. You call this a good church. Sorry, they are a cult and they are dangerous! I know because I have to deal with one everyday. I would be ashamed to be a Pentecostal because they believe that if your not one of them your going straight to hell! The Nag Hamad Scroll says" The Kingdom of God is inside you and all around you, Not in a mansion of woods or stone. Spit a piece of wood and God is there. Lift a stone and you will find God". This so called church is a church made up of people who don't really know god at all. The bible in the old testament is didactic tales of many stories that probably didn't even happen. You have to be pretty ignorant to think that word for word these things happened. No they did not. I'm grateful to the super being above for giving me a brain to think with and not be so blindsided by ignorance! Going to church will not get you into heaven. Its what you do with your life and how you treat people that God is watching.

Answer 6

There are several Pentecostal groups, some of which do not recognize the Trinity as all three coexisting, They believe that God can only exist as either the Father, Son or Holy Spirit at any given moment, but not all three at once. Those of this belief I think it would be safe to classify them in the cult category.

Answer 7

All I can say is I have received the Pentecostal experience of the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Thank God, I didn't know they were a cult before this happened to me....I'm kidding of course,,,Pentecostals are some of the most dedicated members of the body of God. I am happy to be one. I read my bible,,,especially the book of Acts and learned about the early Christians...I wanted exactly what they had...I found it in a Pentecostal Church. That was in 1980 and I am still going strong in the Lord....My heart aches for those who don't know this is for them today....because they have preachers that don't accept what the bible says.

Answer 8

cult /kʌlt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuhlt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

From dictionary.com.

I think that many define a cult using definition #6.

If that is the case, then the Catholic church, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc., are part of cults. They all were founded by the teachings of their founders. Obviously, not all denominations are correct. Most have some false teachings.

More can be said.

GOD bless

Answer 9

No way, they live closer to the bible than any other denomination. The exception would be the United, or , Jesus only people.They are really Hung up on being baptized in Jesus name and being filled with the Holy Ghost. The rest of the Pentecostals, Assembly of God and Pentecostal Holiness church, baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We also don't believe that you must speak in tongues to go to heaven.

Answer 10

Pentecostal: Those who believe that the filling of the Holy Spirit is as applicable today as it was in the early church.

Cult: In religion and sociology, a cult is a term designating a cohesive group of people (generally, but not exclusively a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be outside the mainstream

Do you believe that the Holy Spirit and it touching people's lives in significant ways to be outside the mainstream? I don't. I think belief and immersion in the Holy Spirit is a wondrous thing and we should aspire to it whether we want the label of Pentecostal or not.