# Cults



## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

*Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.*


Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
The group/leader is always right.
The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
http://www.rickross.com/warningsigns.html


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

Has anybody ever known someone who is involved in a religious cult? I have. They twist the scriptures and manipulate people. One of the most dangerous doctrines that they use is called "headship." That is when nobody can question the leader and everything he says is basically the final word.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Many twist the scriptures.


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## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

Many do twist the scriptures. However, many are lead astray because of the ones or groups twisting those scriptures. Often people just don't understand what the scriptures are saying and thus are lead to believe they mean one way or another.

Ultimatly we all must read they scriptures and pray that God's holy spirit will open our spiritual eyes to each passage so we can fully understand it.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Matthew 7:13, 14 â€¯â€œGo in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; â€¯whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.

Few are the ones with true understanding. Unfortunately, the masses are being misled.

Accurate knowledge is the key. So few have it.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

shaggydog said:


> Matthew 7:13, 14 â€¯â€œGo in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; â€¯whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.
> 
> Few are the ones with true understanding. Unfortunately, the masses are being misled.
> 
> Accurate knowledge is the key. So few have it.


Shaggydog there are multitudes with accurate knowledge and yet they are doing wrong. The key is a life that is totally surrendered to the Lord.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

atcfisherman said:


> Many do twist the scriptures. However, many are lead astray because of the ones or groups twisting those scriptures. Often people just don't understand what the scriptures are saying and thus are lead to believe they mean one way or another.
> 
> Ultimatly we all must read they scriptures and pray that God's holy spirit will open our spiritual eyes to each passage so we can fully understand it.


Amen atcfisherman. There are many people that fall prey to those that twist the scriptures and manipulate. Many just don't know that they are being deceived. You would be surprised who these people that fall victim to these cults are - from the unemployed, all the way to engineers & well educated people.

These peole that twist the scriptures will one day have to give an account for what they do. And yes, the victims will someday realize what is going on if they truly seek the Lord.


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## jimk (May 28, 2004)

C.S. Lewis had a way with words that few possess. One of my favorite "quotes" is of his rendering of the Tao and taking things out of context.

"...*wrenched from their context in the whole and swollen to madness in their isolation.*" (Author C.S. Lewis from "Abolition of Man."


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## Seeker (Jul 6, 2009)

C. S. Lewis was an amazing person..


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

jimk said:


> C.S. Lewis had a way with words that few possess. One of my favorite "quotes" is of his rendering of the Tao and taking things out of context.
> 
> "...*wrenched from their context in the whole and swollen to madness in their isolation.*" (Author C.S. Lewis from "Abolition of Man."


That about sums it up. Very good quote jimk.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

I became involved with a cult in the year 2000. A co-worker of mine invited me to visit his small church and at the time I knew I needed to get right with God. My life was falling apart. So I visited this church and immediately my wife and I were showered with love & attention by everybody. The sermons sounded biblical and everything seemed fine. We began attending regularly and before long, we were at every service. If we missed a service, the pastor or one of his disciples would call and check up on us. We felt that they were doing things out of genuine concern and love for us. This church only had about 50 people and had a family feel to it. We got a chance to know everybody. Before long we found ourselves attending church functions about 5 times a week. There was hardly any time to do anything else. We would go out and invite people to church on some nights. Other nights we would go out and perform dramas in the neighborhoods. Then some nights there were concerts. There were activities going on all the time. The pastor would always say that we were doing it all for Jesus. My wife and I were doing it all for God. I truly had surrendered to the Lord and he had changed my life.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

I never thought I would be part of a cult. But there I was along with my wife. After a few months the pastor invited us to attend a conference which is held twice a year. It is a time when all the fellowship churches gather to hear sermons for 5 days straight. You are in church all day for 5 days. You hear great reports from around the world and see videos of all the testimonies. The pastor paid for the trip and all expenses since it was in another state. We were blown away by all that happened in that conference. Another thing that happens is they keep telling you how we are the only fellowship who is doing all these things. They tell you that all other churches are lukewarm. And they would constantly take up offerings & preach about how we need to keep giving until it hurts. Another thing that you would always hear is that the pastor is your covering and he is accountable to God for you. You must submit to him. I know it sounds crazy, but it is what it is. Pretty soon the church started growing. We went up to 100 people. And I mean people from all walks of life. There were wealthy and very smart people and there were people who were barely getting by.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

The pastor would remind us that God put us in that church for a reason. He would say that our destiny is linked to that particular church and if we left, we would be out of the will of God. It sounds crazy, but everybody believed it. Anytime somebody would leave, the pastor would say that they backslid and he would label that person a rebel. It made sense to us back then, because why would somebody leave such a great move of God? Sometimes those who left would end up coming back. When we would run into somebody who had left, we would get these images that the pastor had painted in our minds. We would not associate with them because they were not living for God anymore. We would not visit any other churches either because they were all lukewarm. Eventually my friend who had invited me to this church ended up leaving and I never heard from him again. He relocated to another area.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

Eventually I started volunteering in different ministries for the church. We were very busy all the time. And we would give a lot of $$ to the church. After about 5 years of going to this church, my wife and I decided we wanted to move back home. We told the pastor about it and he was against it. He told us that God put us there for a reason and not to walk away from that. He put so much pressure on us that we ended up staying. I began to see things that didn't seem very Christian, but the pastor always had an explanation. He would say that he is accountable to God for this congregation and it was his job to protect us. After a few more years I was convinced that this church was unhealthy and there was definitely wrong. I just didn't know how to convince my wife. I finally talked to my wife about it and we decided we would stop going to that church. So the pastor talks to us.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

And sure enough, he convinced us to stay. He reminded us of all that the church had done for us and how they had invested so much in us & our family. He said that they loved us and if we would leave, it would affect many new converts. We continued to volunteer in ministry and stayed very involved in all activities. Then I saw the pastor's right hand man leave. Nobody said anything about it and he never came back. That was the nicest guy that I knew at that church. That raised a red flag. Also, there was always rumors going around that would never make it to me or my wife - anytime anybody left, people would know or speculate about it but we never heard anything. Our focus was on God and doing his will.


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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

Finally one day the pastor called all the men into a room and began to tell us how this one brother had been kicked out of the church and we should have nothing to do with him. He told us many things that were told to him in confidence by that brother, that they were not be shared with anyone. That's when I confronted the pastor. He admitted to making a mistake and got very loud & upset. I informed him that my family & I would be looking for another church. He got even more mad. From that day on, nobody in that church would talk to us. Our closest friends just cut us off, like we didn't exist. Nine years of relationships in that church just ceased. That was just confirmation that we made the right choice. There are many people trapped in these churches that want to leave, but it is difficult. Like I said before, whatever you do, do it for God and ask God to show you the trut and he will.


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