@Scribe @Ahwatukee @JaumeJ @Magenta @EleventhHour @posthuman @seoulsearch @TabinRivCA @tanakh @tourist @up @zeroturbulence and anyone else following or stumbles onto this thread.
Please pardon me for the distraction. Lately and old enemy has resurfaced insidiously. It's been bothering for a couple of years but it was more of an irritating distraction rather than something trying to take over overtly. It's name is
Cultism. We've had many disputes as of late but I didn't recognize the real enemy till this week.
Before I got saved I was surrounded by religious nonsense. Many folks around me quoted the Pope, Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, L. Ron Hubbard...Let's not leave out Billy Graham, Jimmy Swaggart & Oral Roberts. I couldn't tell the difference. The list seemed to never end. They (Those that tried to convert or reconvert me) all had special books and wanna be prophets (some even had TV shows) and of course they were the only one's right. I made a decision to stop listening to what others had to say and reading their propaganda tracts, Watchtower, Book of Mormon etc. and Just stick to the Bible. I was Sola Scriptura before I ever heard of it.
I made that decision in the late 70's against most wannabe and some true Christians advice. I was told that I needed to submit to an authority, a church a pastor... I That I would go to hell or die because of my rebellion. Bla, bla bla. The result was I think that I did better than most by studying the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, God help me please. HE DID!
As most of you already know I've gotten very involved with some churches. Gotten a little education, worked for charities' and so on. I had an adult Sunday School Teacher named WALTER MARTIN.
He was fondly and respectfully known as "the father of Christian cult apologetics." Many current professional and academic cult apologists credit him with their introduction to the field. He held four earned degrees, having received his Doctorate from California Coast University in the field of Comparative Religions. Author of a dozen books, a half-dozen booklets, and many articles, he was known nationwide as "The Bible Answer Man," host of one of the oldest and most popular nationally syndicated call-in radio programs. He was founder and director of the Christian Research Institute, located in Southern California, which continues to provide cult apologetics information and to sponsor the ever-popular Bible Answer Man daily broadcast.
Fast forward; 2018, I joined Christian Chat. I quickly made some friends, which I still consider friends (though some have left) and a few enemies. Mainly unforgiving Law givers, Judaizers, wannabe Pharisees and hardcore homophobes that seem to think that Homosexuality is near equal to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, but other forms of adultery are more forgivable. Then came the Calvinists quickly followed by the "Ye Must Speak in Tongues and prove that ye are saved" Pentecostal extremists, that we were just talking about here, before I butted in. The Trumpkins also are/have developed into a sub cult. Several on CC don't realize that they are in it yet. We here on CC are always getting questions about Islam, LDS & JW's as well as others.
I've recently downloaded a revised (PDF) version of Dr. Martins book "Kingdom of the Cults" and I'm currently looking for the ear markings and methods of cults in order to identify, categorize and witness to them.
Not all cultists are antichrists or Occult related and we shouldn't hate them, rather help them if we can. Remember while there's usually less than 60 of us participating on CC (according to the sidebar) there may be thousands watching. I'm thinking of starting a new Cult Studies thread on the Miscellaneous Forum. I don't want to start alone. Would anybody like to join or help me?
This would not be a ministry for the short tempered, judgmental or hard hearted. That describes who we'll be dealing with. (I'm glad Dcon's not here for this now)
P.S. I have testimonies on the bottom of the forums list if anybody wants to look and the CRA, Christians in Recovery Anonymous on the Misc. Forum too. (if you want to look or share)