Blog

Eight Ways to Identify Religious Brainwashing: The Cult of Confession (Part 4 of 8)

The fourth symptom of religious brainwashing is the so-called “cult of confession.” While healthy Christian groups encourage open-hearted lives and therapeutic sharing, unhealthy groups turn confession of sin into a means of manipulation and abuse.

Here’s how they do it.

1.)    Exploitation of Weakness

Religious brainwashing is all about control. A person in a place of power misuses their position to meet their own needs instead of tending the people entrusted to their care. Very often, the people under their care are emotionally or intellectually fragile. The abusive spiritual leader controls them by exploiting that weakness to manipulate their actions.

Mandated “sharing” is the first step to brainwash someone in regard to the cult of confession. Unhealthy religious groups take a verse such as James 5:16 and put a twist on it. The verse says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” In its context, this verse refers to people who have fallen ill as a result of sin.

Cult leaders take this verse out of context and use it as leverage to make people in their congregation confess sins publicly. The format can resemble something more like a public interrogation than a willing confession. Doing this exposes a person’s flaws or weaknesses to an entire group. This makes that person nakedly susceptible to the leader’s supposed solutions of greater effort and purity. Dr. Robert Lifton says that such forced confession “becomes a means of exploiting, rather than offering solace.”

My former pastor did this, probably without realizing what he was doing. He would frequently stand members in front of the congregation during an evening “church family” service. He would then have them share with the whole church about some hidden sin they had committed, in order that everything would be brought “to the light” and they could find forgiveness and healing.

The problem with this was that the sharing was usually coerced—not voluntary—and it was an invasion of privacy with an ulterior motive. Since at one time or another almost every member of the congregation had stood sobbing before everyone else, there was a culture in our church of extreme vulnerability and a sense that nothing in life was private—nothing at all. This leads to the next step.

2.)    Degradation Instead of Restoration

When my pastor coerced church members to publicly confess sins in front of the entire congregation, the stated purpose was so that the offender could find healing and restoration. Yet the effect of coerced confession was actually public humiliation and a degradation of the person in front of their friends and family. Restoration places balm on a wound; degradation keeps ripping off the scab.

In healthy churches, members may sometimes feel led by the Holy Spirit to confess sins publicly in order to repudiate the sin, break down demonic bondages, and receive prayer support and encouragement. However, in my former church such confessions were often coerced and were derived from private pastoral counselling sessions where the person had poured out their heart and soul to the pastor. The pastor then turned around and used this private information as public coin, breaching confidence. The ultimate effect was to degrade the confessing church member in the eyes of those closest to him or her, and to make the entire congregation think even more highly of the purity of the pastor.

The Bible knows nothing of this.

Instead, biblical confession primarily involves confessing sins to God (1 John 1:9) who then forgives and cleanses the sinner. At times—especially if the sin is against another person—it is appropriate to confess the sin to that person (Matt 5:23-24), perhaps in the presence of another safe person if the interaction warrants it. And in some instances, a person may be led by the Spirit to confess a sin publicly in order to receive prayer and intercession. But unhealthy religious groups skip these steps and add a twist, jumping right into public coerced confession. The purpose is to keep all members degraded and humiliated, while the leader comes off smelling like a rose.

“The goal of the totalist leadership in the exposure process,” says Stephen Martin, “is to eliminate any confidentiality about personal matters… If you were ever to gain victory over that problem, the leaders would suffer a huge loss of control over you.”

And they don’t want that to happen.

3.)    Perpetual Accusation Machine

Unhealthy religious leaders can keep their followers brainwashed by subjecting them to a continual state of accusation. Instead of promoting growth and maturity in Jesus Christ, group leaders foster spiritual infantilism by keeping members in a perpetual state of gloom and penitence. Followers are so busy analysing themselves for peccadilloes and

responding to accusations from the group leader(s) that they never feel capable of progressing spiritually. They live like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, always under a personal cloud of gloom. This keeps them heavily dependent on the group leader to instruct them in the way of salvation.

It is no accident that the word “Satan” means “accuser.” The Devil launches a continual stream of accusations against Christ-followers in an effort to discourage them and to make them inefficient and ineffective in the Christian life. Leaders of unhealthy religious groups often mimic this style of relating to people, since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Indeed, the Apostle Paul seems to encourage such a lifestyle of accusation when he confesses his struggle with sin in Romans 7.

Yet the best antidote against a lifestyle of accusation—for Paul or for you and me—is Romans 8. In this chapter, Paul reminds his readers that the Holy Spirit delivers us from bondage to sin. He then encourages believers by saying that those God has called are destined for glory and nothing on earth can condemn them. Instead, “In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us… nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:37, 39).

That’s good news—that’s the true gospel.

4.)    The Seductive Tyranny of Worm Theology

Ironically, one of the most attractive lures of an unhealthy religious group is the appearance that group members enjoy a high level of intimacy as a result of their public confessions. Newcomers to the group may see such openness as a sign of health, when in fact it may be a symptom of disease. As Stephen Martin notes, “A totalist group assumes to have a type of ownership of a person’s inner self. The member, consequently, views confession as a means of oneness with the group and as a necessary means toward betterment of himself or herself.”

“Confession as a means of oneness with the group.” Sound strange? It sounded normal to me. For example, when I went to college for the first time—at a small Christian university in the Midwest—I bemoaned the apparent lack of genuine self-disclosure among my fellow students. This was because I had been trained from an early age in my church to interpret normal healthy boundaries as a lack of honesty and openness. The problem was actually with me, not with my fellow students.

If you read my journal from those days, you would encounter page after page full of self-accusation and self-loathing, as well as plenty of judgmental comments directed toward my classmates. It was as if I couldn’t make it through a day without beating myself up about how worthless I was and how little I did right. I longed to return to my home church where I could receive a weekly dose of public confessions, sharing of “struggles” which never seemed to improve, and the warm intimacy of shared humiliation.

Religious scholars describe this unhealthy attitude of perpetual struggle, self-flagellation, and self-loathing as “worm theology.” It originated with John Calvin and was made popular by the Isaac Watts hymn, “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed?” where one line runs, “Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?” The problem with this theology is that it is half-true. Apart from Christ, all people are hopeless sinners. Yet worm theology is also half-false, because believers are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ and are made in the image of God, giving them great value. This is not a mushy bowl of elementary-school self-esteem training; it is the clear biblical reality which trumpets the worth and value of human beings.

By teaching only one-half of the truth about believers—that we are sinners—leaders of unhealthy religious groups miss the tension that we are also moving from glory to glory in Christ and that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Instead, they promote a culture of depression and dependence which makes their followers susceptible to mindless devotion to the leader.

The solution to all of these problems is to hold in tension a clear-eyed view of sin with a healthy sense of biblical self-worth in Christ. By disavowing simplistic extremes, religious leaders and followers can walk in grace and truth and avoid the cult of confession.

Eight Ways to Identify Religious Brainwashing

Part 3

THE DEMAND FOR PURITY

The third element that destructive religious groups use to control their followers is the demand for an unreasonable level of purity. I say “unreasonable,” because the Bible does command followers of Christ to strive for holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16) and completeness (Matthew 5:48), yet cult leaders twist these scriptures to mean “perfection.”

How do they do it? They use five methods.

1.)    Shame and Guilt

First, cult leaders capitalize on universal feelings of shame and guilt. We are all born into the world as sinners. We all know intuitively that we fail to measure up.

I know that I do. I used to cringe when grade-school teachers called roll at the beginning of class—I dreaded the teacher calling out my name. It was as if the teacher held a red-velvet bag full of names, and when she called other kids’ names it was like pulling out flowers or bunnies, but when she called out my name it was like handling a sea cucumber or a snake. My own name filled me with shame.

The reason I hated my own name, I’ve come to see, is because I viewed myself as inferior. I felt like I was uglier, or stupider, or less competent than everybody else. When my former pastor told me that I could become worthwhile just by measuring up to certain standards of righteousness, it was like putting a T-bone steak in front of a Rottweiler. I spent years chasing that elusive meat while my pastor kept it dangling forever out of reach.

Shame and guilt serve as emotional levers which a group leader can pull to get a reaction of cowed obedience. For example, if a church member wants to go on vacation with their family, the group leader might say, “Well, I suppose you can go if you really feel you need that. I gave up vacations years ago when I decided to follow Christ whole-heartedly. God never goes on vacation, and Christ said that he is always at his work, even as God works every day (John 5:17).”

Do you hear the not-so-subtle manipulation? The follower has just been told that he or she is weak, uncommitted, and essentially sinful for wanting to spend time with family members away from the group. The issue here is not one of purity or sin, but rather of the group leader’s preference which has become a culturally enforced system of perfect attendance. But such reasoning creeps insidiously into a follower’s thinking, giving power and control to the group leader’s preferences.

2.)    The Razor Path of Purity

In many unhealthy groups, leaders set up a standard of extreme purity which they say God requires of true believers. In these systems, the narrow path of scripture is sharpened to a razor-edge. Followers teeter precariously on this razor path of purity, cutting their feet to ribbons as they try desperately to avoid falling into chasms of “sin.”

The problem with this system is that “sin” is defined so broadly that “good” becomes an almost impossible thing to attain. Indeed, cult leaders often teach that even a person’s natural desires are evil—love of ice cream, for example, or wanting to spend time with natural family—and that in order to follow God they must crucify such desires. The group leader constructs a polarized system of right and wrong, black and white, with no room for personal preference or natural inclination. People who subscribe to such a system make themselves susceptible to a leader’s manipulation and control, since it is the leader who interprets right or wrong.

We need look no further than the Pharisees in the New Testament to find such a rigorous system and what Jesus thought of it. While God gave the nation of Israel many laws in the Old Testament to set them apart as a people, the Pharisees considered these laws inadequate. Instead, they were so fearful of transgressing the laws of God that they set up “hedges” of additional man-made laws to keep from breaking God’s laws. From the outside, the Pharisees seemed incredibly holy because of their many religious devotions, but on the inside,  they were proud and fearful.

Jesus spends most of Matthew 23 rebuking the Pharisees for their legalistic, self-serving laws. He gets to the heart of the issue by showing that the Pharisees believed themselves better than other people and enjoyed gaining the praise of men (Matt 23:5-7). Instead, Jesus says, “The greatest among you shall be your servant… and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” And in Colossians 2:8-23, the Bible shows the difference between a rigid man-made system of religion and the gracious reality which is found in Christ.

3.)    High Commitment Zombies

Unhealthy religious groups often maintain control over their followers by keeping them exhausted through religious activities such as prayer, Bible study, mandatory fellowship, and long instructional times. While all of these areas can be good when kept in proper balance, they form a crushing burden when linked to salvation and legislated by men.

Such continuous activity serves two purposes: it keeps group members from spending time with people from outside of their group (see milieu control in part one of this series); and it cultivates altered brain patterns and a state of suggestibility through sheer exhaustion. Prisoners in various wars have testified how prison guards sometimes kept them awake for endless hours in attempts to brainwash them or break down their mental and emotional defences. Cult leaders may not understand this technique officially, but they master it intuitively. Through exhausting activity, they take insecure people and turn them into highly-committed zombies.

For example, a cult leader might quote Hebrews 10:25 to require members to attend every function of the group. If followers miss a meeting, the group leader might question their commitment or even their salvation. Yet while the goals of the group may seem good (a questionable thesis), rest is also a necessary component of a productive life. God himself rested on the seventh day to set an example for all people (Gen 2:3). Group leaders who fill up most weeknights and the majority of the weekend with mandatory group activities have missed the whole concept of Sabbath rest.

In my former church, for example, we spent at least 7-9 hours each Sunday in church, with additional activities often scheduled on Saturdays or weeknights. In addition, our pastor gave us “homework” assignments and required us to listen to sermon tapes during the week. The result for me was an almost catatonic devotion to whatever my pastor said.

Jesus, for his part, recognized the importance of rest. When exhausted by ministry, Jesus took his disciples away with him to a quiet place to rest (Mk 6:31). Elsewhere, Jesus tells people who are exhausted and burdened to come to him for rest (Matt 11:28-30). Jesus’ light yoke contrasts markedly with the heavy burden of the Pharisees which they commanded people to bear. And what was this burden? It was none other than a works-based, man-made system of rules and regulations which kept people fearful and exhausted (cf. Lk 11:46; Mt 23:4).

4.)    Sins of Attitude and Immaturity

A fourth method of controlling followers is to catapult attitudinal sins and immaturities to the level of more grievous sins. Cult leaders often focus on followers’ attitudes and rebuke them for apparent “rebelliousness,” “pride,” or “unsubmissiveness.” But what do these words mean, anyway? In a cult, they mean whatever the cult leader wants them to mean.

For example, the leader of an unhealthy group might rebuke a member for asking too many questions, charging them with “intellectual pride.” Or a cult leader might order followers to give large portions of their income to their ministry, saying that they are “selfish” if they refuse. Or they might command women to submit to their husbands—but more especially, to the leader—in everything, no matter what. Such submission might even involve tolerating verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. If a woman speaks up against such behavior, she is labeled as “unsubmissive” and the group leader trots out numerous scriptures to rebuke her. God hates such twisted use of scripture.

In regard to immaturity, cults demand that people change now. Leaders of unhealthy groups often focus on normal immature behaviour—not necessarily outright sins—and demand that followers exhibit maturity immediately. Yet what followers really need is the grace, space, and time to grow organically as the Spirit continues to refine them. As Stephen Martin says in The Heresy of Mind Control, “Grace allows for growth (Col. 2:18-19; Eph 2:19-22; 4:14-16; 2 Pet 3:18).” And in Romans 14 and 15 and 1 Corinthians 8, the Bible proclaims a rich theology of growth through personal decision-making in many disputable areas. But to the cult leader, nothing is disputable—everything is either wrong or right.

5.)    Human Works vs. God’s Grace

We can subsume all of the previous categories under the umbrella of a works-based system of righteousness. This can look very subtle, so catch this point carefully. While the group may proclaim orthodox theology from the pulpit—namely, that they believe salvation is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:8-10)—in practice they actually believe that they have to work hard to attain their own salvation. They may deny this endlessly, but the proof is in the pudding—cult members live in a constant state of fear and look to the group leader to tell them whether they are saved.

By focusing so much on fruitfulness—and linking it with a person’s salvation—cult leaders can control a follower’s life. Such people disregard grace as they try harder and harder to measure up to the demands of the group leader. I know that I did. The pronouncements of the group leader become the measure of salvation, and followers live in a constant state of guilt and shame rather than in a secure place of God’s grace.

Do you see the problem? In this system, the cult leader takes on the role of mediator between God and people, since only he or she is allowed to proclaim someone saved based on their apparent fruitfulness. Fruitfulness—rather than grace—then becomes the means (not just the measure) of salvation, and so the cult practices works-based salvation rather than grace-based salvation.

Leaders of unhealthy groups demand perfection as proof of salvation, with themselves as arbiter. Is it any wonder that such a person can exercise almost complete control over their followers? Group members believe that their anointed leader holds the keys of eternal life and death.

The stakes could not be higher.

 

Reference: https://libertyforcaptives.com/2012/07/10/eight-ways-to-identify-religious-brainwashing-demand-for-perfection-part-3-of-8/

Visions and Revelations:

Colossians 2 v 18

“Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind”.

Most cult leaders or leaders of unhealthy religious groups claim that God reveals himself to them in special ways. They also may appear to perform miracles of knowledge or miracles of healing used to enhance their own power or wealth. For example, a group leader might say, “God spoke to me last night and said that it is his will for everybody in this church to sell all of their possessions and give the money to the church.” He may then use relevant scriptures in the book of Acts to “confirm” this revelation from God.

Biblical Refutation: While all believers should pray to God, seek guidance from his Spirit, and be prudently open to divine visions and revelations (1 Cor 12:31; 1 Thess 5:20), no believer should ever use visions or revelations as a means to manipulate others. This is spiritual abuse. In Colossians 2:18, Paul writes, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.” Church leaders who claim special access to God as a way to manipulate their flock into fearful obedience and a sense of awe have put themselves on a pedestal. They have made themselves the mediator between God and men. But the Bible says that there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5).

 

Higher Purpose/Elitism. This is the hinge of the door. The first two steps had more to do with the leader; these last four have more to do with the follower. In this step, followers subscribe to the claims and visions of the group leader and rally to his or her flag. They do this to gain a privileged part in God’s plan, or to become special agents of God, or to become the chosen few who have discovered hidden truth. By doing this, they climb on top of a pedestal with the group leader(s). Like Simeon Stylites, they live somewhere between heaven and earth; less than God, but greater than other people.

Biblical Refutation: The Bible never advocates a spiritually stratified church. Instead, it says that all believers are royalty in the sense that they are sons and daughters of God. Christians should strive to follow Christ and not compare themselves with other believers. Indeed, those who think they are better than others are usually the ones most in need of saving grace (Luke 18:9-14; Matt 20:16). Paul writes in Romans 12:3, “For through the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

 

MYSTICAL MANIPULATION

Submitting to Exploitation. The final step of the “Mystical Manipulation” cycle is when followers submit to exploitation with the idea that they are doing good. Leaders of cults or other destructive groups convince members that they must give 100% of everything they have to the Lord in order to be considered a true disciple. The problem here—catch this—is that the group itself is equated with the Kingdom of God. The idea that time, money, and effort could be given to other things outside of the group is rarely considered, since the group represents the purest form of God’s work in the world. Salvation is thus reduced to the quantity of cash given to the ministry (“The more you give, the more you love Christ”); the amount of time devoted to church activities; and the amount of effort devoted to submitting to the leader(s).

Biblical Refutation: The Bible always advocates generosity with finances, but with the caveat that money should be given cheerfully and not under compulsion (cf.2 Cor 9:7; 1 Tim 3:3, 8; Titus 1:7). It is up to the individual believer to determine how his or her money is spent. In terms of time commitment, while the Bible does command believers not to forsake the assembling together of the saints (Heb 10:25), the Greek word for “forsake” means total abandonment, not merely missing a church service or going on vacation and missing several church activities. Church leaders who use this verse as a means to enforce 100% attendance at every church activity have misrepresented God’s heart.

Conclusion:

Stephen Martin provides a wonderful summary of the process of “Mystical Manipulation”:

“What begins as a deceptively awe-inspiring group and leader, leading the participants to believe that they are in an elite group, turns insidiously toward abusive manipulation and a loss of freedom. All of the above factors combine to make the member fearful of leaving the group because the member has been deceived into believing that his or her salvation depends on it. The deceived members are led to believe that to leave the group is to abandon God’s work, and thus to abandon God.”

Nothing mystical about it.

Is your church a cult, or a House of Gods or a true House of Worship?

A true house of worship believes in the Infallibility of the Scriptures, and that all scriptures is God breathed, given to us, not part of it, but all of it

Cultic churches are aberrations of the authentic church. Cultic church lead by power-plays and draconian control over their members. Cultic churches are distinguished from cults in that their theology may be close to orthodoxy (right beliefs)—however, upon further investigation most cultic churches border on heresy. In contrast, cults are completely separated from Christian orthodoxy in their beliefs. However, cultic churches are not authentic churches due to questionable orthopraxy (right practice). Their actions do not represent the loving precepts found in God’s Word. So, how does one know that a church has the characteristics of a cultic church? Consider the following 10 signs of cultic churches.

1. Biblical orthodoxy is held in low-esteem. Most cultic churches are merely one step removed from being a full-blown cult. Biblical doctrine and theology are dismissed in favour of elevated levels of emotionalism. While there is nothing inherently wrong with emotionalism, the loss of biblical integrity develops into some downright bizarre practices. Orthodoxy affects orthopraxy. In authentic churches, biblical orthodoxy is both taught and practiced.
2. Personal interpretations are held to an equal or higher view than biblical truth. Recently, I interviewed cult expert, Michael Boehm. Boehm noted that many trained cult leaders can twist most Christians into knots by pulling various quotes from the Bible. Without proper training, cult and cultic leaders will make biblical connections that do not exist. Thus, the leader’s interpretation is given an equal, if not higher, standing than clear biblical precepts. In authentic churches, biblical truth is given greater weight then personal opinions.
3. Members are not allowed to grow intellectually. In cultic churches and with cultic leaders, intellect is dismissed. Members are discouraged from learning philosophy, history, science, systematic theology, or about anything with which the leader(s) is/are not familiar. Much of this anti-intellectualism comes by the leader being threatened with information that would show a potential weakness in the leader’s philosophy or theology. To show superiority, the cultic leader maintains a domineering attitude to show his/her supposed intellectual and/or spiritual superiority. In authentic churches, all members are encouraged to grow spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.
4. Members are not allowed to ask questions of the leadership. In cultic churches, questions are condemned. Most likely, cultic leaders do not want to expose any weakness on their part. Thus, questions are restricted and shown to be a sin. The leader may show that to question him or her is like questioning God because the cultic leader has assumed a delusional godlike stature. In authentic churches, questions are the means of growth. The leader and leadership are transparent. People who have nothing to hide are transparent.
5. Traditions are equated to commandments. While all churches have favoured traditions, cultic churches elevate their traditions to the level of the Ten Commandments. Jesus combated the Pharisees over this very issue. Jesus said to the Pharisees in reply to a question pertaining to their traditions,

“But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple,’ he does not have to honour his father.’ In this way, you have nullified the word of God because of your tradition. Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said: This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands” (Matthew 15:5-9).

In contrast, authentic churches—while they have traditions they love—will place biblical commands over personal desires. This is not to say that changing traditions is easy. But if an assembly sets an exorbitant and stringent set of traditions as a prerequisite for a person’s attendance to their church, then it is likely that the assembly is leaning towards a cultic code of conduct.

6. Members are required to follow harsh, legalistic rules. The sixth sign flows forth from the 5^th. Members are required to follow a harsh set of rules. In places like the Word of Faith Fellowship, leaders determined where their members could live and even how a husband and wife could be intimate. Authentic churches…well…don’t. Authentic, Bible-based churches will promote members to live a holy lifestyle originating from biblical ethics. But, leaders realize that people are free to make their own decisions and are not dictatorial (1 Peter 5:1-5).
7. Outsiders are viewed with scepticism, evangelism is avoided. The seventh, eighth, and ninth signs are complementary. Since cultic leaders seek complete control of their members, outsiders are viewed with great scepticism. Potential members may be allowed in slowly and with great reservation. Cultic churches are not committed to the Great Commission. Evangelism is avoided. Cultic churches are committed to power and control. Authentic churches are committed to the gospel. Authentic Christian leaders have a passion to see souls come to Christ. Thus, healthy churches are mission-minded churches.
8. Exiting the church is difficult and may be met with threats. Since the cultic church is about power and control, cultic leaders do everything in their power to keep control over their members. Therefore, if a person attempts to leave, the leader(s) will emotionally, spiritually, financially, or even physically threaten the member. In stark contrast, authentic churches realize that their ministry may not suit everyone’s taste. Thus, while authentic churches seek to keep its members, threats are never employed. Remember, Jesus allowed Judas to betray him, fully knowing what Judas was planning.
9. Cultic churches are opaque. A strong sign on the spectrum of authenticity is transparency. Authentic churches are transparent as they have nothing to hide. This includes every aspect of ministry including financial matters. Cultic churches are almost always opaque and secretive. Cultic leaders do not want the general public to know what they are doing. The more secretive a movement, the more cause for concern. Jesus publicly taught, publicly performed miracles, was publicly crucified, publicly resurrected, was publicly seen alive after his resurrection, and publicly ascended into heaven.
10. The church desires its membership to become more like themselves than like Christ. The final sign of a cultic church deals with the end goal. What do the leaders desire? Cultic leaders want to make their members more like themselves. Authentic churches desire people to become more like Christ. If Christ is the Son of God, then he is the perfect example for one to model. When leaders become cultic, they desire people to become like themselves so that they can exert more power and control. Coercive and manipulative measures are used. Jesus, by contrast, allows people to come to him fully knowing what is expected of them. Concerning cultic leaders, Jesus warned those who abusively used people in his day, saying, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are” (Matthew 23:15)!

Conclusion

This article is not an attack against the church. The church is a blessing. Many good, Bible-based, churches exist and are thriving. A person needs to find a place where he or she can attend, grow, develop, and serve. However, we must realize that there are many places that claim to be churches, but do not possess characteristics that are honouring to the Lord. In Revelation, Jesus addressed seven churches (Rev. 2-3). Some of the churches were good, like Philadelphia. Others were bad, like Laodicea. Some places that call themselves churches are more in the realm of cultic than Christian. Be watchful! John warns that we should “not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). My prayer is that multiple Bible-based churches will grow and expand, while cultic churches will diminish and cease. If you are in a cultic church, for the good of yourself and your loved ones, leave! Find a good, Bible-based church in your area. A good church family is a great blessing and worth the effort to find.

 

Post-note: Jonny Scaramanga argues that there should not be a distinction made between authentic churches and cultic churches. While I agree with Scaramanga that all churches need to examine their practices to ensure that they are not abusive, I fully disagree with him in saying that there are not distinctions between the two. The patterns of the two are quite different. Scaramanga is writing from a bias against Christianity in general as he left Christian fundamentalism for, what appears to be, atheism. The distinctions that have been discussed in this article are not only found between the authentic and cultic churches of today but are clearly observable in the leadership style of Jesus as opposed to the extreme Pharisees and cultic leaders of his day. Scaramanga’s article can be read at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/leavingfundamentalism/2016/05/23/stop-calling-abusive-churches-cults/.

Within the last twenty years, surrogacy has become a hotly debated topic and the practice brought with it several ethical dilemmas. Mankind believes that science and medicine have progress so far and we’re patting ourselves on the back for our “achievements”. We seem to have conveniently forgotten that the gestation in the womb of Mary and birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, was the first occurrence of Surrogacy. However, because the donor embryo was the Holy Spirit, we have difficulty in believing and accepting that. 2000 years later, surrogacy is an everyday occurrence, though the donor embryos come from materially wealthy Joe’s and Jane’s.

The surrogacy surrounding our Lord Jesus Christ’s immaculate conception must first be understood, its context with regards to crucifixion and resurrection, in order to have a slight inkling concerning Grace, and our Salvation. God is the only One who could determine when He was born in flesh and when He exited the physical realm, to execute His plan of Salvation for mankind. Without immaculate conception and surrogacy, there would have been no crucifixion and resurrection upon which our Faith rest. Not by our works, so that no man can boast, but by the Grace of God, the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus, therein lies our Salvation.