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CULTS VS. CHRISTIANITY
Christianity is the religion of millions of people in the world. Christians, the followers of Jesus Christ and the Bible, face multitude of problems and challenges from other religious cults, (they claim to be based on Bible) or non-religious cults.
Religious cults are sometimes called "sects" as they do have some of teachings derived from the core religion, which is Christianity, here. Some of them are: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witness, United Pentecostal Church (Oneness Pentecostalism and Unitarian Universalistic Association. Similarly, there are non-religious cults such as the followers of Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and Waco etc. (Joyce)
No matter, what the nature of cult be, they are seen as threats to society and Christianity.
They cause divisions in religion, worse still they immobilize the minds and thinking capabilities of their followers, thus taking them away from the truth. These cults are very different in nature from true Christianity in a number of ways. It is difficult for a person to enter a new healthy religion. For example in case of Catholic Christianity; a person has to go through a long process of Confirmation and Baptism (Joyce). Christianity is also difficult to follow because it requires a total incorporation of Christian teachings in one's life, which mean, it might call for sacrifice of one of needs and impulses. However, one can always leave such a religion without the permission of anyone. At the same time,...
People are to follow, whatever the leaders say, without objection. They are neither allowed to question nor inquire anything that they don't understand or find inappropriate. Such attitudes are considered insolent towards leaders. "Self-destruction of the oddball members of Heaven's Gate in California and mass suicide of the People's Temple in Guyana" (3) are examples of such total commitment.
Healthy religions like Christianity on the other hand encourage their followers to contemplate over the Divine teachings and inquire about anything that they don't find right. Everyone is also allowed to follow religion in accordance with his or her level of understanding. No one is forced to do anything (however, there are some basic beliefs and acts to adhere to, in order to be considered Christian)
For one to be considered a good Christian, it is not only essential to follow teachings of God but also to become to good human being. His or her behavior and treatment to other people is equally important. Service to people is integral part of Christianity. This is to encourage a spirit of community and togetherness. Jesus frequently asked his followers to love and care for each other.
However, the situation in case of cults is quite different. There is one to one relationship between…
Bibliography
1) Fr. Brian Joyce, Cults vs. Catholic Christianity, Homily of 07/09/2003, retrieved online on 19/04/2004, http://www.ctkph.org/homilies/homilies2003/homily090703.pdf
2) The New "Spirituality" vs. Christianity, retrieved online on 19/04/2004, http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/future/christianity.shtml
Cults and Sects -Overview, retrieved online on 19/04/2004 http://www.namb.net/root/resources/beliefbulletins/cults/overview.asp
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