The Marks of a Cult
One
must be careful to distinguish between the sociological position of what
constitutes a cult (i.e., which states that whatever is normative to a given
culture is not cultic) and the theological position (i.e., which
states that only those groups that adhere to the Bible as the basis for all
theology and practice are considered normative, and thereby, not cultic).
From the theological viewpoint, any group or religious system, whether it calls
itself “Christian” or not, that offers other criteria as equal to or superior
to the Bible, including but not limited to erroneous and/or exclusive
interpretations of Scripture, should be considered a cult. From the theological
position, then, a cult can be best defined as a system of religious beliefs and
rituals with a body of adherents deeply devoted to an extrabiblical person,
idea, or thing; it cultivates worship in a religion that, with reference to its
basis for man’s salvation, is considered to be unorthodox, spurious, or false,
thereby insulating its members against true salvation in Christ. And inasmuch
as the central doctrine of biblical Christianity is the sacrificial death of
Christ for man’s sin (Eph. 2:8, 9), all cultic deviations tend to
downplay the finished work of Christ and emphasize the importance of earning
moral acceptance before God through one’s own religious works.
To
be classified as a cult, not all of the following characteristics have
to be present, but in most cases, all of them will be:
1.
Extrabiblical Authority: All cults deny what God says in His Word as
true. While some cult groups give token respect for the Bible and go through
the motions of accepting the authority of Scripture, in reality, they honor the
group’s or leader’s novel interpretation of Scripture as normative.
2. Works
Salvation/Legalism: Cults teach that eternal life depends upon something
other than the Atonement; i.e., faith in the atoning, finished work of Christ
on the cross is deemed not to be sufficient (usually replaced with
human works and human responsibility). Rather than relying on the grace of
God alone for salvation, the salvation message of the cults always boils down
to required obedience to, or abstention from, certain obligations and
practices.
3. No
Assurance of Salvation: The issue of a cult member’s salvation is never
settled, but is constantly affected by the changing circumstances of life; in
this way, cult leaders are able to produce continued obligation and spiritual
bondage, rather than spiritual freedom.
4. Guru-Type
Leader/Modern Prophet: The cult leader is looked to as the infallible
interpreter of Scripture, specially appointed by God to be a special saint,
guru, or contemporary messiah, and thereby, has divine authority that must not
be violated. Cultists almost always quote their leader rather than the Bible.
The cult’s adherents often expound the virtues of the founders and seek to
cover the founder’s sins and wickedness.
5.
Vacillating, Ambiguous Doctrines/Spiritual Deception: In order to
gain favor with the public, and thereby aid in the recruitment of new
members, cult “doctrine” tends to be characterized by many false or deceptive
claims concerning the cult’s true spiritual beliefs (e.g., Mormons are not
quick to reveal their belief that God was a man, who has now become God).
6. Claims of
Special Discoveries/Additional Revelation: Acceptance of new,
contemporary, continual revelations that either deny the Bible or are allowed
to explain it. The fundamental characteristic of Christianity is that it is
historical, not dependent upon private knowledge and secret, unconfirmable
relationships, while the almost universal basis of cult religion is the claimed
revelation that one person has supposedly received. Rather than conforming to
biblical rules of evidence (2 Cor. 13:1), cult leader revelations almost
always emanate from hallucinations, visions, dreams, private discoveries, etc.
These new revelations often become codified as official written organs of the
cults (e.g., The Book of Mormon ), and
are considered as valid as that of the apostles (and even more relevant
because they are given in these end times).
7. Defective
Christology: Cults always have a false view of the nature of the Person of
Jesus Christ; a cult will usually deny the true deity of Christ, His true
humanity, or the true union of the two natures in one Person.
8. Defective
“Nature of Man”: Most cults do not see man as an immortal being, instead
they see him either as an animal without a soul or as a being which is being
perfected to the point of becoming a god. They usually do not see man as a
spirit clothed in a body of flesh awaiting the redemption of body and soul.
9. Out-Of-Context
Scripture Use as Proof-Texts/Segmented Biblical Attention: Cults tend to focus
on one verse or passage of the Bible to the exclusion of others, and without
regard for the context in which Scripture is found (e.g., 1 Cor. 15:29 used
by Mormons to justify baptism for the dead). In addition, cults have made
an art form out of using Christian terminology, all the while pouring out their
own meanings into the words.
10. Erroneous Doctrines Concerning Life After Death and Retribution: Covering the gamut from
soul sleep to annihilationism to purgatory to universalism to the progression
to godhood, cults invariably deny the existence of a final judgment of, and a
final “resting” place for, the unrighteous.
The
information herein was adapted from the following sources: The Marks of a
Cult, Dave Breese; “Roman Catholicism: Is It A Cult?,” Media Spotlight, Albert
James Dager; What They Believe, Harold
J. Berry; Cults and the Church of Christ, George Faull and Brooks
Alexander of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project.