Sometimes, people can be so gullible, that they will believe almost anything. Take science fiction cults for instance, people get wrapped up in stories, but they do not want to let go of them so they start cults to replace the reality in which they live in. One such example of cults derived from science fiction novels is Scientology. Scientology began as a bet in which science fiction author Ron Hubbard believed he could get people to follow his writings as a religion.
Scientology’s central belief comes from a book called Dianetics. Hubbard explains that man has a problem that arose from traumatic engrams, or experiences, that they have had in their past. The way these engrams are cleansed is by a process called auditing, which is similar to that of hypnotherapy. Essentially, these engrams are transfered from on memory segment of the brain to the another segment, the one that processes all thinking. Once this process has been achieved, the person becomes cleansed of the bad engrams.
Perhaps the most absurd part of Scientology comes from the past engram. Dianetics does not deal with enrams from past lives. These past life memeories come from the episodes of Xenu. He was the director of the Galactic Confederacy and the Confederacy was getting overpopulated. Xenu took all the members of Confederacy and dropped them into volcanoes in Hawaii and hen he detonated it all with a nuclear warhead. Sounds to strange to be true right?
The religion of scientology focuses around the central idea that humans were from a race called thetans and we have forgotten our past lives. This is what scientology does, in essence it helps us remember our heritage. One has to buy his way up to different levels. For example, someone who is in Level 3 of Scientology is more cleansed as opposed some one who is level 1. These are the basics of Scientology, you can get their books from their website if you wish to learn more.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Roman Catholicsm and Anti-Body Cults
Yesterday, we looked at sects that deny the trinity, today we are going to look at sects that are anti-body, that is the body of Christ. The guys believe that the core issue is that the atoning work of Jesus is only offered through there particular movement. In order to be saved, you must adhere to their doctrine and follow their procedures. This belief is foundational to their system. Their body has bought into the belief that absolutely no one outside of their religion can be saved. It is their leader that holds the ultimate key to salvation. Some of the sects that fit into this category are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Baptist Bride. Remember the key issue is that not whether you think they are saved, but they believe that you are not saved. Another major key component of these anti body cults is that they tend to do stuff in secret, not inclusive administrative meetings, but secret inclusive meetings, i.e. the masons.
Roman Catholicism is perhaps the most popular movement of these cults. It has a rich tradition dating way back to the time of Christ. The heart of the religion is catered around Vatican City, which is located in the center of Rome. Thanks to the schism of the Catholic church, they were able to own their own land. As previously mentioned the catholic church holds the key to salvation and apart from the congregation no one is saved. To be excommunicated from Catholicism is a one way ticket to hell. Catholics claimed that the apostle Peter was the first Pope because Jesus gave him the keys, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven...”(Matt 16:19, HCSB). This idea paved the way for the Catholic religion. The Catholic religion revolves around the idea of the transfer of grace. They trace their roots back to when Peter received it from Jesus and thus became the first Pope. The Pope then transfers the grace to the lay-leaders and then the congregation. Salvation through Catholicism must be achieved regularly, for one does not know the time of his death, therefore he must always be ready and this requires constant need for grace. The sacraments are the basic method in which salvation is achieved. The pope infuses the saving grace he receives to them and thus it is dispersed among the congregation. There are three basic sacraments that deal with full salvation: baptism, confirmation, in which you are filled in the Spirit and the Eucharist which makes your salvation new. These are some of the basics of Roman Catholicism. They fit the category of anti body cults simply because you must be part of the Roman Catholic religion in order to be saved. Remember when you are talking to them, it’s not a matter of their salvation, but yours, they are convinced that they are saved and that you are not.
Roman Catholicism is perhaps the most popular movement of these cults. It has a rich tradition dating way back to the time of Christ. The heart of the religion is catered around Vatican City, which is located in the center of Rome. Thanks to the schism of the Catholic church, they were able to own their own land. As previously mentioned the catholic church holds the key to salvation and apart from the congregation no one is saved. To be excommunicated from Catholicism is a one way ticket to hell. Catholics claimed that the apostle Peter was the first Pope because Jesus gave him the keys, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven...”(Matt 16:19, HCSB). This idea paved the way for the Catholic religion. The Catholic religion revolves around the idea of the transfer of grace. They trace their roots back to when Peter received it from Jesus and thus became the first Pope. The Pope then transfers the grace to the lay-leaders and then the congregation. Salvation through Catholicism must be achieved regularly, for one does not know the time of his death, therefore he must always be ready and this requires constant need for grace. The sacraments are the basic method in which salvation is achieved. The pope infuses the saving grace he receives to them and thus it is dispersed among the congregation. There are three basic sacraments that deal with full salvation: baptism, confirmation, in which you are filled in the Spirit and the Eucharist which makes your salvation new. These are some of the basics of Roman Catholicism. They fit the category of anti body cults simply because you must be part of the Roman Catholic religion in order to be saved. Remember when you are talking to them, it’s not a matter of their salvation, but yours, they are convinced that they are saved and that you are not.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tags: Ergun Caner, liberty baptist theological seminary, THEO 678 Sects and Cults, and topic tag
A current trend in modern religion is the rise of sects and cults. In particular, the rise of Jehovah’s Witness and the Church of Christ (Mormons). The most significant part of their theology that separates them from Christianity is their lack of faith in the Trinity.
Jehovah’s Witness was a cult started by Charles Russell and Joseph Rutherford. This cult was formed in 1953. Perhaps the key belief for them is that Jesus died for a select few. Have you ever seen the pamphlets that they give you when they stop by your door? They never say that Jesus died for everyone. The very fact is that, in their theology, Jesus died only for 144,000. That is the total number that can be saved. That is also the reason why they come by your door all the time, they have to work for their salvation and they must work hard since there are only a few slots in heaven. One very big problem with the JW movement is their translation of the Bible. The New World Translation is highly inaccurate. Many Greek scholars have came out and completely bashed their translation. About the translation when you look for the so called experts who translated the Greek, you will find none. For instance, when you read like Zondervan and Holman Christians, you can look in the beginning of the book and normally find out who was in charge of the translation process. For the New World Translation, that information is not available.
The Church of Christ movement began by a guy named Joseph Smith who claimed to have a vision by the angel Moroni. He was given gold plates that had the history of the sect on them. He was told to translate them and go and tell the world. Problems with the Mormonism movement is that is based of lies, deceit and contradiction. Every leader proclaimed a different message. Perhaps the most stunning idea of Mormonism is that when you compare it to Islam, they are very, very similar. Think about it for a minute. Mohammad had a vision. He was given golden tablets. He was sent to proclaim Islam to the world.
In conclusion, these are sects and just simply that. They are not biblically correct and they do not follow sound doctrine. Denial of the Trinity is denial of everything Jesus taught in the New Testament. The most stern warning I can give to the followers of these sects is that they do not follow the true theology and teachings of the Bible. It is written: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,” (Rev 22:18). Jehovah's Witness has added and taken away and Mormonism has added and taken away. Again these are two extremely popular and influential sects and cults of our times, please do not buy into their teachings.
http://www.Liberty.edu/seminary
A current trend in modern religion is the rise of sects and cults. In particular, the rise of Jehovah’s Witness and the Church of Christ (Mormons). The most significant part of their theology that separates them from Christianity is their lack of faith in the Trinity.
Jehovah’s Witness was a cult started by Charles Russell and Joseph Rutherford. This cult was formed in 1953. Perhaps the key belief for them is that Jesus died for a select few. Have you ever seen the pamphlets that they give you when they stop by your door? They never say that Jesus died for everyone. The very fact is that, in their theology, Jesus died only for 144,000. That is the total number that can be saved. That is also the reason why they come by your door all the time, they have to work for their salvation and they must work hard since there are only a few slots in heaven. One very big problem with the JW movement is their translation of the Bible. The New World Translation is highly inaccurate. Many Greek scholars have came out and completely bashed their translation. About the translation when you look for the so called experts who translated the Greek, you will find none. For instance, when you read like Zondervan and Holman Christians, you can look in the beginning of the book and normally find out who was in charge of the translation process. For the New World Translation, that information is not available.
The Church of Christ movement began by a guy named Joseph Smith who claimed to have a vision by the angel Moroni. He was given gold plates that had the history of the sect on them. He was told to translate them and go and tell the world. Problems with the Mormonism movement is that is based of lies, deceit and contradiction. Every leader proclaimed a different message. Perhaps the most stunning idea of Mormonism is that when you compare it to Islam, they are very, very similar. Think about it for a minute. Mohammad had a vision. He was given golden tablets. He was sent to proclaim Islam to the world.
In conclusion, these are sects and just simply that. They are not biblically correct and they do not follow sound doctrine. Denial of the Trinity is denial of everything Jesus taught in the New Testament. The most stern warning I can give to the followers of these sects is that they do not follow the true theology and teachings of the Bible. It is written: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,” (Rev 22:18). Jehovah's Witness has added and taken away and Mormonism has added and taken away. Again these are two extremely popular and influential sects and cults of our times, please do not buy into their teachings.
http://www.Liberty.edu/seminary
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