Cults, Different groups

[Shammu]

Christians "without Christ":

This is a group of churches that may call themselves Christians, use the Bible as their Sacred Scripture, and may even have the name of Christ in the title of their church... but they say that "Jesus is not God", or that Jesus Christ is god as much as you and I are god, like the Mormons.

Mormons. The Church of Jesus Christ of the of Latter-day Saints
Jehovah's Witnesses.
Moonies. Unification of Christianity...
Christian Science Church.
Church of Scientology.
Children of God, Family of Love.
Worldwide Church of God, of Armstrong.
Spiritualism.
Church Universal and Triumphant.
Unitarianism... Universalism.
Gnosticism, Neo-Gnosticism.
Way International.
Holy Order of MANS.
Church of the Living God.

Other Cults:
Central London Church of Christ.
Rev. Ike... Penitents... Snake Handlers.
Churches for Homosexuals.
Branch Davidians, "Waco", David Koresh.
People's Temple, Jim Jones, Jonestown.

The "Mormons" is the Church of   "contradictions", and of "deception".
    Founded in 1830 in Palmyra, New York, by Joseph Smith. 7 million members; 5 in the USA. -- Headquarters: 47 Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 80150.

See the 13 Articles of Faith of the Mormons:
    They are one the first statements they will show when they go to the homes... some of them are beautiful, but some of them are great Christian deceptions.... be aware!.

The "Bible":

It is good... but it is good for nothing, at least it agrees with the "Book of Mormon". In fact, Smith introduced 125 new verses only in the New Testament, and changed 1,475 verses in the Bible.

- Only the Mormons use "their Bible", no other Christian does... in fact, no other Christian denomination considers the Mormons as Christians, though they have the name of "Jesus Christ" as the main title of their Church.

"Jesus Christ", and the "Father":

"God the Father", and "Jesus Christ" of the Mormons are not those of the real Bible:

- "God the Father", for the Mormons, was once a man, but became God. He has a physical body, as does his wife, Heavenly Mother. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate gods. Worthy men may one day become gods themselves.

- "Jesus Christ", like God the Father, for the Mormons is "eternal" because he has no end, like any other man, but he is "not eternal", because he had a beginning: He was born from Adam (who was God), by sexually cohabiting with the Virgin Mary in a physical, flesh relationship. Brigham declared emphatically, "Jesus was not begotten by the Holy Ghost". Jesus was married and had children with the two sisters of Lazarus, Maria and Martha... and Jesus became God, as you and I can become God, like Him!... everything contrary of what the real Bible says!.

- An another strange thing of the Mormons: Jesus and Lucifer are brothers!.

The "Latter-day Saints":

The "Latter-day Saints" of the title of their Church, are the "Mormons", because all the churches and creeds before Smith are "abomination" into the Lord, as revealed to Smith by God the Father and Jesus Christ!.

- Any man can become God... "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man can become", is one of the most famous aphorisms of the Mormons... but of course, only the Mormons can become God, if they are faithful to their Church!... and only "men", not "women".

- This concept of "every man is god", has been taken up by the New Age Movement, but using different methods to become god.

- The Mormons could build on earth a "Garden of Eden", and that's the idea of Utah, USA... but Utah is still not a Garden of Eden!.

The "family"... "polygamy"... "women":

This is another "contradiction" and "deception"of the Mormon Church:

- The "family", "is the most important unit of life", for the Mormons... however, there is polygamy!

-"Polygamy", is forbidden in the "Book of Mormons"; however, Smith, in his 132 revelation was ordered by God to have polygamy, as in the life of Solomon: So, Smith had 27 wives officially, and 60 unofficially, and the second great leader, Brigham Young, had 25 wives with 56 children, and proclaimed, "he who rejects the doctrine of polygamy shall be condemned"... and "the only men who become gods are those who enter polygamy"... however, a third "little Pope", Fielding, abolished officially polygamy in 1904.

... Today, polygamy is forbidden in the Mormon Church, but an estimated 30,000 fundamentalist Mormons have plural marriages in Utah.

- "Women", cannot become priests or church leaders, and cannot become gods... may be this is one reason why in the Mormon Church women have the highest rate of suicides in the nation, the highest percentage in mental institutions, and the highest percentage of divorces in the nation.

- The Church forbids contraceptives and abortion.

The "Book of Mormon":

The "Book of Mormon" is the greatest deception: It was dictated by Smith to Cowdery, not face to face, but from behind a curtain, in a period of 4 years, since 1827 to 1830.

- The story of Smith, is that the Book was written by Mormon in the year 400 A.C., and found by Smith 1,400 years later in Cumorah, near Palmyra, N.Y., with the help of angel Moroni. The Book was buried, and engraved on thin sheets of gold metal, nobody knows how many sheets, 200?, 2,000?... and with the book, there were a pair of large "supernatural spectacles", to translate the reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics of the sheets.

- After translating the Book, Smith returned it to Moroni, without even showing to his wives this great unique treasure... nobody knows what he did with the "supernatural spectacles", another unique great treasure!...

... But for most evangelicals, the Book is a plagiarism of a fiction novel written by Solomon Spaulding in 1816, "Manuscript Story"... and may be this is the reason why Smith always dictated the book from behind a curtain.

- Martin Harris, an old friend of Smith, portrayed him as "a religious faker, a charlatan", in a letter in 1830.

"Contents" of the Book of Mormon:

It is another great deception:

- The Book relates a thousand-year history of a lost tribe of Israelites who left Palestine and came to America to become the ancestors of the Native Americans. The leader of the lost tribe was Lehi, who had two sons: Laman and Nephi. They lived in pease and love, until the Lamanites became bad people, who fought and annihilated the Nephites near Palmyra, N.Y. in 428 AC But, before his demise, Mormon, the Nephite leader, wrote and buried his Book, including the appearance of Christ in America, after his resurrection, instituting the ordinances of baptism, communion, and priesthood.

-- The Book was published in 1830, with the subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ", and it is the most sacred scripture for the Mormons, "the most correct book of any on earth"...

... But here comes the big deception:

- The Mormon's doctrine often contradicts the Book of Mormon's doctrine:

- The Book says, "there is only one God", Mormonism teaches "there are many gods" (Mosiah 15:1-5, Alma 11:28, 2 Nephi 31:21, Journal of Discourses, Smith, Vol.6, pag..5).

- The Book says, "the Trinity is one God", Mormonism teaches, "the Trinity is 3 separate gods" (Alma 11:44, Mosiah 15:5, 2 Nephi 31:21, Articles of Faith,Talmage, pag.35, 1985).

- The Book says, "God is Spirit", Mormonism teaches "God has the form of a man" (Alma 18:24,28, Journal of Discourses, Smith, Vol.6, p.3.

- The Book says, "polygamy condemned", but polygamy was taught and practiced (Jacob 1:15, 2:23-31, Ether 10:5,7, Mosiah 11:2,4, Journal of Discourses, Young, Vol.3, p.266).

... And another big deception:

At least 12 essential Mormon doctrines are not found in the Book of Mormon: The Church organization, the Aaronic priesthood, Celestial Marriage, Baptism for the Dead, men my become gods, the pre-existing doctrine, the 3 degrees of glory in heaven, eternal progression, God is an exalted man, plurality of gods, plurality of wives doctrine, Word of Wisdom...

The "biggest deception":

The "biggest deception" of the Mormons is that their "Sacred Books" contradict each other, so, if you tell them that Mormonism teaches that there are many gods, they will show you the Book of Mormon teaching that there is only one God... and so forth...

To be cont....

[Shammu]

The "Articles of Faith":

When they go to your home, they show you some of their "Articles of Faith", those appealing to a good Christian, but they are very deceptive: For example, the Article 1 says, "We believe in God, the eternal Father, and in his son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit"... but they don't say that they are 3 gods!... and they don't say that the Father is "eternal" only because he has no end, like any other men, but he had a beginning, so, he was actually "not eternal"... Article 8 says, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly"... but they don't explain to you that the "right translation" of Smith contains 1,475 verses changed from the real Bible.

The "Sacred Books" of the Mormons":

The "Book of Mormon"; The "Bible", correctly translated; "Doctrines and Covenants"; "The Pearl of Great Price", with the "Articles of Faith", and, like the Book of Mormon, is considered to be a divine revelation superior to the Bible.

Joseph Smith was a "false prophet":

Smith thought he was living in the last days before Christ return, and prophesied Jesus Second coming for 1890, but he died in 1844, without witnessing the non-fulfillment of his prophecy.

"Restitution"... the "key word":

The key word for the Mormons is "restitution", the words of Peter in Act.3:21, "restitution of all things"... they claim this restitution, or restoration, began in 1820 with Smith: The restitution of divine truths with the Book of Mormons, restitution of the priesthood, of sacred temples... but they don't realize that Peter was talking about "Jesus Christ", who restored already everything with his death and resurrection almost 2,000 years ago... Peter was not talking about Smith!.

The "blacks":

Smith taught that they were the defendants of Cain and therefore cursed... they were barred from the priesthood until Spencer Kimball received a "revelation" abrogating this injunction. Kimball died in 1985, and was succeeded as President by Ezra Taft Benson.

"Good people"... another deception:

It is impressive to see the young Mormons dedicating 2 years full time to the Church as missionaries, going the two in two, with closely cropped hair and regalia of dark suits, white shirts, subdued ties, polished shoes... representing the most basic human values: Patriotism, sobriety, familial responsibilities, hard work...

- Their sincerity is beyond question, 30,000 of them, garner 200,000 converts each year...

... But they are deceived, as millions of young Communists were deceived, as the followers of Jimmy Jones were deceived... and deceived people are the best to deceive other people...

... They are deceived, expecting to become God, and create new planets... they are deceived with the satanic and masonic rituals of the "celestial marriages" in the temple... they are deceived thinking that with the proxy "baptism for the dead" they can save their ancestors... a "baptism for the dead" taken erroneously from 1Cor.15:29...

- I pray Jesus to light the life of those Mormons of good faith, and I order Satan to go out of the heart of any Mormon who may read these lines. Only Satan can make up such deceptions and contradictions. Thank you, Jesus.

A Rich Church:

When you visit Temple Square in Salt Lake City, everything is "free"... but don't be deceived... the Mormon Church has assets of $8 "billion", making it the wealthiest Protestant Church in America... not everything is free!... all this fortune comes from the "deceived members", they end up giving to the Church their money, time, and life.

Next up, Jehovah's Witnesses

[Shammu]

Jehovah's Witnesses
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

It was founded by Charles T. Russell in 1852, though the first formal organization was in Pittsburgh in 1872.

- 3 million members worldwide, and 926,614 in the USA, with 9,985 Kingdom or Assembly Halls (in 1994).

- Address: 117 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11202 (called "Bethel").

- Before, they have been called "Millennial Downists", "International Bible Students", and "Russsellites", after their first leader.

... Their official name, is not "Jehovah's Witnesses", but an Incorporated Society, the "Wathtower Bible and Tract Society" ... in this Society, the leaders are elected by the number of "stocks" they have; the "President of the Society" is the one who has more stocks... the members do not vote, they do not count, even though they are the ones who bring the money, selling Bibles, Books, the Watchtower, Tracts... the actual President is Milton G. Henschel, since 1993.

Very active members:

The Witnesses are very active, selling 100,000 books and Bibles, and 800,000 copies of its two magazines, daily!... from home to home...

False Prophecies:

The Witnesses are the children of the Adventists, and as the Adventists, they have officially announced the Second Coming of Christ and the Armageddon for 6 dates: 1914, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, and 1975... and never came!...

... The prophet whose prophecies are not fulfilled is a "false prophet"... on everything!.

... But the Society, and the money, keeps going on, because every time there was an "strange explanation", swallowed by some members: After the 1914 failure, the explanation was that Christ did not come to earth, but "became king in heaven", and cast out Satan, with the consequent World War I... After the 1975 failure, there was another explanation ready: The witnesses were told that Adam's creation was in 4026 B.C., and 6,000 years later would be the Second Coming of Christ, in 1975; when the date passed, many members left the Society, but others followed Franz's explanation that the 6,000-year chronology was set forward not since Adam, but since Eve's creation, and the leaders do not know the interval between the creation of Adam and Eve!...

... Henschel, the actual President, has not set a fixed date, only that it will be in the early 2,000s.

"Little Popes"... "Blood Transfusions":

The Witnesses reject the "successor of Peter" of Matt.16:19, the Catholic Pope... but they have their "little Popes", not the successor of Peter, they are self- proclaimed, but much more demanding that the real Pope:

... For example, Russell permitted the "Blood Transfusions", and said "only he with the mentality of a pharisee can prohibit them"... so, at that time all the Witnesses read in the Bible that the Blood Transfusions were a good thing to do...

... But then came their second "little Pope", Rutherford, and "prohibit the Blood Transfusions"... and since then, every Witness reads in the Bible that the Blood Transfusions are prohibited... the 3 million of them!... and if anyone dears to say that the Blood Transfusions are permitted, he will be "disfellowshiped", cast out of the Society, and the rest of the members will consider him as dead, they are forbidden even to speak with him... and the "excommunicated apostate" is told he will not rise from the grave on Judgment Day...

... How come at least 10 Witnesses don't read in the Bible that the Transfusions are permitted, like other 2,100 million Christians do?... you know the reason: Because the actual "little Pope" says so... if another Russell would come, all of them will read in the Bible that Transfusions are good!

... One of the big problems about the Transfusions is that Jesus repeats 4 times "you have to drink my blood", in Jn.6:53-56... but they dismiss it as a "symbol", as told by their "little Popes".

- Some members have been "disfellowshiped" for reading books written by ex-members, or eating with a suspected dissenter... and if a Witness says that "Jesus Christ is God", he will be the worst apostate!...

The "144,000"... the "Brainwash":

The key word for the Society is the "Second Coming of Christ", with the war of Armageddon, won by Jesus Christ, and the beginning of the "Millennium" of Rev.20.

- The Witnesses are told to work hard "now", because from that Day, the 144,000 "anointed ones" since 1914 will live for ever as kings and priests in heaven, as told in Rev.7 and 20; and the "Great Multitude" of Rev.7, will rise from their graves to live for ever on earth like in a paradise, ruling earth under the tutelage of the 144,000 during the "Millennium", ... but only the good Witnesses!... the rest of the wicked people will be annihilated in the Millennium... and the "apostate Witnesses" will not raise from the grave on Judgment Day, at the Second Coming of Christ.

- These ideas, of "raising from the graves" to "rule earth", "like a paradise"... are the basis for the brainwash of the members with biblical after long biblical lectures... and their leaders become like gods for them... there is no other world for a Witness...

... And there are many good honest Witnesses... but brainwashed... no biblical reason makes sense for them, only what they are told in the Kingdom Hall... I pray Jesus to give light to any honest Witness who reads these lines, and I order Satan to get out of his heart, in the glorious name of Jesus, because only Satan can praise Jesus by saying that "Jesus is not God". Thank you, my Lord and my God Jesus Christ... proclaimed just like that in the Bible, in the Gospel of St. John 20:28.

Jesus Christ "is not God"!:

The Jehovah's Witnesses discard most orthodox doctrines of the Bible, conflicting with those of historic Christianity:

- The Holy Trinity is seen as a demonic doctrine, Jesus christ is stripped of his deity, is not God!, the Holy Spirit is robbed of his personality... they deny the physical resurrection of Christ, and there is not eternal Hell... their doctrines on the sufficiency of Christ's atonement, on human government, and on the existence of the soul are not biblical...

- The worst of them all is to say that "Jesus is not God": But their Bible says emphatically the "Jesus is God", on John 20:28, proclaiming Jesus "my Lord and my God"... "Lord"... "God"... the Bible says Jesus is God!... directly... just like that!.

... John 1:1-3, says it also directly; however, in their Bible, Knorr added an "a"... "is a god", and he put not "God", but "god"... but verse 3 says that "all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being".

- Colossians 1:16-17, also proclaims that "all things" were made by Christ and for Christ... but again, Knorr adds "(other)" several times between "all things", trying to water down the creation of all things by Jesus Christ, material and spiritual... but in Jn.1:3 says it so clearly!... and here Knorr forgot to put the word "(other)" in between...

The Society is the worst vomit of Satan...

... only Satan can may you praise Jesus Christ, by saying the "Jesus Christ is not God"... only Satan can make you living only expecting the Second Coming of Christ, with his great victory of Armageddon, and proclaiming that "Jesus Christ is not God".

They "changed" the "Bible":

Knorr, the third president of the Society, published the Bible of the Society, "The New World Translation"... changing and adding words in many verses... and the Bible says, "if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him every plague mentioned in the book" (Rev.22:18).

- He changed or added words to verses relating to the "deity of Christ", the "adoration of Christ", the "immortality of the soul", the "eternal Hell"... (Jn.1:1, Colos.1:14-16, 2:9-10, Fil.2:5, Tit.2:13, Heb.1:6, 8, 2Pet.1:1, Matt.28:17, Luc.24:52, 23:43, Matt.25:56)

The Life of a Witness:

It is a strange one: Do not observe holidays or birthdays. Do not vote, salute the flag, work in the military, play chess... no Sabbath is observed, they meet on Sundays to study their Bible... they work haad, "door to door"... making money for the Society.

Next up, the Moonies

[Shammu]

Moonies
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

It was founded by Charles T. Russell in 1852, though the first formal organization was in Pittsburgh in 1872.

- 3 million members worldwide, and 926,614 in the USA, with 9,985 Kingdom or Assembly Halls (in 1994).

- Address: 117 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11202 (called "Bethel").

- Before, they have been called "Millennial Downists", "International Bible Students", and "Russsellites", after their first leader.

... Their official name, is not "Jehovah's Witnesses", but an Incorporated Society, the "Wathtower Bible and Tract Society" ... in this Society, the leaders are elected by the number of "stocks" they have; the "President of the Society" is the one who has more stocks... the members do not vote, they do not count, even though they are the ones who bring the money, selling Bibles, Books, the Watchtower, Tracts... the actual President is Milton G. Henschel, since 1993.

Very active members:

The Witnesses are very active, selling 100,000 books and Bibles, and 800,000 copies of its two magazines, daily!... from home to home...

False Prophecies:

The Witnesses are the children of the Adventists, and as the Adventists, they have officially announced the Second Coming of Christ and the Armageddon for 6 dates: 1914, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, and 1975... and never came!...

... The prophet whose prophecies are not fulfilled is a "false prophet"... on everything!.

... But the Society, and the money, keeps going on, because every time there was an "strange explanation", swallowed by some members: After the 1914 failure, the explanation was that Christ did not come to earth, but "became king in heaven", and cast out Satan, with the consequent World War I... After the 1975 failure, there was another explanation ready: The witnesses were told that Adam's creation was in 4026 B.C., and 6,000 years later would be the Second Coming of Christ, in 1975; when the date passed, many members left the Society, but others followed Franz's explanation that the 6,000-year chronology was set forward not since Adam, but since Eve's creation, and the leaders do not know the interval between the creation of Adam and Eve!...

... Henschel, the actual President, has not set a fixed date, only that it will be in the early 2,000s.

"Little Popes"... "Blood Transfusions":

The Witnesses reject the "successor of Peter" of Matt.16:19, the Catholic Pope... but they have their "little Popes", not the successor of Peter, they are self- proclaimed, but much more demanding that the real Pope:

... For example, Russell permitted the "Blood Transfusions", and said "only he with the mentality of a pharisee can prohibit them"... so, at that time all the Witnesses read in the Bible that the Blood Transfusions were a good thing to do...

... But then came their second "little Pope", Rutherford, and "prohibit the Blood Transfusions"... and since then, every Witness reads in the Bible that the Blood Transfusions are prohibited... the 3 million of them!... and if anyone dears to say that the Blood Transfusions are permitted, he will be "disfellowshiped", cast out of the Society, and the rest of the members will consider him as dead, they are forbidden even to speak with him... and the "excommunicated apostate" is told he will not rise from the grave on Judgment Day...

... How come at least 10 Witnesses don't read in the Bible that the Transfusions are permitted, like other 2,100 million Christians do?... you know the reason: Because the actual "little Pope" says so... if another Russell would come, all of them will read in the Bible that Transfusions are good!

... One of the big problems about the Transfusions is that Jesus repeats 4 times "you have to drink my blood", in Jn.6:53-56... but they dismiss it as a "symbol", as told by their "little Popes".

- Some members have been "disfellowshiped" for reading books written by ex-members, or eating with a suspected dissenter... and if a Witness says that "Jesus Christ is God", he will be the worst apostate!...

The "144,000"... the "Brainwash":

The key word for the Society is the "Second Coming of Christ", with the war of Armageddon, won by Jesus Christ, and the beginning of the "Millennium" of Rev.20.

- The Witnesses are told to work hard "now", because from that Day, the 144,000 "anointed ones" since 1914 will live for ever as kings and priests in heaven, as told in Rev.7 and 20; and the "Great Multitude" of Rev.7, will rise from their graves to live for ever on earth like in a paradise, ruling earth under the tutelage of the 144,000 during the "Millennium", ... but only the good Witnesses!... the rest of the wicked people will be annihilated in the Millennium... and the "apostate Witnesses" will not raise from the grave on Judgment Day, at the Second Coming of Christ.

- These ideas, of "raising from the graves" to "rule earth", "like a paradise"... are the basis for the brainwash of the members with biblical after long biblical lectures... and their leaders become like gods for them... there is no other world for a Witness...

... And there are many good honest Witnesses... but brainwashed... no biblical reason makes sense for them, only what they are told in the Kingdom Hall... I pray Jesus to give light to any honest Witness who reads these lines, and I order Satan to get out of his heart, in the glorious name of Jesus, because only Satan can praise Jesus by saying that "Jesus is not God". Thank you, my Lord and my God Jesus Christ... proclaimed just like that in the Bible, in the Gospel of St. John 20:28.

Jesus Christ "is not God"!:

The Jehovah's Witnesses discard most orthodox doctrines of the Bible, conflicting with those of historic Christianity:

- The Holy Trinity is seen as a demonic doctrine, Jesus christ is stripped of his deity, is not God!, the Holy Spirit is robbed of his personality... they deny the physical resurrection of Christ, and there is not eternal Hell... their doctrines on the sufficiency of Christ's atonement, on human government, and on the existence of the soul are not biblical...

- The worst of them all is to say that "Jesus is not God": But their Bible says emphatically the "Jesus is God", on John 20:28, proclaiming Jesus "my Lord and my God"... "Lord"... "God"... the Bible says Jesus is God!... directly... just like that!.

... John 1:1-3, says it also directly; however, in their Bible, Knorr added an "a"... "is a god", and he put not "God", but "god"... but verse 3 says that "all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being".

- Colossians 1:16-17, also proclaims that "all things" were made by Christ and for Christ... but again, Knorr adds "(other)" several times between "all things", trying to water down the creation of all things by Jesus Christ, material and spiritual... but in Jn.1:3 says it so clearly!... and here Knorr forgot to put the word "(other)" in between...

The Society is the worst vomit of Satan...

... only Satan can may you praise Jesus Christ, by saying the "Jesus Christ is not God"... only Satan can make you living only expecting the Second Coming of Christ, with his great victory of Armageddon, and proclaiming that "Jesus Christ is not God".

They "changed" the "Bible":

Knorr, the third president of the Society, published the Bible of the Society, "The New World Translation"... changing and adding words in many verses... and the Bible says, "if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him every plague mentioned in the book" (Rev.22:18).

- He changed or added words to verses relating to the "deity of Christ", the "adoration of Christ", the "immortality of the soul", the "eternal Hell"... (Jn.1:1, Colos.1:14-16, 2:9-10, Fil.2:5, Tit.2:13, Heb.1:6, 8, 2Pet.1:1, Matt.28:17, Luc.24:52, 23:43, Matt.25:56)

The Life of a Witness:

It is a strange one: Do not observe holidays or birthdays. Do not vote, salute the flag, work in the military, play chess... no Sabbath is observed, they meet on Sundays to study their Bible... they work haad, "door to door"... making money for the Society.

This link is for the last three posts.
cults

Please feel free to add, other cults to this thread. I am trying to have them all together.

Resting in the Lord's arms.
Bob

[Shammu]

Scientology is a very difficult religion to summarize in just a few paragraphs, let alone in a few pages. It was founded in 1953 by fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, just four years after he made the statement, "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is," to Lloyd Eshbach; quoted by Eshbach in Over My Shoulder. That's where he found wealth, also--Hubbard is a multi-millionaire today. An easier question to ask would be, "What are the similarities between Christianity and Scientology?" The answer to that would be, "There are no similarities."

Scientology teaches that mankind is an immortal being (called a Thetan) not originally from this planet that is trapped by matter, energy, space, and time (MEST). Salvation for a Scientologist comes through a process called 'auditing,' whereby 'engrams' (basically, memories of past pain and unconsciousness that create energy blockage) are removed. Auditing is a very lengthy process and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When all engrams are finally removed, the Thetan can once again control MEST instead of being controlled by it. Until salvation, each Thetan is constantly reincarnated.

Scientology is a very expensive religion to associate with. Every aspect of Scientology has some sort of fee associated with it. This is why Scientology's "pews" are filled only with the wealthy. It is also a very strict religion, and very punitive against those who would try to leave behind its teachings and membership. Its "scriptures" are limited solely to the writings and teachings of L. Ron Hubbard.

Scientology is, without a doubt, a cult: Its teachings are taken from science fiction and eastern mythologies; It promotes man as the ultimate power in the universe--he just hasn't realized it yet; Salvation comes through an extremely expensive process of mind games; and it categorically denies the existence of God, Heaven, and Hell. To a Scientologist, Jesus Christ was just another nice guy who unfortunately was wrongfully put to death, and whose story ends at that death.

Though Scientologist will claim that Scientology is compatible with Christianity, the Bible counters each and every point of belief they hold to: God is the sovereign and only creator of the universe (Genesis 1:1); Mankind was created by God (Genesis 1:27); the only salvation available to man is by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:; salvation is a free gift that mankind can do nothing to earn (Philippians 2:8-9); and Jesus Christ is alive and well, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father even now (Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 1:3), awaiting the time when He will gather His children to Himself to reside with Him for eternity in Heaven. Everybody else will be cast into a very real Hell, separated from God (Revelation 20:15).

Scientology differs from Biblical Christianity on every important doctrine.  Some of the most important differences are summarized below.

God:  Scientology believes that there are multiple Gods and that some gods are above other gods.  Biblical Christianity on the other hand recognizes the One and Only True God who reveled Himself to us in the Bible.  There is only one true God and He has reveled himself to us through the Bible and through Jesus Christ.  Those that believe in Him cannot believe the false concept of God as taught in Scientology.

Jesus Christ:  Like almost all other cults Scientology denies the deity of Christ. Instead of having a biblical view of who Christ is and what He did they assign to Him the characteristics of some sort of lesser God who has obtained a sort of legendary status over the years.  On the other hand the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was God in the flesh and through His incarnation He could act as a sacrifice for our sins.  It is through Christ’s death and resurrection that we can have the hope of eternal life with God.

Sin: Scientology believes in the inherent goodness of man and that “It is despicable and utterly beneath contempt to tell a man he must repent, that he is evil.” On the other hand the Bible teaches that man is a sinner and the only hope for him is that he repent of his sins and acknowledge Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Salvation: Scientology believes in reincarnation and that personal salvation in ones lifetime is freedom from the cycle of birth and death associated with reincarnation.  They believe that religious practice of all faiths is the universal way to wisdom, understanding and salvation.  On the other hand the Bible teaches that there is only one way of salvation and that is through Jesus Christ.  Jesus himself said “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

When one looks at the teaching of Scientology in comparison with the Bible they will see that the two have little if anything in common.  Scientology will only lead you away from God and eternal life and the Bible will lead you to God and eternal life.  There is nothing to gain by associating with scientology and everything to lose.

http://www.gotquestions.org/scientology-Christian-cult.html

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Christian Science Church

The movement known as Christian Science is a religion "emphasizing divine healing as practiced by Jesus Christ." It is officially known as The Church of Christ, Scientist (CCS) (with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts), founded in 1879 by the much married Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy (1821-1910). It is one of the more sophisticated modern cults, attracting many intellectuals. Estimated membership was about 350,000 in the 1930s with approximately 2,500 branch churches, societies, and college organizations in more than 50 countries worldwide. Estimates suggest that membership has fallen to well under 100,000 at the present time. While the branches are democratic in government, they all conform to the rules laid down in Mary Baker Eddy's Manual of The Mother Church (1895); church affairs are now overseen by a self-perpetuating board of five people.

Under the leadership of Board of Directors Chairman Virginia Harris, the CCS has embarked on an aggressive, multi-faceted marketing program designed to mainstream itself and to attract new members. For example, the CCS is finding new ways to promote itself in light of our society's current interest in self-awareness, spirituality, mind/body connections, alternative medicine, and women's issues. The CCS's weekly magazine has been redesigned to include quotes from New-Age proponent Oprah Winfrey. Church representatives are also turning up at medical conferences and other places.

Mrs. Eddy was chronically sick growing up, with many ailments including paralysis, hysteria, seizures and convulsions. At 22, she married her first of three husbands, George Glover, who died within 6 months from yellow fever. Following Glover's death, she began to be involved in mesmerism (hypnosis) and the occult practices of spiritualism and clairvoyance (Ruth Tucker, Another Gospel, p. 152). Still ill, she married Daniel Patterson in 1853, a dentist and homeopathic practitioner. It was during this time she met mental healer Phineas P. Quimby (1802-1866), whose influence would shape her belief of Christian Science. Quimby believed that illness and disease could be cured through positive thoughts and healthy attitudes, by changing one's beliefs about the illness. She claimed that Quimby cured her; she suddenly improved, but later the symptoms returned (Another Gospel, p. 155).

After Quimby's death in 1866, Mrs. Eddy determined to carry on his work. She had developed a "psychic dependence" on Quimby, drawing on his spiritual presence, claiming even visitations by his apparition.  Eddy "reached the scientific certainty that all causation rests with the Mind, and that every effect is a mental phenomena." Eddy took Quimby's teachings one step further, claiming that sickness, death, and even our physical bodies do not exist, but are only imagined. Based on this absurdity, Mary Baker Eddy formulated her unique interpretations of Scripture upon which Christian Science was founded (and recorded in Eddy's 1875 book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. [HJB] (In 2001, the ten millionth copy of Science and Health was sold). In essence, Christian Science is a revival of ancient Pantheism. [Eddy later published 16 other books, including Retrospection and Introspection (1891), which tells of her own experience of discovering, practicing, and teaching the "science" of Christian healing.] [The CCS recently announced plans to build (at a cost of $25 million) the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity. Scheduled to open in 2002 in Boston, the library will house over 500,000 unpublished documents and artifacts related to Mrs. Eddy. It will also allow the CCS to secure another 45 years of copyright protection for the writings under new U.S. copyright laws that take effect at the end of 2002.]

The event that Mrs. Eddy claimed as the inauguration of Christian Science occurred in February of 1866. She claimed to have had a near fatal fall on icy pavement, but was instantly healed when "the healing Truth dawned upon my senses," and the divine healing ministry was born (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 24; Science and Health, p. 107). Testimony from her attending physician as well as other correspondence from Mrs. Eddy at the time strongly dispute Mrs. Eddy's "official" version of those events (Anthony Hoekema, Christian Science, pp. 12-13).

Healing became a major distinctive of Christian Science. According to Eddy Baker, the central fact of the Bible is the superiority of spiritual over physical power. The spiritual superiority is evident in other ways than healing. Telepathy is practiced in Christian Science treatment, and may be considered a form of psychic healing. Christian Science claims to prove through the healing of disease and other difficulties that the understanding of God and his spiritual creation is as effective now as it was in Jesus' time. Its adherents, therefore, rely on "divine law" in times of sickness instead of resorting to medical and other material means. Christian Scientists do not use doctors, medicine, or immunizations. Christian Science Practitioners are used to " help people through the false reality of illness." Instead, proper prayer and training are employed to battle the "non-reality" of illness. (The right of Christian Science parents to withhold medical treatment from their children has many times been challenged in court.)

During the formative stages, the church saw many rivalries, scandals, and dissident movements. One of the dissidents was Emma Hopkins, who as an independent Christian Science leader, taught Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, who later founded the Unity School of Christianity (another "mind-science" cult). Because Mrs. Eddy wanted to spread Christian Science, especially to the upper class, she increased her control over all aspects of the movement and would not tolerate any disloyalty (Georgine Milmine, The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy, p. 234 ff).

Publications of the Christian Science Publishing Society include the Christian Science Quarterly, containing Bible lessons for daily study; The Christian Science Journal, a monthly magazine; Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine; The Christian Science Monitor, a daily newspaper; and The Herald of Christian Science. In the 1980s, the group expanded into other media, producing both radio and television news programming. Their venture into cable-television operations was ended in 1992, when it was discovered "that the church had secretly transferred $46.5 million from endowments and pension funds to help cover huge losses on the 'Monitor Channel,' which had lost over $325 million" (Chicago Tribune, 1/27/93, p. 2). [Additionally, there were losses of $36 million and the resulting termination of World Monitor, a newspaper begun in 1988. The Christian Science Monitor is said to be losing $13 million annually (Martin Gardner, The Healing Revelations of Mary Baker Eddy, p. 218).]

Instead of preachers (the CCS has no ordained clergy), Christian Science's Sunday services consist mainly of prescribed readings from the Bible, followed by interpretive readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (which Eddy thought was divinely inspired -- "I should blush to write of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures as I have, were it of human origin and I apart from God its author; but [since] I was only a scribe echoing the harmonies of heaven in Divine Metaphysics, I cannot be super-modest of the Christian Science Textbook."). Eddy's "Scientific Statement of Being" (read every week from every Christian Science pulpit) begins with, "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter," and ends with, "Therefore, man is not material; he is spiritual." Wednesday meetings include testimonies of healing from the congregation. Readers, both men and women, are elected from the membership to conduct the services. Practitioners, also both men and women, devote full time to the work of "spiritual healing."

Mrs. Eddy presented Christian Science as a scientific system of healing based upon spiritual laws God (allegedly) had revealed to her. She taught these laws must be followed -- without deviation -- if a believer wishes to practice Christian Science with consistent success. She taught Christian Science cannot be mixed with any other doctrine or spiritual healing system, and, thereby, it is incompatible with medicine. Eddy also believed in "Malicious Animal Magnetism" (MAM), which is negative mental energy or power, on the level of black magic. "Reading Rooms" are local Christian Science libraries where members go to read Eddy's works to aid their spiritual evolvement.

Christian Scientists call themselves Christians, but their beliefs deviate from Biblical Christianity on nearly every central Doctrine. Below are the highlights of what Christian Scientists believe concerning their source of authority, the Godhead, Christ, the Holy Spirit,  the Resurrection, sin and salvation, heaven and hell, man's destiny, and disease and death:

To be cont.

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1. Source of Authority. Mary Baker Eddy claimed the Bible was her "only textbook" and "only authority." Yet she also said the Bible has thousands of errors -- 30,000 in the Old Testament and 300,000 in the New Testament. Christian Scientists believe that Mrs. Eddy's discovery of Divine Science is the "final revelation" from God. They claim Science and Health is divinely inspired (even though it has been proven to contain numerous plagiarisms and revisions). -- Science and Health is the "first book" which has been "uncontaminated by human hypothesis" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellany, p. 115; Science and Health, pp. 99, 139, 456-457). [HJB]  One is only supposed to read the Bible if they have Eddy's "key" in hand, so as to find out what a passage means. The implication is that God couldn't make Himself plain, but has to have Mary Baker Eddy interpret what He says. With this in mind, the world was, in effect, left to grope in darkness until Mrs. Eddy came on the scene.

2. Language. Christian Scientists have given Bible terms allegorical, metaphysical definitions that are completely different from normal usage. Everything is spiritualized to the point that the physical no longer exists. New meanings have also been assigned to many traditional theological doctrines. (For example: "Adam was not an actual person who was created by God and fell into sin. 'Adam' means error; a falsity; the belief in 'original sin,' sickness, and death; evil; the opposite of good.") [HJB]

3. Trinity. Christian Science clearly repudiates the Trinitarian Godhead: "The theory of three persons in one God (that is, a personal Trinity or Tri-unity) suggests polytheism, rather than the one ever-present I Am" (Science and Health, p. 256). Instead, "Life, Truth, and Love constitutes the triune Person called God ... God the Father-Mother; Christ the spiritual idea of sonship; divine Science or the Holy Comforter" (Science and Health, p. 331-332). Christian Science teaches that the Biblical concept of the Trinity suggests "heathen gods" (Science and Health, p. 152). God is thus viewed as an impersonal "Divine Principle," a conception of one's mind (Science and Health, pp. 361, 469). On page 465 in another of Mrs. Eddy's "authoritative" books, entitled Miscellaneous Writings, she wrote: "God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite, mind, spirit, soul, principle, life, truth, love," but devoid of any personality. [HJB] [To the contrary, the Bible teaches that God is a triune, personal, transcendent Being who created "the world and all things in it" (Act 17:24). He is not a pantheistic all-in-all. He is holy and just, as well as love. God created and governs the universe, including man (Acts 17:24-27).]

4. Jesus Christ. Christian Science denies that the incarnation of Christ was the fullness of deity dwelling in human flesh, denies the perfection of the man Jesus, and attempts to explain away the historical death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ (Science and Health, pp. 336, 29, 332, 53, 398, 313, 593; Miscellaneous Writings, p. 201) Christian Science believes that Mary's conception of Jesus was spiritual -- on pages 332 and 347 of Science and Health, the virgin birth of Christ is described and explained: "Jesus was the offspring of Mary's self-conscious communion with God. ... Mary's conception of him was spiritual." Christian Science believes that the names "Jesus" and "Christ" do not refer to the same person -- that Jesus is the human man and Christ is the "divine idea" (i.e., "dualism"). They teach that the spiritual (good) cannot dwell in material bodies because they are evil; thus Jesus could not have been both God and man. [To the contrary, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is not the divine idea of God but was God uniquely manifested in the flesh, truly God and truly man, one divine Person with two indivisible natures, who is the only Savior and the only truth and Lord (John 1:1-3,14; Col. 2:9; Phil. 2:6-7; John 14:6).] Christian Science believes that Jesus was not God and the only way to heaven, but only the "wayshower" (cf. Jn. 20:31; I Jn. 4:2,3).

Christian Science not only denies that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, it also denies that Jesus is one Person with two natures -- fully God and fully man. Christian Science presents Jesus Christ in terms of a Gnostic duality: "The spiritual Christ was infallible: Jesus as material manhood was not Christ'' (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 84). "Christ as the true spiritual ideal, is the ideal of God now and forever ..." (Science and Health, p. 361). "The Christ is incorporeal, spiritual ..." while, "The corporeal [physical] man Jesus was human only (Science and Health, p 332). Yet "matter is mortal error … matter is the unreal and temporal" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 21). So what Christian Science actually concludes is that the physical humanity of Jesus was an illusion, ''as it seemed to mortal view" (Science and Health, p. 315).

Concerning the blood atonement of Jesus Christ: "The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon 'the accursed tree,' than when it was flowing in his veins ..." (Science and Health, p. 25). Christian Science teaches that the death of Jesus Christ for sin was a "man-made" theory, and that Jesus was alive in the tomb, demonstrating the "power of Spirit to overrule mortal, material sense" (Science and Health, p. 44). Eddy states, "Christ was not crucified ... Jesus, being the man who possessed the Christ consciousness, was the one who went to the cross and who appeared to die." Thus, according to the theology of Christian Science, the Bible only appears to say that Jesus died on the cross and His body was laid in the tomb; it must instead be understood that Jesus actually never died, but was rather in the tomb denying death's reality!

5. Holy Spirit. Christian Science denies that the Holy Spirit is a personal being. It teaches that the Holy Spirit is Christian Science. -- "This Comforter I understand to be Divine Science" (Science and Health, p. 55). It is the unfolding of the thoughts and infinite mind of God (pp. 502-503). [cf. Jn. 16:13-14] Thus, God, the Holy Spirit, cannot indwell a person (Science and Health, p. 336).

6. The Resurrection. It is obvious that if Jesus never physically died on the cross to atone for sins that mankind cannot commit (Science and Health, pp. 45-46), then the resurrection must also have a unique meaning in Christian Science. Eddy explains, "When Jesus reproduced his body after its burial, he revealed the myth or material falsity of evil; its powerlessness to destroy good and the omnipotence of the Mind that knows this: he also showed forth the error of nothingness of supposed life in matter, and the great somethingness of the good we possess, which is of Spirit, and immortal" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 201). Jesus resurrection was thus the manifestation of the error of evil. He demonstrated that sin and death are illusions and that if one wishes to rid themselves of these illusions, they only need to deny their reality.

7. Sin. Christian Science denies the existence of all matter, including man's physical body. They say that man is "incapable of sin, sickness, and death." They claim sin, sickness, and death are the "effects of error," thereby denying the reality of sin. [HJB] Bottom line, to Christian Science, there is no sin (Science and Health, p. 447). This is a consistent deduction and fundamental principle of the Christian Science system -- namely, God is all and God is good, and since the real man has never departed from his original state of perfection, he is not in need of salvation. He is saved now and reposing in the bosom of the Father. He has always been saved -- that is, as God's idea of the expression of the mind, man is forever held in the divine consciousness. And since sin and evil have no reality, all ideas of sin and evil are illusions. They are the product of the mortal mind. Hence, it is a sense of sin which is sinful because of the illusory product of the mortal mind. They say that man's real problem is the belief of sin, and that "Christ came to destroy the belief of sin." [Eddy writes in Miscellaneous Writings in the question and answer section: "If there is no sin, why did Jesus come to save sinners?" She answers, "Jesus came to seek and to save such as believe in the reality of the unreal; to save them from this false belief; that they might lay hold of eternal Life ..." (p. 63). In other words, Jesus came to save mankind from the false belief that sin is real! Jesus saving work was to exemplify the fact that death is unreal, that sin is only an illusion or false belief, and that to deny its existence is the ultimate task of each person.]

8. Salvation. Since Christian Scientists do not believe that sin is real, they, therefore, see no need for salvation in Jesus Christ. Notwithstanding, Christian Scientists still teach a salvation based on works -- and contrary to even their own teachings, a salvation through victory over suffering and temptation. [HJB]

to be cont.

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9. Hell. Christian Science denies the existence of hell and eternal punishment, and, therefore, there is no devil (Science and Health, p. 469). Hell is defined as "mortal belief; error; lust; remorse; hatred; revenge; sin; sickness; death." They believe that hell is a self-imposed "mental anguish," emanating from the guilt of one's imagined sin. [HJB]

10. Man's Destiny. Christian Science teaches that since God is all good and nothing that is real exists outside God, then sin, sickness, and death are mortal error or an illusion. Christ, as the Truth, therefore came to set man free from these false beliefs by His teachings and example (Science and Health, pp. 473, 475, 108). Christian Science denies the penal, substitutionary atonement of Christ, saying, ''The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed on 'the accursed tree,' than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about His Father's business" (Science and Health, p.25). "Jesus taught the way of Life by demonstration. There is but one way to heaven, harmony, and Christ in Divine Science shows us this way" (Science and Health, p. 242). ''Universal salvation rests on progression and probation … No final judgment awaits mortals …" (Science and Health, p. 291)

11. Disease and Death. Christian Scientists claim that since organic disease does not exist, "the cause of all so-called disease is mental" [i.e., 'the belief in sin is thereby the cause of it'], "a mistaken belief" (Science and Health, p. 377).  They say that since our physical bodies do not exist, disease and death are only illusions (Science and Health, pp. 348,386). [To the contrary, the Bible teaches that sin, sickness, and evil are not an illusion, but a result of man’s willful choice to rebel against a Holy God, and death (both physical and the spiritual eternal separation from God) is the result of sin (Rom. 3:10, 23; 5:12-14; 1 John 1:8-10).] They believe they have restored Christ's principles of divine healing through their practices of mental healing; i.e., the healing performed by Christian Science involves helping a person to deny the reality of his illness, and thereby, any failure to heal is due to a person's inability to overcome his belief. Mary Baker Eddy claimed to have this power of healing (called Divine Science), though she never provided any tangible proof of it. [HJB] [Whereas the Christian Science approach to healing may help psychosomatic illnesses, it has been scientifically demonstrated that it is not effective with real illness. In fact, studies comparing the cumulative death rates of practicing Christian Scientists with control groups have shown significantly higher death rates among the Christian Scientists (Journal of American Medical Association, September 22/29, 1989, pp 1657-58; and Morbidity Weekly Report, August 23, 1991, pp. 579-582).]

12. The "Gospel" of Christian Science. Jesus, who possessed the Christ consciousness as do all men to a lesser extent, went to the cross, not to bring about forgiveness of sin, for sin is an illusion, but rather to demonstrate that death is an illusion. On the morning of the resurrection, the supposed physical body of Jesus was reproduced in its original illusionary form, for all matter is illusion, and thereby demonstrated to mankind that all could do the same by denying the reality of sin and death.

Jesus' "seeming" death on the cross was not intended to pay for our sins, but to prove the unreality of sin, disease, and death. The Bible is full of mistakes. Jesus' words were recorded by "dull disciples ... in a decaying language," and must be spiritually interpreted through Christian Science.

To put it another way: "Jesus was laid down as the result of apparent death, into a fictitious tomb, in an unreal body, to make an unnecessary atonement for sins that had never been a reality and had been committed in an imaginary body, and that He saves from non-existing evil those headed toward an imaginary hell, the false fancy of an erroneous Mortal Mind" (J.K. VanBaalen, The Chaos of Cults).

13. Conclusion. Christian Science offers some real enticements -- a "spiritually scientific" method for healing, victory over life's circumstances, and guaranteed salvation. All one has to do to receive these blessings is to study Eddy's writings and obey them to the letter. She was God's messenger to this age and her writings are considered infallible. Just obey her teaching, and learn to think as she thought, and you will be victorious.

The physical dangers of Christian Science are obvious. Since they are taught that learning about their bodies is spiritually harmful, Christian Scientists are ill equipped to understand the symptoms of illness. They often suffer needlessly from treatable ailments and neglect life-threatening conditions that could be cured if treated in their early stages.  

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/science.htm

[Shammu]

These people are victims of an insidious cult, the media called "the sex cult of the 80's." They call themselves "The Family." They were once known as "The Children of God." They also call themselves: "Independent Christian Missionaries," "World Services," "Family of Love," "Heaven's Magic," "Martinelli," and the "Fellowship of Independent Christian Churches." Homes (colonies) are run by Shepherds or Team Workers. The cult has a vast history of public deception.  Many, many children are kidnapped, moved around, and hidden from parents who leave the cult. Followers are taught to lie to silence anyone who senses problems.

The old leader, David Berg, recently died. He led the cult followers to Europe due to charges of tax evasion, assault, abuse, sexual perversion, and kidnapping. They are back in the U.S. with a massive PR campaign, trying to gain credibility and converts.   For revenue, The Family may sell Berg's messages, posters, videos, and cassettes like "Heaven's Magic" or "Music With Meaning." They target schools, bookstores, and go door-to-door. In true cult fashion, they practice mandatory tithing and it's leader's writings, "Mo Letters," are held above the authority of the Bible.

MIND CONTROL. Former members say, The Family is similar to the Jehovah's Witnesses, the (Oahu) Boston Church of Christ, and other cults. As in The Mindbenders, by Jack Sparks, it practices various mind-control techniques and manipulation through control of information, isolation from family, the feeding of guilt, fear, persecution complexes, and the abandoning of careers. Berg told his followers to brainwash themselves.

SEX. The Children of God do not practice the godly behavior of God's children. David Berg, a bisexual, claimed to have sex with spirits (demons). He controlled his followers, enforcing his sexual aberrations. In 1974, he introduced religious prostitution and Flirty Fishing (free sex) as way of life. The women became "hookers for Jesus," seducing men into membership. Berg led his cult into group sex, lesbianism, fornication, adultery, incest, occultic practices, vulgar talk, adult-child sex, and child sex. Berg encouraged children to play and sleep together in the nude. He recommended wine to overcome sexual inhibitions and to induce occultic experiences.

Imagine children in communal homes with immoral, drunken, demonized adults! Court cases over child abuse are going on in Australia, the Philippines, Argentina, and France.  Most cults have some type of sexual perversion. Like the Mormons, The Family teaches that Jesus had sex with Mary and Martha. David Berg was a dirty old man. He said that VD is just a sacrifice that must be made in order to "win souls" (really flesh and followers)! Cult members were sent to bars to entice "fishes" (converts).

Having a reputation for free sex, females were instructed to just expect to be raped. Leaders punished members who would not submit to sex with whoever they designated by solitary confinement in "the cage." Clearly, the cult practices a dictator/doormat relationship with the disciples. To justify the rampant VD in The Children of God/The Family, Berg said Jesus probably had VD. Due to public exposure and the AIDS scare, he issued statements to discontinue Flirty Fishing and incest in 1987.

DEMONS. David Berg claimed to have sex with a green scaly spirit and pagan goddesses. Typically cult, he claimed to have authority straight from God and a spirit-medium named Abraham. He said he received messages from the dead (really demons) through an alcohol-induced trance (Rom. 13:12-14; Eph. 5:18). Submission to the spirits is thought to be necessary for spiritual growth. The whole scene sounds more like voodoo than Christianity with Berg's wizards, witches, casting spells, enchantments, hypnotism, fortune-telling, and astrology.

Berg compared himself to other cult leaders, like William Branham, who received "a message from God" while responding to spirits. Joseph Smith also said an "angel" appeared as a circle of light and materialized.  Hear from God! "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:. It doesn't matter what the cult is; any form of spiritism is categorically condemned and forbidden throughout the Bible.

Berg even wrote about "God's Witches!" There are no witches approved by God! In Old Testament times, God declared that false prophets and occultists were to die (Deut. 13:1-5; 18:10-22)! Don't let all the thinking be done for you. The Family is aligned with the forces of darkness rather than the living God. Discern the demonic spirits. Pray for deliverance. Jesus can set the captives free!

DOCTRINE. Blasphemous teaching reflects the filthy imaginations of the leadership. The Family's description of the Godhead is nothing less than gross perversion! It calls God the Father a pimp! He is described as an oversexed god (as in Mormonism and Krishna). They believe (like the Mormons) that God had intercourse with Mary to produce Jesus.  Wrong! The Holy Spirit, (Luke 1:35), was miraculously responsible for the virgin birth (Mat. 1:23)! Resembling the polygamous Jesus of Mormonism, the Jesus of The Family is a sexually active, promiscuous bachelor with VD.

The Holy Spirit is unscripturally referred to in the feminine gender, blasphemously called a "Queen of Love" and depicted as a semi-naked woman. The god of David Berg is an immoral reprobate like himself.  Paul warned about those with another Jesus, a different Gospel, and a different Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 11:4). The Mormon Jesus is the brother of Satan; the Jehovah's Witness Jesus is Michael the Archangel; the Christian Science Jesus is a Divine Idea; the New Age Jesus is the Christ consciousness we all have; the Bahai and Masonic Jesus are dead Cropland’s Jesus had to be born again; David Berg's Jesus is just another sinner.

The wrong Jesus could not save anybody! Whatever contradicts Scripture is from false prophets with lying spirits in their mouths. The real Jesus is the God-Man, God in human form (John 1:1,14; Phil. 2:1-13). Look to Jesus and the empty tomb. David Berg was a corrupted, dangerous dictator. Like other cults, Berg's changing and conflicting doctrines intermingle evangelical terminology with heresy.

Like New Agers, The Family believes in reincarnation. Hear from God! "And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (He. 9:27). Like Scientology and Roman Catholicism, Berg taught a universal salvation through a purgatory-like process. He said the living can pray people out of hell. Not one Bible verse supports the lie! "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). Who will you believe, the Bible or Berg? The doctrinal and sexual aber-rations completely separates The Family from Christianity.

To be cont.

[Shammu]

 PROPHECY. Berg predicted the coming of Jesus Christ and failed (like Ellen G. White, Joseph Smith, and the Watchtower). Those with false visions cannot be trusted (Jer. 14:14). They are liars like their father the devil (John 8:44). Was America destroyed by the comet Kahoutek in the 1970s as Berg predicted (Mat. 24:11)? He prophesied the return of Jesus Christ for 1993. Did anyone see Jesus come in all His glory (Mat. 25:31)? Another date-setter ignored Jesus! Let Jesus correct Berg, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Mat. 24:36).  

David Berg claimed the understanding of Daniel. He called himself Moses, God's prophet, and he claimed the name "David" after the King of Israel. Yet, Berg promoted killing Jews, saying, "O God, if I had a gun I'd shoot them myself!" The cultists were instructed to regard Berg as their King and Father. You face a choice between any spiritual leader claiming the title of "Father" or Jesus, who said, "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven" (Mat. 23:9).  Berg's word is considered God's Word for today, taking precedence over God's Word for yesterday, the Bible. This differs little from Mormonism or Watchtower "new light." The end to these "damnable heresies" will be "swift destruction," and a reservation with punishment and everlasting darkness (2 Pet. 2:1-2,9,17).

A true prophet does not say, "Thus saith David Berg..." He says, "Thus saith the Scriptures...", or as Jesus said, "It is written..."  David Berg held the same position in The Family that the pope holds in Roman Catholicism, the governing body holds in the Jehovah's Witnesses, the prophet holds in Mormonism, or the apostle holds over the (Oahu) Boston Church of Christ. They claim to speak for God. "For there is one God, and one mediator (go between) between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 2:5).

ACTION. What can you do for those in a cult? Many leave the cults through the help of a friend and become faithful Christians! Tell the children, how to get help and that no one has a right to abuse their bodies. Tell them of Jesus' love; all they experience is lust. Jesus said, "Suffer (allow) little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Mat. 19:14).

The counterfeit Jesus of The Family is nothing but a depraved religious leader like David Berg. The true Jesus is "without sin" (Heb. 4:15)! Any child could sit on the lap of Jesus or a true follower of Christ without being violated! Jesus warned the David Bergs of this world, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Mat. 18:6).

On judgment day they will wish they'd never been born! "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).  Dear soul, perhaps you have been confused, looking for truth, and found yourself a victim in The Family. Pray, "Jesus, I believe You died for my sins. Now You are risen from the dead. Forgive me. I have lost the way. I forsake the counterfeit. I quit trusting my works to save me (Eph. 2:8,9). I accept the true Jesus as my Savior. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!" There is healing from abuse and sin. Real love is available. Reach out for help! You don't have to face this alone.

Pastor Chuck Brocka,
New Life Baptist Church
95-231 Kaopua Loop,
Mililani, HI 96789

http://www.blessedquietness.com/journal/housechu/chilofgd.htm

[Shammu]

Doctrinal heresy is a sin against God (Galatians 5:20).

An ideal world would be free from doctrinal heresy and the other results of sin. This ideal world we must await in Christ Jesus who will grant such perfect existence in his future kingdom (Revelation 7:17; 21:4).

Until that time we must contend with heresies and cults that dot church history, leaving their mark of remembrance. Cults come and go, but rare indeed is the repentance of cult leadership that results in heresy being replaced with biblical Christianity.

Such is the story of the Worldwide Church of God. Once known far and wide as the cult of Armstrongism, it now, through repentance, joins hands with conservative Christians in heralding the gospel.

Its official organ, The Plain Truth magazine, embraces the very doctrines its past issues condemned. It interviews contemporary Christian leaders it once derided. It accepts advertising from various Christian publishers it once shunned.

The Worldwide Church of God, originally founded by Herbert W. Armstrong (1892- 1986), was led through this remarkable change by his successor, Joseph W. Tkach (1927-1995).

He reversed Armstrong's most damnable doctrines in full acceptance of the Trinity, Christ's divinity and humanity, the person and deity of the Holy Spirit, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and salvation by grace through faith alone.

Gone is Anglo-Israelism. Gone is the bondage of legalism as a test for fellowship. Gone is the God Family of divine humans. Gone is the exclusivism and cultism.

Not all followers of Armstrong, whose teaching we term "Armstrongism," accepted this welcomed change.

Joseph W. Tkach and the administrators made earnest attempts to hold the church together during their doctrinal reexamination period. But those dedicated to Armstrong's cultism grew impatient, forming about fifty splinter groups from 1985 to 1995. These groups are disassociated from the Worldwide Church of God and each claims succession from Armstrong.

Preceding them, another fifty splinter groups separated from Herbert W. Armstrong during his lifetime.

Armstrong's teaching bred a hundred factions of which ninety presently remain. The founder's son, Garner Ted Armstrong, leads quite a successful movement with the Church of God, International.

Garner Ted Armstrong was once viewed by millions on television as the flamboyant commentator of The World Tomorrow program. Amid charges of sexual misconduct, his forced departure from his father's domain landed him in Tyler, Texas, with thousands of television followers.

His playboy lifestyle followed him into the 1990s with new charges of sexual misconduct, again forcing a temporary step-down from his new church (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 23, 1995).

Nevertheless, faithful Church of God, International members reinstated him as their iconic representative on 315 cable stations in North America. His espoused doctrines follow that of his father, namely, denial of the Trinity, denial of the bodily resurrection, and denial of biblical salvation.

Among those that broke away during the reformation of the Worldwide Church of God, the largest is led by another self-proclaimed successor to Armstrong, Gerald Flurry.

The Philadelphia Church of God, located in Edmond, Oklahoma, has a television log of sixty stations in five countries. Their program, The Key of David, echoes Armstrong's prophetic speculation.

The Philadelphia Trumpet, their official magazine, is a constant reminder of Herbert W. Armstrong's old doctrines in the face of the reborn Worldwide Church of God. Gerald Flurry minces no words in prodding and jostling the Worldwide Church of God for its baptism into historical Christianity.

Most of the splinter cults of Armstrongism retain the name "Church of God" somewhere in their title. They mix legalism, including strict Sabbatarianism, with a variety of Armstrong's leading doctrines.

Two other noteworthy groups among these are the Global Church of God, located in San Diego, California, and the United Church of God in Arcadia, California.

The former has a television following on two superstations covering much of the United States, while the latter publishes The Good News magazine and covers thirty television stations with programming.

Joseph Tkach Jr., son of Joseph W. Tkach, currently heads the Worldwide Church of God. Leading this church through the exodus of error was costly, which is seen in the loss of many thousands of members.

The Plain Truth magazine now circulates approximately 130,000, down considerably from their high of eight million. Much better though is the loss of size than the compromise of truth.

The World Tomorrow television program has ceased and actual church membership has dropped to half of its normative to 40,000 constituents.

Their Pasadena, California, campus is shrinking and the church-supported Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, has closed its doors.

On the positive side, the Worldwide Church of God has a remnant of 300 pastors committed to preaching an uncompromised gospel. Their message is that you must be born again by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

The Plain Truth magazine is greeted as a refreshing Christian voice. Prominent denominations and Christian leaders have extended the right hand of fellowship to its church leaders.

The church now holds membership in the National Association of Evangelicals, while the magazine is a member of the Evangelical Press Association and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

As for the present changes in the Worldwide Church of God, they wrote, in an interview with this writer, "The Worldwide Church of God has abandoned unbiblical doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong."

This abandonment may be viewed as parallel to one of Armstrong's toughest decisions, which was to excommunicate his son, Garner Ted Armstrong, from his church.

He said, "Perhaps another evidence of the Worldwide Church of God being the one original Church of God is that its apostle did remove his son, who was secularizing God's Church and college, besides other sins."1

Again, he wrote, "Finally, four leaders ... came to God's apostle, saying, `We have to report to you that your son has systematically destroyed all that Christ has built through his apostle and is building something for himself. Like a spoiled child, he wants his own way.'

"God's apostle, to be not guilty of Eli's sin, removed his son from all authority and disfellowshipped him from the church."2

In a similar way, those in the Worldwide Church of God have abandoned the false teachings of their founder, Herbert W. Armstrong. It was emotionally painful, for many of them had known Armstrong for decades. But to stand for biblical truth and accuracy one must hurtle all barriers.

To be cont.

[Shammu]

The changes did not occur overnight. Their progressive change is reflected in their newest statement of beliefs, which says, "This Statement of Beliefs does not constitute a closed creed. The Church constantly renews its commitment to truth and deeper understanding and responds to God's guidance in its beliefs and practices."3

Since they have left an open book on their creeds, we write this chapter based upon current publications offered to the public. Accordingly, newer information may demand further analysis.

In the remainder of this chapter we will sketch Herbert W. Armstrong's background and examine his teachings with Scripture. We must be careful to distinguish the doctrines of Armstrongism and today's Worldwide Church of God.

The cults that follow Mr. Armstrong's teachings are cults indeed, denying the major tenets of the Christian faith.

Based upon the published changes, the Worldwide Church of God is not a cult, however, because it has shown repentance and abandonment of Armstrong's false doctrines and demonstrates adherence to biblical truth.

Therefore, we will make known the changes in the Worldwide Church of God that separate it from the cults of Armstrongism.

The ninety cults of Armstrongism believe that Mr. Armstrong spoke with the authority of "Elijah." We cannot list all ninety groups on every subject, so we will generalize their teachings as that of "Armstrongism," while comparing it to the Worldwide Church of God or the Bible.

http://www.wcg.org/wn/98apr/cult.htm

[M]

This thread is all very interesting.  It is important to know what these cults believe and how they are deceiving.  

Would some knowledgable person please check this site about spiritualism and explain better why it is wrong.

http://www.iamspirit.org/Home-1.aspx

 I had been to this church a few times many years ago and just felt something creepy about it.  While they do practice the gifts of the spirit, there is undue emphasis on the communication with spirits.  Even the ministers there will warn about being deceived.  They say they have discernment but I would rather just avoid being mislead this way and just concentrate on the Word of God (Bible).  So I haven't been there in years, but I often wonder about it.

[Shammu]

This thread is all very interesting.  It is important to know what these cults believe and how they are deceiving.  

Would some knowledgable person please check this site about spiritualism and explain better why it is wrong.

http://www.iamspirit.org/Home-1.aspx

 I had been to this church a few times many years ago and just felt something creepy about it.  While they do practice the gifts of the spirit, there is undue emphasis on the communication with spirits.  Even the ministers there will warn about being deceived.  They say they have discernment but I would rather just avoid being mislead this way and just concentrate on the Word of God (Bible).  So I haven't been there in years, but I often wonder about it.

After studying the FAQ, and site. I would believe that they fall under, "specific channelers and channeling based groups."

[Shammu]

The New Age Movement

 

 

The term "New Age" seems to be saturating the media these days. One can hardly turn on a talk show without being bombarded with some aspect of the "New Age", be it "channeling", or "holistic health", or "astral travel", etc. The so-called "New Age" is big business. " Time Magazine" of December 7th, l987, reported some very interesting facts, namely that Bantam Books reported a tenfold increase in New Age titles in the past decade. Also that New Age Bookstores have doubled in the past five years to total about 2,500. The "Grammy Awards" have a special prize now for "New Age music."

Shirley MacLaine has written five books on the subject totaling 8 million copies. Her recent 15-city tour brought her an estimated income of 1.5 million, and she plans to open a 300-acre retreat in Colorado. She is quoted in this same "Time Magazine" as saying,

"I want to prove that spirituality is profitable". Also "If you don't see me as God", says MacLaine, blithe as ever, "it's because you don't see yourself as God". (page 68, Time Magazine 12/7/87).

One thing is certain. People are flocking to the New Age Movement, or to various parts of it, looking for answers in this life, and the Christian must be prepared to deal with New Age concepts and understand them, if we are to offer these honest, seeking persons, a better alternative.

 

DEFINING THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

It is difficult to place a firm definition on the New Age Movement, because it encompasses so many concepts. It mixes revived Gnosticism and Eastern mysticism with health and well-being treatments, and includes astrology, and even mediumship or channeling. Not all persons believe all aspects of the New Age, but practice some of them. We will therefore briefly list some of the identifying marks of the New Age Movement, and present a Christian, Biblical perspective.

 

SURFACE "RESPECT FOR ALL RELIGIONS"

Christians will notice right away, how difficult it is to witness to a person who has had various experiences in the New Age. When presenting Christian counsel, the New Ager will often reply, "I'll allow you your truth, and you allow me mine". This "reasoning" flies in the face of the meaning of the word "truth". The Doubleday Dictionary defines "truth" as "conformity to fact or reality".

The Christian will wish to use the Bible as "fact" to establish "truth", while the New Ager will wish to use his "experience(s)" to establish "truth". He may even deny reality altogether. New Agers do not want to hear that anything is necessarily "right" or "wrong", "good" or "evil", as each wants to be god and make his own decisions. In our experience, we have usually had to wait until the New Ager has had a bad "trip" with his seeking, and has succeeded in finding out that he no longer has control. He wants help, and he wants out! Persons out of a Christian background involved in New Age activities are often convicted of violating Bible principles when these are lovingly pointed out to them, with real concern.

 

NEW AGE VIEW OF GOD

The New Age Movement has the Eastern view of God, namely that "God is All" and "man is god". Since they believe that God is the sum total of all things, then there is no evil, nor any standards to live by, according to their reasoning. They are constantly trying to draw closer to the "godforce" or "energy" by their various techniques, indeed, they hope to enter the Godhead. The Bible view is the exact opposite. We worship a personal God, who is the Creator of all. Romans 1:20-23 says,

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man...."

There is only one scripture in the Bible where humans are told they can become gods, and that was Satan the Devil lying to the gullible and foolish Eve! (Genesis 3:4,5).

 

NEW AGE VIEW OF THE PERSON OF

JESUS CHRIST

New Age teaching presents Jesus Christ as a "world teacher", an "ascended master", a man with "Christ principle", a "cosmic Christ". The Bible presents Jesus Christ as Almighty God manifest in the flesh. (See John 1:1,14). Quite a difference!

I like to ask New Agers, would Jesus Christ teach truth or error? They admit that He would teach truth. Then the Christian is in a position to present the claims of Jesus Christ as to who He is. We recommend the chapter "Defending the Deity of Jesus Christ to the Cults" in our book "Coping With The Cults".

 

LOOKING FOR MESSIAH

Most New Agers are expecting Messiah to reveal himself any day now. Most believe he is already alive and living somewhere in the world. Those believing the date 1982 for his revealing already have "egg on their faces" for spending thousands of dollars to take out a full-page ad in major newspapers in major cities worldwide, to announce the arrival of the "Maitreya" or "Messiah". Followers were blamed for the failure, for not creating enough positive "energy", so the date has been moved forward, rather indefinitely at this point.

This view does not surprise Bible students as they have been forewarned in 1 John 4:1-3

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming and now it is already in the world."

We sincerely believe that New Agers have been deceived into anticipating the arrival of the Antichrist.

NEW AGE "SALVATION BY SELF"

The New Age Movement is extremely humanistic. Since each person believes he is a god and in charge of his own universe, it follows that he can "work out his own salvation", and has no need of a savior. He is therefore continually "turning in" with meditation, and striving to become part of the godforce. While missing the true Jesus Christ of the Bible, he tunes in various "spirit guides", and accepts the experiences they give him as "truth". He imagines he is making progress towards salvation, or self-realization. The Bible, once again, presents the opposite view. Rather than being self-sufficient gods, the Bible teaches that we are humans who have all inherited sin from our common forefather, Adam. Romans 5:12 reads,

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."

We truly cannot save ourselves. We may seek in various experiences for light, but Jesus Christ is the true light. John 1: 9,12,13 reads

"There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. But as many as received Him (Jesus Christ), to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Those seeking for a better life can find it in the person of Jesus Christ who promises in John 10:10,

"...I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly".
Cont., next post