The Flat Earth movement definitely has elements of groups labeled as cults or new religious movements. It relies on a belief that fundamental elements of agreed upon culture are made up and that reality is understandable only if you give up the lies dictated by the governments of the world.
Similarly there are branches of those who believe in QAnon that takes on extremely religious tones. The idea that the world is being run by demonic forces, that children are taken from their parents for use in blood sacrifice to pagan gods, and that beings from beyond this material plane have given the bad guys advanced technology to rule the world. (Note that these people are on the fringes of an already fringe belief. I don’t want to paint with too broad a brush.)
Both anons and the flat earthers tend to disfellowship quite frequently as well.
Interesting. I see alot of chuches have cult like attributes. Most all churches advertise "All Are Welcome". But if you disagree with their theology, question their pastors teaching, overstep their inivisible lines, you may be ostracized, rejected from even volunteering there, and repeatedly taught "the correct way" and if you still don't agree and fall in line it just gets worse until you either toe the line or leave. But churches can't advertise " How does one figure out what they believe when the church they are attending teaches their particular blend of theology is the only one allowed? I have been in churches where it was considered wrong to even watch another church service online. It was disloyal. How do you find a church that allows independent thinking and not just rigid repetititon of only what they are teaching? I would put comp churches in to this category as well. Navigating today's churches to find the "right" church is very difficult for the average person who has no concept of why they are treated the way they are. Some end up leaving churches forever.
When I was growing up in a rural area of northern Wisconsin, it never occurred to my family to do any church-shopping. We attended the little clapboard Alliance church 3 miles away. We weren't members, neither Mrs Giles who challenged virtually everything. But she was accepted as part of the church community. As an early teen, I was devastated when the pastor I dearly loved was sent packing. Turns out, he was discovered parked in the woods with a girl a few years older than I. (He may have already had his eye on me). A couple of years earlier I had spent a week at Pigeon Lake Bible Camp and in the last evening session, with fear and trepidation, I responded to the altar call to become a missionary---at age 13, no less! Turns out the Missionary who pleaded with us kids to make this life-long decision was a serial sexual child-abuser at boarding school in Africa. So the question: How do you find a church. It's easier if there are a number of churches from which to choose. Ask questions of members. Are they knowledgable and free to interact and question themselves. Or, are they cheerleaders only? Watch our for charismatic leaders. Be familiar with A Church Called TOV.
Wow. Thank you for your reply! Sometimes when Jesus protects us from something it doesn’t feel like protection at the time and only in hindsight can we see why and thank Him! The last church I was at I asked my cousin, who was a long term member there, about their policy on woman proclaiming God in a baptism. She said it was allowed. But the campus pastor forbid me, wrote nasty emails about me warning the other campus pastors when I disobeyed him. I appealed to the Exec pastor who said he would personally rip the mic out of my hand to prevent me from testifying…. They wouldn’t answer me when I asked directly if they were comp, like they were hiding it. But I found comp hidden deep on their website constitution and left there also….
Had 2 friends that worked for Dr Martin. It helped when my kids and I met some really happy people in Nagoya....belonging to a group called The Family...formerly The Children of God cult. I wonder about some churches as well when it comes to non biblical issues make it credal.
The term and concept are problematic and pejorative. Many evangelicals have followed the trend in the academic community opting for "new religious movement" as an alternative. We can draw upon a different way of understanding and nomenclature, even with concerns over theological orthodoxy and heterodoxy. Interested readers can consult the Lausanne issue group paper on this, LOP45, for a different approach that avoids the shortcomings.
The Flat Earth movement definitely has elements of groups labeled as cults or new religious movements. It relies on a belief that fundamental elements of agreed upon culture are made up and that reality is understandable only if you give up the lies dictated by the governments of the world.
Similarly there are branches of those who believe in QAnon that takes on extremely religious tones. The idea that the world is being run by demonic forces, that children are taken from their parents for use in blood sacrifice to pagan gods, and that beings from beyond this material plane have given the bad guys advanced technology to rule the world. (Note that these people are on the fringes of an already fringe belief. I don’t want to paint with too broad a brush.)
Both anons and the flat earthers tend to disfellowship quite frequently as well.
Interesting. I see alot of chuches have cult like attributes. Most all churches advertise "All Are Welcome". But if you disagree with their theology, question their pastors teaching, overstep their inivisible lines, you may be ostracized, rejected from even volunteering there, and repeatedly taught "the correct way" and if you still don't agree and fall in line it just gets worse until you either toe the line or leave. But churches can't advertise " How does one figure out what they believe when the church they are attending teaches their particular blend of theology is the only one allowed? I have been in churches where it was considered wrong to even watch another church service online. It was disloyal. How do you find a church that allows independent thinking and not just rigid repetititon of only what they are teaching? I would put comp churches in to this category as well. Navigating today's churches to find the "right" church is very difficult for the average person who has no concept of why they are treated the way they are. Some end up leaving churches forever.
When I was growing up in a rural area of northern Wisconsin, it never occurred to my family to do any church-shopping. We attended the little clapboard Alliance church 3 miles away. We weren't members, neither Mrs Giles who challenged virtually everything. But she was accepted as part of the church community. As an early teen, I was devastated when the pastor I dearly loved was sent packing. Turns out, he was discovered parked in the woods with a girl a few years older than I. (He may have already had his eye on me). A couple of years earlier I had spent a week at Pigeon Lake Bible Camp and in the last evening session, with fear and trepidation, I responded to the altar call to become a missionary---at age 13, no less! Turns out the Missionary who pleaded with us kids to make this life-long decision was a serial sexual child-abuser at boarding school in Africa. So the question: How do you find a church. It's easier if there are a number of churches from which to choose. Ask questions of members. Are they knowledgable and free to interact and question themselves. Or, are they cheerleaders only? Watch our for charismatic leaders. Be familiar with A Church Called TOV.
Wow. Thank you for your reply! Sometimes when Jesus protects us from something it doesn’t feel like protection at the time and only in hindsight can we see why and thank Him! The last church I was at I asked my cousin, who was a long term member there, about their policy on woman proclaiming God in a baptism. She said it was allowed. But the campus pastor forbid me, wrote nasty emails about me warning the other campus pastors when I disobeyed him. I appealed to the Exec pastor who said he would personally rip the mic out of my hand to prevent me from testifying…. They wouldn’t answer me when I asked directly if they were comp, like they were hiding it. But I found comp hidden deep on their website constitution and left there also….
The son of Reverend Moon of the Unification church has started an apocalyptic gun cult in Pennsylvania. They are pretty scary. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2018/05/21/feature/two-sons-of-rev-moon-have-split-from-his-church-and-their-followers-are-armed/?no_nav=true
Had 2 friends that worked for Dr Martin. It helped when my kids and I met some really happy people in Nagoya....belonging to a group called The Family...formerly The Children of God cult. I wonder about some churches as well when it comes to non biblical issues make it credal.
The term and concept are problematic and pejorative. Many evangelicals have followed the trend in the academic community opting for "new religious movement" as an alternative. We can draw upon a different way of understanding and nomenclature, even with concerns over theological orthodoxy and heterodoxy. Interested readers can consult the Lausanne issue group paper on this, LOP45, for a different approach that avoids the shortcomings.
What are your thoughts on Witness Lee and the local church?