5/6 So why do People Join Cults and reject Christian Foundations?
This is our third post in this series on ‘The Five main Challenges to Christian Foundations’. So far, we have defined what we mean by cults and given a personal story of one young woman and her leadership into cult life.
In this post, we want to set out the reasons why people join such groups. Why do people turn away from mainstream Christian Foundations?
A. IF CULTS ARE SO DANGEROUS, WHY DO PEOPLE JOIN AND STAY IN THE CULT?
1. Cults Target Idealistic Youth
Most recruitment activities are aimed at young, idealistic, spiritually aware people. These people may be searching for meaning in their lives. Large percentages come from some dysfunctional family background. As such, they are seeking an identity and a place to belong and be accepted.
2. Most Cult members have some Church Background
According to Dr. Walter Martin, 80% of cult members come out of traditional Christian churches. (Fatal Faith, page 42.) Their church experience often leaves them disappointed, disillusioned and unfulfilled. The church promised and didn’t deliver. Cults waste little time on those with a firm faith in Jesus or those with a solid knowledge of the Bible.
3. A Cult Appeals to Experience versus Doctrine
Most cults and occultist groups emphasise experience over doctrine. They emphasis mystical rather than rational. Most cults encourage a sense of family, of identity and intimacy. Most human targets have not developed the ability to think for themselves, but see the miraculous as God’s stamp of approval on the leader/s. They have not learned to look below the surface.
B. COMMON CULT GROUPS
Following is a short list of the more common cults found in Australia, Canada, England and the United States:
|
Jehovah’s Witnesses |
Christadelphians | Freemasonry |
|
Mormons |
Unitarians |
Scientology |
|
Christian Science |
Exclusive Brethren |
The Way – Cooneyites |
|
The Local Church of Wiriness Lee |
Worldwide Church of God |
Unification Church (Moonies) |
|
United Pentecostal Church – ‘Jesus Name’ |
William Brananham – Spoken Word Church |
Church of the New Jerusalem |
|
Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy |
Unity School of Christianity |
The Boston Church of Christ |
| Theosophy | Rosicrucians |
Spiritualism |
Cults groups vary greatly. You can find groups from the ascetic to the promiscuous, from simple teachings to highly evolved doctrines, from the poor and weak through to the rich and powerful. Having good family structures, reliable authority figures and positive Christian role models helps guard against cult’s deceptive claims.
In our next post, we shall look at how to identify a Cult and what is the ususal mindset, or ethos of such misguided groups.
Susanne Fengler, Blog Author
www.christianfoundations-jesus.treeoflife.info
Tags: why join cults
Filed under: Challenges to the Christian Faith
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