Status Updates From The Kingdom of the Cults by...

The weirdness of the denial of evil (I.e. the only reality is that the unreality of sin, sickness, and death seem real) is heightened by Eddy’s replacement explanation of Malicious Animal Magnetism.

Interesting, the contrast of absolute idealism (denial of existence of matter) versus the inevitable “calculating materialist…thoroughly enjoy(ing) all the material comforts derived from denying their existence.”

My favorite parts about Christian Science thus far: (1) “there’s no warrant in common law and no permission in the gospel” for plagiarism, except when you’re recasting ideas from the sainted Dr Quimby, and (2) the death of third husband Asa from “arsenic poisoning mentally administered”. No surprise the autopsy expert/Dean of Bellevue Medical College had no real credentials.

Like the explanation of Mormonism as a masquerade of Christian principles “complete with an exclusive message, infallible prophets, and higher revelations” leading to a “polytheistic nightmare of garbled doctrines”. This “spiritual maze” has drawn away many intro a great deal of pain and trauma.

After using Scripture to combat the Mormon position on universal salvation, ‘free grace’ ending in earned perseverance of the saints, the triple-layered heaven, and celestial marriage…Kimball’s puzzlement over “how anyone could question our being Christians” rings hollow.

After a thundering good defense of how the Mormon ‘priesthood’ is invalidated by the person of Jesus Christ (He is the fulfillment and there is no successor), this applies to other cults. “Christianity is not merely a system of doctrinal pronouncements…It is a living, vital experience with the God of the Bible as He was incarnate in the Man from Nazareth.” More than ethics - a changed life.

I like the reversal of accusation. “Joseph Smith …declared theological war on Christianity when he ascribed to God the statement that branded all Christian sects as ‘corrupt’…The onus of hostility rests upon the Mormons” for lobbing the abusive accusations gleaned from Smith, plus polygamy.

One revision of the Book of Mormon (history of alleged Semitic refugees from Jerusalem around 600 BC) is in 1920, one in 1981 (over 100 verses revised without reference to the missing golden plates). Illustrates the church’s preference to “sacrifice truth for the sake of public relations.”

The Mountain Meadows Massacre of 100+ immigrants underlines both Brigham Young’s ruthlessness and the fact that Mormons were not always helpless recipients of persecution.

Also fascinating that the early years and character of Joseph Smith Jr, like that of Charles Taze Russell for the JWs, is glossed over by future spiritual descendants. The founder provides inspiration (“its initial thrust”) but the first successor adds momentum, building toward an organized religion.

Wasn’t aware that over 100 splinter groups and clans (Order of Enoch, the Temple Lot group, Allreds, etc) claim the Book of Mormon as their foundation, and a major fault line is whether or not the group adhered to the 1830s or 1890s prophecies.

JW strategy: expose the weakness of Christian teaching, hunt for inadequately prepared and nominal believers, and expand their circle of influence built on ignorance of Biblical truth. It’s scary because the assessment was correct. American Christians have not trained their children to contend for the faith.

“It is frustrating and exasperating to carry on a discussion with a person or persons who argue in circles and dodge artfully from one refutation to another.” Might be a JW habit but it’s also the sign of a cult in general - mosquito-like theological ADD.

Yep, Thayer was a Unitarian denier of (Christ’s) deity, but his Greek-English Lexicon gives them no wiggle room for declaring Christ as having “the divine quality”. One does not get threatened with stoning by legalistic Hebrews for having divine quality.

Going to memorize this phrase: “composite unity” (like a grace cluster). “God the Father was in heaven, God the Son died on the cross, and God the Holy Spirit comforts the church till Jesus shall come again.”

“We can make sure of what is right only by a process of reasoning on God’s Word.” Again, JW logic sounds awfully familiar.

Interesting that the criteria for evaluation of doctrinal credibility is (Man’s) reason. Enlightenment leaders would be proud. Russell’s assertion that reason “opened up to the intellect of man the very character of God Himself” sounds oddly familiar - and not in a good way.

Interesting that the JWs moved from a one-man Presidential show (Russell to Rutherford) and on to governance by the small oligarchy of the Governing Body in Brooklyn, New York. No longer a cult of personality but of principle.

Good summary of the JW attempts to distance themselves from perjurer Charles Taze Russell, “who has bequeathed to you a gospel of spiritual confusion…a mixture of tradition, innovation, and contradiction…As to its continually waffling position on its role as God’s ‘prophet’ for today, it is inconsistent and self-contradictory.” So JWs have daddy issues.

Agree with Rev. JJ Ross: “This inspiration has its origin in the pit.”

“Psychologically, the man was an egotist whose imagination knew no bounds and who is classed (by his followers) along with the apostle Paul, Wycliffe, and Luther as a great expositor of the gospel.”

Thinking this about a few self-styled, non-ordained leaders with zero accountability and less authority. “The title ‘pastor’ was assumed-not earned” per a quote from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: “Although he styled himself a ‘pastor’ and was so addressed by thousands of followers all over the world, he had never been ordained and had no ministerial standing in any other religious sect than his own.”

“As a speaker, Russell swayed many; as a theologian, he impressed no one competent; as a man, he failed before the true God.” Searing indictment of the Jehovah’s Witness leader who “maneuvered masterfully just one jump ahead of the law”.

“False gospels promote themselves through deceit, persuasion, emotional lures, etc…which should be opposed by the clear thinking and biblical argumentation God has given. The spiritual battle against the cults will not be won either by misjudging the nature of the enemy’s attack or by using the wrong weapons in our counterattack.”

More likely theory is that people with very real needs (spiritual, emotional, etc) want fulfillment and significance in life, but they make poor choices about how to get those needs met (I.e. joining a cult for a year or two).

Both premises of the cult mind control model appear to be false - (1) “one becomes a victim of cult recruitment’s insidious mind control and hypnosis techniques” or (2) cult members can’t leave if their own free will but must be rescued by a professional intervention (exit planning).

Intolerance is protected within cults (thriving on authoritarianism while remaining resistant to change) “since the cults thrive on conformity, ambiguity, and extremeness of belief.”

“almost without exception, all cultic belief systems manifest a type of institutional dogmatism and a pronounced intolerance for any position but their own.” Agreed that the basis is supernatural (‘God revealed this new doctrine/practice’) for the claims attempting to replace Christianity.

Couldn’t agree more. “For cultism, like communism, plays a type of hypnotic music upon a semantic harp of terminological deception. And there are many who historically have followed these strains down the broad road to spiritual eternal judgment.”