Linda’s Reviews > The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin > Status Update

“I learned much about cult methodology on the mission fields…the cults generally are happy to remain virtually anonymous until they have established a bridgehead. This is important in an area where a work has already begun or has been functioning for many years.”

“The persons deceived into believing false teachers…come from a wide cross-section of the Christian community. Sometimes followers…band together to form a tight-knit group that is based primarily on the prophetic scenarios…put forth by their leader. When the leader additionally incorporates heretical doctrine and enforces allegiance to heresy by his followers, an apocalyptic cult comes into being.”

“Scientologists announced the L. Ron Hubbard decisively ‘discarded the body’ to move on to the next level of research, outside his body. How this new research would become available to planet earth is left unsaid.”

Love this summary of repackaged occultism. “The only substantive difference between Hinduism and the New Age movement is that Hinduism is world denying while the New Age movement is world affirming. No ‘yuppie’ is going to adopt the Hindu tradition of abandoning all worldly possessions to go meditate under a cliff, gonna mountain, or in a cave.”

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.”

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.