The Hypocrisy Of The True Religious Cults

When we think of cults, we usually visualize strange acts; abnormal behaviour and other outwardly visible signs which convince us these are not true religions. Discussion of so-called “cults” has picked up noticeably, mostly since the Jonestown tragedy.

The word “cult” has come to mean different things to different people. Today it seems to be used mostly as an insult in reference to various religious organizations that are small, different, or generally despised by larger, more “mainstream” groups.

What the World Offers

But what of the mainstream religions; the bigger and more accepted bodies of beliefs? You can scrutinously investigate all of the myriad denominations, synods, sects, orders and offshoots that this world has to offer — and never find even a remote allusion to commonality of doctrine.

Now there is certainly no dearth of IDEAS floating around. Any way you want it, you can find it — some religion is sure to feature it. This world’s religious system offers EVERY conceivable possibility for man’s ultimate destiny: everything from angelic beings to eternally physical beings, everything from dis-embodied souls to transmigrated bodies — EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH.

Looking for a purpose in life? Check your newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, grocery store bulletin boards, college campuses. Find yourself a religion that suits you. You’ve got thousands to choose from. Surely at least ONE church or organization has been specifically tailored to your tastes. Get yourself an austere one — or one with all the weird variations, special nuances and distinctive frills that the human mind can concoct thrown in as part of the “package deal.” Better yet, make up your own “package deal” — invent your own religion.

You can believe anything you want. ANYTHING BUT THE TRUTH. Anything but the incredibly awesome fact that every human being was designed to join the God Family. I repeat: No religion of this world even comes close to hinting that man’s purpose in life is to be born AS A SON into the Family of Almighty God, even though this is what Christ actually taught; what the gospel is all about — the Kingdom of God.

Now that all by itself should seem rather odd. In all the wide spectrum of religious beliefs it would seem that at least ONE would have stumbled upon the obvious, literal word-by-word meaning of the Bible.

Infinite intelligence and universal love

Now, it is true that a few religious fringers might possibly agree that “man is to become God.” BUT THEIR “GOD” IS NOT GOD. They just use this respectable three-letter term as a convenient label to attach to some nebulous, self-satisfying platitude like “Cosmic Consciousness” or to some amorphous, self-glorifying
quality like “Infinite Intelligence.” And the goal of human life, these self-assured mystics maintain, is to become “At One with the Cosmic Consciousness” and to be “merged into the Infinite Intelligence.”

This watered-down excuse for a purpose in life is the “calling-card-come-on” of many “mental science” religions — and also figures prominently in some non-Western religions. All of these philosophies have one point in common: They preach the utter dissolution of the individual human personality. You are to be diffused into the “Cosmic Consciousness,” absorbed by the “Infinite Intelligence” and swallowed up by “Universal Love” — much like a drop of yellow paint which becomes completely diffused after being dropped into the ocean, or like a decaying human body which becomes totally absorbed into the surrounding soil after many years in its grave, or perhaps like those hapless human minds which were swallowed up by the invading monster brains which terrified us in the science-fiction movies of the
1950’s.

The Bible absolutely repudiates all such attempts to destroy the dignity and the majesty of each distinctive human mind. Human beings will always retain their individuality — WE WILL BECOME INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES IN THE FATHER’S GOD FAMILY.

You probably never heard that before, because it was never taught to you. however, those who teach do not teach according to their instruction book - the Bible. So something like what is being discussed here probably sounds cult like; even sacrilegious - does it not? Yet do you know that this is exactly what the gospel of Christ was all about? He brought a message about the coming Kingdom of God; he did not focus on Himself, the messenger. Yet this is exactly what most worldly religions focus on - Jesus Christ Himself

So what happened to God’s true Church?

In early church history, the apostles came in contact with Simon Magus, a self-proclaimed leader (the first papa) in a cult that was deeply rooted in the mystery religion of ancient Babylon. Simon Magus’ plot to buy himself a position of influence in the early Church was foiled by Peter (Acts 8). But other false
teachers soon followed.

In his early epistles, Paul warned the fledgling churches of Greece and Galatia that they were in danger of turning aside after another gospel — a false concept of Christ and his message. The gospel of Christ was being diluted as false ministers with their teaching, heavily influenced by the beliefs of Babylon and
Persia, steadily infiltrated the congregations.

The history of the Church would fall into seven distinct eras and some time during the early decades of the second century, the baton was passed from the Ephesian era to the people that God had called to the Smyrna era of his Church.

Powerless, often persecuted, and rejected as heretics, the world lost sight of them. Instead, there emerged from the lost century a church that was steadily growing in popularity but growing further away from the gospel that Jesus taught.

Persecution continued at various times under the Romans until the fourth century, when Constantine recognized the degenerate Church of that period as an official religion of the empire. But the church that he recognized was by now very different from the Church that Jesus founded. The doctrines and teachings
that he had taught his apostles were now buried amid the trappings, ceremonies, mysteries and rituals of a church that called itself by the name of Christ. It was essentially the Babylonian Mystery religion, now being called Christian, accepting the doctrine of grace but turning it into license. In other words, it was the old pagan Babylonian Mystery religion wearing a new cloak: “Christianity.”

Once Constantine recognized them, this Church threw renewed energy into taking its message to the world; often in the bloodiest ways imaginable. Thousands — maybe millions — heard this gospel and believed it, or were forced to convert by threat of torture or death. But it was not the gospel Christ preached — his prophetic message of the coming kingdom of God.

The small remnant of Christians from God’s true Church fled to seek the religious freedom they needed to practice their beliefs. These had been called to carry the truth through one of history’s most difficult periods — the Dark Ages. The power and influence of the great universal church spread far and wide, driving those who clung to the truth of God ever further into the wilderness — never far from threat of persecution and martyrdom. It has survived into today, but is still considered inconsequential on the world scene.

In contrast, the universal pagan church morphed into a giant religious/political body beset with pagan statues and beliefs, altered commandments, the wrong day of worship and so on. It also spawned hundreds; if not thousands of bickering offshoots, who though differing in many beliefs, still hang on to much of what was taught in the universal mother church.

You can pretty well guess the name of this largest organized religious “cult” on earth today. It has waged the bloodiest battles ever in the name of God and conversion — and killed millions of innocent victims. It’s leader has even recently renounced its shameful and barbaric past. And why not? It’s recorded in history for all who are willing to examine the evidence.

What God Offers

Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). He did not say denominations, sects, cults, branches or a church divided against itself. Rather He said “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” There is one true Church and one only.

This world’s religions are not comprised of the true body of Christ, but rather are dissenting, bickering and arguementative imposters with every type of weird doctrine and belief that can be imagined.

Paul said, “But now are they many members, yet but one body” (I Corinthians 12:20). How was that one body organized? Did it have one government?

“And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues” (verse 28).

Verse 25 shows there should be no divisions in the body — no branches or branch organizations. The Church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in:

“Whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto an holy Temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:20-21).

Note, the Church is organized and fitly framed together, not organized with competing and differing branches. Notice also in Ephesians 4, there is only one organized church “fitly joined together and compacted” (verse 16) — compacted as if welded together into one well organized body. And how did Christ organize this body? Again, how exactly was it governed?

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith … (Ephesians 4:11-13).

None of this shows DISunity or some other type of organization and government. Paul also said “that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Corinthians 1:10).

Is this happening in a world dominated with so many different beliefs? Absolutely not! The world of religion today is politicized and divided; confused in beliefs and fragmented in doctrines; and scattered among denominations, sects, orders and believers. Even within fractions of religions, there is rampant disobedience among lay people who please personal lives; counter to what is taught. This is confusion, and God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33).

Yes, they’ll tell you that the true Church of God, with doctrines like the Sabbath, Holy Days, tithing and belief of a literal Kingdom of God is a cult. It’s not surprising, since this was done with even the greatest educator of all — Jesus Christ. But once you know which Church is indeed the one God raised up, then there is no danger of being lured into the various man-made religions of this world - the real cults.