Kyrian chima
Cults of the world:
Introduction: The word cult may have different connotations and meaning, people
perceive it in different ways. This text shall consider three views of cult and expound
deeply on last view which is the subject matter of this text.
First view of cult: etymological meaning:
Etymologist explained cult as A group of people with a religious, philosophical or
cultural identity sometimes viewed as a sect, often existing on the margins of society
or exploitative towards its members.
Popular view: (layman view):
As a fraternity or secret sect that promote and
perpetrate devilish act. Which involve sacrifices and rituals to the devil.
Theological view: Sect of people that promotes and teaches doctrine contrary from
biblical standard. Theologian have seen cult as religion of people or any
denominational sect, that have established doctrines, rendering some kind of religion
services to the public, and have doctrines that are not supported by Bible. Some cults
claim to know God but reject the correct knowledge of God, teaching misleading
things, denying the lordship and deity of Christ. Although Bible warns for such
teaching and refers them as spirit of Antichrist. 'Little children, it is the last time: and
as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists;
1
Kyrian chima
whereby we know that it is the last time.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth
the Father and the Son'. (1 John 2:18,22).
Some individuals or people of individuals have crept in the earth and have conceived
in their heart to promote demon influence doctrine and phenomenon in order to draw
disciples of them self ,the holy writ stated that ' for no other foundations can anyone
lay than that which is laid in Christ Jesus'. Conversely we contend that any religion
and church denomination that is established upon falsehood and teaches heresies is a
cult. Apostle Peter stated that ' But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way
of truth shall be evil spoken. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words
make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their
damnation slumbereth not'.( 2 Peter 2:1-3)
The major ambition of this sect is to draw followers and lead them to hell. But
YHWH will not allow such people to go unpunished, the fierce wrath of God await
those who misled The children of God. Jesus said that it better that a mile stone is
hung upon their neck and throw into the sea than to lead His sheeps astray.
Reason from Bible (p.35) stated that ' not only they abandon the true faith but they
then beat their former associate, using public criticism and other methods to promote
2
Kyrian chima
their work. The effort of cult groups are devoted to tearing down, not building up'.
'An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall
the just be delivered'. (Proverb 11:9).
Here are some kinds of cult of the world that promote false teachings;
1.unity school of Christianity. 2. Christian science. 3 Mormonism. 4.Eckankar.
1. Unity school of Christianity:
Founder: Charles R Fillmore
Founding Date: 1889
Official Publication: The Daily Word a monthly circulation of 1.14 million is a daily
devotional magazine. The Unity magazine carries articles on metaphysical topics.
Organization Structure: The current president of Unity is Connie Fillmore Bazzy,
great-granddaughter of the founder. Charles R. Fillmore is the grandson of the founder
and acts as Chairman of the Board for Unity.
DOCTRINE: the doctrines of
unity school of Christian are full of Antichrist
teachings, bible warned that certain men have crept into the earth. 'For there are
certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only
Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ'.(Jude 1:4). Below are delineated doctrines of
unity school of Christianity;
3
Kyrian chima
Trinity: Unity does not believe in the biblical concept of the Trinity. Rather, they teach
the New Age/Pantheistic idea that God is All and All is God. They Teaches that God is
Spirit, or the creative energy which is the cause of all visible things. God is not a
being or person having life, intelligence, love, power. God is that invisible, intangible,
but very real, something we call life. Each rock, tree, animal, everything visible, is a
manifestation of the one Spirit – God – differing only in degree of manifestation; and
each of the numberless modes of manifestation, or individualities, however
insignificant, contains the whole God: unity school Of Christianity believes that God
is a personal being. That the name for God. Spirit and Mind are synonymous;
therefore we know God—Spirit as Mind, the one Mind, or Intelligence, of the
universe.The Father is Principle. Thus, we might also say, Father is Being in the
absolute, the unlimited, the unrelated.
Jesus Christ: l contend that unity of school Christianity is part of numerous of New
Age/Pantheistic groups. Unity distinguishes between Jesus the man and Christ the
divine consciousness. Unity explains that Jesus represents God’s idea of man in
expression; Christ is that idea in the absolute, they further stated that Christ is man
who was privileged to attend high intellectual propensity and any man can be Christ.
Bible stated that Jesus is the only begotten son of God. (John 3:16).
Holy Spirit: Charles Fillmore, again in harmony with the Pantheistic ideology of this
day, stated that the Holy Spirit was not a personal being, but rather only an impersonal
4
Kyrian chima
force. He wrote,
The Holy Spirit in Divine Mind corresponds to our thought in our minds. So we can
ideate the unlimited Divine Mind, but when this Mind is brought into our world or
consciousness it is limited to our conception of it.
Man’s Purpose: unity stated that Each of us has within him the Christ, just as Jesus
had, and we must look within to recognize and realize our sonship, our divine origin
and birth, even as He did. By continually unifying ourselves with the Highest by our
thoughts and words, we too shall become sons of God, manifest. The believes of unity
school of Christianity is quite inconsistent and prohibited by God.
2.Christian Science: Christian science is another form of cult sect that promulgate
doctrines that contradict biblical standard.
Founder: Mary Baker Eddy.
Founding date: August 23, 1879.
Official Publications: Retrospection and Introspection, Christian Science Journal,
Christian Science Sentinel.
Doctrines: here are delineated doctrines of Christian Science. Their doctrines are base
on new age teachings, the maintain pantheistic view of the nature of God: “God is Allin-all. God is in Mind, And all good
5
Kyrian chima
Trinity: Christian Science clearly repudiates the Trinitarian teachings. They promote
that three persons in one God (that is, a personal Trinity or Tri-unity) suggests
polytheism, rather than the one ever-present.
Jesus Christ: Christian Science denies that Jesus Christ is God incarnate. It denies that
Jesus is one Person with two natures — fully God and fully man.
Watchman
fellowship publication (p.3) sated that Christian science presents Jesus Christ in terms
of a Gnostic duality: “The spiritual Christ was infallible; Jesus as material manhood
was not Chris, “Christ as the true spiritual idea, is the ideal of God now and forever .
Christian science believes and teaches that Christ is incorporeal spiritual.
“The
corporeal [physical] man Jesus was human only. Christian Science teaches that the
physical humanity of Jesus was an illusion, “as it seemed to mortal view. Also,
Christian Science attempts to deny and disagree with the historical death and bodily
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit: Christian Science denies that the Holy Spirit is a personal being. It
teaches that the Holy Spirit is an illusion. This is not what bible teaches about holy
spirit. 1John 5:7 stated that 'So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the
Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One;(AMP)
Man’s Destiny: Christian Science teaches that since God is all good and nothing that
is real exists outside God, then sin, sickness, and death are mortal error or an illusion.
Christ, as the Truth, therefore came to set man free from these false beliefs by His
6
Kyrian chima
teachings and example. Christian Science denies the redemption power of Jesus
Christ, saying that the precious blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse
from sin when it was shed on ‘the accursed tree,’ than when it was flowing in his
veins as he went daily about doing His Father’s business. Jesus taught the way of
Life by demonstration. Christian science believes that Universal salvation rests on
progression and probation. No final judgment awaits mortals, so human activities on
earth does not have any reward or punishment after death.
SICKNESS AND DISEASE: Sickness and disease are illusory, the product of a false
belief, and not an actual result of sin. The cause of all so-called disease is mental, a
mortal fear, a mistaken belief No true Christian Science member should ever go to a
doctor, hospital, or take any kind of medicine, for to do so is to deny “Divine
Science.”Indeed in the church’s official “The Christian Science Standard of Healing,”
Mary Eddy Baker is quoted as saying, “It is impossible to gain control over the body
in any other way [divine Mind-Prayer]. On this fundamental point, timid conservatism
is absolutely inadmissible. Only through radical reliance on Truth can scientific
healing power be realized.
Watchman fellowship publication (p.4) stated that 'Matter is not an illusion but is
actual, and was created distinct from God. He pronounced it “good” (Gen. 1:31). Sin,
sickness, and evil are not an illusion, but a result of man’s willful choice to rebel
against a Holy God. and death both physical death and eternal separation from God)
is the result of sin (Rom. 3:10, 23;
7
Kyrian chima
5:12–14; 1 John 1:8–10)
3. Mormonism:
Founder: Joseph Smith
Date: 1-2 century
Doctrines: Mormonism had been regarded as religion cult by some notable
theologians, although Joseph Smith the founder of the sect claims to receive
revelations from God but his claims were not established on bible ground. Bible stated
that ' Even IF angel come down from Heaven to preach contrary things, different
from bible truth no one should accept'.
Below are delineated doctrines of Mormons.
1. Mormons believe that there are in fact four sources of divinely inspired words
which are The bible, The pearl of the Great price, The book of Mormon and Doctrine
of covenants.
2. GOD; Mormons believe that God has not always been the Supreme Being of the
Universe ( Mormon Doctrine , p. 321) but attained that status through righteous living
and
persistent effort.
3.life after Death: Mormons believe that there are different kingdoms in the afterlife:
8
Kyrian chima
the celestial
kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, the Telestial kingdom, and outer darkness (Mormon
Doctrine,
p. 348). Where mankind will end up depends on what they believe and do in this life.
4. Jesus Christ: Mormons had the believe that Jesus incarnation was the result of a
physical
relationship between God the Father and Mary (Mormon Doctrine, p. 547)
Joseph Smith view concerning Bible, God and Jesus is quite contradicting and for
altering the holy writ he will not escape the judgment of God. Revelation 22:18.stated
that I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If
any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written in this book.
4. Eckankar: Eckankar is a non profit religion organization and church that was
established on foundation opposed by Bible, it is part of new age that promote false
and demon influence doctrines. The spiritual home of Eckankar is the temple of ECK
in Chanhassen Minnesota. Eckankar claims that the religion is base on Sound and
light of God.
Founder: the religion claims to have an ancient root but was introduced as a modern
day religion by Paul Twitchell in 1965.
Doctrines: A central believe of Eckankar is that a person's soul can escape the
9
Kyrian chima
physical body and
travel freely. This process is refers soul travel. The chanting of HU (pronounced like
the English
"hue") is used in meditation to help facilitate such experiences and can be practiced
individually or as a group. Adherents are encouraged to keep dream journals to record
experiences of soul travel. Eckists are teaches that continued growth and meditation
lead to reaching higher states of being and that they can even reach self- realization
(realization of self as God) during their lifetimes.
Sin : Eckankar believe that sin is a false belief created by Kal (its word for Satan) to
keep the Soul ignorant.Eckankar claims there is no sin for which people need
forgiveness, that liberation is available now through meditation, and that reincarnation
takes place after this life.
JESUS: Eckankar teaches that Jesus is associated with Kal and is considered evil or
limiting to the Soul.
Work incited:
1.
Mormon Doctrine; Web.1567-1874.
2. Christian Science Sentinel; Web.1942.
10
Kyrian chima
3. Reasoning from Bible: Watch Tower Bible And Tracks Society of New York
INC and International Bible Student Association Brooklyn, NEW York, U .S.
A. 1985, 1989. Print.
4. King James Bible Version
5. Watchman Followership Publication: 17 May, 1994. Print.
11