Letter Answering Department Survey--Cults

SUBJECT: Cults

QUESTION: What is a cult? Is your church a cult? Was the Worldwide Church of God a cult?

ANSWER:

One famous person once said, "The definition of "cult" is anything the government wants it to be." Sometimes this proves to be true. Often people pass this term around without really knowing what they are talking about. I heard someone just yesterday call the Methodists and Baptists cults. Clearly they are not. I gave a sermon some weeks back using the criteria of a cult as set down by one of the leading Cult Awareness organizations and showing that the ICG fails to meet any single one of their cult elements. I went on the Internet and found the Cult Information Center located in London, England. It is one of the leaders in the field of Cult Awareness. Their web address is http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/article1_printable.html

The organization set down 5 elements that a church must have to be declared a cult:

Reference: http://xenu.net/cic/definit.html

According to them, an organization must have ALL 5 of these elements:

1) It uses psychological coercion to recruit, indoctrinate and retain its members.
2) It forms an elitist totalitarian society.
3) Its founder leader is self-appointed, dogmatic, messianic and not accountable.
4) It believes the ‘end justifies the means’ in order to solicit funds and recruit people.
5) Its wealth does not benefit its members or society.

If a church was to demonstrate or embrace ANY of these elements, it would not have any Biblical foundation to do so.

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