Cult definitions
Why is it so important to solidly and specifically define a cult? If you asked the average American, he or she would define a cult as 1) a religious group that has more “extreme” religious beliefs and practices than he or she would have and 2) they are “tight-knit” and “keep to themselves.” Guess what — that’s a good definition of early Christianity as it would have been voiced by observers in the first centuries! It is a very subjective defintion — of what makes us religiously uncomfortable. That’s why Christians need a good working definition of a cult!
What’s A Cult?
You’ve probably seen the news about a previously-unknown cult in northern New Mexico, led by a man who claims to be the Messiah. He was recently jailed on sex charges related to his practice of lying in bed with young girls who are virgins. This man was also profiled last week on the National Geographic television network in a program about an inside look at a cult. In a previous post in the section “Why I Won’t Return to Mormonism,” I began a discussion of the characteristics of cults with this definition (from my book, Why We Left A Cult (Baker Books): In the sense that most Christian writers would use it, that of a pseudo-Christian cult, it would have the following characteristics: Such a group would humanize God, deify man,...
