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NASB | Matthew 16:15 He *said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" |
Subject: What is a cult? |
Bible Note: Hi Mommapbs, well said. After reading and understanding what the word “cult” has come to mean in recent years, the JW cannot be accurately classified as one. Stop and think what the situation was like in Jesus’ day for a moment. Would you “accurately” classify the first century Christians as “cult members”. Something to think about it. I would have to answer in the affirmative. But to me today a cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual. And many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society. Remember in the recent past what happened in Waco Texas? For 50 days, hundreds of government agents laid siege to a compound with enough guns to wage a small war. The standoff ended in a showdown that left 86 dead, including at least 17 children. But who was the enemy? An army of drug-dealing mobsters? A guerrilla faction? No. As you may know, the “enemy” was a group of religious devotees, members of a cult. Their tragedy made an inconspicuous community the focus of international attention. The news media flooded the airwaves and the printed page with a barrage of reports, analyses, and comments on the dangers of fanatical cults. We were reminded of previous instances in which cult members were led to death by their leaders: the 1969 Manson murders in California; the 1978 mass suicide of cult members in Jonestown, Guyana; the 1987 murder-suicide pact engineered by cult leader Park Soon-ja of Korea, which resulted in the death of 32 members. The standard for what is orthodox, however, should be God’s Word, and Jehovah’s Witnesses strictly adhere to the Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devotion. They neither follow a human nor isolate themselves from the rest of society. They live and work in the midst of other people. Jesus himself identified the true religion by saying, “by their fruits” you would recognize them. From God’s standpoint, a religion’s acceptability is not based on just one factor. For a religion to be acceptable to him, its teachings and activities must conform to his written Word of truth, the Bible. (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17) The fruitage of God-approved worship must conform to Jehovah God’s standards. He further identified them as ones that “have love among themselves”. John 13:34, 35 Do they put themselves out by going from door to door to help ones understand Bible truths? I would have to say that that is an expression of love of neighbor. Do they “kill”, in wars or abortions? No, again love would move a true Christian not to kill fellow humans. Truthfinder (continued) |