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Originally Posted by Ohio
We have had this conversation for years.
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I know we have. And if you really read what I said, it was that despite falling deep into the characteristics, using the term is not helpful. For the reasons I stated and the reasons you did including the popular thought that only the dangerous cults should have that title.
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ZNP has good reasons to adhere to the scriptures.
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I am not saying to ignore scriptures. But the position that the only way to see error is in the terms in which they are stated in the bible is to presume that the ways in which to err are limited to those seen in the bible.
The problem is that periodically someone will come across this as a potential discussion topic. And just as true as it is that the label drives off those we are trying to reach, just throwing up a brick wall to at least a brief discussion is equally dismissive to the ones who are considering it. Rather than just dumping on the subject, explain what is both right and wrong about it. Right in that it does collect a grouping of factors together. But wrong in that it shortcuts the discussion on specific issues into just a label.
Add to that the problem with those who will just turn us off because of the label and there is very good reason to try to keep the discussion short. Show why it is not a helpful endeavor. That some people read things into it that are not true is valid, but not the only reason to refrain. Make this discussion just like any other. Divorce the factors from a single discussion of a label by creating separate threads for each relevant factor. (Ignore the ones that simply don't apply.) Let the discussion find its way.
So, again, you are correct that dropping a MOAB (like the "c" word) into the discussion is rarely helpful. It mostly drives the lurkers away. Drake and Evangelical try hard to do that without us helping.
But equally problematic (and a little like a MOAB) is the declaration that the discussion should simply stop because we've has this discussion before or it is "unscriptural." A few of us have had the discussion. But if you look at the number of people observing v the number logged-in, I bet that many of them were not here when that happened. And despite the archives, I've gone back to find threads that I remember and sometimes can't find them. What about someone who doesn't know that we've covered this before? At least find it yourself and point them to it. If they end out posting to it, it is going to be on the front page again anyway.
We can't just lash out at the periodic discovery of the idea. It is worth more than a fight to shut it down. Make the case that "cult" doesn't just mean Branch Dividians or a Jonestown massacre. Make the case that while popular use of the term has limited its understanding and range of meaning, it is not so simple or extreme. Sort of like other words, such as "gay." (There's a whole decade in the 1800's that now has a moniker that is completely misunderstood.)