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Originally Posted by Ohio
Nine items here. Let's label them and discuss them one by one.
Whether these 9 items actually define a "cult" is one matter, but whether they define LSM and the LC's is another.
1. All-knowing leadership. An individual or group of people claims to be sent by God to "rule" the one true religion—which only includes members of that particular cult.
Noone can spend more than a few months in the LC and not discover that everything is Lee. Lee for breakfast, Lee for study time, Lee for teachings, Lee for the meetings, Lee for conferences, Lee for trainings, Lee hymns for singing, Lee for prophecying in the meetings. Lee has been referred to as the Minister of the Age, the "acting god," the oracle of God. There is a reason why every single new member to the LC's has to take a step back when first learning this feature of the LC.
For any elder, worker, or member church to teach other than Lee brings the ire of headquarters in Anaheim. My LC learned this the hard way. Titus Chu (GLA region) and Dong YL (Brazil) were both quarantined for not teaching enough Lee. Churches were divided, families were at odds, and long-term friendships in Christ were broken over this one item -- all LC teachings must be Lee (and occasionally Nee when they match.)
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I agree with what you have written, but disagree that this would be a useful criteria for identifying a "cult".
Billy Graham was highly respected. Many other genuine Christian teachers were highly respected. The issue is not that others consider their leader "all knowing".
Perhaps it would be better to say "Unquestioned leadership" -- or even better "unaccountable leadership". But who would submit to a person who sets himself as a leader who is not accountable to others and who cannot be questioned by others?
So then I would agree with Jesus, you will know them by their fruit. Jesus was "all knowing" but when the Jewish leaders talked to His followers that was when they were impressed that "they had been with Jesus".
If I meet a Christian on the street and he wants to fellowship about some great Christian teacher then the real question is not that he thinks this person knows "everything" but how do they respond? Is he a robot that has to quote "the apostle" in every answer, then yes, you have a cult. Is he like Peter and John, then you can be impressed that these fisherman had been "with Jesus".