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Originally Posted by Evangelical
These interpretations are mostly out of context with some quite strange views such as the one that using study guides is 'adding to the bible'. If that is the case then the KJV is a cult bible because it has added so many words not in the original Greek or Hebrew. The fact is that the bible nowhere prohibits the use of study guides and for this reason Todds and your view is unbiblical.
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I agree that the use of study guides is pretty much universal so it is a very strange criteria and also not very useful. I would prefer using the Bible prohibition about adding to or taking away. We use that today to identify a few cults.
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Originally Posted by Evangelical
None of these verses mentioned actually apply to cults. For example you have liberally extended James 1.22 to apply to cults which goes beyond the stated context of self deception. There is nothing in the text or context that indicates it should apply to cult deception which is about being deceived by others, not the self.
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I'll respond in a separate post
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Originally Posted by Evangelical
Point 6 is another failed attempt at testing for a cult because if I recall this was about hypocrisy, fear and Judaism...not cult exclusivity.
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On the contrary I understand the Judaizers to be the NT example of a "cult", "religion", "synagogue of Satan" and the book of James is the light he got to see through these deceptions.
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Originally Posted by Evangelical
The last point about independence is puzzling because I would have thought that people who are attracted to cults would not have an independent free thinking mind but rather one that cannot think for itself and must rely on others to think for them.
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I think we need to broaden our view, false prophets lead astray, if there is one narrow way that leads to life then there are an infinite ways that would lead you astray from that way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
Todd has merely pulled some ideas together and made some claims about them applying to cults.
Overall these points as presented are a false dichotomy because a person could meet all 10 criteria and yet not be in a cult. Each point should be considered as standalone and there is nothing in the bible that suggests they can be tied together as a test for cults.
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All 10? I imagine a typical cult might not meet all 10, I would think that would be hard to find.
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Originally Posted by Evangelical
Worryingly these 10 points fail to mention any of the biblical tests of spirits and fruit but instead replaces them with manmade opinions such as that study guides are wrong. If that were true then every theologian is in a cult if they always turn to their Greek concordance and other study guides.
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I agree that many are not very useful. Study guide for one, interpreting scripture with teaching, etc. I doubt this would really help someone who is in a cult.