Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
1. When there’s always a study guide -- John made it clear we are not to add anything to the NT nor are we to take anything away from it.
2. An unteachable spirit — If any man teacheth a different doctrine, and consenteth not to sound words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 1Tim 6:3, For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; 2Tim 4:3
3. Interpreting scripture with teaching — Peter says that no verse is of its own interpretation, but the Bible has to be understood in the light of many other Bible verses.
4. A starstruck and spellbound following — 16Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. James 1:16-17 If you are drawn away into a cult you are being deceived, one possible deception is that the good and perfect gifts are from the “man of God” rather than from God himself.
5. Using self interest as bait — “each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust an enticed” James 1:14 — if you are in a cult you are “drawn away” and this is due to your “own lust” or self interest being used as the bait to draw you away.
6. Exclusivism -- Paul rebukes Peter of exclusivism in Galatians
7. No regard for sound doctrine -- quoted from Timothy
8. Focus on man, ourselves, our ministry — rather than Jesus -- based on the Lord's word in the gospels about searching the scripture but not coming to Him, and those that say "Lord, Lord, yet He never knew them".
9. Self deception 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. James 1:22 — Self deception in James 1 is in the context of “being drawn away” in verse 14 and “being deceived” in verse 16. Finally, in verse 26 it talks about a man that “deceiveth his heart” in the context of religion that is not pure or undefiled, i.e. a cult.
10. An independent spirit -- he defines this as "Living nomadically" -- which is condemned in Hebrews which tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the custom of some is.
Perhaps you meant to say "all of these points are scriptural".
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.