“God Is Fear”? 10 Signs That Your Church is Becoming A Cult

[TLFisher]

In an article by Eitan Bar,

Below are 10 points to help you consider if your church is cult-like (or on its way there)

1. An Overly Strong Charismatic Leader
A common feature of Christian cults is the presence of a powerful, charismatic leader(/s) who is seen as the ultimate authority within the group. These leaders often claim to possess unique spiritual insight, divine revelation, or even prophetic powers. Then, they demand unquestioning obedience from their followers, presenting their teachings as the supreme (if not only) path to salvation.

2. Thought Control
Christian cults often employ thought control techniques to manipulate their members, discouraging critical thinking and promoting a black-and-white worldview. Members are indoctrinated with specific dogmas, and in some cases, mentaly attacked or abused to suppress dissenting opinions.

A key element of thought control in Christian cults is discouraging members from exploring foreign doctrines and theologies or studying the history and development of their own beliefs. By limiting members’ exposure to alternative viewpoints and historical context, the cult maintains a tight grip on its followers’ understanding of faith, ensuring that the group’s doctrines remain unchallenged.

This strict belief system often includes the idea that all non-members are doomed to eternal damnation, further solidifying the “us-versus-them” mentality. By cultivating a fear of outsiders and other belief systems, the cult creates an environment in which members become increasingly reliant on the group for guidance and support, making it difficult for them to question the cult’s teachings or consider alternative perspectives.

3. Isolation from Friends and Family
Christian cults frequently encourage members to sever ties with friends, family, or any other external influences. By isolating members from their support networks, cult leaders can more easily control and manipulate them. This process might involve members relocating to a secluded compound or withdrawing from social activities with non-members.

4. Exploitation
Christian cult members are often required to make substantial financial contributions or, in extreme cases, hand over all their assets to the group. This can include tithes, donations, or fees for participating in various rituals and ceremonies. This, however, can also be an exploitation of time and energy. Sometimes, members may be encouraged or coerced into taking on debt to further fund the cult’s activities.

5. Forcing Commitment
Christian cults frequently demand members to demonstrate perfect devotion to group activities, such as attending meetings, participating in rituals, or performing tasks for the leader. Those who fail to attend often enough are considered “falling from faith” or “weak believers,” which the others must “pray for” and “encourage” them to be more committed. This, of course, causes great mental distress by means of spiritual and emotional manipulation.

6. Authoritarian Structure
More extreme Christian cults are typically characterized by a rigid hierarchy, with the leader at the top and members below. This hierarchy is often enforced through intimidation and coercion, ensuring that members conform to the group’s expectations and obey the leader’s commands. In cults, public humiliation can be a common tactic used to control and manipulate members who are deemed “sinners.” This may involve forcing individuals to publicly expose and confess their perceived transgressions, as well as to repent in front of the group. This process can be deeply humiliating and emotionally damaging for the person involved, as it often involves gossip, intense shaming and degradation.

Such public confessions and repentance can serve multiple purposes within the cult. First, they help to maintain the authority of the cult leader by reinforcing the idea that they have the power to judge and punish those who fail to meet the group’s expectations. Second, they create an atmosphere of fear among the members, deterring them from questioning or defying the cult’s teachings. Lastly, they can serve to break down an individual’s sense of self-worth and autonomy, making them more susceptible to the cult’s control and influence.

7. Us-versus-Them Mentality
Christian cults frequently cultivate an “us-versus-them” mentality among their members, instilling a belief that their group possesses unique enlightenment and the one true theology, while outsiders are deemed misguided or even evil. Members may be encouraged to view others as “fake believers” or “Christians in name only, lacking genuine rebirth.” This mindset promotes an unhealthy dependence on the group, isolating members from external influences and reinforcing the cult’s authority.

By fostering such a divisive mentality, the cult manipulates its members into remaining loyal and compliant, as questioning the group’s teachings or practices could be perceived as betrayal or spiritual failure. This insularity not only makes it challenging for members to critically evaluate the group’s doctrines but also hinders their ability to form meaningful relationships with those outside the group.

Demonizing the outside world also helps to create an “us-versus-them” mentality, making it difficult for members to question the cult’s teachings or consider alternative perspectives. Members become more reliant on the cult for guidance and support, as they perceive the outside world as a threat to their spiritual and emotional well-being. This insularity can lead to isolation, warped beliefs, and a distorted sense of reality.

Cults, including Christian ones, often resort to demonizing the outside world as a means of easily controlling and manipulating their members. By portraying non-members and external influences as inherently evil, dangerous, or morally corrupt, the cult fosters a sense of fear and mistrust towards those outside the group. This tactic serves to strengthen the cult’s hold over its members, as they come to view the group as a safe haven and the only source of truth and salvation. One example of an “us-versus-them” mentality applied to a doctrine is some versions of Calvinism’s Total Inability, which asserts that people are born evil, no longer possessing any trace of the image of God in them.

8. Strict Rules and Regulations
Christian cults usually impose strict rules and regulations on their members, dictating everything from how they should (or shouldn’t) wear on their bodies, people they should (or shouldn’t) be in a personal relationship with (sometimes, against their will- like in an abusive marriage). Breaking these rules can result in severe punishment, both mental and emotional. In the case of families, then discipline will most likely include physical/corporal punishments as well, especially for little children. This, as well, will be done in the name of God, which of course, goes against the Bible (Exodus 20:7).

Cults may punish those they consider “sinners” severely, in God’s name, to maintain control and ensure adherence to the group’s beliefs and norms. These punishments can take various forms, such as public humiliation, isolation, shunning or emotional manipulation. By enforcing strict consequences for perceived transgressions, cult leaders create an environment of fear and obedience, making it more difficult for members to question or challenge the group’s teachings. This punitive approach can exacerbate the harmful effects of cult dynamics on individuals, as it further isolates members from outside support networks and erodes their sense of self-worth and autonomy.

9. Lack of Transparency

Lack of transparency is a common characteristic of cults, as they often strive to maintain a positive image to the outside world while hiding internal issues and wrongdoings. In an effort to avoid embarrassment and maintain control, cult leaders may cover up illegal activities or unethical behavior within the community, such as sexual abuse. By sweeping these transgressions under the carpet, they prevent the outside world from learning about the group’s darker side, thereby preserving their carefully crafted facade.

This lack of transparency and accountability can have severe consequences for the victims of abuse, who may be silenced or even pressured to forgive their abusers without seeing any real justice. Offenders, on the other hand, may continue to exploit and harm others without facing any consequences for their actions. This dangerous environment perpetuates the cycle of abuse and manipulation within the cult, as members remain trapped in a system that prioritizes the group’s image over the well-being and safety of individuals.

10. Fear of Leaving
Christian cults often fail to understand what God’s grace really is (a loving and protective father vs. an abuser who’s willing to spare your life), which is a central tenet of the Gospel. Grace is the unmerited favor and love that God extends to all people, irrespective of their actions or worthiness. In a healthy understanding of Christianity, God’s grace is meant to inspire believers to lead a life of love, compassion, and spiritual growth. However, in Christian cults, the focus often shifts from grace to strict rules, fear, and judgment. These groups may downplay or ignore the concept of God’s grace, instead using fear of divine punishment to manipulate and control their members. As a result, followers may develop a distorted understanding of their faith, one that lacks the hope, forgiveness, and transformation that God’s grace offers. This failure to recognize and embrace grace can contribute to the toxic environment within such cults and hinder the spiritual development of their members.
Sadly, Christian cults often instill a deep-seated fear in members about the consequences of leaving the group. This fear can manifest in various ways, such as the threat of eternal damnation, social ostracism, or in some extreme cases- physical harm. As a result, members may feel trapped within the cult, unable to escape even if they recognize the group’s harmful nature.
www.eitan.bar/articles/christian-cults/

[TLFisher]

Several things are for sure bar none, The Lord’s Recovery is a denomination and a sect:
A. Denominated due to their fellowship being based on the ministry of Witness Lee and to a lesser extent Watchman Nee. It’s no different from Baptists from SBC churches who take Lifeway Christian Resources as their basis for fellowship.
B. A sect exhibited by their narrowness in receiving of fellow members of the Body of Christ who meet with churches not affiliated with Living Stream Ministry.

For many years I was perhaps in denial The Lord’s Recovery is a cult. Having lived from age 3 through remainder of my childhood in various localities, I did not want to believe I grew up in a cultic environment. Yet the signs are there from Eitan’s article. I identified at least 6 items that defines the Local Church culture.
1. An Overly Strong Charismatic Leader
2. Thought Control
3. Authoritarian Structure
4. Us-versus-Them Mentality
5. Lack of Transparency
6. Fear of Leaving

You know the saying if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. Take the same analogy and apply it to a cult. If the signs are there, how could you not call it a cult?

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by TLFisher

Several things are for sure bar none, The Lord’s Recovery is a denomination and a sect:
A. Denominated due to their fellowship being based on the ministry of Witness Lee and to a lesser extent Watchman Nee. It’s no different from Baptists from SBC churches who take Lifeway Christian Resources as their basis for fellowship.
B. A sect exhibited by their narrowness in receiving of fellow members of the Body of Christ who meet with churches not affiliated with Living Stream Ministry.

For many years I was perhaps in denial The Lord’s Recovery is a cult. Having lived from age 3 through remainder of my childhood in various localities, I did not want to believe I grew up in a cultic environment. Yet the signs are there from Eitan’s article. I identified at least 6 items that defines the Local Church culture.
1. An Overly Strong Charismatic Leader
2. Thought Control
3. Authoritarian Structure
4. Us-versus-Them Mentality
5. Lack of Transparency
6. Fear of Leaving

You know the saying if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. Take the same analogy and apply it to a cult. If the signs are there, how could you not call it a cult?

Wow - in reading through the 10 things . . . I think TLR hits them all! And for me it really culminated in fear - fear of leaving (cuz God might whack me) and an unhealthy fear of God - not seeing that His primary motivator toward us is His great love for us! The cure was His showing me that He had others that loved and pursued Him, and that He did in fact have others outside "The Recovery" that He spoke clearly to. Plus, seeing how much His love was all through the Bible and in Christ. Once He showed me the real thing, the counterfeit faded . . .

[TheStarswillFall]

What is a Cult and How does it Work?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bRBFhMEQFk&t=12s

[OBW]

Tough topic. I say this because it typically turns into Jim Jones = cult and everything else is not. That is a false dichotomy.

Jim Jones (suicide cults) are an extreme subset of cults. At the very soft end of the spectrum, we noted back in the late 80s/early 90s that if you we running late on Sunday morning and noted that some people were already leaving, you could expect that someone would say that the Senior pastor was not there that morning and someone else was preaching. For these people, their commitment was (marginally) as members of a personality cult. (That was not characteristic of the group, but of certain members and the group would not actually be a cult). The ground in between is full of nuances and therefore varying reasons to possibly be wary of the group.

Where is the so-called Local Church? I suggest that 6 out of 10 signs is probably more than something to worry about.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by OBW

Where is the so-called Local Church? I suggest that 6 out of 10 signs is probably more than something to worry about.

I would say that prolly 9 out of 10 signs would prove that the family I grew up in was a cult. We had abuse, manipulation, mind control, legalism, authoritarian structure, gross fear of leaving, poverty, lack of transparency, overly strong leader, etc. Yup, a real cult. And my mother love-bombed all the new arrivals.

[UntoHim]

It seems that many (aka: A Lot!) of people always skip by the most relevant part of a group being labeled as a cult - and that is this - Just Who Is Calling Who A Cult?

If Dr. Walter Martin calls the religious group you are in "a cult", then your parents, friends and loved ones may have a very good reason to believe that you are in a cult.

Then, 20+ years later, when Dr. Martin's illegitimate successor gets paid 100s of thousands of dollars of bribe money by said cult, and declares that Dr. Martin et al were all "wrong" about their original, legitimate, well-founded assessment, then your parents, friends and loved ones may still have a very good reason to believe that you are in a cult.

But alas...a duck is still a duck, whether it be called a duck by a world-renowned ornithologist, or a stuttering toddler. Just sayin......
-

[TheStarswillFall]

Originally Posted by OBW

Tough topic.

Not really.

I have received help from some secular authorities regarding what is commonly held to be constituents (markers) of a cult.

They have been listed on this forum in a number of posts, but here are some of the common markers for identifying a cult:

1. Totalitarian leadership with a supreme leader (MOTA)
2. Definite hierarchy - (MOTA > blendeds > co-workers > elders > etc etc)
3. Thought reform (tha ministry)
4. Elitism ("poor Christianity")
5. Special knowledge (High Peak of the divine revelation / God's economy)
6. Isolation (rigorous demands of the church life schedule and doctrine)
7. Us vs Them mentality (everyone else is Babylon)
8. Fear of leaving the cult (To quote W Lee: "If you leave the Lord's Recovery you will loose everything"

There are many other finer points like
- zero toleration for questioning the leadership
- alienation from general society
- extreme legalism
- false representation of the cult's real identity to the outside world
- breaking down of the individual's traits to that of a common identity assumed by the group as a whole
- ostracizing and evil speaking of ex-members
- double standard of morality becoming more pronounce as you move up the hierarchy of the group

BTW, all of these points of behaviour is crystallized in the Lord's speaking regarding leadership:
"You know that the great among the gentiles LORD IT OVER THEM, it shall not be so among you"

Not so tough afterall.

[OBW]

Originally Posted by Ohio

I would say that prolly 9 out of 10 signs would prove that the family I grew up in was a cult. We had abuse, manipulation, mind control, legalism, authoritarian structure, gross fear of leaving, poverty, lack of transparency, overly strong leader, etc. Yup, a real cult. And my mother love-bombed all the new arrivals.

And some families are worth worrying about.