In the West, cults seem to proliferate freely. Many of them have been involved in a multitude of criminal activities and moral violations. Some in the mainstream media will equate Christianity with such cults. Why are cults often associated with Christianity?
What Are Western Cults?
Christianity was the driving force of Western civilization ever since the recognition of the faith by the Roman Emperor Constantine. This allowed Christianity to flourish throughout the world, but most especially in Western Europe.
In fact, Christianity was so much a part of the fabric of civilization that many nations proclaimed themselves Christian nations, and their kings and queens were only considered to be validly ascending to the throne when the pope personally crowned them.
The morals and ethics of the populace, if not the monarchies, were strictly traditionalist Christian biblical morality. The Christian faith informed various laws, treaties, trade practices, economies, journeys of exploration, and even of the rules of war.
It is hard for the modern mind to really comprehend the extent to which Christianity quite literally controlled the life of both the state and the individual, as we no longer live in such a world. Unfortunately, Christianity has been abandoned by enough people that it is no longer an influence in any of those things it previously established and formed.
However, many of the principles of Christianity are still glimpsed in those spheres of importance. The Western mind is, to no small extent, still under the sway of Christian principles, even if most are not aware of that force acting on their minds.
With the rejection of traditional Christianity, the church finds itself increasingly fragmented as men and women think themselves capable of doing the faith better than the church they left and establish various sects and cults in the image of their own peculiar teachings.
Scripture is used and abused by such people to lend legitimacy and divine imprimatur to heretical teachings and practices. Thus, when people think of such cults as The Peoples Temple, Children of God, and Twelve Tribes, they draw a seemingly logical connection to Christianity.
Such cults use the same language, the same Bible, have all the same traditions of orthodox Christian churches, and so, are taken for Christians. What the average person does not know is that while these cults use the same language, they mean something entirely different from orthodox Christians.
While they use the Bible, they do so selectively and with many extra-biblical ideas forced onto the text itself. For example, the Children of God cult, now known as The Family International, believe that Christians are part of the bride of Christ.
That’s good so far, right? But then they add to it their own peculiar ideas, which they call “bridal theology.” They encourage members of their cult to imagine Jesus joining them as they engage in sexual relations and masturbation.
They also believe that spirit beings, such as angels, assist them in spiritual warfare and spiritual life. Again, most Christians would agree with this. However, they add to that concept the belief that the spirits of the dead, and even mythological figures such as Aphrodite and Merlin.
You also have cults like the Twelve Tribes communities, which is a mixture of Judaism, Messianic Judaism, and the Sacred Name Movement. While they use all the familiar language of Christianity, they often mean something entirely different.
When they speak of the Twelve Tribes, they’re not speaking of the historical Israelites, but of their own community, which they believe needs to restore a new twelve tribes in twelve geographic locations before Christ can return.
You can also point to the Unification Church, founded by Sun Myung Moon, which, while proclaiming a belief in Jesus Christ, also believes that he failed to accomplish his mission. In order to rectify this, God has called a new messiah. And who is that new messiah? You guessed it: Sun Myung Moon.
What Is Orthodox Christianity?
The best way for Christians to refute such false teachers is to know what you believe, why you believe it, and how to defend it. Unfortunately, some Christians don’t know the teachings of the Christian faith.
It isn’t at all uncommon to hear a Christian who certainly means well, claim to believe in a host of heresies, from Subordinationism, Arianism, and Patripassianism, to Tritheism, Pelagianism, and outright Gnosticism.
The remedy is for pastors to conduct regular classes on basic Christian beliefs. If there is one major weakness in the Evangelical church it is the woeful lack of emphasis on the fundamentals of Christian doctrine.
Such classes should focus on Scripture, along with extra-biblical materials such as the historic creeds, the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, exploring line by line each statement of the creeds. As this exploration proceeds, orthodox beliefs can be juxtaposed against the heresies commonly encountered.
Individual believers who may be in a church where this isn’t likely to happen can always take courses offered through ministries, which provides a multitude of opportunities to learn more about your faith and how to defend it.
If nothing else, purchase a good apologetics book or video that can provide some basic instruction in the defense of the biblical truth. All of this applies equally to children in our churches. Apologetics courses are, in my opinion, a moral imperative, especially in today’s materialistic and nihilistic culture.
As William Lane Craig wrote, “It’s no longer enough to teach our children Bible stories; they need doctrine and apologetics.”
What Is Evangelism?
An added benefit of such study is that it equips us for evangelism, during which we will almost certainly encounter very common challenges to the faith, which if you lack such basic apologetics studies, you will likely not be capable of answering adequately.
This is especially true if you are dealing with young people or are engaged in evangelism ministry on a college campus. Keep in mind the biblical admonition to such study and prepare yourself to answer those with questions (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 3:15-16).
For further reading:
Why Do Cults Use God Falsely in Their Mission?
Are the World Religions That Different from Christianity?
What Does the Bible Warn about False Prophets?
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J. Davila-Ashcraft is an Anglican priest, Theologian, and Apologist, and holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies and Theology from God’s Bible College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a recognized authority on the topic of exorcism, and in that capacity has contributed to and/or appeared on programming for The National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, and CNN. He is the host of Expedition Truth, a one-hour apologetics radio talk show.
