The Not-So-New Religious Movements: Changes in 'The Cult
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Creation: Believe It Or Not*
TMSJ 13/1 (Spring 2002) 5-32 CREATION: BELIEVE IT OR NOT* John MacArthur President and Professor of Pastoral Ministries Naturalism has replaced Christianity as the main religion of the Western world. Though the teaching that natural evolutionary processes can account of the origin of all living species has never been proven, that teaching is central to the philosophy that now dominates Western scholarly thinking. Even evangelicals have become less willing to defend the early chapters of Genesis against the encroach- ments of evolutionary thought, although in actuality affirming an “old earth” theory and remaining evangelical is an inconsistency. A “framework” approach to those chapters does not square with a consistent hermeneutical approach to Scripture, because the first chapter of Genesis teaches that God created the world in a normal week of seven days. The purpose of evolution is to explain away the God of the Bible. The absurd teaching of the Big Bang theory of evolution is that nobody times nothing equals everything. It is a theory that raises an almost endless array of unsolvable problems. It is degrading to humanity, hostile to reasons, and antithetical to the truth that God has revealed. When one starts adapting the Word of God to fit scientific theories based on naturalistic beliefs, he has begun his journey on the road to skepticism. * * * * * Introduction Thanks to the theory of evolution, naturalism is now the dominant religion of modern society. Less than a century and a half ago, Charles Darwin popularized the credo for this secular religion with his book The Origin of Species. -
4.1.2 Chronology of False Religions/Heresies of Satan (App.)
The Need for Teaching the Eschatological Gospel of Both Comings of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century . 4.1.2 Chronology of False Religions/Heresies of Satan 0(app. 4,000 BC) 0 (app.) -- The Fall (Original Sin) of Humanity in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3) 75 (app.) -- Cain murders Abel and is cursed (Gen 4:1-16) 475 (app.) -- Lamech (descendent of Cain) murders 2 men & from his two wives (1st polygamist) & 4 kids came “human knowledge” vs. godly knowledge (Gen 4:20-24) 1,000 (3,000 BC) 1500 (app.) -- Angels marry women and procreate giants (Gen 6:1-8) 1656 (2344 BC) -- Flood wipes out sinful man on earth (only Noah & Family survive--Gen 7-8) 1757 (app.) -- Nimrod/Tower of Babel (Gen 11)—Nimrod & wife, Semiramis (from Ham, cursed son of Noah), establish Babylonian Mysteries Cults, Witchcraft/Pantheism (app.) = approximate Chronology of False Religions/Heresies of Satan (cont.) 2000 (2000 BC) 2000 (app.) -- Babylonian Mysteries Cult False Religion begins to spread over the entire earth (Becomes Baal and Ishtar/Ashteroth worship in Canaan) 2600-4400 -- Persians, Indians, Greeks, and Romans worship the god Mithras (1400 BC-400 AD) 2980 (app.) -- Sun god (Ra) and animal worship in Egypt (Egypt descended from Ham) 3,000 (1,000 BC) 3000 (app.) -- Sun worship and Animism established in India/Humanism in China 3278 (722 BC) -- Israel (Samaria) exiled to Assyria (resettled by Assyrian Mysteries cult/Judaism mixed races and religion, became the Samaritans) 3395 (605 BC) -- Beginning of Judah to exile in Babylon 3412 (588 BC) -- Taoism in China/Zoroastrianism -
Seventh-Day Adventism
CHRISTIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE P.O. Box 8500, Charlotte, NC 28271 / www.equip.org / tel.704.887.8200 / fax.704.887.8299 STATEMENT DS410 SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISM The main emphasis of ministry at the Christian Research Institute is to provide inform ation which will help those who are evangelizing the millions of people presently entangled in cults, the occult, and various false religions. Because of this, and because Dr. Walter Martin did some pioneer research on Adventism in the late 1950's, we are frequently asked what our position is on the subject of Seventh-day Adventism (hereafter "SDA" for short). Though several capable Christian scholars (e.g., Anthony Hoekema, J.K. Van Baalen, John Gerstner) have concluded that SDA is a non-Christian cult system, CRI has continued to assert that this is not the case. We take this position based on the content of the doctrine which was stated in an official SDA publication (1957) entitled Questions on Doctrine. It should be noted that in 1983 W. Richard Lesher, vice-president of the General Conference, affirmed that SDA stood behind the publication Questions on Doctrine. Since SDA does accept the foundational doctrines of historic Christianity (the Trinity, Christ's true deity, His bodily resurrection, etc.) we do not believe that it should be classified as a non-Christian cult. It is our conviction that one cannot be a true Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Christian Scientist, etc., and be a practicing Christian in the biblical sense of the word; but it is possible to be a Seventh-day Adventist and a true follower of Jesus, despite certain distinctive Adventist doctrines which we consider to be unbiblical. -
QUESTION 39 Schism We Next Have to Consider the Vices That Are Opposed to Peace and That Involve Deeds: Schism (Schisma) (Quest
QUESTION 39 Schism We next have to consider the vices that are opposed to peace and that involve deeds: schism (schisma) (question 39); strife (rixa) (question 41); sedition (seditio) (question 42); and war (bellum) (question 40). On the first topic there are four questions: (1) Is schism a special sin? (2) Is schism a more serious sin than unbelief? (3) Do schismatics have any power? (4) Are schismatics appropriately punished with excommunication? Article 1 Is schism a special sin? It seems that schism is not a special sin: Objection 1: As Pope Pelagius says, “Schism (schisma) sounds like scissor (scissura).” But every sin effects some sort of cutting off—this according to Isaiah 59:2 (“Your sins have cut you off from your God”). Therefore, schism is not a special sin. Objection 2: Schismatics seem to be individuals who do not obey the Church. But a man becomes disobedient to the precepts of the Church through every sin, since sin, according to Ambrose, “is disobedience with respect to the celestial commandments.” Therefore, every sin is an instance of schism. Objection 3: Heresy likewise cuts a man off from the unity of the Faith. Therefore, if the name ‘schism’ implies being cut off, then schism does not seem to differ as a special sin from the sin of unbelief. But contrary to this: In Contra Faustum Augustine distinguishes schism from heresy as follows: “Schism is believing the same things as the others and worshiping with the same rites, but being content merely to split the congregation, whereas heresy is believing things that are diverse from what the Catholic Church believes.” Therefore, schism is not a general sin. -
The Christian Church and the New Religious Movements: Towards Theological Understanding John A
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND THE NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS: TOWARDS THEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING JOHN A. SALIBA, S.J. University of Detroit OR MORE than a decade Western society, in particular the United FStates of America,1 has seen the rise and proliferation of religious and spiritual groups which the public has undiscerningly and indiscriminately labeled "cults." Many of the adherents of these new groups have come from the background of the traditional Christian churches. Most of them, by abandoning the beliefs and practices of their forefathers, have passed a negative judgment on the Christian Church and its relevance to contemporary life. The so-called cults have often been in the public eye because of the legal actions and Congressional investigations instigated by anticult organizations. Anguished parents, whose children have be come cult members, have turned to self-styled déprogrammera who have at times operated outside both civil and moral law. Yet the mainline Christian response to the new religions can, with few exceptions, be categorized as one of neglect and apathy. Though the churches have made extensive efforts to come to grips with the cultural upheavals of the mid-1960's,2 their attempts to meet the challenge of the cults have, on the whole, been slow, sporadic, and superficial. Many Christians, theologians included, have failed to grasp the significance of the new religious movements, which are already leaving an impact on society at large and on Christianity itself. It is unfortunate that we still lack a systematic treatment of the theological implications of these movements. The only concerted Christian response has come from evangelical Christianity, which has directed a considerable amount of literature3 to 1 See The Spiritual Community Guide (San Rafael, Calif.: Spiritual Community, 1978) and Gordon Melton, The Encyclopedia of American Religions 2 (Wilmington, N.C.: McGrath, 1978). -
Book Review:" Hinduism and Christianity"
Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies Volume 7 Article 12 January 1994 Book Review: "Hinduism and Christianity" Anand Amaladass Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Amaladass, Anand (1994) "Book Review: "Hinduism and Christianity"," Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies: Vol. 7, Article 12. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1100 The Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies is a publication of the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies. The digital version is made available by Digital Commons @ Butler University. For questions about the Journal or the Society, please contact [email protected]. For more information about Digital Commons @ Butler University, please contact [email protected]. Amaladass: Book Review: "Hinduism and Christianity" BOOK REVIEWS Hinduism and Christianity. John Brockington. London: Macmillan, 1992, xiii +215pp. IN A SERIES of monographs on themes in both. So juxtaposing the development of a theme comparative religion under the general editorship in two traditions will reveal this factor. But the of Glyn Richards the first published title is lack of development of a particular theme in a Hinduism and Christianity by John Brockington. given tradition does not mean much in This volume contains a selection of themes from comparison with another where this theme is Hinduism and Christianity. It is intended for well developed. Hence some statements of such many Christians in Europe and America whose comparative nature do sound ambiguous in this everyday experience does not include the book. For instance, it is said that "there is existence of several major religions. Obviously virtually no trace within Hinduism of the in a volume of about 200 pages one cannot fellowship at a common meal found in many expect a detailed discussion on the selected other religions" (p.122), the author adds themes. -
What Are We Studying? a Sociological Case for Keeping the "Nova"
Eileen Barker What are we studying? A sociological case for keeping the "Nova" Article (Accepted version) (Refereed) Original citation: Barker, Eileen (2004) What are we studying? A sociological case for keeping the "Nova". Nova religio, 8 (3). ISSN 1092-6690 DOI: 10.1525/nr.2004.8.1.88 © 2004 University of California Press This version available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/17148/ Available in LSE Research Online: August 2013 LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://eprints.lse.ac.uk) of the LSE Research Online website. This document is the author’s final accepted version of the journal article. There may be differences between this version and the published version. You are advised to consult the publisher’s version if you wish to cite from it. Perspective: What Are We Studying? A Sociological Case for Keeping the “Nova” Eileen Barker ABSTRACT: The objective of this article is to encourage scholars of religion to retain an awareness of the significance of new religious movements (NRMs) being new. It arises as a response to three propositions made by J. -
The Teachings of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Movement
IJT 44/1&2 (2002), pp. 94-106 The Teachings of the Pra.japita Brahma Kumaris Movement Bed Singh* The Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Movement was founded by a prosperous Sindhi businessman named Lekhraj. It is probably significant however that his trade was in Jewellery. 1 After Dada Lekhraj's personal experience with God Shiva, he was used as a medium to reveal the mysteries of the self and the work order. These experiences brought about a tremendous change in him to whom God Shiva gave the name "Prajapita Brahma". In 1937 he laid the foundations ofthe Movement."2 After Dada Lekhraj's personal experience with God, he started a regular satsang (fellowship) in Hyderabad after laying the foundation of the Movement. The satsang came to be known as "Om Mandi".3 Around 300 devotees started gathering in the Satsang. After the Independence oflndia, many devotees left Hyderabad and shifted to India. On the request of many devotees in India the headquarters of the Movement was shifted to India in 19 51. 4 The Prajapita Brahmakumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya's Report upto 1983 at a glance is as follows. Dedicated sisters (Kumaris) 1095 Dedicated brothers (Kumars) 200 Single sisters 15230 Single brothers 9150 Married sisters 51175 Married brothers 51575 Children 20000 Total number of devotees 1,49095 Spiritual Museum 110 Spiritual Centres 325 Overseas Centres 100 Sub-centres 825 Total number of centres 13505 * Rev. Bed Singh is Lecturer in Religion at Aizwal Theological College, Mizoram. 94 THE TEACHINGS OF THE PR;'.JAPITA BRAHMA KUMARIS MOVEMENT In 1992 the Movement had over 3000 centres and sub-centres throughout the world in over 6 60 countries. -
Transgressive Representations: Satanic Ritual Abuse, Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth, and First Transmission Danielle Kirby
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The University of Sydney: Sydney eScholarship Journals... Transgressive Representations: Satanic Ritual Abuse, Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, and First Transmission Danielle Kirby Introduction Articulating the acceptable and unacceptable limits of representation is an unquestionably fraught undertaking. In this issue, Norman Simms astutely states that when it comes to the artistic the very notion of representation suffers “epistemological and aesthetic problems,” limited by the fact that art and literature are “in essence duplicitous, acts of imitation and products of deceit.”1 Late Western modernity provides ample illustration of the often-contentious nature of representation, with recent events supplying a surfeit of examples where normative limits of representation have been uncomfortably transgressed, often generating public outcry and claims of wrongdoing. This article explores one such instance, the 1992 broadcast of an episode of the Channel 4 programme Dispatches, entitled „Beyond Belief,‟ in the United Kingdom. Now, twenty years after the fact, this episode and its broader context provide a fascinating, if disturbing, view into an extraordinary, though somewhat predictable, series of events. Taking the inherent ambiguity posed by the notion of the limits of representation as a starting point, this article will address the incident through a framework of transgression, seeking to articulate some of the varying ways in which such limits were breached, exceeded, and redefined. Beyond Belief On 19 February 1992, the UK television programme Dispatches aired an episode entitled „Beyond Belief.‟2 The episode purported to provide evidence Danielle Kirby is a Lecturer in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University. -
Is the Bahá'í Faith a World Religion?
Published in the Journal of Bahá’í Studies Vol. 6, number 1 (1994) © Association for Bahá’í ™ Studies 1994 Is the Bahá’í Faith a World Religion?1 Seena Fazel Abstract This article will explore some of the issues involved in the sociological analysis of the status of the Bahá’í Faith. It will endeavor to present criteria for the labels “world religion” and “new religious movement,” as well as explore to what extent the Bahá’í Faith fulfils these criteria. It will attempt to demonstrate that the Bahá’í Faith is best categorized as a “world religion.” In a statement to the United Nations Commission on Palestine in 1947, Shoghi Effendi stated that the Bahá’í Faith “can be regarded in no other light than a world religion” (“Faith of Bahá’u’lláh” 219). However, today, despite the increasing expansion and influence of the Bahá’í Faith since Shoghi Effendi made that statement, its status outside the Bahá’í community remains controversial. In academic circles, it has shed the label of a sect of Islam,2 but there is no consensus about its present standing. A 1992 textbook on the world’s religions describes the problem: The question of how to “place” Bahaism is a little problematic. Although it originated as a sectarian movement within Shi‘ite Islam, there is now no sense in which Bahá’ís would regard themselves as Muslims, nor would they be recognized as such by any branch of Islam. Bahá’ís themselves have for some time now proclaimed their faith to be a “world religion” on a par with Islam, Christianity, and other established creeds. -
Barker, Eileen. "Denominationalization Or Death
Barker, Eileen. "Denominationalization or Death? Comparing Processes of Change within the Jesus Fellowship Church and the Children of God aka The Family International." The Demise of Religion: How Religions End, Die, or Dissipate. By Michael Stausberg, Stuart A. Wright and Carole M. Cusack. London,: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020. 99–118. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 2 Oct. 2021. <http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350162945.ch-006>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 2 October 2021, 18:58 UTC. Copyright © Michael Stausberg, Stuart A. Wright, Carole M. Cusack, and contributors 2020. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 6 Denominationalization or Death? Comparing Processes of Change within the Jesus Fellowship Church and the Children of God aka The Family International Eileen Barker This is an account of the apparently impending demise of two new religious movements (NRMs) which were part of the Jesus movement that was spreading across North America and western Europe in the late 1960s. Both movements were evangelical in nature; both had a charismatic preacher as its founder; and both believed from their inception in following the lifestyle of the early Christians as described in the Acts of the Apostles.1 One of the movements began in the small village of Bugbrooke, a few miles southwest of Northampton in the English Midlands; the other began in Huntington Beach, California. -
The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
IIAS Newsletter 47 | Spring 2008 | free of charge | published by IIAS | P.O. Box 9515 | 2300 RA Leiden | The Netherlands | T +31-71-527 2227 | F +31-71-527 4162 | [email protected] | www.iias.nl Photo ‘Blue Buddha’ by Lungstruck. Courtesy www.flickr.com 47 New Religious Movements The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University The Indian-based BKWSU arose from a Hindu cultural base, but tors are all ethnic Indian women although they have long been resident overseas. distinct from Hinduism. It began in the 1930s as a small spiritual National coordinators may be ethnic Indian, local members, or third country community called Om Mandli (Sacred Circle), consisting primarily of nationals, and some are males. In this sense the BKWSU closely resembles a young women from the Bhai Bund community of Hyderabad Sindh, multinational corporation (MNC) in tend- ing to have home country nationals posted now part of Pakistan. Since the 1960s the community has been known to key management roles overseas, with a degree of localisation at the host country as the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (BKWSU), translated level. The use of third country nationals, or members from one overseas branch from the Hindi, ‘Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya’. It is posted to lead another overseas branch, attests to the strength of its organisational significant that the movement included a ‘world’ focus in its name, culture and the strength of shared values of its members. even though active overseas expansion did not begin until 1971. BKWSU is an international non–govern- mental organisation (NGO) that holds Tamasin Ramsay and Wendy Smith dle East), the US (America and Carib- general consultative status with the Eco- bean Islands), Russia (Eastern Europe) nomic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the he BKWSU headquarters in Mt.