Do You Belong to a Cult?

** cult –noun

1.a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

2.an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.

3.the object of such devotion.

4.a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

5.Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

6.a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

7.the members of such a religion or sect.

8.any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

–adjective

9.of or pertaining to a cult.

10.of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.

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Because of a recent accusation of belonging to a cult, I thought it might be profitable to examine the definition  in some detail.  While it is certainly not my practice to respond to accusations, I feel this is an opportunity to examine what we do and teach.

According to the above definitions 1-5, virtually any religious organization would fit the pattern.  Number 6, however, is the area that the I would like to examine in detail.

TRUTH

The purpose of House to Life Ministries is to be an agent of biblical truth.  We are actively exposing the falsehood that has permeated the traditional church in America.  We seek to expose the paganism and idolatry that has infiltrated places of worship. 

 ORTHODOXY

The word 'orthodox' is from a Latin word that means "to keep straight".  House To Life Ministries is dedicated to the principles of returning to biblical purity.  Scripture tells us that our Messiah will return when "all things are restored" (Acts 3:21).  We are committed to that restoration process.  We teach that Yeshua is the Only Begotten of the Father, and it is through His blood alone that our salvation was purchased.  We teach that obedience to His Word is proof that you have asked Him to be your Messiah.  In Matthew 5, Yeshua instructed us to keep the commands of the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-20).  If this is not orthodox, then our dictionaries must be re-written.

CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP

Our Leader is the Creator of the Universe!  Is He charismatic?  He created it!  Is He demanding?  He said there is only one way to enter His Kingdom!  Is He fair?  No! He is just!  Can I know Him personally?  Praise His Name forever, He has allowed me that privilege!  Because I want to know Him better, I will learn about His Name and the instructions He gave to remember it.  I will call upon His Name because He instructed me to do so.

In summary, as we look at the refusal of the established church to examine themselves in the light of Scripture,  according to the definitions given above, who is more cultish?

 

Shalom

**American Psychological Association (APA):

cult. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult

Chicago Manual Style (CMS):

cult. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult (accessed: April 21, 2008).

Modern Language Association (MLA):

"cult." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 21 Apr. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult>.