Post by pitbull on Nov 7, 2008 5:42:42 GMT -5
DAILY WISDOM
“Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:” [Proverbs 7:4]
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
FIGHTING THE WRONG WAR
Ecclesiastes 8:8
2 Chronicles 35:20-24
God has not called us as believers to fight in any of the following wars:
• Against rights for sodomites
• Against abortion
• Against drugs and alcohol
• Against IRS
• Against gun restrictions
• Against Hollywood
• Against pornography
• To correct or reform denominations
• To correct or reform society
God has commanded us to fight in the war for the souls of those who are dying and going to Hell. He has commanded us to be soul winners [Proverbs 11:30; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8]. We will win all these other battles only and only if we are fighting the war to keep souls out of Hell. God will take care of these issues that are sidetracking so many Christians today if we worry about the importance of one soul.
RELIGIOUS AWARENESS
DEFINITION OF A CULT
Some people confuse the words "cult" and "occult." The word "cult" refers to a religion that is false-that does not agree with the Word of God. The occult, on the other hand, has to do with matters involving the action or influence of evil supernatural beings.
Cults are nothing new. Some of them, such as Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unity, Mormonism, SDAs and others, have been around for a long time. Fairly recent in the United States, however, are the Eastern mystical cults [that border on being of the occult], each of which has its own "guru,'" or leader.
What is of special concern to us is how Satan uses these religious systems and their gurus to trap young people today. The sad part is that even Christian young people have been taken on by their teaching. A few of these religions are especially dangerous because they use Bible terminology and may even contain an element of truth.
THE CULT LEADER
Most cults center around one person, often the founder of the organization or system of religion. He usually has a dynamic, magnetic personality and is able to attract and inspire confidence in his teaching. This person will claim to have unususal powers and special ability to communicate with God. For this reason, his followers usually consider him infallible—in their opinion, he can do no wrong. This results in their putting him on a level with God Himself.
THE CULT GROUP
New cult members are brought immediately into a tight-knit group of people their own age where they are the center of attraction- at first. They are impressed with the evident love that group members show for each other. The new person himself is warmly accepted and loved.
The group will often hide its true identity at first. They will give no idea as to the organization with which they are affiliated. Nor will they speak openly of their unique doctrinal beliefs. Later, however, group members put a lot of pressure on the new member to accept and follow their doctrines.
ISOLATION
The new group member is encouraged to break all ties with his former life. In fact, he is usually forbidden to have any contact with his family. His "spiritual family" is to take the place of his natural family.
He is kept so busy that he has little tinge for sleep. This leads to such a state of exhaustion that his mind does not comprehend that the doctrine he is being taught is false.
He is also given very little food, and what he does get is low in protein. He is told that going without food is a means of sacrifice and self-discipline, which is good for him.
INDOCTRINATION
With little time to think or sleep, new cult members are very susceptible to the intense indoctrination they undergo. They are under constant supervision as they are lectured, drilled and led in personal study. This is where young people are often brainwashed and lose control of their minds.
As part of the indoctrination process, cult members are taught how to speak, how to behave and how to think. They are programmed to believe that they are not at all important as individuals. They are led to feel guilty and inferior as persons.
FALSE DOCTRINE
Of course, a part of indoctrination is false doctrine. Cult leaders make the Bible seem inadequate to meet the spiritual needs of people today. They, will seldom out rightly reject the Bible, but they will say that other ' new " revelations are needed in addition to it. The leader supposedly receives these from God.
Most cult leaders deny either the true deity or the true humanity of Christ, or both. Since Christ is inadequate, in their opinion, He needs some one else to help His cause, That is, of course, the leader of whatever group the cult member happens to be in.
Cult members are slaves to their system—the set of rule and regulations designed by their leader. Only in this way can they hope to obtain salvation. For them, however, the matter of salvation is never settled. They can never know when they have done enough to merit it.
Many cult leaders-and, eventually, their followers as well-suffer from a persecution complex, They are suspicious of all "outsiders –the government, the press, pastors and parents.
TOTAL COMMITMENT
Cult members are taught to be totally committed, totally obedient, totally loyal and devoted to their leaders. Their leaders very tightly control their activities, and they are ruled by fear. Usually a new cult member is forced to turn over all of his personal property to the organization of which he is a member. His leader demands absolute allegiance, even if it means a member's killing his own parents.
WHY ARE CULTS APPEALING?
After reading what cults are like, you probably wonder why anyone would ever be attracted to them. Unfortunately, everyone is a potential cult member – none of us can be sure that we would never be trapped by some false cult. That's why God's Word urges us to avoid false teaching (Romans 16:17-18).
Cults especially appeal to the person who is young and idealistic, They also appeal to the lonely and sad person or to the person who is experiencing stress and guilt. If a person feels alienated from his family and friends, if he feels insecure, if he feels despairing, if he lacks fulfillment, if he is searching for answers, if he is looking for an authority figure, he's likely to be open to the appeal of a cult.
Young people who face a change – they just graduated from high school or college and are looking for a career or a ministry-are also very vulnerable when it comes to cults. That's why many cult "evangelists" work zealously on college campuses. They like to strike just before or immediately after exam time when students are tired and perhaps depressed or distressed.
HOW TO COUNTERACT CULTS
The best way to avoid being taken in by a cultist is to know what you believe (see 2 Timothy 2 15). People are trained to recognize counterfeit money by becoming so totally familiar with the real thing that they can spot any difference immediately. Don't waste your time trying to find out what false cults believe, instead, spend your time studying the truth--God's Word. ) Romans 16 19)
It is helpful, however, to know something about the techniques or strategies that cultists use to try to attract young people into their group. Know what their favorite targets are. By being aware of how they work, you are not as likely to be captured by their advances.
Be a part of a Christian group that shows love for one another (Romans 16:1,2). If you don't have such a group in your church, be the one to start it. If you feel the need for a loving support group, you can be sure other feel the same need. Talk to your pastor or youth leader, and offer to help get such a group started.