Guest SereneAspiration Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Rational Christianity I especially love how they say they are NOT exclusive of people because everyone has an opportunity to come to Jesus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Yeah, they're just willing to brainwash everyone, whereas the fundies are only willing to brainwash the wealthy, straight, white, homophobic conservatives. Heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Okay here's my view: Signs of a cult: Overly aggressive recruitment/evangelization - Yes, evangelical Christians definitely falls into this category. Even Catholics by going to 3:d world countries and building churches. False/deceptive teaching, including hyperexclusivism: - Yes, most definitely are there hypeexclusivism, since you have to be a believer of Christianity to go to heaven. Questioning of the group's teaching/leadership forbidden - Are anyone allowed to question Paul's or Jesus' teachings without getting their head bashed? Isolation (physical or forced isolation, or encouragement to break contact with family and friends) - Happens all the time, in all churches. Sleep deprivation and other abusive practices - So the teaching to get up early in the morning, before everyone else, to pray and read the Bible, and read the Bible after everyone's gone to bed, won't deprive you from sleep? Financial exploitation of members (ultimately profiting the leaders) - One word: tithes Emotional explotation of young adults, the elderly, etc. - Most definitely in all churches, Little Bob is scared witless of going to hell because the sunday school teacher said that everyone that doesn't believe in Jesus will go to the eternal burning hell and suffer tremendous pain. Yeah, right, not exploiting kids, huh... Unfortunately, there are Christian and pseudo-Christian individuals and groups who exhibit one or more of the above characteristics. - Then basically the majority of Christians are part of this pseudo-Christian group, and by definition a cult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godless Wonder Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 How can anyone read the book of Acts, and the story of Sapphira and her husband, in which Peter commits double homicide, murdering the both of them because they didn't give him *all* of the money they got for their land, then he blames Dufus for fheir murder, then uses the story to browbeat money out of more people, and not realize IT"S SO OBVIOUSLY A CULT, and it has been since the very beginning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willybilly30 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 http://www.geocities.com/b_r_a_d_99/cultleader.htm this website has alot of bible verses and stuff proving jesus is a cultleader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrmarlin Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 I always love it when people refer to brad's pages. They are absolutely pertinent to everything religious in our world today. He rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willybilly30 Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 his websites really helped me with my deconversion it really sets your mind strait. I always love it when people refer to brad's pages. They are absolutely pertinent to everything religious in our world today. He rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrmarlin Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Willy, Brad is a smart guy who really knows his stuff. He has thought about this more than just a passing fancy. He has dedicated tons of time to put those webpages together and get those burning questions that all people have regarding the invisible machine called xianity oppression. He is also extremely nice. We have exchanged e-mails and he's a wonderful person. Always willing to read all and investigate new subject matter. He even let me know when he added new items to his pages. Just really insightful. You can't find that often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkepticOfBible Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 his websites really helped me with my deconversion it really sets your mind strait. Although I never converted, but Brad's website certainly turned my doubts to conviction in regards to the authencity of Xtianity. He pretty much rebutted every christian propanganda that I had heard. Thanks to his website, I also convinced another freethinker collegue of mine to change his mind about his conversion to Xtianity. And yeah, it's true, he is a real friendly guy and he has replied to every single email of mine. Although he has retired from debating Xtians, I quite often goto him for help in case I get stuck. BTW did you guys that he was economist?I was so amazed at that, and that gave me a lot of confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Brad da man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 From the article: The purpose of this article is not to prove that any and all Christians or Christian groups the reader may have encountered are not cults or using cultic techniques, but to demonstrate that Biblical-based Christianity is not a cult and does not support the use of cultic practices. Stop right there, gopher! This is entirely the POINT! There are NO "biblically based Christians"! There never has been. If "Christians" had ever followed their bible, then Christianity would have vanished from the face of the earth just like Mithraism and the rest. It is precisely BECAUSE they deviated from "Jesus", and BECAUSE they utilized cult practices that they've lasted for 2,000 years! Denying the use of "cult practices" is to deny the very reason for the spread of the fucking cult! I wish Christians WOULD become "biblical". Then we'd never hear from them again! They'd vanish within a fucking century. (Plus they'd finally pay their goddammed TAXES! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted April 2, 2006 Share Posted April 2, 2006 Sleep deprivation and other abusive practices Fasting should fall under this category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 The constant concern about whether or not I was doing right for god and worrying about loved ones being eternally tortured, kept me deprived of sleep for at least 2 years. My sister-in-law's death fucked with me in that regard also. Sure, she was a good person and all. But biblically speaking she was being burned alive for all eternity. Prayz gawd... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxic Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Okay here's my view: Signs of a cult: Overly aggressive recruitment/evangelization - Most of the Xtians I know have been extremely persistent in trying to convert me, so that to my mind is overly aggressive recruitment False/deceptive teaching, including hyperexclusivism: - I was told that only those "saved" will go to heaven - everyone else will endure an eternity of torment - isn't that hyper exclusivism? Questioning of the group's teaching/leadership forbidden - I was told that we don't question the faith like a piece of clay doesn't question what a potter does to it Sleep deprivation and other abusive practices - ringing Church bells on a Sunday morning when I'm trying to enjoy a well deserved lie in... Financial exploitation of members (ultimately profiting the leaders) - Why are churches always asking for donations? Why do they have collections? Isn't that financial exploitation? Emotional explotation of young adults, the elderly, etc. - Telling people they'll go to hell if they don't obey the Churches teachings - that to my mind is emotional exploitation Unfortunately, there are Christian and pseudo-Christian individuals and groups who exhibit one or more of the above characteristics. - I suppose that's the dreaded Catholics or anyone else you don't like... So there you have it, Christian ity IS a cult! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgnosticBob AtheistPants Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Financial exploitation of members (ultimately profiting the leaders) - One word: tithes I have a better one...two words..."love offering". And that is of course above and beyond your tithes. Better yet...four words..."Give until it hurts". And the best...eight words..."God blesses you proportionately to what you give". How's that for a pyramid scheme? Tithes Love Offering Give Until It Hurts God Blesses You Proportionately to What You Give Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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