A Cult is a group who tries to get it's members to become isolated from the rest of the world and discourages them from investigating anything outside of their own groups beliefs, for fear they might lose the members.
The word "Cult" has been abused so much that now "Cult" becomes "any religion that disagrees with my own". And many Christians throw the word "Cult" around in order to instill fear into people's minds about a Church, which saves them the trouble of actually having to PROVE that a Church's teachings are unbiblical. Just say the word "Cult" and people scatter. Its a sorry and unfortunate tactic.
Jesus Christ and His Disciples were considered to be "outside of the Mainstream"... in His day.
Just because some church is "considered to be" this and that... does not make it so in the eyes of God.
I believe the Roman Catholic Church is way off the mark in many respects.
But then again most of the "Protest"-ant World who claims to "Protest" the errors of the Roman Catholic Church and their unbiblical practice of going by "tradition" instead of by the Word of God, have themselves become horribly entangled in many of the Roman Catholic Church's false doctrines which originated in Babylon's pagan philosophies.
...Such as the Sunday Sabbath, the natural Immortality of the Soul, and the Eternally Burning Hell. These false doctrines were adopted by the Roman Catholic Church and wrapped up in a new "Christian" package and the Christian Church has accepted it's falsehoods as "Gospel Truth" even though these teachings have no place in Scripture.
Martin Luther, the "Original Protestant" knew these teachings were false.
The Great Controversy, page 549
Chapter Title: The First Great Deception
The theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines that Rome, borrowing from paganism, incorporated into the religion of Christendom. Martin Luther classed it with the "monstrous fables that form part of the Roman dunghill of decretals."--E. Petavel, The Problem of Immortality, page 255. Commenting on the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, that the dead know not anything, the Reformer says: "Another place proving that the dead have no . . . feeling. There is, saith he, no duty, no science, no knowledge, no wisdom there. Solomon judgeth that the dead are asleep, and feel nothing at all. For the dead lie there, accounting neither days nor years, but when they are awaked, they shall seem to have slept scarce one minute."-- Martin Luther, Exposition of Solomon's Booke Called Ecclesiastes, page 152.
"They allege the Sabbath changed into Sunday, the Lord's day, contrary to the Decalogue, as it appear, neither is there any example more boasted of than the changing of the Sabbath day. Great, they say, is the power and authority of the church, since it dispensed with one of the Ten Commandments." Martin Luther, Augsburg Confession of Faith, art. 28.
So it just bothers me that Protestants refer to the Roman Catholic Church as being a "Cult" when they have climbed into bed with her, so to speak.
And the only reason I am saying this is that so many on the Baptist Board are ever so willing to label the Seventh Day Adventist Church a "Cult" as well. And all we have ever done is seek to point out their errors.
"I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to any one who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says, 'Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.' The Catholic Church says, 'No; by my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day, and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.' and lo! The entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church. 'Priest Enright, C.S.S.R., Kansas City, Missouri.
I wouldnt even accuse the Baptist Church of being a Cult, because I think its a cheap shot.
And seriously, at least the Roman Catholic Church doesnt CLAIM to follow the Scriptures, they freely admit to going by the traditions of the Church. At least they practice what they preach.
Alot of Roman Catholics are very sincere Christians with good hearts and I am sure that once they realize their errors they will turn around. Some are just ignorant in their beliefs.
...But of course others are going to go on blindly, just doing whatever their Church Leaders tell them to do.
And its the same with many "Protestants" who have ignorantly been following Catholic Tradition with out realizing what they are doing. They will some day see the light and "Come out of Babylon".
...but unfortunately, others will not.
Revelation:18:
8:And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
9: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10: The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
BY CONTRAST:
12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God , and the faith of Jesus.
NOT the commandments created by the Roman Catholic Church.
[ February 25, 2006, 10:29 PM: Message edited by: Claudia_T ]
