Our Field of Study

It is intended to be a very general reference book for those who want to learn about the beliefs of different groups and why they are incompatible with Christianity. This book was not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on any of these groups, or as a comprehensive guide to all alternatives to Christianity. Rather, we limited ourselves to describing the bands we encountered the most. However, if we have not dealt with a group and its analysis is not included in this book, this does not mean that we are defending its beliefs.

We may add that we have had to confine ourselves to evaluating only the principal positions in each group we have chosen, and that we have only briefly touched upon their history, organization, methods, and secondary theses in their teachings, unless they are inseparably connected with their main doctrine and are worthy of special consideration. Not all chapters are equally detailed. We have studied the methods by which various cults attract people to themselves, and we have devoted most space to the largest and most aggressive. Mildly aggressive cults are described in less detail, and these chapters contain only basic information about what separates the group from Christian unity. We would like this work to serve as a good reference and launching pad for further study.

We have also prepared an extensive bibliography to assist the reader in the future if he wishes to know more about any of these groups.

The right approach

We live in a society where a person is free to follow religious beliefs of his choice. We do not argue with this. However, when a person or group of people publicly declares that they are the ones who are doing God's true work on earth, and the orthodox Christianity that has existed for centuries is wrong, we feel that we must rise to such a challenge. They have the freedom to say it, but we as Christians have a responsibility to respond to them. be always ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give an account of your hope with meekness and reverence" (1 Pet. 3:15). That is, answer anyone who attacks historical Christianity and places his faith above Christianity. We are not attacking these groups, we are simply responding to their accusations. One example of such accusations to which we respond can be found in the writings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, better known as "Mormons":

"Every intelligent man under heaven who, being aware of it, does not acknowledge that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, such a man is in darkness, and is opposed to us, and to Jesus, and to his kingdom on earth" (Brigham Jr., Journal of Discourses 8:223).

"What does Christendom know about God? No problem... Why, as soon as the question concerns God, they are notorious fools in it; they know neither God nor the things that come from God" (John Taylor, third President of the Mormon Church, Journal of Discourses, 13:225).

We cannot ignore accusations of this type. They must be answered. In doing so, in responding to accusations made by cult and non-Christian groups, we want to avoid invoking specific names and sarcasm. It is quite possible to disagree with a person's beliefs and love a person who professes these beliefs. What we argue with are the teachings of the groups, but not the members of those groups and not their right to believe what they believe. We say this because the Bible exhorts us to "contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). And finally, the Apostle Paul urged us: "Try all things, hold fast to what is good" (1 Thess. 5:21).

1. What is a cult?

Over the past century, the term "cult" has acquired various interpretations. This became especially evident when, beginning in the 1950s, the secular media began to study various groups and refer to them as cults because of their hostile behavior. Time magazine (Sept. 3, 1951, p. 51) called the eccentric adherence to L. Ron Hubbard's book Dianetics a cult two years before he registered it as the Church of Scientology. The reason for calling it a cult for Time magazine was apparently the good demand for this book in the book market. We should never give up on the correct use of a term just because someone has misused it. Psychologists have tried to define a cult as a group of people who have the power to change someone's behavior and psychological outlook on life. Sociologists have defined a cult as a group that does not conform to the norms of a given society.

Both of these attempts are untenable in defining the most essential thing for all cults - theology. So, we will use the theological definition as the only one that encompasses all aspects of life, thought, and behavior.