Rendering Unto Caesar: Sucked into the Jesus Cult‏

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Back when I was knee high to a grasshopper, my mother gave me some advice that has served me well in life. She warned me about the Church with the admonition to pay no attention to what they say. The reason behind this deliberate ignorance of Church teachings was that the Church knows nothing about divinity. Although I never completely ignored the Church I tended to be skeptical of their pronouncements. I took their position as something to consider, but not without additional information.

With such a family background I was surprised when one of my sisters was sucked into the Jesus cult. She was away from home and the friends of her childhood when she joined a fundamentalist congregation. She fit the profile of the typical victim of cult recruitment: young, isolated, vulnerable. I had prior exposure to Christian fundamentalism in the form of a family in our neighborhood, but I was not prepared for the intensity of my sister's new-found faith.

I did my best to make peace with her belief system We agreed to disagree on politics. After all, her support for Reagan and his policies in Latin America came with her cult membership. One Christmas I gave her a calendar of spiritual places around the world. As she flipped through it she came to a Chinese shrine. "The Chinese worship their ancestors. That's Devil worship." I was appalled that she would consider the ancestors of the Chinese to be evil. It was not until later in life that I discovered the source of her culty concept in official Roman dogma from centuries past.

At another point in our lives she told me that I would burn in Hell if I did not accept Jesus into my heart as my lord and savior. I pointed out that I could not possibly burn in Hell because I am not a Christian. Only Christians burn in Hell. This caused her considerable distress. She could not coerce me with her own fear of Satan. The Roman Hell has no power over those who do not fear it.

She eventually left that particular congregation. I do not know whether her departure was voluntary or not. She may have been forced out when she was no longer an obedient servant of their "lord." When I asked her about her departure she used some mumble words that gave me the impression that they disapproved of her decision to shack up with her boyfriend.

I had my own experience with an attempt at cult recruitment later in life. A couple befriended me as I studied at a neighborhood drinking hole. They invited me out to visit museums and to chat. When they invited me to meet their cult leader, he asked me what I was searching for. I confessed that I was not really looking for anything in particular. This infuriated him and the meeting was abruptly terminated. Since there wasn't anything I wanted, they had no way to control me. There is nothing more anathema to a cult than an independent spirit.

Since that time I have developed a keen sense for the varieties of cult experience. In the US we have the socially acceptable cults such as those of Jesus and Washington. There are more degrading cults such as those of the dollar and of pharmacopia.

Do you have experience with someone you know being seduced by a cult? Was there a connection between their cult membership and their political perspective?

Links: The cult of Jesus. The cult of Washington. The cult of the dollar. The cult of pharmacopia.

Comments

[malakh-abaddon.livejournal.com]

I have had this occur a few times. It worked once, but I was extremely young. Outside of that I normally turn their twisted logic upside down, and crush their faith to ash under my heel.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Do you stomp on their graves singing "Hallelujah!?"

[telemann.livejournal.com]

What about your school and "cult" (I'm using the word cult in the sense of any religious or spiritual group, and not in the pejorative sense). What's it called, and where can we find more information about it?

You seem very secretive about divulging any details regarding it. Is there a reason other than protecting your own personal anonymity?

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I would not want our efforts to become twisted into a cult. Besides, there is plenty of information available for the truly inquiring mind.

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

I found it. *shrugs*

[auntiesiannan.livejournal.com]

You probably have to drop a lot of money in the plate, first. Think of how much cash it takes to learn about Xenu.

[malasadas.livejournal.com]

Since that time I have developed a keen sense for the varieties of cult experience

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

That looks like it comes from one of those Aussie post-apocalyptic flicks.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

By far the best meme image I've seen you post.

*Thumbs up*

[ginnyjake.livejournal.com]

I pointed out that I could not possibly burn in Hell because I am not a Christian. Only Christians burn in Hell.

I'm confused by your point here. Under Christian theology, Christians don't burn in hell. That's one of the perks of becoming a Christian. Is there a school of thought where a belief that Christians burn in Hell exists?

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

The only people I know who fear Hell are Christians. If Christian theology claims that Christians do not burn in Hell, then why do they fear it so?

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

What if the cult is protecting an important secret?

[telemann.livejournal.com]

That image looks familiar, what movie is that from?

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Ezekiel had it all wrong.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Good point. Ya gotta love the pagan imagery of a sky chariot, though.

[jolly-roger.livejournal.com]

I think I am those who you are asking for, and, yes sometimes it influences on my political perspectives.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

What kind of influence?

[macychick.livejournal.com]

I know someone who was taken in by the cult of Scientology. He struggled with depression and anxiety, and they told him to stop taking his Prozac and instead submit to Scientology. He just kept getting worse, but the other cult members insisted that if he just kept giving more money to the cult, his depression would be cured. Finally, he saw the light, left the cult, and got medical intervention. He is back on Prozac and is much better. I have no idea how he votes but I imagine he's on the liberal end of the spectrum as he is openly gay.

By the way, I'd like to point out that not all Christians are part of what you call "the Jesus cult." The overwhelming majority of Christians are not evangelical fundies who tell all non-Christians that they are going to Hell. Most Christians believe in science, accept global warming, evolution, etc. as fact, and understand that the Bible is not a science book nor should it be taken absolutely literally; but rather a collection of writings from various sources by various authors (priests, rabbis, prophets, apostles, etc.) accumulated over the centuries and compiled by the early leaders of the church.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Members of the Jesus cult probably consider anyone who "believes in science" to be destined for an eternity of suffering despite their self-identification as a Christian. I have heard some of them say that Catholics are not Christians.

Does Scientology have a position on homosexuality?

(frozen) (no subject)

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

Another one who's eager to tell the world about their exceptional story.

(frozen) (no subject)

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

I don't see how atheists are any different. : T

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

Yawn.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

harry potter x warhammer 40k? wth

[cill-ros.livejournal.com]

After all, her support for Reagan and his policies in Latin America came with her cult membership.

Archbishop Romero wasn't a Christian, then! Amazing!

Also, yawn.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

American fundamentalists favored death squads over Roman bishops. The current leadership in Rome recently made a step toward recognizing Liberation Theology with the appointment of Gerhard Mueller. Conservative Catholics are concerned.

[op-tech-glitch.livejournal.com]

Links: The cult of Jesus. The cult of Washington. The cult of the dollar. The cult of pharmacopia.

You forgot about one other:

http://bp0.blogger.com/_P3xccXhPlc8/RZUgk1OiFmI/AAAAAAAAAIc/gqTHwfBGtn8/s1600-h/Blessed+Art+Thou+lo.jpg

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

How could I have forgotten about the cult of lip enhancement and other plastic surgeries?

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

I have seen some who have fallen victim to the cult of political correctness. People who go to universities are particularly at risk. Politically, they usually vote for irrelevant fringe lefty parties.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Political correctness: Having to think about what one says before one says it lest ones personal biases be aired in public.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Do you have experience with someone you know being seduced by a cult?

Yes. Everyone I know who attends religious services.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

It is fascinating that one group of Christians advocates Liberation Theology and another group of Christians advocates death squads. Each may even cite their faith as the reason for their political positions.

[fornikate.livejournal.com]

why were you studying in a bar

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

It was a brew-pub. They craft some of the finest beer on the market. Most of my studies in such an establishment have to do with the study of human interaction. I just happened to be absorbed in a particularly fascinating text at the time.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

Well, you certainly seem to belong to some kind of cult and it does seem to influence your political perspective.

I did know a person in college who was sucked into a religious cult, but it had nothing to do with politics. I do know a couple Mormons and 7th-day Adventists, but their politics are also somewhat varied.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Our school may seem like a cult to outsiders, but it lacks the essential attributes of a cult. Any organization that concerns itself with justice will have political implications.

The Mormons have been around for so long and have grown so large that they have begun to take on the aspect of mainstream organizations. The involvement of LDS in support of Prop 8 in California belies the notion that they are not political.

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

You'd know a thing or two about cults, wouldn't you.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I try not to limit the scope of my studies.

[thehonorableryu.livejournal.com]

It depends upon what you mean by "cult." For some people, anything religious is a "cult." For some Protestants the Roman Catholic Church is a "cult," and for some Catholics (such as my grandmother) anything religious but not Catholic is a "cult." The word can take on a relative character when it is used as a perjorative for any devoted group or movement the user deems foolish or with which she or he especially disagrees.

Concerning a more descriptive usage, I think that for many people a "cult" is often distinguished from any other kind of organization that shares a common view or purpose (religious, political, or otherwise) by its deliberately esoteric character, or a lack of transparency with regard to its public versus private or secret teachings and practices. Upon this definition, the appeal of belonging to a cult is that the members feel privileged by their ability to "Get It," or to be in on something or in the know about something that is excluded from all but the special few who become initiates.

It seems to me that the Roman Catholic church is generally rather open, public, and straightforward about what it teaches and practices and in this sense is not a cult. There could be conspiracies taking place in Vatican City for all I know, but I haven't been confronted with solid evidence for many of the things that are claimed.

Probably a partial reason for why some people here are suggesting your demeanor as "cultlike" is because you have been a bit recondite with sharing basic information about whatever group you might be involved in. Out of curiosity I tried searching for "Sophia Community" in google. There's a variety of groups or schools called "Sophia Community" or with "Sophia" in their title, and I had to add to supply more terms into the search to get a result that seemed like a likely candidate. What I found seems to have a rather theosophic bent that some people would find strange, unappealing, or "cultic" according to their definition of the word. Which brings us back to my original question, what is or isn't a cult?

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Establishing an entity as "not a cult" is probably more difficult than the opposite. People who specialize in cult deprogramming typically qualify the term with a negative designation such as "authoritarian" or "destructive" cult. Any organization that threatens authoritarian cults will have attributes that could be considered cult-like. Without such attributes, the organization would be susceptible to attack by authoritarian cults.

In general, any group of people with shared values form a cult. The cults listed her are centered around people and things. The Jesus cult is a group of people who value Jesus. The cult of Washington is a group of people who value Washington. The cults of the dollar and pharmacopia value things rather than people. It is possible to value multiple people/things and belong to multiple cult groups.

One of the reasons that some Protestants consider Catholicism to be an authoritarian cult is that many Catholics revere the pope as if he were a royal person. Protestants revere Jesus as if he were a royal person, but they do not consider this to be the same as reverence of the pope. Both factions have authoritarian aspects that attempt to control people.