WHAT IS A CULT?

Very simply stated, a Christian cult claims to have the truth of Christ and salvation but they deny one or more of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. A doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted as authoritative. One cannot call themselves a Christian and twist that to mean whatever they want it to mean. Denial of one or more of the essential truths of doctrine would compromise the religion and would exclude one as a genuine follower of that faith.

If a religious group does not follow the core doctrinal beliefs of Christianity, they are simply not Christians. Certain Christian doctrines constitute the core of the faith. Central doctrines include the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and salvation by grace through faith. These doctrines so comprise the essence of the Christian faith that to remove any of them is to make the belief system non-Christian. Only in non-essential, peripheral doctrine can there be divergence. Different denominations can legitimately disagree on peripheral issues, such as method of baptism, spiritual gifts, or end times events, and yet still hold to the objectively recognized core of fundamental doctrine which constitutes the Christian faith. One way that early Christians sought to delineate what beliefs are necessary for calling oneself a "Christian" was by establishing "creeds." These state some of the core beliefs of the faith. The Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed listed below are two examples of creeds that lend clarity on the beliefs of those who call themselves Christian.

Additionally, with most any church or religious organization, you can refer to their "Statements of Belief" for a more exacting representation of what beliefs are held by that particular organization. Be careful to examine these, however, since they vary from organization to organization -- and therein lies the ability to veer from the central beliefs previously established and agreed upon by early church leaders in the faith.

Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and all Protestant denominations adhere to this central belief system. Although not all denominations chose to be creedal, all Christian denominations hold to these core beliefs. If a group claims to be Christian and does not hold to those doctrines, they are simply not included in Christianity and they are classified as a “Christian cult.”

Lastly, those in these cults require our prayer and compassion. They need to hear the truth in love in order to bring them to a realization of the error they have placed themselves under. We must always remember: they love God yet are being deceived. Pray for them to be enlightened.

APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN.

THE NICENE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

***Note: 1. The word "catholic" with a lower case 'c' does not mean the Roman Catholic Church, but the universal Christian Church as a whole. 2. The word "baptism" refers to the spiritual baptism since no earthly water could ever wash away sins.