Counseling Through Your Bible Handbook (17 page)

— A cult is a sect or religious system that promotes doctrines that deviate from those of orthodox biblical Christianity.

— Every cult V-A-R-I-E-S from one or more fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith:

V
Virgin Birth: Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18,23). By contrast, Mormons, for example, state that God the Father had sexual relations with Mary to conceive Jesus.
¹

A
Atonement: Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can pay the penalty for personal sin (Romans 5:8-9). However, the Moonies (Unification Church) teach that Jesus failed in His mission because He was crucified.
²

R
Resurrection: Jesus Christ was raised from the dead in bodily, physical form and was seen on earth by many (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). However, Herbert Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God taught that Christ was revived spiritually and was no longer human after the resurrection.
³

I
Incarnation: Jesus Christ, who is God, took on human form and was fully God and fully man (John 1:1-3,14) However, The Way International teaches that Jesus was the Logos—the expression of God, but not God Himself.
⁴

E
Eschatology: After Jesus Christ visibly returns to earth during the end times, a final judgment is a certainty, sending the unrighteous to eternal punishment and the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:46; Hebrews 9:27-28). However, Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses will inhabit heaven.
⁵

S
Scripture: The Bible is wholly inspired by God, without error in the original writings and revelation, and is the only authority for righteous living (Proverbs 30:5-6; 2 Timothy 3:16). However, Mormons ascribe to four holy books, with the Book of Mormon as the most “correct” book (not the Bible).
⁶

Leaders
believe they alone have the one true message from God
⁷
and…

—
present
themselves as infallible authorities, requiring absolute loyalty.

—
persuade
through their strong, charismatic personalities.

—
prohibit
individual freedom, expecting unquestioned obedience.

—
promote
themselves as divine or as God’s sole agent on earth.

—
possess
“new truth” from God, while perverting biblical truth.

—
provide
simplistic answers for complex problems.

“Such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness”

(2 C
ORINTHIANS
11:13-15).

Followers
believe their leader alone has the one true message from God and…

—
follow
the cult leader blindly.

—
forfeit
individual freedom.

—
forsake
friends and family to have a new “family.”

—
fear
punishment for not conforming to legalistic rules and regulations.

—
feel
misunderstood and persecuted by the outside world.

—
forego
reason for emotion.

“The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear”

(2 T
IMOTHY
4:3).

People who join cults do not knowingly submit their lives to deceit and error. They are typically intelligent, sincere seekers of truth caught in the snare of subversive spiritual forces. The following characteristics describe the average cult member:
⁸

— between ages 18 and 28

— mostly males

— middle to upper class

— underachiever

— idealistic

— looking for meaning and purpose of life

— low self-esteem

— alienated from family

— experiencing a crisis

— disillusioned with life

— naive or too trusting

— religious background, but not spiritually grounded

“He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, ‘Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?’”

(I
SAIAH
44:20).

Merely loving those who are lost will not get them through the gates of heaven, and neither will a dissertation on doctrine. Frequently a person is drawn into a cult assuming it will meet his or her emotional needs. Respect, replant, and restore are the three junctures on the path of recovery for those entrenched in the ditch of deception. If you care about loved ones caught in the clutches of a cult, realize their first need is to know you
respect
them as creations of God with God-given worth. Only then will the soil of their hearts be prepared for you to
plant
seeds of doubt and to replace false teaching with truth. Ultimately, through gentle reasoning and persistent prayer, God can use you to help open a closed heart, clear a confused mind,
restore
a damaged relationship, and set someone soundly on the Road to Transformation.

“In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord
.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have
.
But do this with gentleness and respect”

(1 P
ETER
3:15).

As long as your loved one is in the cult, make every effort to reestablish and remain in contact. With the following guidelines, build a bridge that won’t blow up into what could be a very volatile situation.

Don’t
criticize or make fun of the cult leader and members—this only causes defensiveness.

Be polite when reference is made to the cult and its leaders.

Don’t
project negative emotions or get into arguments, in spite of your own discomfort.

Allow Christ to control your anger, responding always with kindness.

Don’t
interrupt, regardless of your disapproval. Instead, listen without interrupting.

Listen more than you talk.

Plant seeds of doubt in the mind of your loved one—which, in time, can grow into bigger doubts. This helps the person become more objective and see errors in the cult’s teaching. God’s Spirit can cultivate the smallest seed to convict the cult member that something is terribly wrong.

Plant
the realization that joy does exist outside the cult.

Send a scrapbook of family pictures to bring to mind happy memories prior to your loved one’s cult involvement.

Plant
specific proof of cult errors.

For example, show photocopies from the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ own writings, of prophecies they made that have gone unfulfilled.

Plant
a fresh awareness that your loved one’s freedom to choose has been stifled.

Sincerely say, without sarcasm, “It’s a shame that you don’t have the freedom to decide for yourself when you can visit us.”

Plant
factual information about the cult—facts about which your loved one is probably unaware.

Provide proof of the facts about the cult or cult leader with articles from the Internet, newspapers, or magazines, or from a well-documented book.

Plant
examples of inconsistencies within the cult’s doctrinal teachings.

Ask, “Is it true that Mormons teach ‘as man now is God once was’?”
¹⁰
Show passages from the Book of Mormon (Mormon 9:9-11 and Moroni 7:22; 8:18) that say God doesn’t change. Ask, “Please help me understand which you think is incorrect—the Mormon teaching, or the Mormon writings?”

Goal #1:
Regain basic cognitive skills lost during cult involvement

Duration:
From up to six or eight weeks after leaving a cult

Tasks:

To recall memory
—the past is often suppressed.

— Recall in detail positive events prior to cult involvement.

— Talk about positive childhood friends and family members.

— Laugh about previous humorous situations. Don’t “walk on eggshells.”

To speak clearly
—speech patterns are often broken.

— If the person’s voice trails off, say, “Would you please repeat that?”

— If the person uses abstract global terms, ask what the terms mean for today.

— If the person’s focus is on the future, talk about current events.

To make decisions
—decision-making is discouraged or denied.
¹²

— Discourage blind conformity by assuring the person of his or her ability to make good individual choices, rather than simply conforming to others.

— Encourage the person to choose his or her own food from the menu.

— Let the person choose and purchase his or her own clothing.

“If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently”

(G
ALATIANS
6:1).

Goal #2:
Regain a sense of God-given worth and individuality lost during cult involvement

Duration:
From the first or second month to as long as 24 months

Tasks:

To diffuse rage—
Unhealthy regression when in the cult can swing to unhealthy aggression after leaving the cult, with violent verbal attacks toward the cult and its leaders.

—
Help the person focus
not only on the wrong doctrines and deeds of the cult, but also on the inner unmet needs of individuals in the cult.