Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that...

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Is The Church of Christ A Cult?

Transcript of Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that...

Page 1: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Is The Church of Christ A Cult?

Page 2: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and

judgemental, they claim to have no denomination, but call themselves the "church of christ" and claim to have The right path. I've heard that they are considered a 'dangerous cult' by some... is this true? what do you think about them?

http://www.chocd.org/ 3 years ago Additional Details http://biblebelievers.com/david_martin/m… 3 years ago i ask because my mother has joined a church, and since hearing her "tales"

about things, the church has driven out my father (for divorcing her), his mother, and have encouraged my mom to "disown" my brother (nothing to do w/ $$, he "no longer exists" to her and the church supports this)

3 years ago according to christianity, a cult:

C. Claim to be The Only True Christians U. Unorthodox Extra-biblical RevelationL. Lying Leaders (History/Doctrine)T. THE Way (Salvation is found only in their organization)S. Salvation By Works (obedience to ordinances such as baptism)

Yahoo Answers

Page 3: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Supposed Earmarks of Cults

A Strict And Narrow View of Authority

Page 4: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Supposed Earmarks of Cults

A Strict And Narrow View of Authority

Practices Discipline

Page 5: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Supposed Earmarks of Cults

A Strict And Narrow View of Authority

Practices Discipline Believes They Are Right & Others Wrong

Page 6: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Supposed Earmarks of Cults

A Strict And Narrow View of Authority

Practices Discipline Believes They Are Right & Others Wrong

Teaches Necessity Of Baptism

Page 7: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Supposed Earmarks of Cults

A Strict And Narrow View of Authority

Practices Discipline Believes They Are Right & Others Wrong

Teaches Necessity Of BaptismTeaches Friendships/Marriages Should Be With Other Members

Page 8: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

B. Street Church, Miami OK 1957-77

Christian marriage to Non Christian to Christian

76 marriages 64 marriages57 left faith 5 left faith25 divorced 2 divorced22 faithful 59 faithful

Page 9: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Bridges Street Church, Wynne AR 1962-‘81

to Non Christian to Christian76 marriages 28 marriages61 left faith 4 left faith23 divorced 4 divorced15 faithful 24 faithful

Page 10: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

Supposed Earmarks of Cults

A Strict And Narrow View of Authority

Practices Discipline Believes They Are Right & Others Wrong

Teaches Necessity Of BaptismTeaches Friendships/Marriages Should Be With Other Members

Is Counter Culture

Page 11: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

JW’s And Thought Control

If anyone lays aside “Scripture Studies”…after he has read them for 10 years-if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone…our experience shows that within 2 years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he merely reads the SS with their references, and had not read a page of the Bible, as such, he would be in the light at the end of the 2 years.

Watchtower Magazine, Sept 15 1910

Page 12: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

JW’s And Thought Control

The Watchtower being the means the Lord is pleased to use to transmit his message of truth to the people, it is a real comfort to the remnant and the other sheep of the Lord to have this given to them regularly twice each month.

1937 Yearbook, pg 82

Page 13: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

JW’s And Thought Control

But if each of us were left to himself just because he has a copy of the Bible and were to direct his movements independently as he thought he understood the Word, what? It is likely, or possible, that there would be a great deal of confusion or working in competition among us. Hence, besides individually possessing God’s Word, we need a theocratic organization…

Page 14: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

JW’s And Thought Control

Yes, besides having the spirit of illumination, a Christian needs Jehovah’s theocratic organization in order to understand the Bible.

WTM, June 15 1951; pg 375

Page 15: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

JW’s And Thought Control

The Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind.

WTM Nov 1, 1967 pg 587

Page 16: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

JW’s And Thought Control

Avoid independent thinking…questioning the counsel that is provided by God’s visible organization …Fight against independent thinking.

WTM Jan 15 1983 pg 27

Page 17: Is The Church of Christ A Cult?. Is the "church of christ" a cult? there's a church in my area that seems very controlling, meddling, and judgemental,

JW’s And Thought Control

If The Society told me that this book is black instead of green, I would say, “Y’know, I could have sworn that it was green, but if the Society says it is black, then it is black!”

Spoken by Bart Thomson, WTS Overseer

By Raymond Franz in Crisis of Conscience, pg 296