RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY
Organized Religion – Cults Faith need not be organized; but, when it is, we know these organizations as either "religions" or "cults". There is process by which faiths become organized into religions, as well as the true meaning of that often abused term "cult". Even Apes morn the dealth of a lost one but it does mean that they pray and community with a deity. . Five factors needed to assisting in determining a religion is a cult
- Does the group have a charismatic, powerful leader (or leaders)?
- Does it display a group mentality that denies individuality and personal, independent thought?
- Is there a denial of intimacy by excluding or alienating friends and relatives?
- Do they apply financial pressure and abuse for the welfare of the group, even at the personal expense of the adherent?
- Is there a separation and isolation from the surrounding community?
United states Marine Corp embodies most of the Five characteristics.
1. The group ha a leader who is powerful and ,mostly very Charismatic ability to draw people to him.
2. .Family and friend can not be with you little to no communication may be hade while in training The Marine's often outside of the community often they live in housing on base and associate with only other Marine's Are they then called a cult? The answer is no, their leader can be changed by simple public option.
Catholic church embodies most of the Five Characteristics
1. Let us look at the Catholic Church Yes they have the POP as the right hand of God.
2. The Church laws and by laws must be adhered to by all or you could be removed from the church ex-communicated.
3. Since the beginning the church has told poor that it was best they be poor and the Lord's House remain well taken care of as well as though Priest, bishops, etc… men that served the church.
4. They believe that their teachings are the only acceptable teachings for good Catholics. They built nunneries and monastery. So yes the Catholic Church has taught a separation between its clergy and the followers. So by these standards we could address the Catholic Church a cult.
In my attempt to be understand cults and much of what religion is. Through this course I've found great flows in the belief system. First off for one to determine that a group is a cult one must be willing to inspect their beliefs system. Not by assume based on some on the fact that they do not worship as we do or pray as we do. Christ himself who was Jew did many things that upset the church and made them feel threatened by him and his followers. Where they cult leaders? Christ spoke of love for my fellow man and for myself. He spoke of a relationship between himself and the heavenly Father. So Christ might in this day and time be considered a Colt leader, by some. But that would be true for he did not see fame for himself, nor was he about keeping people isolated from the world. The bible tells that foxes have hold, but the son of man does not even have a rock to lay his head upon. I have learned because we address or label any religious group a cult let take the time to study them and discover what they really belive. Cause even with Christ would have been considered a cult leader, he taught opposite of what the Jewish figureheads had been teaching.
We have called the Jewish un Christians, The Baptist say that the Catholics are going hell and they are a big cult. All these things I heard in my church as kid and believe them without any proof. I have learned that we are quick to label other because they believe or speak different. Men like Karl Marx felt religion in itself was nothing more than a excuse. A way to explain those things that seemed to have no other explanation. We see that religion as we know today has grown into present day meaning. From The Latin word religiō referred to an obligation or bond. Most linguists believe that this was derived from the Latin verb religāre, meaning "to tie back". Gradually, the meaning evolved until it came to mean 'a tie between humans and the gods'. After the legalization of Christianity in Rome during the early 4 th century, a shift occurred with regard to what was meant by 'the gods'. When the ancient Jovian religion (Roma religio) predominated in the Empire, it was clear that 'the gods' referred to the members of the Jovian pantheon: Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, et cetera . Later, as Christianity supplanted it, Deity came to generally be accepted as referencing the God of the Jews and Christians: Jehovah, or Yahweh (same God; just different English renderings of the Hebrew).
As a result, religāre came to be refer to as a formal tie between devout Christians and their God. The people who exemplified this formal tie were the monks and nuns of the monastic communities. So, from the 5th century, for roughly a thousand years, religion (the Old French form of the word) referred solely to the monastic life.
In other words, the only truly religious people in mediæval Europe were those living in a monastery or nunnery — those who had devoted their entire lives to the church — those who had 'tied themselves to God'. Then, around the 16 th century, the term began to take on a wider, broader meaning.
It was during the 16 th century that our modern meaning for religion finally came into use. Initially, this was the service, worship, devotion and faithfulness to God (or 'the gods'). But, that was a "western" view — one perhaps accepted within Christianity, Judais.m and Islam, but not necessarily applicable to numerous other worship systems around the world. The world cult Was used in the book of Genesis by Abraham, so this is not a new word to us. Determining what trul can be classified as cult is not as easy. The Five questions proposed to test if a church or religious group are real or just a cult . After having taken this course I've learned that such words as cult is not just a label to place thing that we do not agree with or do not understand. For me I leave this class with a greater understanding of the great need to respect others faith. It is obvious to me if a faith does not harm cause harm to the greater then we can not address them as cult because our teachings at youth said if others don't think or worship like we do then they are not saved. I have no crystal ball to determine which faiths are right and which one will find true peace, I realize I must embrace each one and learn determine for myself what is right and wrong.
Rev. Willis Henry
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have multiple classes in Christianity, Wicca, Religious Philosophy, three courses in Metaphysics. a course in Buddhism, a re-vamped course on Shamanism, and much more.
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