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Imagine Education on Christian Cults, Devil in Classroom, Version 1; image by Bigfoot Eruption Discord Mid-Journey.
Since you brought up the Mormon documentary on Netflix, I wanted to briefly address the topic of cults within Christianity. Long before I ever got into studying the inerrancy of the Bible, I had this weird interest in cults, specifically within the Christian faith. My interest in cults have spanned over many decades. In hindsight, I think my interest in cults could most aptly be described as: an examination of the crazy things that can happen under the influence of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ.
When we think of cults, we typically think of the crazy people operating on the fringe, right? We think of Jim Jones, Harold Camping, Marshall Applewhitle (Heaven’s Gate), and David Koresh (Whacko from Waco). On a side note, I have always been extremely fascinated with the story of David Koresh and the Branch Davidians and what happened in Waco, TX in 1993. I think one of the main reasons I’m so fascinated with that story is because I wasn’t paying attention to it as it unfolded in 1993. The reason I wasn’t paying any attention to it was because it all unfolded during the time just before I got married. I got married on April 14, 1993. Five days after that, the Branch Davidians compound perished in a hellfire of flames. 80+ cult members were killed, and 25+ were children. C’mon Jesus! Really? How could God/Jesus allow this to happen?
On Netflix right now, there is a new documentary about Waco. It’s called Waco: American Apocalypse. It came out a week or two ago. I watched it the first day it was released. It’s a great documentary and it brought to light things I had never heard before. Kathy Schroeder, a survivor of the siege who left the compound before the final act, gives testimony that absolutely captivated me. She describes her first sexual encounter with David Koresh. She described it as: having sex with God. I might be paraphrasing a little there, but not by much. She seriously describes it that way and actually says it was essentially like having a sexual experience with God. I’m not sure where Jesus/God were at during this experience, but They obviously weren’t in that geographical area at that time, LOL. Well, I don’t actually know if They were there or not. Kathy Schroeder would tell you that They were there…in the form of Jesus Christ via the flesh of David Koresh.
Cults are for crazy people, right? That’s what I always thought. However, as I began to objectively examine the fruits of Christianity, I came to the conclusion that essentially every single church can be labeled a cult and that “cult” is not necessarily a “bad word”. In today’s world, there are essentially 40,000 different cults operating under the guise of the Christian faith. You go to a Calvary Church, right? Within the doctrine and bylaws of that church, there is something that makes it different from all of the other churches. I don’t know what makes the Calvary denomination different from any other denomination and you may not know either. However, there’s something that makes it different though because it wouldn’t exist otherwise.
When I was a teenager, I attended a country church under the Church of the Brethren denomination. That’s the church where I became inappropriately involved with (something considered to be very wrong in most churches). One of my fondest memories was during a one-week hiking trip the youth group took to an area of the Sequoia National Forrest. The things that happened on that trip were life-changing for me and not necessarily in a good way. I’m not sure where God/Jesus were as my (deleted for privacy reasons), but it was a profound experience for me. I didn’t mean to get off track, but I learned years later that the Church of the Brethren forbid anyone from entering the military. That tenant of their doctrine was something that separated them from other denominations. It was just a little piece that made them their own cult. A cult is simply a group of people who follow a set of beliefs. It’s not always a bad thing and it doesn’t always result in children being burned to death in a place they once considered safe and protected by God.
Some years after I had been in the Air Force, my mom and my grandparents, along with other family, continued their membership in that church. At some point though, it broke up and the last pastor of that church, along with their children, moved to Moscow, Idaho. They became members of the Christ Church under the leadership of Doug Wilson. If you’re not familiar with that church, look it up on YouTube. You’ll find that it’s very much a cult, especially if you listen to people who have departed that church.
Within the past month or so, I’ve been chit-chatting via email with a lady who lives here in San Antonio. She has a fascinating story about a life spent in the fringes of cult-like churches. It would take me too long to go into her story but the main reason I reached out to her was because she lives right here in San Antonio and because I never knew of the BIG THINGS that were going on here in the church that she used to be a part of. It was even happening during the years I was stationed here, and it gained national attention via the mainstream media in 2014ish. Her story is not unique. There are crazy-ass things happening in all churches, but so many of them are kept secret. I’ve got other stories too that I’ve never shared with you about that church I used to attend when I was a teenager…very crazy stories! That church only had 200 or so members too.
I’ve exposed myself to many stories of people who have been adversely affected by the church. Some people have been so negatively affected that they’ve left Christianity all together. There are thousands of ex-Christians who now consider themselves atheists…even ex-pastors. I actually don’t like the term “atheist.” There’s a stigma with atheists that I think is very misunderstood. When I listen to ex-Christians claim that they are now “atheists,” what I ultimately hear from them is that they’ve been badly hurt by the church. Because of that hurt, they’ve thrown it all away. I think they have that right, if they so choose. Why? Because there has to be accountability and not just accountability within the walls of a specific church. Christianity itself needs to be held accountable. God/Jesus/Holy Spirit need to be able to answer for the things that happen within Christian congregations.
I didn’t want to veer off into more scrutiny of Christianity. Like I’ve already said, I’m done with all that stuff. I’ve seen enough. I’ve studied enough. Today, what I can say is that I simply do not know…
I’ve not become an atheist or anything like that. I don’t want to put any label on myself. There’s a part of me that wants to hold onto Christianity, but there are too many unanswered questions for me. After examining so many of the fruits of Christianity, I do know there is something very wrong. I don’t need to look at it any further. I’ve actually found an awkward peace in being able to admit that I just don’t know. What’s interesting too is that I’m finding that so many of my inner conflicts are slowly fading away.
If I were to give you any advice right now, I would tell you to use extreme caution when looking at stuff like the Mormon Murders documentary on Netflix. Why? Because the more you expose yourself to these things, the more you’ll question them. That’s how it has worked for me anyway. It didn’t just happen overnight either. We’re talking about several decades of hearing about what happens on the fringe of Christianity. Make no mistake, Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, just as you do. They just have their own unique way of doing so. There are striking similarities with the experiences of Joseph Smith, the Prophet Muhammed, and the Apostle Paul. There are so many others who have also had these types of experiences given to them by God/Jesus/Holy Spirit…the more you read or watch documentaries, the more you find. The alleged experiences had by the Apostle Paul, the Prophet Muhammed, and Joseph Smith are the most known and widespread. I say “alleged” only because I wasn’t there. Moses and Abraham can be included with having these experiences too…these types of experiences, whether real or mythological, go way beyond all of these guys.
David Koresh claimed he was directly hearing from God during the 50+ day siege at Waco. As a result, 80+ people died a horrific death, and 28 of them were innocent children. If David Koresh was hearing from God during the days before to the fiery apocalypse at Mt Carmel, then I want no part of that God. What voice was he hearing? Was it the same voice that Paul heard? Or that Joseph Smith heard? How about the voice that Rob Ness heard? Or the voice that Brian Martin heard? Personally, I think it’s very possible that when people claim they are hearing from God, they are hearing the same voice. This comes from hundreds, if not thousands, of testimonies I’ve listened to.
A while back, I was listening to a PhD Bible scholar give an answer to a very perplexing question. Mind you, this guy is a scholar of the Bible, but he was also agnostic. He wasn’t an atheist but rather he could not say one way or another if the Biblical God existed. He was asked the following question: What would it take to convince you that the God of the Bible exists? His answer was, “I would believe that the God of the Bible exists if He ominously appeared to the entire world and proclaimed that what happened on 9/11/2001 was NOT my will and I’m greatly sorry that it happened…and as a show of good faith and how it was not His will, He instantly restored the Twin Towers and brought back to life all those who tragically died on that day.”
We’ve never seen these types of miracles occur. The only record of any such miracles occurring is written in the Bible. Why haven’t there been recorded accounts of biblical-proportion miracles over the past 2000 years? I don’t know, and I’m done trying to figure it out.
A few days ago, there was a weatherman from Mississippi who was giving live tornado warnings over a TV broadcast. The situation was fluid, and he was warning residents to take cover immediately. A real-time doplar radar update had come in, and he warned a very specific area to take cover because the tornado was projected to hit in 20 seconds (not minutes). That weatherman was so emotionally distraught, that he stopped and prayed on live TV. He asked Jesus right then and there to protect those innocent lives…it was very moving. In his faith, he prayed to Jesus on live TV. I was nearly moved to tears after watching that. Despite his prayers, twenty-eight people still lost their lives and hundreds more were injured. Many lost their homes and all of their possessions. This was a real-time case of God/Jesus not answering prayers…and not even from a devout follower who courageously prayed on live TV during an emergency weather broadcast. A couple of days later, that weatherman praying to Jesus on live TV hit the mainstream media, at least on Fox News. Millions of people viewed that news story. The thing is, God/Jesus had a chance right then and there to perform a miracle, but “they” chose not to. Do we praise God/Jesus for this? I don’t know about you, but I choose not to.
This is why I am done with all this stuff…because I simply don’t know, and I’m not going to speculate any longer. Like I said earlier, I have an awkward peace about it.
Take care brother,
Christian Cults 101 – Fallen Eruption (bigfooteruption.com)
Bigfoot Eruption’s response:
No matter how hard it is to swallow, more good questions by the San Antonio Contact. Again, Christians need to learn how to answer these tough questions.
A Church going against the Bible, has bad leadership, does that make them a cult? We say look at the criteria.
Christian Cults 101 – Fallen Eruption (bigfooteruption.com)
Here is a clue, with all the research, God can’t quite be condemned. We see that as a clue. A silver lining. A hope.
Also, misinterpretation of scripture does not equate to willingly taking on false doctrine.
Following flesh is not a cult. Again, follow the criteria.
Does the church allow you to leave if you disagree? They should.
Is the church willing to hear rebuke from the flock? They should. And more…
Is the leader of your church claiming to be God, Jesus, or some other perceived higher deity, perhaps an Angel? Then you may be in a cult.
Sex with many of the members for the purpose of greater enlightenment? Then you likely are in a cult.
Christian Church denominations each have their differences, but does that make them each a cult? If every Christian Church is a cult, then we need different interpretation perhaps. Like we said, follow the criteria.
Most of all Christian Cults are not healthy. More research soon.
See the criteria at:
Christian Cults 101 – Fallen Eruption (bigfooteruption.com)
Traps; image, by 1681551 | Pixabay.
Traps; image, by 1681551 | Pixabay.