Is the Church of Christ a religious cult?

[Ivy]

Ivy said:
8. The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify whatever means it deems necessary. This may result in members’ participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before they joined the group (for example, lying to family or friends, or collecting money for bogus charities). DOES NOT MEET

Ivy,
There were unethical things we were expected to do. Like calling a pregnant woman and telling her she needs to divorce her husband because she was previously married and didn’t have a scriptural divorce that time. Like “visiting” an errant brother to tell him he was going to hell if he kept practicing homosexuality. I could go on, but these are the worst ones that I remember.

I stand corrected. Yes, those things really happened.

[Cootie Brown]

Personally, I don't think it's necessary for a church to hit every single marker to be considered a cult or cultish. The mere fact that a particular churches name regularly comes up when people are discussing cults should be a big red flag.

Example: I've never heard anyone ask if the Methodist, Lutherans, Presbyterians, or Episcopal's are religious cults. The Church of Christ, however, comes up regularly when people ask that question because they do display a number of cultish traits. That might lead to ask the question how may cultish traits are acceptable and when do they become too many?

What's that old saying? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and waddles like a duck? That would normally mean, it's duck. Except when someone is in denial.

[gordie91]

Probably in general no with all the various flavors of CoC out there doing their thing.

Even in similar groups like baptists the group as a whole would not necessarily fit into cult status. However, since the CoC is very strict to maintain autonomy, especially the NI wing, there very well could be a case made for cult status in smaller areas of the country but because of the set up, we don't hear much.

In my small circle of knowledge, I can only think of one group that would fall into just about to be a cult. It is a small splinter church here in town. They broke off because the church they were in "might be liberal in their thinking". The guy never gave any evidence to prove his point only to make that statement. That would indicate to me some problems and a poor justification for starting a "new work" in order to reach that area of an already small county.

He is very rigid in his beliefs and goes after people in the papers (local and brother hood) with the tenacity of a rabid dog. He has money and for most of the existence of his little congregation set the tone and direction of "how to do 1st century" CoC and letting the bible speak. I think this small group might fit the description but it is too difficult to apply it to the CoC at large.

[agricola]

No really - it's a disservice to people who are in ACTUAL cults to call the coc (as a whole) a cult. At worst it is cultISH - a lukewarm, halfway, wishywashy wannabe cult-like thing. No no - I have known people ACTUALLY in REAL cults, and the coc is plain vanilla rainbows and unicorns by example.

A very good friend of mine from high school got caught up in the Worldwide Church of God back in the early 70's and didn't get out for thirty years - now THAT was a cult! the things I could tell you....That group took a tithe (10%) and a SECOND tithe (now 20%) and every third year, a THIRD tithe (THIRTY PERCENT) of member's incomes. That group discouraged/prevented members from buying health insurance - people DIED in that cult because of things that cult did and required. That group had my poor friend convinced that it was 'wrong' for a woman to attend services during her period - she was 'unclean' and had to stay secluded for the duration. That group has left my friend and her husband, in their 60's, with no insurance, no savings, no reasonable work experience (it was 'better' to work for yourself or the 'church' to avoid 'the world' - besides, it was required that you had the TIME to go on retreats every year...at your own cost - and most employers aren't that flexible about giving people weeks off at a time, two or three times a year). Plus you have to homeschool the kids, so a family has to be one-income - with 20 to 30 percent of that income dedicated to 'the church'.

Until the coc has people sell all they have and give it to 'the church', and requires homeschooling your children - REQUIRES, not applauds - and starts talking about communes in South America - it isn't a cult.

Rude, intrusive, annoying, insulting, and worst of all, really, BORING - but not a cult.

[gordie91]

Personally, I don't think it's necessary for a church to hit every single marker to be considered a cult or cultish. The mere fact that a particular churches name regularly comes up when people are discussing cults should be a big red flag.

Example: I've never heard anyone ask if the Methodist, Lutherans, Presbyterians, or Episcopal's are religious cults. The Church of Christ, however, comes up regularly when people ask that question because they do display a number of cultish traits. That might lead to ask the question how may cultish traits are acceptable and when do they become too many?

What's that old saying? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and waddles like a duck? That would normally mean, it's duck. Except when someone is in denial.

Hey Cootie,

That is certainly some valid points to ponder. But as a whole it would be hard to lump them all because of the variety - strict, not strict, conservative etc.. I do think individual locations could meet most if not all the criteria, but again does it have to hit every marker to qualify and cause damage to the people under the control of the local church.

[Lerk]

Dee Bowman preached at my childhood church so I knew of him, but not John Kilgore.

I saw Dee a couple of weeks ago at a wedding! He's moving pretty slow, but he said he still preaches every week. I'm a little surprised because I think Southside has 3 preachers. I know they have two full-time and they always have an intern. His speech seemed really slow that day, too, and the last couple of times I've heard him speak he seemed to be having a pretty hard time. I'm sure he's in his 80s. As far as any interaction I've ever had with them, and the people I know who know them, Dee and Norma seem to be really nice people.

Dee and even moreso John Kilgore have "touchy-feely" sorts of sermons, or at least ways of speaking, which put off a lot of CoCers, but they're surprisingly popular. (John is at what used to be the Alief church... can't remember the name now that they have a new building. He's been the head guy at the FC Dry Creek camp ever since it started in 1978, so he's had an out-sized influence over several generations in Southeast Texas and in Louisiana.)

I bought a Bowman Brothers 45 RPM record online a few years ago. In fact, I found a second one and had it sent to Dee. He was pretty happy to get it because it had hardly been played, and his own copy was worn out. Here are a couple for sale: http://www.musicstack.com/album/bowman+ ... 2C+punkin!

[Ivy]

Glad he's doing ok!! I want to clarify that he likely only preached at my parents' church for "gospel meetings". I don't think he was ever their located preacher. However, I could be wrong....I just don't remember the precise details. I had other fish to fry during that time frame, so wasn't paying a great deal of attention to church goings on.

[Shane R]

The JWs visited a few days ago. I realized that all of these little groups that originated in America in the 19th century are basically the same: CoC, JW, SDA, Mormon. They are all law-based cultish groups that know little or nothing about the Gospel. This isn't as true of the mainline CoC anymore; they'll be Baptist soon if the Baptists ever accept weekly communion.

[faithfyl]

Personally, I don't think it's necessary for a church to hit every single marker to be considered a cult or cultish. The mere fact that a particular churches name regularly comes up when people are discussing cults should be a big red flag. l.

C of C is much smaller than other "cultish" religions and doesn't get mentioned much.

[OneStrike_ur_out]

The cOC is the Westboro Baptist Church without the picket signs