Just surfing the net and I came to this site on relgious Sects and Cults

[whistle]

....As I started reading the various summaries, it struck me that so many of the so-called Christian influencies in our government appear to be laced with these kinds of cultist doctrines including our own President George W. Bush. Has anyone actually seen Shrub and Laura going into or coming out of a church? I don't recall seeing any thing in the media about Bush's church

Take a look at the site and see if you don't agree that much of what is claimed as religious fundementalism is in fact coming from cultist ideas. I have a much deeper understanding of why the constitution demands on seperation of church and state stating:

U.S. Constitution - Amendment 1
Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

<link to sects and cults>
http://www.religion-cults.com/Cults/cults.htm



Here are two examples:
<snip>
Fundamentalism: Numbering 4.5 million, comprise an extreme right-wing of Evangelicalism. Fundamentalism was a movement that arose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries within American Protestantism reacting against "modernist" theology and biblical criticism as well as changes in the nation's religious, cultural and social scene.
The term `fundamentalism' has its origin in a series of pamphlets published between 1910 and 1915. Entitled "The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth," a twelve-volume set of essays designed to combat Liberal theology. These pamphlets or booklets were authored by leading evangelical churchmen and were circulated free of charge among clergymen and seminarians.
The movement grew by leaps and bounds after World War I. They are distinguished mainly by militant Biblicism, believe in the absolute inerrancy of the Bible, just as it is written, without interpretations, and emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ.
Fundamentalism has come to refer to several different understandings of religious thought and practice, including literal interpretation of sacred texts such as the Bible or the Qu'ran and sometimes also anti-modernist movements in various religions.
Now a days this term has been used so casually in describing anyone who seems to hold some sort of traditional religious belief--be they a Bible Baptist TV preacher, a Hasidic rabbi, a Mormon housewife, or a soldier of the Islamic Jihad--that the word has become nearly useless or an insulting term. Many groups described as fundamentalist often strongly object to this term because of the negative connotations it carries, or because it implies a similarity between themselves and other religious groups, which they find objectionable. <more at link>

<snip>
Mormons - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The "Mormons" is the Church of "contradictions", and of "deception". Founded in 1830 in Palmyra, New York, by Joseph Smith. 7-12 million members; 5 in the USA. -- Headquarters: 47 Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 80150.
When they go to your home, they show you some of their "Articles of Faith", those appealing to a good Christian, but they are very deceptive: For example, the Article 1 says, "We believe in God, the eternal Father, and in his son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit"... but they don't say that they are 3 gods!... and they don't say that the Father is "eternal" only because he has no end, like any other men, but he had a beginning, so, he was actually "not eternal"... Article 8 says, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly"... but they don't explain to you that the "right translation" of Smith contains 1,475 verses changed from the real Bible.
<more at link>

Sects and cults listed are:

1- Western Sects and Cults, Christianity

Christians "without Christ":
This is a group of churches that may call themselves Christians, use the Bible as their Sacred Scripture, and may even have the name of Christ in the title of their church... but they say that "Jesus is not God", or that Jesus Christ is god as much as you and I are god, like the Mormons.
- Mormons. The Church of Jesus Christ of the of Latter-day Saints, Book of Mormon
- Jehovah's Witnesses. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
- Moonies. Unification Church - The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, Sun Myung Moon
- New Age
- Christian Science Church.
- Church of Scientology.
- Church Universal and Triumphant.
- Children of God, Family of Love.
- Worldwide Church of God, of Armstrong.
- Spiritualism, Spiritualistic Churches, Spiritism.


- Unitarian Church
- Universalism
- Unitarianism... Universalism.
- Unity School of Christianity
- Socinianism

Lord Ganesh, the elephant- gods of Hinduism


Holy Order of MANS.
Church of the Living God.
Fundamentalism
Rev. Ike, United Christian evangelistic Association
Penitents
International Churches of Christ (ICC) (ICOC)
The Way International
Holy Order of MANS
Church of the Living Word
Crossroads Church of Christ, the Boston Church, the Central London Church of Christ

Destructive Cults, Christian and non-Christian
- People's Temple, Jim Jones, Guayana, Jonestown, 913 death
- Branch Davidians, "Waco", David Koresh (Vernon Howell), 82 death
- The Family, Charles Manson, 8 death
- Jeffrey Lundgren, destructive Mormon splinter group, 5 death
- Order of the Solar Temple, 53 death
- Heaven's Gate, 39 death
- Aum Shinrikyo, subway gas attack in Tokyo, Japan, 1995
- Snake Handlers, Serpent Handlers
- Movement of Restoration of "Ten Commandments, in Uganda, 924 death

Other Christian Cults:

Gnosticism, Neo-Gnosticis, Agnosticism.
Way International.
Holy Order of MANS.
Church of the Living God.
Fundamentalism
Rev. Ike, United Christian evangelistic Association
Penitents
International Churches of Christ (ICC) (ICOC)
The Way International
Holy Order of MANS
Church of the Living Word
Crossroads Church of Christ, the Boston Church, the Central London Church of Christ

Catholics without Pope
- The Old Catholic churches
- The Polish Church
- Society of St. Pius X and Fraternity of St. Pius X, Lefebvre,
- Palmar de Troya, Seville, Spain, Clemente Dominguez
- Bayside, N.Y., Veronica Lueken

2- Eastern Sects and Cults, Hinduism and Buddhism

1- Eastern sects and cults- 1:
Transcendental Meditation, Hare Krishna, Theosophy , New Age... "est", "Erhard Seminars Training", the Forum, Order of the Solar Temple, Heaven's Gate, Aum Shinrikyo

2- Eastern sects and cults-2:
Rajneeshism , Sri Chinmoy, Divine Light Mission, Vedanta Society, Krishnamurti Foundation of America, Eckankar, Bubba Free John, Hanuman Foundation, Sathya Sai Baba, Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, Biofeedback, Self-Realization Fellowship, Shree Gurudev Siddha, Sahaja Yoga, 3HO Foundation, Sikh Foundation of Yogi Bhajan, Maitreya

- Hinduism Traditions, sects and cults, the jungle of religions
- Buddhist's Traditions or Denominations
- HINAYANA AND MAHAYANA, the Lesser Vehicle and the Greater Vehicle
- Tantrism, Vajrayana, Diamond Vehicle, the third Vehicle
- Zen Buddhism
- Pure Land... Jodo
- Tibetan Buddhism... Dalai Lama
- Nicheren Shu... Folk Buddhism
- Buddhism of Buddha, and "Anti-Buddhist" Traditions

[blm]

1. No surprise - RevMoon shared his techniques with MANY fundies like Lahaye

and Falwell decades ago. The entire modern fundie movement is funded by and based in Moon's techniques.

All for political power.

They even started the CNP together.

[whistle]

13. CNP??? Link?

[blm]

14. Council on National Policy - the architects of the theocratic governance

http://www.au.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5601&abbr=cs_&security=1001&news_iv_ctrl=1072

[ET Awful]

2. If they list Scientology as "christian" they need to go back to the

drawing board and do some more research. Scientology in no way associates itself with Christianity other than to say they are "compatible" (which is untrue). They do not and never have used the Bible as their scripture, their scripture is a bunch of sci-fi claptrap dreamed up by Hubbard and sold at a million times it's worth. L. Ron Hubbard famously stated "The man on the cross? There is no Christ."

[whistle]

6. Many of the cults listed seem to suggest the same idea that either

Jesus never was or that Jesus isn't God and is not even part of the trinity. Notice also that Freemasonry is in the list as non-Christian and cultist.

[ET Awful]

7. Yes, but the category they list Scientology under specifically states

that the sects in that list use the Bible as their scripture, that is a blatantly false statement.

[sweetheart]

3. freedom of religion

What's the problem?

[whistle]

10. I have no problem with religious freedom, just don't force someone

...else's religion on everyone else and keep religion and the state separate.

http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html

[bluerum]

4. The only thing NOT listed is the Catholic Church and the pope!

[RebelOne]

5. Want a really good laugh?

Go to the RaptureReady.com site and visit the message boards. These people are total wacko nut jobs. They are expecting Jesus to come down out of the heavens and beam them all up to heaven.

[bluerum]

8. He came and got their brains already - left the bodies.

[WiseButAngrySara]

22. You're not kidding, are you? There's really such a site as RaptureReady?

Colbert had a very funny segment last night about why he was disappointed in the 'cease-fire' and made mention of the delay of the apocalypse and that Christ was forced to make an abrupt u-turn back to heaven! It was so funny, I'm laughing as I type it.

[C_U_L8R]

9. No Church of Subgenius

or Pastafarians ???

It is a hardly complete survey :-)

[whistle]

11. You forgot the link....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

[Igel]

12. The list has problems.

In one case, it says something blatantly false about the group involved, and uses that as a defining characteristic. Bodes poorly for the remaining groups listed.

* is apparently Methodist. United Methodist, to be precise. And was raised Episcopalian. That, from a Google search; take it for what little it's worth.

[whistle]

16. Thank you...

[SPKrazy]

17. He Credits Billy Graham For His Life "Turnaround"

and he attended a men's bible study that was very much "fundamentalist in nature" (in the true sense)

probably his stance is "whatever looks good to the religious right wing" and he is likely not religious at all

or else, he really does think that God wants him to be pResident and that the end justifies the means (the sociopath way)

[melnjones]

20. Interesting...

He seems too fundie to be Methodist, and WAY too fundie to be Episcopalian.

[LostinVA]

15. This site doesn't know what the heck they're talking about

A big chunk of "Christian" churches listed are NOT Christian... and some they some aren't, are. Then, all this other stuff is thrown in for this screwed up motley crew of religious sects. I've studied lots of comparative religion, taught it, studied theology for many years, etc.... wrongo.

And, there's nothing at all wrong with Christianity -- just those followers who follow either Paul or their clergy more than Jesus.

[whistle]

18. But isn't is the problem with not keeping church and state separate

...which apparently is what the republicans and religious fundementalists want to impose, one state religion and one world government.

[LostinVA]

25. That has nothing to do with their horrible info on that site

*shudder*

[Initech]

19. I'm surprised they havent listed Nazarene or Televangelism as cults

Both of those would certainly qualify, the Nazarene tends to be one of the more psycho branches of Christianity.

[melnjones]

21. Why do you say the Nazarene church is one of

the more psycho branches?

[Initech]

23. They're one of the major churches behind the armageddon movement

[melnjones]

24. source?

I've never had the impression of them being anymore behind the armageddon crap than any other common evangelical denomination. The Nazarenes are somewhat of a sister denomination to my affiliation (Church of God, Anderson). I do not agree with all of their stated beliefs, but putting them as a whole on the level of cults is a far stretch, imo. Have you possibly just had a bad experience with a person or a church with that affiliation? Just trying to figure out where this is coming from is all.

[LostinVA]

26. You're right -- some neighbors growing up went there

They believed some far out "Rapture" stuff. Also, they were very, very intolerant of just about everyone and everything.

[LeftHander]

27. Error in listings...UUs

Unitarian Universalism is NOT a Christian cult. Or a Christian Church "without christ".

It is a totally different kind of "cult". (lol)

Unitarians of old - Had issue with the Holy Trinity Only, one God? but somehow you really have three...

Universalists of old - Believed everyone was born saved. Everyone is universally bound for heaven. Original sin did not exist.

In 1963 the Unitarian and Universalists associations merged to for the UUA and produced a single liberal faith that is creedless, open and welcoming.

Some can call it a cult, but to do so really does not do justice to the rich history of UU and its influence on our society.

Right now UU ministers are prepared to defy unfair marriage laws across the country and create the legal challenges to send them to the courts. Because of UU ministers willing to be arrested we have one state that has Marriage Equity.

No creed, Dogma...no guilt, no hell, no heaven...(if you want) just 7 simple priniciples.

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our
congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our
congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.


Cult? nope...just a lot of people trying to make the world a better and more just place.

Mostly harmless...good music, good coffee, good humor, good conversation and a very loving community of wonderful people...stop in sometime.

Oh bring a roll of tin foil and a tennis racket to participate in the dance to protect us from cosmic radiation...practiced on the vernal equinox...and participate in the discussion afterwards before the forums on middle eastern history, home composting, tai chi, vegetarian cooking and Civil Disobedience.

(Typical self-depricating UU humor...)

http://uua.org