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THe 10 commandments are the most important rules that God set forth in the Bible and are central to Christianity and Judaism.

They were given directly by God to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai after He had delivered them from slavery in Egypt:

“And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the LORD your God…

1. ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’
2. ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image–any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.’
3. ‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.’
4. ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’
5. ‘Honor your father and your mother.’
6. ‘You shall not murder.’
7. ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
8. ‘You shall not steal.’
9. ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.’
10. ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.’

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The word cult is an interesting thing, it’s been thrown around for groups such as Amway and even folks that follow bands, but probably not accurate in all uses, so we thought it was important to list a definition.

The Definition of a Cult

By its primary dictionary definition, the term cult just means a system of religious beliefs or rituals. It is based on a farming term in Latin meaning cultivation. Sociologists and anthropologists sometimes use the term cult to describe religious structure or belief patterns with meanings (usually non-pejorative) unique to their disciplines. In modern usage, the term cult is often used by the general public to describe any religious group they view as strange or dangerous. Thus, cult can describe religious leaders or organizations that employ abusive, manipulative, or illegal control over their followers’ lives. In addition to these usages, Christians generally have a doctrinal component to their use of the word. Cult in this sense, is a counterfeit or serious deviation from the doctrines of classical Christianity. Watchman Fellowship usually uses the term cult with a Christian or doctrinal definition in mind. In most cases the group claims to be Christian, but because of their aberrant beliefs on central doctrines of the faith (God, Jesus, and salvation).

Now there is another word which is close and sometime confused, occult – not really the same.

Occult is not the Same

The term, “occult” comes from the Latin occultus or “hidden”. Generally the word is used of secret or mysterious supernatural powers or magical, religious rituals. The word “occult” in this publication is used to describe any attempt to gain supernatural power or knowledge apart from the God of the Bible. Generally it refers to witchcraft, satanism, neo-paganism, or various forms of Psychic discernment (astrology, seances, palm reading, etc.).

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This is a hard one, I had to go to their website for newcomers, here is what they say:

Unitarian Universalism is a caring, open-minded religion that encourages you to seek your own spiritual path. Our Faith draws on many religious traditions, welcoming people with different beliefs. We are united by shared values, not by creed or dogma. Our congregations are places where people gather to nurture their spirits and put their faith into action by helping to make our communities—and the world—a better place.

Here is a pieced together overview of their beliefs and core components of the religion which is often cited as a denomination of Christianity.

Deity

Unity has abandoned the popular image that God is an elderly, superhuman male with a white flowing beard who lives in a remote place “up there”. Unitarians do not believe that God is fickle, ansUnitariansring some prayers and ignoring others. Unitarians do not look upon God as a deity to be feared. One fundamental attribute of God is that God is good.

Unity follows a form of pantheism. God exists in all things. God is present throughout creation: in humans, plants, animals, the earth itself, etc.

Jesus Christ

Unity rejects the traditional Christian view that Jesus is a deity to be worshipped.  Jesus was a great healer, miracle worker, and mystic who had a direct access to God. Unitarians believe that his actions can be emulated by believers today. One’s life is to be dominated by love, and compassion, even toward one’s enemies.

Genesis Allegory

Unity rejects the concept of original sin. Unitarians look upon the Genesis story as an allegory; a very human attempt to explain our beginnings. They emphasize that humans are created in the image and likeness of God, and are thus not intrinsically evil or sinful.
Heaven:

Rather than looking upon heaven as a place “up there” to be experienced as a reward after death, Unity conceives of heaven as expressed by Jesus: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”, and “The kingdom of God is in the midst of (within) you”. Charles Fillmore definedit as “a state of consciousness in which the soul and the body are in harmony with Divine Mind”. One does not have to wait until death. Heaven can thus be enjoyed at any time through prayer. Through proper technique, attitude and receptivity one can elevate one’s personal consciousness to a heavenly state.
Hell:

The Unity Church does not conceive hell to be a place of eternal torment in which people are eternally punished with fire because of their beliefs and/or actions during life. It is not a place to go to after death. Rather it is a state of consciousness to be suffered here on earth. Both are states of mind and conditions, which people experience as a direct outworking of their thoughts, beliefs, words, and acts.

Satan

Many Christians look upon Satan as a quasi-deity; an all evil presence who is the opposite of the goodness of God. Satan and God are often portrayed as fighting over individuals’ souls. This dual divinity has obvious links to Zoroastrianism which was incorporated into ancient Jewish legends which, in turn, Unitariansre later codified as parts of the book of Genesis. Other aspects of Satan Unitariansre derived from ancient Greek and Babylonian beliefs.

Unity interprets Satan’s temptation of Jesus symbolically. Satan did not tempt Jesus to turn stones into bread; it was the “voice of human hunger”; the temptation to throw himself off the highest part of the temple was “the voice of human desire for recognition”; the temptation to becomea ruler was “the voice of worldliness”.

Thus Satan is not a physical entity; but is one’s loUnitariansr nature: selfishness, greed, the desire to turn away from God. Satan can be resisted by systematically striving towards one’s higher nature.
Sin

Traditionally, sin has been defined as falling short of perfection. Unity uses an alternate definition: “living under a false sense of separation from God”. Unitarians view this as a delusion because God is in reality continuously present within us. This false belief can be overcome through prayer.

One of the most prominent beliefs concerning mankind is that Unitarians Unitariansre “conceived in iniquity and born in sin”. Unitarians have accepted this thinking of ourselves as incurable sinners, so much accepted it that it is a difficult exercise to entertain an alternative to this idea.

Unitarians have accepted, even concluded, that Unitarians are indelibly tainted with the original sin of Adam and Eve. But if Unitarians take the time to explore the

Life After Death:

Unity defines heaven and hell as conditions in the here and now. They are not places where people go to spend eternity. Rather, many in Unity believe in a form of reincarnation. After death the soul is believed to leave the body, and to live again in another human body. This is/was a common belief among: present day Eastern religions the early Christian Church prior to the Council of Constantinople in 533 CE the Essenes, one of the three Jewish sects while Jesus was alive.

Unity cites references from the Christian Scriptures which show that the concept of reincarnation was common during Jesus’ time. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark , John the Baptist is referred to as the reincarnation of Elijah. In Matthew, some of the populace guessed that Jesus was a reincarnation of John the Baptist; others guessed Elijah; still others guessed Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Jesus neither criticized the people for their beliefs, nor declared reincarnation to be heresy.
Prayer

Real prayer does not involve begging God for a favour, or repeating standard prayers in a ritual setting. It an act of becoming spiritually one with God. If one applies Ralph Waldo Emerson’s concept of prayer: the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view, then prayer can be a constant personal activity. One can also use the “arms” of prayer by mentally embracing some other individual as the target of a prayer or the “wings” of prayer by directing one’s prayer at all those who are receptive.
Worship

It is not limited to Sunday church services. Worship can be pursued at any time and location when one feels adoration and devotion for God. Ideally, it can be experienced continually through the day.
Baptism:

Within Christendom, some faith groups follow the tradition started by John the Baptist; they totally immerse the body in water. Others regard baptism as symbolic; they simply sprinkle drops of water on the person. Most Unity practitioners do neither. Unitarians note that Jesus never made baptism a requirement for others during his ministry; and so, Unitarians do not have a formal baptism sacrament. Rather Unitarians encourage every believer to attain a Spiritual Baptism which is a deeply personal event, a cleansing “prayer experience with Spirit, an ultimate dialogue bet Unitariansen an individual and God.” The individual emerges purified, having experienced a religious conversion of great intensity.

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New Age

New Age is a recent and developing belief system in North America encompassing thousands of autonomous (and sometime contradictory) beliefs, organizations, and events. Generally the New Age borrows its theology from pantheistic Eastern religions and its practices from 19th century Western occultism. The term “New Age” is used herein as an umbrella term to describe organizations which seem to exhibit one or more of the following beliefs: (1) All is one, all reality is part of the whole; (2) Everything is God and God is everything; (3) Man is God or a part of God; (4) Man never dies, but continues to live through reincarnation; (5) Man can create his own reality and/or values through transformed consciousness or altered states of consciousness. Research material and Profile are available.

The New Age Movement is in a class by itself. Unlike most formal religions, it has no holy text, central organization, membership, formal clergy, geographic center, dogma, creed, etc. They often use mutually exclusive definitions for some of their terms. The New Age is in fact a free-flowing spiritual movement; a network of believers and practitioners who share somewhat similar beliefs and practices. Their book publishers take the place of a central organization; seminars, conventions, books and informal groups replace of sermons and religious services.

New Age teachings became popular during the 1970′s as a reaction against what some perceived as the failure of Christianity and the failure of Secular Humanism to provide spiritual and ethical guidance for the future. Its roots are traceable to many sources: Astrology, Channeling, Hinduism, Gnostic traditions, Neo-paganism, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Wicca, etc. The movement started in England in the 1960′s where many of these elements were well established. Small groups, such as the Findhorn Community in Inverness and the Wrekin Trust formed. The movement quickly became international. Early New Age mileposts in North America were a “New Age Seminar” ran by the Association for Research and Enlightenment, and the establishment of the East-West Journal in 1971. Actress Shirley MacLaine is perhaps their most famous current figure.

During the 1980′s and 90′s, the movement came under criticism from a variety of groups. Channeling was ridiculed; seminar and group leaders were criticized for the fortunes that they made from New Agers. Their uncritical belief in the “scientific” properties of crystals was exposed as groundless. But the movement has become established and become a stable, major force in North American religion during the past generation. As the millennium comes to a close, the New Age is expected to expand, promoted by the social backlash against logic and science.

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