govern point

The good news is typically the right thing, which most of us don’t do. So how did all those bracelets and the concept become such a part of pop culture?

How did it Start?

“What Would Jesus Do??” all started with a youth group from the Calvary Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan. As a reminder of how to best remember Jesus, they had simple cloth bracelets made that used the abbreviation, WWJD. The bracelets caught the attention of friends, classmates, parents, and town’s people. Soon, almost everyone was wearing one of these bracelets. As their popularity grew, the bracelets were mass-marketed in plastic.

These kids just wanted a reminder. So they asked this question because their lives had been transformed by what Jesus taught and did about 2,000 years ago. They desired to influence their community by living their lives the way Christ taught. They wanted to give their faith a tangible connection to their everyday lives.

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Maybe you too will get a phone call that starts out with that welcoming hello. So how do you know if you joined a cult? Well, they may want to alienate you, only give you part of the info and stretch your schedule and life just a little too much.

Cult Concepts for Consideration, should you think you are in a cult.

Yes, the Purple Lizard Told Me, I had to move to Idaho and start the ranch

A cult will use deception. The cult will not normally tell people exactly what they believe, their origins, what they practice, and what life is really like in the cult, because if people knew they would not join. This information is taught to the new recruit slowly and in pieces – a “frog in the pot” tactic.

It’s us versus Them Dammit!

Cults teach their members that their church is the only true church, the only church in which you can be saved. If you leave the cult then it is said you have “fallen away from God.” This is done to instill fear in the members which can be expressed like this: If you ever think of leaving this body of true Christians or do something which forces us to expel you and you will probably go to hell.

You probably don’t want to rot in hell, right?

Leadership is feared. To disagree with leadership is to disagree with God. If the leaders tell you to do something, you had better do it. Often intense breaking sessions are employed to destroy any supposed rebellion or threat to the leadership. These sessions can involve many people at once attacking the character and motives of the target.

Dude you are so the best as long as you drink the kool aid

Love bombing is essentially false love. When you first join the cult you will gain instant friends, you’ll be hugged and everyone will want to talk to you. For someone who is lonely or comes from out of town this is especially wonderful. However, after a while this “love” becomes conditional on your adherence to the cult’s standards.

Don’t watch that crazy CNN – take a newsletter

Those who control the information control the person. In a cult any information from outside the cult is considered evil, especially if it is opposing the cult. Members are told not to read it or believe it. Only the cult-supplied information is true.

This technique is really a partner to deception. Common sense tells us that a person who does not consider all information may make an unbalanced decision. Filtering the information available or trying to discredit it not of the basis of how true it is, but rather on the basis of how it supports the party line, is a common control method for cults and government’s alike.

If someone starts going sideways, let us know.

Everyone is encouraged to watch out for “struggling” brothers and report what they see to the leadership. Often information given in deepest confidence will find its way to leadership. Cult members are sometimes shocked to find their problems being aired about in the cult meetings.

Yeah, we got to talk about that thought you had which was not all group cool and stuff.

The cult will have their own language and terms – Jargon. These prevent people outside the group being able to engage in “dangerous” conversations with members and it gives the members a sense of belonging. It also allows a phenomenon known as thought stopping where a simple word can stop any thoughts in the member’s mind which are against the cult.

Ever feel like the day just Flew by at your all day “conference”?

Cults often keep their members so busy with meetings and activities that they become too busy and too tired to think about their involvement.

Controlling Who you see and Talking to?

A mind control cult will seek to maneuver your life so as to maximise your contact with cult members and minimise your contact with people outside the group, especially those who oppose your involvement. Cult members will be moved into cult communities or cult flats where they can be watched more closely and immersed in the cult environment. The cult must cut off any contact through which information or reminders of your past life will come. You cannot marry or date anyone outside of the cult and often your spouse will be chosen.

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• For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he sa

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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