Posted on 11/21/2008 1:16:43 AM PST by JosephSmithNAW
8 Characteristics of a Counterfeit Christian Church
By Eric Johnson
With the leaders of thousands of different religions and churches attempting to make their beliefs appear authentic, it behooves a person to carefully ascertain truth from error. In fact, many leaders of these faiths may call themselves "Christian" and even attempt to convert Christians into their churches.
After all, Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." This is why John warned the believers in 1 John 4:1 to "believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." And 1 Thessalonians 5:21 adds, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."
Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27 that they were "like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." How can we tell whether or not a particular religious leader (like the Pharisees) ought to be believed, especially when such a person may appear authentic and even claim to be Christian? Let's then consider eight basic doctrinal characteristics of counterfeit groups.
1. Denial in the true nature of God
The rejection of fundamental Christian tenets such as the historical definition of God should be a major warning sign to any perceptive believer. Groups that deny the Christian viewpoint of the deity of Christ and the Trinity typically follow in point-by-point succession each of the other characteristics in this article. One example is The Way International, a group founded by Victor Paul Wierwille, (He once served as a former evangelical pastor. In fact, several cult leaders had their start in authentic Christian denominations and churches.) Wierwille's view of God is Unitarian rather than Trinitarian as he denies that there are three persons in the Godhead. He also claims that Jesus was not God, teaching that the deity of Christ was not a Christian teaching for the Christian church's first 300 years. This is a common (though false) assertion of many cult leaders. Because Wierwille and his church deny the very essence of what makes God who He is, this is a group to avoid.
2. Works-emphasis salvation
Although a counterfeit's doctrine may include the idea that God's grace is important in the role of salvation, the leader normally emphasizes the idea that "salvation" ultimately comes through one's own efforts. Take the Hare Krishna devotees, for instance. These dedicated followers believe that they are in the middle stage of their reincarnation cycle. The way for a dedicated devotee to be born into the next level of existence is to deny himself on this earth while performing good works, including the repetition of the Hare Krishna mantra a total of 1,728 times a day. It may take a devotee who wakes up at 4 A.M. several hours a day to maintain this goal. Those who belong to such work-oriented groups are normally told that they can never know if their works are good enough to please God; instead, they are told to keep trying even harder.
3. The true church
Counterfeit Christian churches often make it a point to cast doubt and suspicion on other churches or denominations, with the leader oftentimes claiming that only his church is true. While many groups hold that the Christian churches do have partial truth, it is taught that full truth has somehow been lost and can now only be found in the "one true church." This may involve utilizing Christian terminology while having a different meaning behind those particular words. An example is the Watchtower Society, also known as the Jehovah's Witnesses. This group, founded by Charles Taze Russell in the 19th century, teaches that those who belong to any church outside of "Jehovah's" church are doomed to annihilation. Only those who belong to the Watchtower organization have a chance to attain "Paradise Earth." This is why Jehovah's Witnesses are adamant in sharing their faith door to door, even attempting to convert those who already attend Christian churches. The Jehovah's Witnesses will often use words that sound reasonable to a nominal Christian (i.e. "Jehovah's Christian Witnesses," "salvation," "Jesus Christ," etc), but they are usually reluctant to tell potential converts that the meanings behind these words are completely different than what has been historically meant.
4. Authoritative leadership
A group where the leader(s) has an authoritative role, even to the extent that they say they speak for God, is another cause for concern. Such leaders claim to have special revelation with God, and their words hold special precedence over their followers. A classic example is Jim Jones, who led almost 1,000 followers to their deaths in the jungle of Guyana in 1978. When men in his charge killed Rep. Leo Ryan (D-CA), a congressman who was visiting "Jonestown" in response to complaints from the relatives of church members, Jones called for his followers to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid. The majority of the people willingly followed his commands because they had come to accept his words as truthful and from God. Those who refused were shot. Trusting someone so much that you listen to any command, even to the point of moving to another country and then taking your own life, is something that God never intended.
5. Regimented giving requirement
Another heretical trait is when a church regulates the giving of its people or requires a certain amount of financial giving in order to receive certain privileges related to salvation. For example, the Church of Scientology teaches that people need to discover their true nature through a process called "auditing." This is accomplished by "clearing Engrams" from one's life. One Los Angeles Times article on Scientology religion estimated that it would cost a full "Operating Thetan 8" participant between $200,000 to $400,000 from the beginning of the lessons to the completion. Without these courses, the adherent is unable to clear himself of these unwanted "Engrams." Using finances as a requirement to reach salvation goals is much different than what Jesus, Paul, and Peter preached.
6. Loss of salvation for leaving
Many counterfeit Christian churches insist that if a member decides to leave the group, for whatever reason, they jeopardize their salvation before God. One group with such a belief is the Boston Church of Christ, also known as the International Churches of Christ. The leaders of the ICC teach that there should only be one church in any particular city, which they say is the New Testament model. Members who decide to leave are considered spiritually lost and their salvation is considered negated. This is true even for those who leave because they decide to attend a Christian church outside the ICC network. Since the ICC does not recognize the baptisms of other denominations, and since the doctrine of baptism is considered a necessity in order to receive salvation, leaving the ICC negates the baptism that was given when the person joined the church. Holding a person's salvation hostage in such a way is certainly not biblical.
7. Authority beyond the Bible
Although the Bible is sometimes utilized and even considered beneficial by a number of counterfeit groups, it is not considered as a completely authoritative scripture. Therefore, extrabiblical writings are necessary. Normally these scriptures are considered to have more authority than the dated Bible. The Christian Science religion is one example. Those who inquire into this religion are told that Mary Baker Eddy's 1875 pantheistic book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is a "reference book for life," which is needed by a person who hopes to discover "practical, spiritual answers for health and healing, security, and lasting relationships." This book must be studied in order to ascertain full truth. When the Bible contradicts Eddy's book, then the Bible is considered to be wrong or misunderstood.
8. Unique truths never before revealed
The idea that a hidden mystery or new truth is available through a particular church should be taken as a strong sign that this group is a counterfeit Christian religion. In addition, many such groups may change their doctrines over time. Christians believe that God has very clearly shown His truth through the pages of the Bible; therefore, new or fluctuating doctrine—especially that which contradicts the Bible—ought to be taken with a great deal of caution. The Unification Church (numerous front names include "Association of Families for Unification and World Peace" or "Family Federation for World Peace and Unification") was founded by Korean "Rev." Sun Myung Moon. He teaches that Jesus never fulfilled his mission. Therefore, Moon says that he was commissioned to finish the job that Jesus never finished. Moon's followers (often known as "Moonies") accept Moon as a Christ-like representative on earth whose teachings supersede the Bible. The Unification Church theology has evolved over time, and there may be some drastic changes once he dies in the very near future.
OK, Maybe some of your comments were a little harsh or unwise. FreeRepublic is a conservative web site, but more and more of us are easing towards a more progressive perspective.
Mr. Robinson is pretty hard-headed, but it is his site. Change will come, but it must be done slowly. Slowly we have to convert more members to our kinder, gentler "progressive" beliefs.
Some times after reading for a length of time on this site, we progressives just need a karmic hug. So if you feel frustrated, join us in a hug at our alternate site.
LOL! i can not believe i clicked it!
The cat is queen at FreeRepublic!
How sad.
Another one to add is this: Bible ‘prophets’ today claim that it is okay to make mistakes, that the major thing to remember is that we are learning to be prophets, so mistakes will be made. The Bible allows no such thing for true prophets. It is to be expected that many will claim to be prophets, but we believers are to test their words with the Truth of Scripture and with facts related to the prophecy...in other words...if they come to pass. If they are wrong, we are to regard them as false prophets. According to many “prophetic leaders” today, that would be heresy, but we have to regard God’s Word as He spoke it, not what we, or anyone else, wants it to mean.
HMMMM.....
I for one am NOT “easing towards the more progressive perspective” that you spoke of. I fear greatly that doing so will be the nail in our coffin, so to speak. Have we come to the point that we have forgotten that America was founded on true Christian principles? And it was our faith in God and these principles that made us great? As we loose site of this and refuse to acknowledge God’s WORD as the truth, then we fail. And FAIL is exactly what we (the “conservative” party) has just done.
I know this is an ongoing argument here at Free Republic and I respect that and I do listen to the FReepers leaning toward so called “progressive” ideas (I guess they think forgetting or denying God is somehow “progressive” thinking)... I listen to them just in case they may say something that will convince me that I am wrong. So far, all I see is failure (witness the recent election).
The article posted is just reminding us of those truths. And though they may step on some toes here and there, they are truths none the less. If they are stepping on your toes, perhaps you need to search your soul and God’s Word for the reason why. I am not saying that the article, nor I, nor anyone else should tell you how and what to believe. I am just saying that if you feel uncomfortable hearing text that reiterates what is written in the Bible, then a bit of soul searching is in order.
And the answer was only a CLICK away. How sad.
Psssst, click the hug lol
9. Every member of the church and certainly the founder is his own Pope.
It’s a good article. I don’t know why you’re getting the response you’re getting, but thanks for posting. :-)
I’m always amused by bible-only Christianity when neither Judaism nor early Christianity. both of which preceded it, maintained any such doctrine.
Yes, the rationale you cited for a true Christian church does make sense.
I apologize for the other posters; it seems like the FReepers who earlier responded to your post seem to think it’s pro-Mormon, based on the “Joseph Smith” part of your screen name (I guess they ignored the “NAW” suffix). But after going to the source, it is clear that the group you cited was established to COUNTER Mormon teachings.
It was a good read, and thanks for posting. And don’t be put off by people who admonished you for initiating a post on the very day you signed up here. Maybe THEY can tell us how long you have to be a member before you start a post. After four years, I still don’t feel free to do so!
Very interesting site.
Are you kidding me? All I have to say, “Get a life, Buddy!” I always have to laugh when someone spends their time and energy knocking down a religious group who go about the world doing good things (think Prop 8, jsut to start...but the list is endless...) Why don’t you spend your time focusing on something that lifts people up? As usual, those who publish this stuff and think they know so much about Mormons don’t have a clue. Pitiful really.
I see you are both prodding me to click the hug link. LOL, not for all the tea in China! I can smell a trap when I see one, and I am willing to bet it’s a trap. You see, guys, we Christians are not as dumb as you like to think we are. Truth is, that’s one of the reasons we reject “the progressive movement”..... we know it’s sort of like your hug link, a trap for the gullible unthinking masses looking for feel-good solutions.
Can’t blame you for trying though, hey, we all need a good laugh these days, now don’t we?
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