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exFamily.org > chatboards > genX > archives > post #36

2 Types of Cults

Posted by Mike W. on February 22, 2002 at 21:38:14:

I was thinking today about how there are two different types of cults. If you talk to a Fundamentalist, a cult is any religion that strays from Orthodox Christian belief. For example, any group that denies the trinity would be a "cult."
On the other hand, an un-Orthodox "cult" can be harmless, if it's structured properly.
I tend to think of a cult as a group of people who place their religion above everything else in their life.
Something on another posting board got me thinking about this. Someone questioned me about my belief that gay people should have the right to adopt. They didn't see how I as a Christian could support such a thing. So it got me thinking.
What I've come up with is this: I'm not just a Christian. I'm MANY things. I'm a Christian, yes. But I'm also an American. I'm also a man. I'm also a father and a husband, and a son, and a business owner. To say that I have to make all of my decision based upon the fact that I'm a Christian is untrue! I have to base my decisions upon many things, because I AM many things.
To limit our thinking to our religion is dangerous. To base all of our decisions upon our faith is dangerous. When we start to become too obsessed with our religion, so that our life becomes out of balance, then we are not living a well-rounded life.
I hope this post makes sense! After contemplating this for a few days, it's become clearer to me why I became so obsessed with religion in the past. I understand better today, than ever before, why I became involved in cults. What I did was place the cult above everything else in my life. It became the center of my universe.
Religion should be a PART of your universe, but not the center of your universe!
What do others think about this?