In Reply to: Where did Smith get his ideas? posted by kinda gentler on May 12, 2004 at 19:35:33:
Berg did consider the JWs to be a cult
Berg obviously valued many of their cult principles, some of which he infected Southern California with during his often lengthy open lectures spanning 2 years. You might find the following expert page enlightening: http://www.excult.org/ed/heresy.htm
Way before Berg, Wilkerson was out on the streets witnessing and part of the Jesus people movement before Berg was known.
Wilkerson wasn't a 'doomsaying exclusivist' or a cult to my knowledge, and my interest is focused only in the origins and proliferation of said cult doctrines.
As far as Wilkerson is concerned, the Jesus People Movement actually started first in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in 1967. The Jesus People Movement is characterized by a hippie culture and lifestyle being integrated into Christianity, not merely bringing hippies to a knowledge of Jesus. That is why I cite that date and location. It is the scholastically accepted one.
http://www.caic.org.au/biblebase/cog-family/jesusmovementhistory.html
http://one-way.org/jesusmovement/index.html
Berg and Tony Alamo were the two forerunner doomsaying exclusivists of the Jesus People Movement that differ largely from the so called 'watered down love gospel' approach characteristic of most Jesus People groups.* I am not interested in Christian regulars like Wilkerson.
These details are not generated from "Globe Magazine" quality investigation, dear friend. These details are the unadulterated simple facts.
Also, it is not mormon doctrine to molest kids or have women be prostitutes for God. OR to "minister" to important people with sex if it is helpful. Or to throw away people that are no longer useful and also hold no secrets they don't want revealed.
I never said it was, and didn't so much as imply that Berg -exactly- copied the mormons or any other religion, either. You are totally off the page here.
Perhaps you should challenge yourself to focus and stay within the context of my comments when arguing about them.
*The Jesus People, Enroth, Ericson, Peters, p. 21