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From time to time we read about the fooleries of some cult, such as those who believe that a comet is
a sign of the second coming. There is a long tradition of such beliefs, going
back to the first Christians. In 1997, a cult in Southern California committed
mass suicide (about 25 fools) based on the interpretation of such an event (the Hale-Bopp comet) by their divinely guided
leader.
Some things are, being in great error, are best not rebutted--but laughed at. Below is a carton inspiration.
It was created by Richard Lingeman and Edward Sorel for The Nation, April 21, 1997. I have improved upon its content, for
I am without the constraints of a mass audience and the hustle for advertisers and subscribers.
A characteristic common to many cults is a belief
in heavenly signs such as comets and eclipses. The attempt to find guidance in such heavenly events by the unstable fringe
ought to be distinguished from the credible, full documented miracles in the bible, such as the delaying of the course of
the sun when Joshua raised his hand, Ezekiel's Wheel, or the star in the east that moved towards Bethlehem.
Modern
cults often boast of contacts with extraterrestrial, sentient beings, such as aliens who travel in flying saucers (read Farakan),
who bring them comfort or "glad tidings". Such putative messengers are not to be confused with true divine heralds (the
angels) whose reality is proven by the Bible and continuing well-documented, even to this day, earthly encounters. So
accepted as verified are encounters with angels that they have been repeatedly shown in works of art and in cinematic presentations.
Cults like Heaven's Gate teach that our bodies are mere containers of the soul, which death liberates, and so liberated
the soul moves to a higher plane of existence. Their adoption of traditional beliefs are incomplete (and thus heretical),
for the Bible informs us that there will be also a resurrection of the body upon the Second Coming of Christ.
Cults
also regard the body as a source of corruption, but their reasons differ with those found in the Epistles of the New Testament
thereon. They urge their followers to live communally so as to avoid the contaminations of those less close to the light (most
of the earliest Christians live in communal settlements, but that was before their practices gained public and government
acceptance). The present religious communes are not to be confused with monastic communities whose guidance is
based on the authority of the Vicar of Christ (for Peter one of the Twelve was the first Pope and his relationship to and
guidance by Jehovah has been transferred in unbroken succession) and saints such as Benedict.
One characteristic of cults is their demand of adherents that they renounce their worldly possession by giving them to the
cult's treasury. And those who have not as yet made a full commitment and thus live outside the communal group, they are required
to give to the cult a substantial proportion of their income. This is not to be confused with legitimate tithing or the donations
made in response to evangelical ministers and priests whose sermons are broadcasted over the radio and televison.
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Cults brainwash their followers. The Catholic
parents rely upon parochial schools that start in the first grade with the teaching of the Catechisms. The sending of missionaries--such
as the 2 years of service required of Mormons upon completing high school--is not to be confused with the attempts of the
cults to prey upon the lonely and weak of mind. Missionaries, among their purposes, are the spreading the Gospel of Christ,
so that none upon judgment day will appear before Jehovah and claim that he/she never had the opportunity to be saved. For
having such opportunity--even if a mere brief encounter--that person if he does not have absolutely faith
in Christ the Savior, he will be condemned to eternal damnation. Religious schooling is to instill absolute
faith; it is not like cult, brain washing.
The turning to the Hale-Bopp comet as a sign is quite different
than the turning to the Virgin Mary. The repeating of Sat Nam (a phrase in San Script used in Eastern meditation) does not
bring prana (spiritual) energy to the soul and is not pleasing to God, but the saying of hail Mary assuage sins.
The
difference between God's Church and the practices of the cults are numerous because they lack the guidance of the God's Vicar.
It is the work of the devil that has established all religions but the true church/faith as revealed through our Savior.
Cults are a recent works of Satan.
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