One thing Hassan does is that he uses secular terms to describe legitimate spiritual activities. Before passing judgment on any group based upon Hassan's criteria, one should be very familiar with what the Bible teaches about these practices and concepts-- it is dangerous to allow a secular researcher to define Christianity. Below we will consider some of the practices that Hassan discusses, and a Biblical point of view concerning that practice will be presented as well.
"Indoctrination Sessions"
Throughout his book, Hassan likes to call any church activity where
teaching is done an "indoctrination session," whether it be a regular Sunday
service, a retreat, personal bible study, or whatever. He regards these
as sessions where people's defenses are broken down and they are programmed
with a group's beliefs.
In the Bible, large crowds often traveled long distances just to hear Jesus speak. Matthew 4:25 is the first such occurrence of this type of event in that gospel, and it bears repeating here:
And great multitudes followed Him from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He began to teach them, saying,... (Matthew 4:25-5:2, NASB [here, and throughout unless otherwise noted])This very scene is the setting for the Sermon on the Mount, perhaps the most famous of all of Christ's teachings. Hassan may seek to ridicule and demonize such events as "indoctrination sessions" but the fact is that such events are well established in the earliest history of Christianity. The early church was devoted to the apostle's teaching (Acts 2:42), and literally filled the city of Jerusalem with the message:
"We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. (Acts 5:28)."Not only in Jerusalem, but throughout the history of the church in the biblical era, teaching and preaching were commonplace. The great apostle Paul taught for a year at Corinth (Acts 18:11); Timothy his protege was commanded to devote himself to teaching (1 Timothy 4:13). Paul taught in all sorts of venues:
... how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:20)These are just a few of the numerous passages in the New Testament discussing teaching in all sorts of settings, all with the goal to bring people to maturity in Christ:
And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me (Colossians 1:28-29).Hassan may ridicule the concept of spiritual teaching and seek to cause alarm in the minds of people about "indoctrination sessions" but the fact remains that Christians in the bible times had special times of all sorts that were devoted to teaching and learning Christian doctrine. Such practices are hardly evidence of a cult.
"Recruiting"
Hassan likes to call the process by which people become involved with
Christianity and churches "recruiting."
Everyone, like it or not, is vulnerable to mind control. Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone needs affection and attention. Everyone is looking for something better in life: more wisdom, more knowledge, more money, more status, more meaning, better relationships, or better health. These basic human qualities and needs are exactly what cult recruiters prey upon. It is important to remember that for the most part, people don't join cults. Cults recruit people (p. 48).Here Hassan basically is saying that if someone is invited to attend some church activity, or sought out in some way, it is a warning sign of a cult. He also says that most people who undergo conversion must be motivated by some latent sociological or psychological factor, as though conversion could not result from simply believing a message that has been preached . But what does the Bible say about evangelism?Cult members tend to spend all their time either recruiting more people, fundraising, or working public relations projects (p. 50).
I have also noticed that many idealistic young people recruited into cults are struggling to assert their individuality, and some are going through a period of rebellion. For these people, cult membership can be a way of substituting cult authority figures become a substitute family (sic) when they move away from home. ....
So what makes a person vulnerable to cults? How does a nice, kind, insightful human being become a member of a destructive cult? If he is like most cult members, he is probably approached during a time of unusual stress, perhaps while undergoing a major life transition (p. 77).
Jesus called the apostles for the express purpose of passing his message to others. (Matthew 4:19, 28:18-20). As seen above, the apostles filled Jerusalem with their teaching in the early days of the church (Acts 5:28). Christians have several different motives for preaching:
And what does the Bible say about conversion? People became Christians in Bible times because they believed the message that was spoken to them. There are numerous passages that bear this out, a few are included below:
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41).Hassan may ridicule those who are converted as "looking for some crutch" in the face of some stressful life situation, but the fact is that Christians in Bible times believed the message that was preached to them and changed their lives accordingly. "Being recruited" is hardly evidence of a cult.But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand (Acts 4:4).
But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike (Acts 8:12).
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21).
And it came about that in Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a great multitude believed, both of Jews and of Greeks (Acts 14:1).
Hassan also discusses certain characteristics of new converts:
It is not accidental that many cults tell their members to "become like little children." Adults can easily be age-regressed to a time when they had little or no critical faculties (p. 47).Yet, let's look at what Jesus said about this:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1-4)."Certainly there needs to be care in putting this into practice; Jesus was not advocating naive followship nor condescending leadership; the point is that he is advocating humility. While Hassan has identified childlikeness as a cultic trait, Jesus identified it as a trait necessary for salvation. Therefore, its presence cannot be evidence of a cult.
"Relationships Depend upon Good Performance"
Hassan discusses the nature of interpersonal relationships in cults:
One of the most attractive qualities of cult life is the sense of community that it fosters. The love seems unconditional and unlimited at first, and new members are swept away by a honeymoon of praise and attention. But after a few months, as the person becomes more enmeshed, the flattery and attention are turned away toward newer recruits. The cult member learns that love is not unconditional but depends upon performance....The Bible recognizes that there is a special sense of euphoria among new converts to Christianity (Acts 2:43, Galatians 4:15), and yet over time this feeling diminishes, as in all human relationships. Interestingly, older Christians are continuously warned to remember their first love and to return to the things they did at first (Revelation 2:5).Real friendships are a liability and are covertly discouraged by leaders. A cult member's emotional allegiance should be vertical (up to the leader), not horizontal (toward peers). Friends are dangerous, in part because if one member leaves, he may take others with him. Of course, when anyone does leave the group, the "love" formerly directed to him turns into anger, hatred, and ridicule (p. 81-82).
The allegation of "conditional love" for those who leave merits further consideration. People who depart from the fellowship of believers have separated themselves from the rest of the group. "Conditional love" can easily be practiced by both those who leave and those who remain, though Christianity teaches a continuing love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) even in the face of recognizing threats to faithfulness from those who leave (Romans 16:17-19).
The intensity of the bond of Christian fellowship is so strong that in its absence, a relationship may seem very empty. When all that holds a relationship together is fellowship, those who separate themselves from the fellowship sever their relationships with those in the church. In cases where the relationship has other components besides fellowship, such as work or social connections, then those aspects of the relationship can remain though they may be tarnished by the severance of fellowship.
Typically, when somebody leaves something, the whole idea is to get
away from the the thing and the people he is getting away from. Discussing
this in terms of "conditional relationship" is absurd at this point; it
is like criticizing people who get divorced for not wanting to be together
anymore. Since this dynamic is present in all human relationships, its
presence in a church is not evidence of a cult.
Life of Discipleship
Hassan raises several other miscellaneous issues that fall under the
broad category of lifestyle. Several of these will be discussed in the
hope that the approach taken here will also apply "by extension" to other
areas not discussed.
Financial Donations
Hassan makes several remarks about cults and financial contributions
of members:
I donated my bank account to the center and would have given my car except that my parents had the title (p. 21).In the Bible, the earliest followers of Jesus actually left everything they owned (Luke 5:11, 5:28, Matthew 19:27). The earliest members of the church gave generously to help each other (Acts 2:44-45). Some sold lands and gave the money to the local leadership to do with as they saw fit (Acts 4:36-37), others publicly destroyed equipment associated with sinful behaviors (Acts 19:19).When people are fully hooked, they donate large amounts of their money and assets to the group, sometimes all they own (p. 50).
As the church age continued and the faith spread throughout the world, money was given to support local ministers (1 Corinthians 9:14) and foreign missionaries (Philippians 4:15), and to help the poor in other areas (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Corinthians 8:4, Galatians 2:10).
Giving by Christians today should match these patterns-- giving to support the local church, missionary efforts, and to help the poor. While tithing is an Old Testament concept that is not bound upon Christians, giving should be in accordance with passages such as this one to the Corinthians:
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, "HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR,HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ABIDES FOREVER (2 Corinthians 9:6-9) ."People today spend money and resources on all sorts of pursuits, in accordance with their priorities and interests. Contemporary believers in Jesus do the same-- while providing for their own needs and those of their family (1 Timothy 5:8) and enjoying the blessings God has given (1 Timothy 6:17), they also spend some of their resources in accordance with their spiritual convictions to advance God's work in the world and to care for people in need. Giving money towards those ends is not the mark of a cult.
Family Involvement, Observations and Conflicts
Throughout his book, Hassan makes reference to various conflicts between
parents and adult cult members. While Hassan's remarks about the nature
of these conflicts generally has merit (such as parental observation of
unusual behavior), one gets the impression from his book that observed
life changes and lack of time spent with the adult child who has chosen
a new religious commitment are somehow evidence of a cult. It is important
to examine this concept in view of Biblical teaching.
It is obvious that a person making a sincere and Biblical Christian commitment is in fact going to show evidence of changes in many areas of life-- sinful habits such as smoking, drug usage, sexual immorality and pornography, foul language, criminal activity, etc. may in fact disappear practically (if not literally) overnight. Changes such as these should be welcomed by parents.
In addition to changing bad behaviors, new good behaviors will be evident. There will be more concern for the well-being of others and building the church, possibly to the point of re-prioritizing social involvements or de-emphasizing hobbies. Among these are the possibility that the adult child may no longer spend as much time with family as he did prior to his conversion or involvement with the church.
In Bible times, the earliest followers of Jesus left their families and homes for a time (Matthew 4:22, 19:29); this was so that they could accompany Jesus during his short time on the earth. It is apparent that this was temporary, as we see Peter later again united to his wife (1 Corinthians 9:5). While Jesus helped unite some families (for example, the apostles Peter and Andrew were brothers-- see John 1:40), Jesus warned that he would bring division to other families because of the loyalty he required from his followers. One such passage bears repeating here:
Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law (Luke 12:51-53).It is easy enough to distort what this loyalty means-- Jesus did not advocate divisions in families on carnal grounds such as is common in the world (for examples, see Luke 12:13, 15:13). In fact, Christianity teaches unified and healthy family relationships, and not just when children are minors:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH (Ephesians 6:1-3).But having said all of this, it is also clear that family relationships can pose a threat to the spiritual authority Jesus requires from his followers (see Matthew 12:46-50). It is in this sense division may in fact occur as a direct result of someone following Jesus. Christians have always had to put following God above following men, including their own families.
So when there is tension in a family over the spiritual commitment one in the family has made to Jesus, one must be careful prior to jumping to conclusions or becoming alarmed. The question to ask concerning the tension is: what is the source of the tension? Is it in accordance with the things Jesus talked about as areas of tension his followers could expect in families? It is part of the child's spiritual growth, or his natural growth process as an individual? Or is it from carnal aspects of human behavior, such as selfishness, pride, disrespect, lack of love, or the like? These questions may be difficult, but the mere presence of family divisions over beliefs is not the mark of a cult.
A far better response than one of alarm is for parents to maintain a relationship rich in communication, involvement and trust. Visit the church with your child; get to know members of both his and your generation. Get to know the ministers. This is worth more than you will ever read on the Internet.
See the good and the bad and keep them in perspective-- and remember that adult children do in fact have choices about how to live. If you cut yourself off or build a barrier in the relationship, not only will you lose immediate contact with him, you will also damage the possibility of both of you being able to mutually benefit from the relationship in the future. Your child still needs you as a parent, and you should not abdicate that role (and the same holds true for siblings). And yet your child should be praised for following the call of faith in his youth.
Parents of adult children need to appreciate their changing role and
handle it gracefully-- this is wise advice for all parents and not just
parents of those who have new religious convictions. Don't bail out, don't
attack-- get informed, get involved, and remember to love and communicate.
You will be glad you did.
It has been said that the cults are "the unpaid bills of the church" in the sense that many spurious groups practice what larger, traditional churches neglect. Take a look at the items discussed on this page: Biblical teaching, evangelism, close relationships, a lifestyle of commitment. Aren't these things not part of genuine Christianity? Then how can those who advocate Christianity criticize Christians who practice these things? Even denominational churches that emphasize these things are prospering.
Maybe the criticism is because these things are largely missing from the vast majority of Christian churches today. In these cases, the energy devoted to criticism of what is right would be much better spent in appreciating the good in the individuals and group practicing the good, and in restoring what is lacking in one's own religious experience.
The bottom line in approaching these various issues is getting a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about Christianity and various Christian practices, and how these might be implemented in the church. Calling a Christian a cultist for doing what is right and following the Scriptures is meaningless to one who is devoted to following God. It slanders and stigmatizes, but is hardly a reason for him to change anything.
Nonetheless, if something seems odd or warped to an outside observer, further study of the Scriptures and the actual practices involved on the part of both the critics and the criticized is the only way to get to the bottom of this type of issue. In the pursuit of truth, one must be ready to abandon ideas that are found to be inconsistent with the results of the research; this calls for both careful research and noble character on the part of everybody.
Copyright © 2000 John Engler. All rights reserved.
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