Church of God a cult?

[alrdyreg]

alot of christian churchs can become cultish.

some church of Christ get cultish by saying you must be baptized CoC in order to recieve communion.

some catholic churchs are cults but then again some are not (like st. marks in denton - they teach Jesus 100%, where as Immaculate COnception teach mary is devine)

pentecostal churches go the cultish route and alot do not.

i say if they teach the Trth from the Word of God then they are good. as long as the church is lead by the Holy Spirit then more power to em!

[alrdyreg]

I have some very dear friends in the Church of God. They are NOT a cult, nor do they speak in tongues. I have been to their services. I find these accusations unsubstaniated and offenseive to my friends' reputations. I would apprecite it if time is taken to check facts, before slander is posted. Thank you very darn much.


noone was saying anything bad about CoG as a whole.

but some branches turn cultish.

look at westboro baptist church. thats a total cult. does that mean all baptists are. not at all.

[jbower]

It is important that we not insult other Christians and by doing so, we should have the 'ultimate' test of what a cult is. Cults by definition alone (dictionarywise), mean every religion is a cult.

Now, for Christians, what is a cult to us? It should be based on one thing, do they believe the divinity of Jesus Christ and that the Bible is the Word of God?

[firstlove]

The Bible gives us the answer of what a "cult is".

1 John 2:22; “Who is the liar if it is not the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ [anointed one or Messiah]? This is the antichrist, the one that denies the [Father] and the [Son]”.

[Vonne]

On a random note, there is quite a bit of info devoted to them in that ol' book "Kingdom of the Cults" (http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Cults-Walter-Martin/dp/0764228218/ref=sr_1_1/102-0993510-5976903?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179714246&sr=8-1) by Walter Martin and updated by Ravi Zacharias. Actually I think there is another version of it updated by Hank Hanegraaff also.

All that being said, atleast according too Wiki.. theres been quite a few theological divisions and seperations in the original church that Martin labeled a Cult. I stumbled upon that wiki yesterday, by coming across a link on drudgereport.

[LindaLee]

It's not just any cog denomination. Worldwide church of God or any offshoot of it is considered a cult. It was founded by herbert w armstrong. The cult has been nicknamed Armstrongism. Worldwide church of God denies the Trinity and believes you have to keep the Saturday Sabbath and all the Levitical feasts to be saved. they also believe the 10 lost tribes are actually the U.S. and Britain. I have heard in recent years they have changed their belief in the Trinity, but I am not sure how it affected their theology. Some years ago I knew a family in this cult. This is a very hard group to share the gospel with.

With deep respect to all who posted on this subject, I will have to inject my 2 cents worth...:lol2.

As a member if the Worldwide Church of God for 30 years I do take offense of it being labeled a "cult". Primarily because I know what it taught.

Many are under the assumption that it denied the "Trinity". It didn't. What it taught was God was 3 individual entities which formed one God. That has now changed. God is 3 persons...The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit...which they taught existed prior...just that they all formed 1 God. They now teach 1 God with 3 Persons...Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

We all kept the Sabbath and the Jewish Holy Days, but we didn't believe you HAD to keep them to be saved. Where people got that idea is beyond me. We believed you had to accept Jesus Christ, repent, be baptised, and receive the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands in order to be saved. We didn't believe at the time though, you were "born again" until Christ return and actually changed you from mortal to immortal. That again has been changed under the current leadership since the full understanding of Grace has been understood.

As for the Ten Lost Tribes being Britain and the United States, that book that was written many many years ago, has been pulled, and that idea has been repealed. New knowledge has given new light to show that those tribes stayed in that general area.

It is very unfortunate that people think this Church is a cult. It isn't. Because they held to the Jewish traditions, they did close their doors to those on the outside, which did make them appear "odd". They used to be very legalistic because they held to the Old Testament views. Once they understood that we were no longer under the OT Law of the Prophets, but under the Law of Grace, the Church started changing. The result was devastating to many of the old timers and many "off-shoots" starting springing up all over the place because they couldn't accept the changes occuring within the Worldwide Church of God under the new leadership of Joseph Tkach Sr. and Jr.

Those that do not understand this church will continue to call it a cult. It did not teach contrary to what the Bible taught. It just taught the OT values...
until it began to understand that Christ brought Grace through forgiveness of Sin did it open its doors to the public, and brought a wonderful gift to their membership and to the community.

I personally learned a lot of valuable historical Biblical knowledge and Truth. I would never ever change my tenure with the Church. Its something that I thank God for allowing me to go through.

I may no longer be with the Church because of the distance in travelling to and from church and because of my health, but I do treasure the time spent with them. It taught me well. And I continue to learn even more now because of what I DID learn while with them.

Take your life experiences, positive or negative, and make the most of them...use them for God...

ysiChrist
LindaLee

[CountryBumpkin]

[QUOTE=LindaLee;40850 We believed you had to accept Jesus Christ, repent, be baptised, and receive the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands in order to be saved.
[/QUOTE]

LindaLee, do you still believe this or was this a belief of the church when you were there?

[LindaLee]

Both...I believed it then just as the Church did, and I believe it now.

Why?

[firstlove]

Both...I believed it then just as the Church did, and I believe it now.

Why?

So then you are saying that one must be baptised in water-or isn't saved? My goodness, that's not Biblical.

[LindaLee]

So then you are saying that one must be baptised in water-or isn't saved?
I didn't say that! You do have to be baptized by water, but as in all cases one may not be able to be baptized. Water Baptism is symbolic of burial of ones sins and a resurrection of eternal life anew in Christ. Jesus set the example. That is scriptural:
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be ****ed.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark 1:8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. (This occurred after Christ's Death and Resurrection on the Day of Pentecost. Does not negate water baptism)
Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Mark 1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased
1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
1 Peter 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
To say we don't need to be Baptized is erroneous and a lie.
It is the ideal. One may not be able to physically be baptized due to sickness or some physical handicap or something, but it should be done if at all possible.
To deny its authority as set down by Christ Jesus is wrong.
If you have truly repentented of your sins, and have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you should be Baptized.
IF for some reason you can't, due to illness or death, you are still saved. Baptism is the "answer of a good conscience toward God"...To choose not to do it is unscriptural and disobedient.