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From: kjm@ut-ngp.UUCP (Ken Montgomery)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: MHCS results
Message-ID: <1247@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 26-Jan-85 19:28:48 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.1247
Posted: Sat Jan 26 19:28:48 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 30-Jan-85 06:34:33 EST
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[This is cross-posted from net.flame, where it doesn't belong...]
>I really think this should be moved to net.religion or something but
>here goes anyway, since you are discussing it here.

OK, I'm moving it to net.religion.

>I think the term cult in general terminology today means:

>1. Any religion that teaches that man can become God.
>2. Any religion that teaches that Jesus was not God.

I see.  Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Shinto, Baha'i, Buddhism, Paganism,
Agnosticism, Atheism, Animism, and other varied and sundry religious
faiths are "cults" because they're not Christianity.  Right...

WRONG!  None of the above (*including* Christianity) has any greater
claim to validity than any other.  *Each* of the above is based on
(in my experience) undemonstrable initial principles.  Christians
calling other religions "cults" because the others are non-Christian
are only showing their Christian(oid)ocentric bigotry.

>These two beliefs are opposed to christianity which is what uses the
>term cult.
>
>karen alias larryg

Christianity is not a person.  It is not capable of language.  Its
adherents, who are persons, are the entities who use terms, including
"cult".  BUT, since when did using a term give one a monopoly on
defining it?!  I am not a Christian.  I do, however, use the term
"cult".  Ergo your claim about who uses it is observed to be false.

My roommate's dictionary defines a cult to be "a system of religious
worship or ritual", or "a group of followers".  By this definition,
Christianity is a cult.  In addition, I understand one of the primary
connotations of "cult" is that the religion is somehow threatening and/
or dangerous to its followers.  In that light, Christianity is most
definitely a cult.

To summarize karen alias larryg: "Hello, Kettle?  This is Pot.  Thou
art black."


BTW, Kudos to David Canzi for the term "Christianoid".  It's excellent!

--
The above viewpoints are mine.  They are unrelated to
those of anyone else, including my cats and my employer.

Ken Montgomery  "Shredder-of-hapless-smurfs"
...!{ihnp4,allegra,seismo!ut-sally}!ut-ngp!kjm  [Usenet, when working]
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