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The Jordan River
The Wailing Wall
Sitting in the Garden of Gethsemane
The Chaos of Cults a Study in Present Day Isms by Jan Karel Van Baalen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My edition of this book was published in 1953. Baalen's writing style is a bit quaint, and can also be a little confusing when he speaks from the first person when describing the traits and doctrines of the various groups.
Baalen devotes 11 chapters to as many different cults, going into their history, founders, dogma and how they deviate from Christianity.
In the first chapter, Baalen defines the term, "cult". He explains that they are religious groups who claim to belong to the Christian religion while denying Christianity's essential beliefs. This excludes other world religions that make no pretense to being Christian, such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or Islam or any other non-Christian belief system, for that matter, although he does include certain groups that claim to embrace all belief systems, such as Bahai and Unitarian/Universalist groups.
What are Christianity's essential beliefs? The divinity of Christ, his sinless life, death and resurrection, the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, salvation through faith, not works, works produced by faith, not vice versa; the inerrant, inspired word of God: the Bible. These are the essentials. Non-essentials can characterize various Christian denominations, but these essentials are non-negotiable.
After the first chapter, he then devotes the next eleven chapters to religious groups that claim to belong to the Christian religion. He describes each one, how specifically they deviate and why their doctrine is false.
These chapters include: Spiritism, Theosophy, and the Liberal Catholic Church; Rosicrucianism; Christian Science; The Unity School of Christianity: Baha'ism; Mormonism; Destiny of America; Seventh-Day Adventism; Jehovah's Witnesses; Buchmanism; and Unitarianism/Modernism.
I looked up some of the names I was not familiar with to see if they were still active. Buchmanism, also known as the Oxford group and, since 2001, Initiatives of Change is still around. Buchman was pro-Hitler because Hitler was anti-communism, because he equated communism with the anti-Christ.
Destiny of America is today known as British Israelism and was continued in American by Herbert Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God. This cult believes that the Anglos of England are the lost tribe of Israel.
The other groups still exist, although I'm not sure that Seventh-Day Adventism is still considered a cult. However, there are certain sects that have branched off Seventh Day Adventism that are legalistic and believe that not observing Saturday as the Sabbath will incur the wrath of God.
The chapter I found the most significant was : Unitarianism/Modernism because this cult has infiltrated most mainstream Protestant denominations where the Gospel of the Bible has been watered down to a "feel good about yourself and try to make good life choices" philosophy.
Even though the book is dated and has a stilted writing style, I found it informative and interesting.
View all my reviews
The Jordan River
The Wailing Wall
Sitting in the Garden of Gethsemane
The Chaos of Cults a Study in Present Day Isms by Jan Karel Van BaalenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
My edition of this book was published in 1953. Baalen's writing style is a bit quaint, and can also be a little confusing when he speaks from the first person when describing the traits and doctrines of the various groups.
Baalen devotes 11 chapters to as many different cults, going into their history, founders, dogma and how they deviate from Christianity.
In the first chapter, Baalen defines the term, "cult". He explains that they are religious groups who claim to belong to the Christian religion while denying Christianity's essential beliefs. This excludes other world religions that make no pretense to being Christian, such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or Islam or any other non-Christian belief system, for that matter, although he does include certain groups that claim to embrace all belief systems, such as Bahai and Unitarian/Universalist groups.
What are Christianity's essential beliefs? The divinity of Christ, his sinless life, death and resurrection, the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, salvation through faith, not works, works produced by faith, not vice versa; the inerrant, inspired word of God: the Bible. These are the essentials. Non-essentials can characterize various Christian denominations, but these essentials are non-negotiable.
After the first chapter, he then devotes the next eleven chapters to religious groups that claim to belong to the Christian religion. He describes each one, how specifically they deviate and why their doctrine is false.
These chapters include: Spiritism, Theosophy, and the Liberal Catholic Church; Rosicrucianism; Christian Science; The Unity School of Christianity: Baha'ism; Mormonism; Destiny of America; Seventh-Day Adventism; Jehovah's Witnesses; Buchmanism; and Unitarianism/Modernism.
I looked up some of the names I was not familiar with to see if they were still active. Buchmanism, also known as the Oxford group and, since 2001, Initiatives of Change is still around. Buchman was pro-Hitler because Hitler was anti-communism, because he equated communism with the anti-Christ.
Destiny of America is today known as British Israelism and was continued in American by Herbert Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God. This cult believes that the Anglos of England are the lost tribe of Israel.
The other groups still exist, although I'm not sure that Seventh-Day Adventism is still considered a cult. However, there are certain sects that have branched off Seventh Day Adventism that are legalistic and believe that not observing Saturday as the Sabbath will incur the wrath of God.
The chapter I found the most significant was : Unitarianism/Modernism because this cult has infiltrated most mainstream Protestant denominations where the Gospel of the Bible has been watered down to a "feel good about yourself and try to make good life choices" philosophy.
Even though the book is dated and has a stilted writing style, I found it informative and interesting.
View all my reviews
11 comments:
Hi Sharon- Balaan’s definition of the word cult is very different from the contemporary, popular definition. From the point of view of a non believer I do find the theology interesting. I also think that some the best things to come out of religion is the motivation to make good life choices for oneself and the world around oneself. Though some of these groups like Buchmanism advocated bad ideas, I like the direction that the Unitarians have gone into.
Nice pictures as were the previous ones. It looks as if you had a great trip.
wonderful photos... i never imagined that there was a river in Jordan, much less one with so much foliage: it looks like a jungle! i don't pay much attention to sects or cults, as you know, but it is surprising how many of them there are... i was remembering that baritone soloist you were accompanying and wondering how that turned out? or maybe it was a sarrusaphone, i forget... i heard a bass sarusaphone once: indescribable sound! sort of like an earthquake...
HI Brian!
I did have a great trip, thank you! It's interesting how such a small country is such a hot spot for international politics and has been historically so.
I think the difference between you and Unitarians or main stream Protestant denominations or even liberal Catholics is that you don't pretend to believe in God or Jesus Christ as anything other than a historical figure. These groups claim to be Christian when in reality their beliefs do not differ from an atheist's. You're being honest with yourself and others. These groups are deceiving themselves, but I doubt if they are fooling other Christians.
I think you are right, though. I'm not sure what constitutes a cult anymore. I would like to read more about cults that "brainwash", assuming that is still considered an actual condition people experience. Also, I am fascinated by personality cults, which, I believe are the same thing in the sense that they all have one founder whom everyone blindly follows.
I am currently reading "The Infernal Library". It is one of the best books I've ever read. It's about the personality cults of dictators and how they used the written word to propagate their ideas.
Happy New Year! You're one hour closer than I am. How can it be 2020 already?
Hi mudpuddle.
Indeed, the Jordan River looks different from how I imagined when reading about it.
Antione plays the euphonium. He is doing well, although I think he has some rough moments. He's been posting on Facebook some things that indicate he may be suffering from loneliness and depression. I think he even wondered whether someone with his scars would ever meet someone who would want to marry him. I think he will. There's a good woman out there for him. I believe it.
As I mentioned to Brian, the phenomenon of personality cults fascinates me. I am reading a great book which I described to Brian, so I won't repeat it here (lazy). I'll be reviewing it shortly.
And may you have a very Happy New Year in a couple of hours after me!
euphonium, yes... memory is definitely getting worse... but happy new year and many more to you too!!
Hi Sharon, just wanted to say Happy New Year & all the very best for 2020. Hope your Mum is doing ok. X
Hi Carol. I am visiting my mother at the moment. She's doing well, all things considered. She is not suffering and is lucid. She needs to use a walker, but I've been taking her out to the beaches to enjoy the breeze and later the sunset. She's resting now, but in an hour we'll go to a State Park across the road from her house. Then to the beach to watch the sunset again. They are particularly spectacular in the winter.
All the best to you and your family. God bless!
Oh, and yes-- beautiful photos! My mental imagery of the Jordan has always been a bit more...severe, I guess. That looks positively lush!
Love these photos even more than the ones from your previous post. How amazing to be there in the garden, I can't even imagine. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Hi Stephen, glad to hear from you. I hope one day you can see Israel in person. It's one place I would recommend over every other place for so many reasons. It is funny to see the actual sites of places and find the mental picture I had for years is different.
Happy new year!
Hi Sarah! So glad you like them. Hope you get to go. Eleanor will love it.
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