They’re Cults

Let’s look at the differences and similarities between cults and evangelicalism. I’ll start with two definitions from Merriam-Webster:

Cult: a system or religion of veneration and/or devotion directed toward a particular figure or object held together by a dominant, often charismatic, individual or by the worship of an idol or some other object.

Evangelical: teaching of the gospel or Christian religion.

For years, I’ve been reticent to call evangelicals (really, fundamentalists) a cult. The best I could do was see them as misinformed and closed-minded, but we were always both sort of in the Christian club.

That stopped when the fundamentalists started supporting Donald Trump, who wants to become our dictator and eradicate our Constitution and fragile democracy. Fundamentalists know as well as you and me that he cheats and is corrupt, but they still support him. When they say that Trump was sent by God, I feel that I have to speak out just in case anyone else feels that the evangelicals are out to destroy our fragile democracy and the traditional concept of Christianity.

Here are my issues with evangelicals:

1. They want to put the LGBTQIA+ community and any supporters back in the closet, with the possibility of prison or execution.
2. They’re trying to eliminate all abortions and imprison anyone who tries to get one or help anyone trying to have one, for any reason.
3. Too many support the Christian nationalists, a domestic terrorist group that wants to be Trump’s army and start a civil war.
4. They are going to free everyone who has been accused of being involved in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, which almost destroyed our country.
5. They are banning books and all social media that don’t measure up to their bigotry.
6. Trump wants to fill all government jobs with only their kind.
7. They refuse to compromise. It’s their way or the highway.
8. They invent and promote crazy, nonsensical conspiracy theories.
9. Science, according to them, is the enemy.
10. They redefine everything so it fits into their narrow thinking. For example, I am not a Christian because I don’t believe their god wrote the Bible and runs everything. I’m into Free Will. Also, I am no longer an evangelical because I don’t evangelize their way by brainwashing, controlling, and manipulating the Bible so it says what they think.
11. They all vote for Trump and his groupies.
12. They are a minority group who are trying to take over and destroy our democracy.

My bottom line: They can’t be Christian, Evangelical, or American if they want to be a theocracy (which is a dictatorship), support a wanna-be dictator, and demand total control of their followers. I must go into attack mode. Jesus taught me that in Matthew 23 (“Woe to you . . .”).

I love this country, support the separation of church and state, am a staunch Follower of the Way (Jesus and Agape), and believe Followers love and care for people whether or not they choose to join. This is my brand of evangelism.

How about you? Are evangelicals cults or Christians?

PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness

Bil

P.S. Here’s some food for thought. I came across this quote from Harry Bliss: “I don’t fear artificial intelligence nearly as much as I fear genuine stupidity.”

Photo courtesy of Michael Candelori (CC BY 2.0)