Bible Test: Cults

What is a pseudo-Christian religion?

A pseudo- Christian religion (or cult) gathers and actually distorts and denies the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith.

How is religion defined?

A religion is a system of belief that tries to define the nature of the divine and how humans can understand and interact with it. Religion is a way of viewing reality; a worldview

How does one find spiritual liberation according to Christianity? Islam? Non-dualistic Humanism?

According to Christianity, spiritual liberation- the complete forgiveness of sins and a righteous standing before God- is received by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone. According to Islam, human beings stand or fall on each individual's merit and obedience to the commands of Allah. According to non-dualistic Hinduism, spiritual liberation consists of release from the wheel of reincarnation and rest within the divine identity (Brahman). This can only be reached through enlightenment or knowledge of one's divine essence.

According to Christianity, why can God not be identified with the cosmos?According to Christianity, why can God not be identified with the cosmos?

According to Christianity, why can God not be identified with the cosmos?

What is a truth-claim?

An assertion that professes to accurately represent reality

How do Christianity, Islam, and non-dualistic Hinduism view the human condition?

Christianity sees human beings as enslaved to sin, Islam does not see mankind as being enslaved to sin, and Humanity is seen as weak, defective, or flawed in character

In what ways do cults add to the Word of God?

Cults will often add materials to the Word by denying reliability, clarity and/or the sufficiency of the Bible.

In what ways do cults multiply the terms of salvation?

Cults will often increase the requirements of salvation

Why does religious pluralism ultimately fail when applied to religions that are making truth-claims?

Either those religions are incorrect in making truth-claims or some of their claims are incorrect

How is God omnipresent?

God is a disembodied spirit and that he is aware of everything. As a spiritual being, God transcends both time and space, so in another sense it would be truthful to say that God is nowhere.

How is God omniscient?

God is all-knowing- that He knows all things past, present, and future.

What is the Transcendental Argument for the existence of God?

If there is on God and the cosmos is merely matter/energy, then it follows that only physical things exist. This would mean that there is no supernatural, no God, and no soul.

What happens when a religious pluralist tries to harmonize contrary religious beliefs?

In order to harmonize contrary religious beliefs, the religious pluralist must alter them so drastically that the result can no longer be legitimately identified with the original source beliefs.

Who made God?

It was God who created, designed, and sustains everything that exists.

What is the difference between conceptually possible concepts and logically impossible concepts?

Logically impossible concepts are ideas, conceptually impossible is at least imaginable.

In what ways do cults subtract from the Trinity?

Many cults teach distractions such as: Unitarianism Modalism Tritheism

How is non-dualism incompatible with both Christianity and Islam?

Non-dualism denies the separation between the Creator and his creation.

Why weren't Buddha, Christ, or Muhammad religious relativists?

Siddhartha Gautama rejected Hinduism's notions of truth and chose another religious system that he believed to be true. Muhammad taught that Jesus was not God and that salvation could only be obtained through obedience to Allah

What are the Mormons' three main sources?

The Book of Mormon The Doctrine and Covenants The Pearl of Great Price

What is the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God?

The Kalam Cosmological Argument is a rational reflection of 3 exhaustive dilemmas regarding the origin of the cosmos: either the universe has always existed or it had a beginning, if the universe had a beginning, then it was either uncaused or caused, and if the universe had a caused beginning, then the initiating agent was either personal or impersonal.

Define Modalism

The belief that there is only one person in the godhead who appears to be three persons; the Father in the Old Testament, the Son in the New Testament, and the Holy Spirit today. Can only appear as one form one instant at a time.

In the elephant illustration, who are the blind men and who is the interpreter?

The blind men are the world's religions, each possessing an accurate understanding only of their portion of the elephant.

What is the moral of the elephant illustration?

The moral of the elephant illustration is that each religion has only partial knowledge of religious truth or reality

How is God omnipotent?

There are things God cannot do.

Define Tritheism

Tritheism is the belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are actually 3 separate Gods and not 3 separate beings comprising 1 singular God. ~Mormons

Conceptually Impossible Concepts

they are at least imaginable. Ex: the Virgin birth; turning water into wine; raising from the dead

Define Unitarianism

Unitarianism is the belief that the Father is God, the Son is merely a creature, and the Holy Spirit is merely an impersonal force. This means that God is composed of only one being- the Father. ~Jehova's Witnesses

How do we discern false teaching?

We must understand the doctrines of both Scripture and the various cults.

What are the different ways of defining a cult?

When psychologists think of the word cult, they envision brainwashing. When sociologists speak of cults, they are usually referring to a sub-group that merely deviates (either positively or negatively) from the norm

Logically Impossible Concepts

ideas. Ex: married bachelor

Ultimately, what is a cult?

the dictionary definition of a cult is a group of people having common beliefs and practices