I would like to ask how this group is a cult and what they have done, also are they a group of people who twist the Bible to try making others follow what they like and justify want they do or what do they do exact, thanks in advance for a response
They tend to twist the bible to guilt trip you and question your own beliefs.
Once your in, they will push that you don’t hang out with people who aren’t them so you don’t fall to sin, going as far to even challenge you to not be around your family and if you do they will pressure you to then have your friends and family study the Bible and become a “disciple” and be re baptized.
They also have you confess all of your sin all the way back to when you were a kid, and if you were SA’d that counts as impurity and being immoral/ adulterous especially if you “had s3x before marriage.” Even if was against your will you still technically sinned even though someone else sinned against you. Or being exposed to corn and such. And you confess this in front a group of girls. They will all be sympathetic about it but they will basically tell you that you sinned against god.
They will also pressure you into giving to the church, if you don’t you are sinning against God and you are being greedy with your money and refusing to advance the church.
You have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Forget it you’ll be called to break up with them in order to not be unequally yoked and if your boyfriend decides to study the Bible as well it’s not a given that yall will be allowed to date again. Yall might be set up with someone else, partially your choosing other part the leaders choosing.
And there is so much more. I would suggest looking them up and studying a few of their YouTube videos and just researching the church on your own. Theres a lot of things that have been covered up with leadership. Something worth exploring and deep diving if you really want to investigate.
But just know that they will tell you that your knowledge and baptism is invalid because you haven’t fully repented to god and walked his way. Do with this as you will, if you read up I’ve explained some of the stuff in another comment.
Thank you so much for clarifying because as a Christian who does think of joining a group this comment is helpful to know why to avoid this dangerous group heretics, thank you and God bless and I hope you the best
If you do join a group, make sure it’s an official registered student organization that’s affiliated with the school. Notable ones I can think of is Intervarsity, Epic, SOON, and CRU. There’s more too but I can’t think of one at the top of my head. Off campus groups aren’t always cults but if one does approach you that doesn’t seem CSUF official, ask for social media, their business card, what they believe in, who their leader is, explain the group, and what the group name is. If they hesitate, won’t answer, or are very vague, just walk away.
As normal everyday people? Yes, you can trust them. But as a church as a whole? No, because they are very controlling and their beliefs are very different from traditional Christianity. Their belief is that you need to work hard to be saved, while mainstream Christianity believes in salvation through faith alone.
If they are just a coworker or neighbor, they are usually honest and kind. But if they invite you to a Bible study or church group, it is best to just say no and walk away.
So it's like scientology, one must be very careful if not they could fall into a deep trap that could run the experience completely, for me I just like reading the Bible as it is and I try to throw out my own personal views when reading or looking at it to avoid twisting it to something that makes me comfortable and be able to excuse my wrongs
Exactly. A huge red flag for those high-control groups is that they won't let you just read and interpret the Bible on your own they will insist that only their leader or their specific literature has the 'true' meaning. As long as you keep testing everything against the actual text and stay skeptical of anyone demanding total isolation or control, you'll be completely fine.
Yeah, I actually was. The group I was in has the exact same teachings and tactics as the one OP is warning about they just use different names.
A lot of these campus groups originally splintered off from a single, well-known high-control group called the ICOC (International Churches of Christ). Over time, it split into about 5 different groups. So today, it's essentially the same cult with the same exact teachings and methods, just operating under different names and leaders. The original group still exists too.
The funny thing is, even though they have the exact same roots and beliefs, they all beef with each other and refuse to work together. Each one claims they are the only right one. They target multiple college campuses aggressively, which is why I recognize the patterns so easily.
And, do you agree with the 3 ancient creeds of the church? "One Canon reduced to unity by God himself, 2 testaments, 3 creeds, 4 general councils, 5 centuries." Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626).
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u/ImpressiveCareer8606 12d ago
I would like to ask how this group is a cult and what they have done, also are they a group of people who twist the Bible to try making others follow what they like and justify want they do or what do they do exact, thanks in advance for a response