Anti-Mormonism and the Newfangled Countercult Culture

by drew sagan 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  drew sagan

  http://mi.byu.edu/publications/review/?vol=10&num=1&id=282

  I found this article amusing for a variety of reasons and though I would share.

  Many of us here are faimliar with the "countercult ministries" that seem to be popular within evangelical Christianity. These organizations make videos, books and websites, as well as hold seminars and conventions about how to "witness" to cult groups.

  During my own exit from the Watchtower I came in contact with a number of these organizaitons. I also came across some of their publications, such as Walter Martains "Kingdom of the Cults". While I tended to find these materials interesting at first, I eventually came to the conclusion that they basically were garbage. A different brand of fundamentalism that used poorly reasoned arguments and emotional rhetoric to persuade people to their own version of Christianity.

  The above article is interesting in that it actually offers (in some places) a good critique of these countercult groups. It should be noted however, that while his critique of others is fairly logical, he completely drops the ball when it comes to the absurdities of his own belief. If he would have kept his critique only to the countercult evangelical groups, he would have been ok. But he then takes it a step further by inserting his own beliefs about the war between the kingdom of god and the devil.

  Its a great example of a compartmentalized mind.
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  AllTimeJeff

  Hi there Drew. Thanks for pointing this out. That is one long essay, but I can catch it's drift. That's even more long winded then I get... lol

  I agree with you that by inserting his own unproveable beliefs in place of some other groups unproveable beliefs, he weakens his whole treatment of the subject.

  I think any "movement" that would expose Mormons, or JW's, etc, are best left as neutral exposes that offer the facts and lets the reader make up his own mind.

  Any essay that has as its ultimate end the persuastion to a different way of thinking is propaganda, not an expose.
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  drew sagan

  Any essay that has as its ultimate end the persuastion to a different way of thinking is propaganda, not an expose.

  Of course. I do think that the idea of collecting research regarding countercult organizations, especially those within fundamentlist christianity, is an interesting area of study. These groups produce a lot of media regarding groups like mormons and jws, and a good bit is of poor quality (to say the least!). I have come to feel that a good number of countercultists seem to fixated on developing their own personal identity as a exposer of injustice and truth. In effect, the development of a certain countercult personality arises (such as the case with Walter Martin and many others). In fact, the conuter-cult community has its own self rewarding structure, in which individuals speak at evens and are given prominance for their exposes. Books are available for sale, and authors give long winded speaches about their "research" and advocacy.

  Another point. I tend to give this mormon a little slack, being that the only people interested in "countercult research" are those being attacked by countercult groups. Even though his own nonsense is littered throughout, he's done research that nobody else is really willing or interested in doing.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Guys, you have to remember that with their mentality... "where else will you go?" ...can only be answered one way... "I'll go to another cult."
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  drew sagan

  More info on the countercult movement:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_countercult_movement

  The quote from Walter Martin is worth reading:

  By cultism we mean the adherence to doctrines which are pointedly contradictory to orthodox Christianity and which yet claim the distinction of either tracing their origin to orthodox sources or of being in essential harmony with those sources. Cultism, in short, is any major deviation from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith.

  Notice how definition of "cults" has no relation to harmful practice. Rather than focus on the use of phobias, fear, indoctrination, information control, emotional blackmale and physical isolation the christian countercult activists rather focus on doctrine.

  Following this line of logic, when examining "cults" its more important to understand the errors to Jim Jones interpretation of scripture rather than his use of violent force in the Jonestown massacre.
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  designs

  Out of one Cult and into another (Evangelical/Fundamentalists).... some never grow or learn.

  I read/studied Walter Martin's book with a Jesuit many years ago, his raidio program was worth listening to as well. Things to know and then run/leave...........jeez about a step above snake handlers.
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  SirNose586

  Hmm, no wonder "Kingdom of the Cults" never really clicked with me. I read it to see what he had to say about JWs, but it was just another history lesson with the moral of the story being, "they don't believe like Christians should." I felt unimpressed--there was nothing about the mind control aspect, or very little.

  This is why Hassan's work continues to shine. His criteria cuts the ambiguity on a group's cult status like a razor, and he doesn't replace your beliefs with his own.