And I think with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and you can see a lot of journalists right now also writing and reporting on how extreme many conservative Christians have become, not just in regards to abortion, but other areas in relation to human rights. And if we think about a cult being considered like the definition, if you just search cult, the dictionary definition is a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object or a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing
Because first it's the idea of making fishers of men. So you're trying to save people. And that whole concept to me does a few things that elevates the believer as someone who is special and more chosen, more something than anyone else. And that creates a psyche that changes how you perceive others, right? And that can have a negative effect because there's the immediate visual of reaching your hand down to lift somebody out of the muck, so to speak, to save them
Mtwadamela Ijogo
@MtwadamelaΒ Β·Β 5:00
So there was a time when Christianity, like a lot of things now, was new and it was considered a cult. They only came back connotations on that word cult with Christina because they say it and attach such a f***** up stigma on that word that it makes people think, oh, like a cult, like something evil and wicked and no, it's not. It's really not. But is Christianity the most successful?
You bring up another great facet of this and to weave our thoughts together, the idea of sacrificing oneself for their faith. There are verses in the Bible that talk about if you're persecute, you will be be persecuted for your faith and that you must stand firm. And as a result, then you will be seen as faithful and obedient and all of these positive descriptors
Mtwadamela Ijogo
@MtwadamelaΒ Β·Β 4:17
And this man sat in the middle of the street with all the other monks around him and lit himself on fire and died as a way to protest. I forget what he was protesting. But do you know the man did not flinch when he was on fire? He sat there perfectly still, did not scream out, did not move. The power of the mind. That's the power that goes beyond organized religion
Aaron Waldron, M.Div.
@aShamaninJournyΒ Β·Β 4:05
Hey, Bowie, this is an awesome swell and an interesting question, and it's and it's really sticky. It's really complicated. It's hard to give a definite answer. But in our time and studying at seminary, we came across an identical question, an inquiry as to what is the difference between a religion and a cult. Because we wondered who or what determines what is a religion over a quote. And honestly, in our experience and research excuse me
Krystle Marshall
@kfmarshall2022Β Β·Β 3:29
He wants Christian people to follow that. Now, those other Christian people that wants power and authority, they're not following in the guidelines or following in the word of God and what his world says about how we're supposed to live our life according to his will. And when that time comes, when we got to stand before God, they're going to have to give account of why they was trying to get more power and authority than actually doing his will. So Christianity is not a cult
Krystle Marshall
@kfmarshall2022Β Β·Β 4:00
There's a lot of things, a lot of twisted things that's going on that the Bible revealed about how christina how the Church of Jesus Christ, how it was going to be manifested into this world, and how they were going to be twisted to get people to either doubt God or to go forward in Him. Now, in the Bible, there's not all these different denominations. God specifically used people through His Holy Spirit to write what we know as the Bible
Lance Watson
@lwatsonjrΒ Β·Β 4:59
There's a variable of relativity to this conversation. I myself as a faith system practitioner. And I use that language specifically because Christina. Or Christianity as it's more generally understood. Has not necessarily been sort of the label that more accurately and succinctly defines what I. As an individual personally believe about the sacred text or the Bible. What I believe about the Torah. What I believe about the Quran. And even what I believe about the quote unquote Messiah or the Christ figure as described in the Bible
Wren .
@aBirdieOnaWireΒ Β·Β 4:58
But as I've been thinking about this conversation over the past couple of days, that's something that I think comes to mind is that there's this one central figure or a small cadre of people who say we are the conduit to God, we have the truth and you should follow me. That can kind of be assigned to a cult, whereas with a world religion it's the adherence to the followers who have access to the sacred texts
Bowie Rowan
@bowieΒ Β·Β 3:09
Talking with people who escaped or left various kinds of cults. Some not even based on what we consider an accepted religious practice like Christianity. It sounded very similar to a lot of the experiences I heard or feelings I heard from people leaving the evangelical communities and also myself growing up Catholic and also some of my elders who once they had a deeper understanding of what actually was going on behind closed doors in the Catholic Church. Really then had to contend with the ramifications of all of that
Bowie Rowan
@bowieΒ Β·Β 1:55
Which is more unique. Like you said. Than what we see with some other religions and also. Like you said. Cults around the world. If part of Christianity's success worldwide is because of that unique start and I don't know if it's that this is the right way to say it. But kind of like state sponsored enthusiasm or whatever. As you were saying in relation to Rome
Bowie Rowan
@bowieΒ Β·Β 1:17
And I think that's particularly important in relation to thinking about Christianity like this conversation has revealed, because there is not one way of practicing Christianity and there is not one kind of relationship to have with it either, because it has such a complex history and there are so many different sex and denominations and always something more to learn, at least in my experience
Bowie Rowan
@bowieΒ Β·Β 1:07
It's definitely a lifelong relationship, and I could really feel that in your response too. And I loved hearing about your experience and the different kinds of conversations you have with others of different faiths as well. So thank you so much for sharing and looking forward to more conversations
Bowie Rowan
@bowieΒ Β·Β 1:29
It was really interesting and also helpful for me to hear your perspective as a Christian woman and the ways in which religion functions in your life and also your belief, and also how that impacts your view of how certain denominations or other people practice and spread the word of God
Aaron Waldron, M.Div.
@aShamaninJournyΒ Β·Β 4:59
Christianity has definitely embedded itself in all those things that we mentioned in some form or fashion that is showing up relatively toxic these days. But, yeah, you hit it right on the head with the whole how Christianity is being carried or is traveling or being traveled with. But this is awesome. Thanks
Thank you for highlighting the breadth and depth of it, because that's just it, right? Christianity, it's just the umbrella. And then we've got all the denominations and all the individual churches and all of the individual people, and we can see the the good, the bad, the ugly ugly in any facet of all that makes up Christianity. It's so true. Yeah. I grew up evangelical. My parents believed they were prophets and so on
Enrique irby
@wandering_RiQΒ Β·Β 4:54
And that's kind of how I've come to live my life. And also, if you look at like, just say, Christianity, for instance, any religion or form of faith you can trace back to some other religion or form of faith like Christina is deeply rooted in some pagan beliefs. If you look at Taoism and Taoism, they both believe in the majority of the same things, including gods and deities. If you take Hinduism and Buddhism, buddhism is actually an outshoot of Hinduism
They refused to pay taxes to help take care of the society that they use as a shield to keep them from being inconvenienced. You take a look at the link I posted that talks about what happened in the how it was all put into plan that rowan would get repealed, and then it's gay rights next, and then interracial marriage, ultimately going back to targeting black americans. It's all under the flag of a learned master who most assuredly is not okay with what's happening. Really?
Trey Hanawalt
@LoststaterecsΒ Β·Β 3:28
And when things happen, I just assume things happen on their own. I don't put faith in a higher power that is controlling every aspect of my life. I cherish my Christian friends. But also I don't think Christianity at this point in human evolution is anything but detrimental to our society
Sebastian Cahill
@sebc23Β Β·Β 2:25
I've been interested to hear the experiences on the threat of other people who were raised in a religion that they are either very dubious of now or no longer practice. And I think that I don't know, honestly, this story is just very enlightening for me, I think, because it's hard to think about your experiences as something that could have happened to other people
Kyle Crossman
@kylecrossmanΒ Β·Β 1:46
There's a lot of different ways to approach success and I think it is hard to say because I know a lot of people who call themselves Christian and identify as being a christina and in that sense it is very successful because there are so many people around the world who practice Christianity but then when you get into the denominations it gets a bit more convoluted because there are a lot of people who aren't successful in the sense that they aren't following and adhering very strictly to what's being said and what's being preached to that
Benedict Garrett
@Bendi_GΒ Β·Β 3:59
And I was also a religious studies teacher for a couple of years, actually, when I was a teacher in London. So I know a little bit about what Jesus world so, yeah, religion can't exactly the same thing. Just a numbers game, that's all
Benedict Garrett
@Bendi_GΒ Β·Β 5:00
There is no proof for any of them. Just because one has been followed and believed by more people than the other makes it no true or believable or right than any other belief. It is simply a matter of faith. And we cannot conduct politics and social debate by merely faith. It has to be based on fact and research and finding common solutions through what is logical and doable and real, not based on the supposing moral systems of centuries or millennia old cults, still followed by
TheCrusader Warrior139
@CrusaderWarriorΒ Β·Β 5:00
Alright, so I listened to the featured swell today and then somebody's response to it of if Christianity is a cult. And the thing is, is that it's a cult to most people, even to the people that are inside of it. Because to just be blunt, they aren't saved. They're not in God's church, okay? It talks about in the gospels about how coming to the father, it's going to be like a narrow gate, okay?
Wren .
@aBirdieOnaWireΒ Β·Β 1:40
I mean, I'm willing to hear an argument that says this is why it's not a cult. But to be a valid argument, you can't use your own holy text. You have to go to an outside source. Certainly you understand that, right?
Krystle Marshall
@kfmarshall2022Β Β·Β 4:58
And many times that I have came across these stories is because of certain people that consider themselves Christians will sit there and d*** you to h*** because of a certain way you think or act. First and foremost. God attention. When he created this earth and created humans he was not thinking of damning us to h*** or having people thinking they're better than other people. Everybody is the same no matter what type of status you have
Michael Slade
@FreshsladeΒ Β·Β 5:00
We have free will out here, and yet you're trying to control it's one thing to try to attain power, because power can be used in a lot of different ways. In some ways, power can be used to free a lot of people, but yet this power is trying to constrain, it's trying to force people into Christianity. And that's the worst thing. Whether it's trying to force people into Christianity or just force them to do what they want them to do. Whatever