How Do You Know It Didn't Start As A Cult?

[ungod ubiquitous]

Christianity, maybe, don't you think could have started as a cult. Somebody wrote the bible and people started to follow it? I mean, maybe more complicated, but still, something like that could have happened. Your thoughts?  

[The Noble Protoman.exe]

Impossible. There's too much proof to be going around the say the entire bible was written by one man. However, the practice did begin somewhere; but if this is an occult, How would we know anything else is true?

Argument: Christianity would be the largest cult in the world that started from another religion entirely. Don't you think that'd strike you as odd that this cult has been around for two thousand years? What practices make it cult-like as well?  

[ioioouiouiouio]

Edward McShrimpy

Somebody wrote the bible and people started to follow it?

Well, that's generally how things tend to happen. Things have to be formulated before people believe them.  

[Gambol]

Christianity wasn't a cult, it was a sect of Judaism.

Not only that, but it's a unique sect - in the sense that it's not the traditional Messianic sect, it's not what the Essenes are big on, it's not entirely Pharasaic - it's a hybrid of them all AND THEN SOME.

And this is what secular scholars think about the bare beginnings of Christianity.



Early Judaism is a very useful class.  

[The Noble Protoman.exe]

Gambol

Christianity wasn't a cult, it was a sect of Judaism.

Not only that, but it's a unique sect - in the sense that it's not the traditional Messianic sect, it's not what the Essenes are big on, it's not entirely Pharasaic - it's a hybrid AND THEN SOME.

And this is what secular scholars think about the bare beginnings of Christianity.



Early Judaism is a very useful class.

Indeed, Gambol.  

[Gambol]

Master Protoman_exe

Indeed, Gambol.

Basically, it took a couple hundred years for Christianity to split off enough from Judaism that it was considered its own religion.

Check out the debates going on in the early church - "Should we be circumcized like all the other Jews?" vs. the debates later on. "Should we include Gentiles?" was HUGE.

The fact that we still have an Old Testament pays homage to our sectarian roots. And to think what set us apart was the messiah figure of Christ! biggrin  

[The Noble Protoman.exe]

Gambol

Master Protoman_exe

Indeed, Gambol.

Basically, it took a couple hundred years for Christianity to split off enough from Judaism that it was considered its own religion.

Check out the debates going on in the early church - "Should we be circumcized like all the other Jews?" vs. the debates later on. "Should we include Gentiles?" was HUGE.

The fact that we still have an Old Testament pays homage to our sectarian roots. And to think what set us apart was the messiah figure of Christ! biggrin

*applause*  

[dreamingscribe]

Very well informed people.  

[Kittey-chan]

Edward McShrimpy

Christianity, maybe, don't you think could have started as a cult. Somebody wrote the bible and people started to follow it? I mean, maybe more complicated, but still, something like that could have happened. Your thoughts?

Well, everything in history is basically not 100% known, because there isn't anyone alive today who saw it. We have to look at historical documents and such; but that aside, there is a *lot* of documentation of early Christianity. One could argue it was all somehow made up, but then we'd have to start in on all the other historical 'facts' too, like Alexander the Great, Hapshetsut, ect. At a certain point you have to trust history.  

[PoppyDadswell]

a cult is somethig which often isnt even religious.a cult takes over someone's life in a negative way-often cult leaders grab possession for their flocks money and assets,isolate them from their family and make them commit acts they may not want to do.christianity a cult?no  

[Kittey-chan]

PoppyDadswell

a cult is somethig which often isnt even religious.a cult takes over someone's life in a negative way-often cult leaders grab possession for their flocks money and assets,isolate them from their family and make them commit acts they may not want to do.christianity a cult?no

Actually, the reasons cults have such power is *because* they are religious.
Note I say religious, not faithful.
They take advantage of people in the worst way- by preying on their natural, good, desire to be close to God. They start out pretending to be the truth, and then infiltrate and control every aspect of the cult-members' life. They take everything they can from people.
And even supposing that Christianity did start as a cult somehow? Well, its not a cult now. (Although even secular historians will tell you it didn't; we've got a lot of documentation.)  

[Gambol]

that_fairy

(Although even secular historians will tell you it didn't; we've got a lot of documentation.)

Um.

That's what I alluded to.

Does anyone even read prior posts?

For everyone's information: I go to a very secular university. My information I relay comes from that background.  

[promised_child]

my parents are messianic.

the Christian church didnt become its own religion till Constantine made it legal to be a christian. what really sets us apart is what we celebrateas holidays. Christmas was a german holiday. thus the evergreen tree, lights and such. the Jews and Messianics celebrate Chanukka. Easter is a pagan holiday called esstras, cellebrating the goddess of fertility (bunnies, eggs and the ever popular aphrodesiac: chocolate). those orriginally pagan holidays are what set us apart.  

[sunshinehearttrob]

i mean it could happen. but i believe not. there was time evidence and people evidence. Jesus was a true person in history. he wasnt just used in a cult to start something.  

[xxxdeletemexxx]

Technically, all religions are cults.

And even if using more specific definitions, Christianity started as a cult, as did many other religions.

The only thing is that the word 'cult' has such negative connotation these days. You only think of scary extremist cults devoted to following some psycho and they all end up dead.