Welcome to the Cults section of the site. Here you will find information on the different cults of today. By using the terms "cult," "occult," and "New Age," we are in no way implying that the followers or leaders are necessarily evil or immoral people. It simply means that such groups seem to promote doctrine or practices which may be considered outside the realm of historic Christianity. Most of the information you will find here is articles that link to the Watchman - Fellowship organization, and other resources. We encourage you to go to the Watchman Fellowship site and browse around. They have a vast amount of information on site about cults and other unorthodox religions. The information here is more consolidated for easier navigating.
Some definitions as defined by the Watchman Fellowship :
Cult
By its primary dictionary definition, the term
cult just means a system of religious beliefs or rituals. It
Occult
The term, "occult" come from the Latin occultus
or "hidden." Generally the word is used of secret or
New Age
New Age is a recent and developing belief system
in North America encompassing thousands of
is based on a farming term in Latin meaning cultivation.
Sociologists and anthropologists sometimes
use the term cult to describe religious structure
or belief patterns with meanings (usually
non-pejorative) unique to their disciplines.
In modern usage, the term cult is often used by the general
public to describe any religious group they view
as strange or dangerous. Thus, cult can describe
religious leaders or organizations that employ
abusive, manipulative, or illegal control over their
followers' lives. In addition to these usage's,
Christians generally have a doctrinal component to their
use of the word. Cult in this sense, is a counterfeit
or serious deviation from the doctrines of classical
Christianity. Watchman Fellowship usually uses
the term cult with a Christian or doctrinal definition in
mind. In most cases the group claims to be Christian,
but because of their aberrant beliefs on central
doctrines of the faith (God, Jesus, and salvation),
the organization is not considered by Watchman
Fellowship to be part of orthodox, biblical Christianity.
Research material and Profile are available.
mysterious supernatural powers or magical, religious
rituals. The word "occult" in this publication is
used to describe any attempt to gain supernatural
power or knowledge apart from the God of the
Bible. Generally it refers to witchcraft, satanism,
neo-paganism, or various forms of Psychic
discernment (astrology, seances, palm reading,
etc.). Research material available.
autonomous (and sometime contradictory) beliefs,
organizations, and events. Generally the New Age borrows
its theology from pantheistic Eastern religions and its practices from
19th century Western
occultism. The term "New Age" is used herein
as an umbrella term to describe organizations which
seem to exhibit one or more of the following
beliefs: (1) All is one, all reality is part of the whole; (2)
Everything is God and God is everything; (3)
Man is God or a part of God; (4) Man never dies, but
continues to live through reincarnation; (5)
Man can create his own reality and/or values through
transformed consciousness or altered states of
consciousness. Research material and Profile are
available.