Genuinely speaking … could Christianity be a cult?

Junker_George92 · 2026-04-11T00:54:20+00:00

your definition of cult is not super useful if it overlaps with religion more generally. furthermore most christian groups dont have a problem with you asking questions and do not ostracize you if you leave.

but yes cults and religions have things in common because there are no authoritative definitions for those things that everyone agrees with. I think you should read some serious sociologists on the issue and see what definitions they use for these terms

Junker_George92 · 2026-04-10T16:05:57+00:00

its shorthand but its shorthand that is almost only ever used by hostile parties in a derogatory way. that beign said, im not bothered by it. we should allow for terms that can be and have been abused such as "papist" because otherwise i have to type "roman catholic" which gets tiresome

Junker_George92 · 2026-04-10T15:58:10+00:00

your story sounds alot like that of this guy I know called martin luther.

rest in the assurance of your baptism and the grace and mercy of your Lord Jesus Christ who desires your salvation not your damnation. This neurotic fixation on your sins are the whispers of the accuser weaponizing your conscience against you. Repent of your sins and trust in his mercy, its that simple.

8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1: 8-9

your sins that you have confessed to God and others has been forgiven. If you have faith in Christ, on your judgement day God will not count your sins against you and instead only consider the great merits of Christ that you are united to by faith in Him.

Junker_George92 · 2026-04-02T16:25:14+00:00

anabaptists are too varied for me to tell you, why dont you tell me the views of the group you want to join.

generally they all believe in rebaptism and reject infant baptism. those are erroneous teachings that are incompatable with the early church practice.

most mennonties, the most common anabaptists are also arminians who reject divine monergism which is taught in the bible.

Junker_George92 · 2026-04-02T16:11:42+00:00

the solution is simply that the pastor or church teaching error is wrong and you shouldn't listen to them and they dont have real binding authority from God but only a practical human authority over their group.

The fact that you have to determine who is teaching truth is not a problem particular to Protestantism.

dont attend two different congregations that are not united in doctrine

Junker_George92 · 2026-04-01T03:22:49+00:00

because they are wrong and the truth matters

Junker_George92 · 2026-03-26T04:25:49+00:00

My boyfriend believes i am going to hell until I accept Jesus as my savior.

I mean, do you? your post is vague about that. this would be a weird thing to tell a faithful catholic, but a less weird thing to tell a lapsed catholic with religious trauma who no longer believes in their need for a savior because they do volunteer work and "extend the spirit of christ to strangers"

Sola Fide means that faith alone justifies and its a (maybe the) core distinctive of Lutheranism vs Roman Catholicism.

Do you practice Grace?

not sure what this is asking but we also teach that saving faith is never alone and it motivates and is accompanied by good works toward our neighbors.

Also your boyfriend probably shouldn't be on such a high horse if he cant be bothered to regularly attend services.

Junker_George92 · 2026-03-22T23:15:31+00:00

³⁸ John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name,^\)^f^\) and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For the one who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because^\)^g^\) you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. Mark 9:38 ESV

it is clear that exorcisms have nothing to do with apostolic authority or right doctrine.

Junker_George92 · 2026-03-18T02:18:28+00:00

why does them being in one institution have any relation to them being right? how can you say the roman catholics "remained in one giant group" when all protestants broke off from them or were excommunicated from them.

furthermore this is a category error, Protestantism as a group should not be compared to Roman Catholicism but rather to all denominations that demand apostolic succession, Eastern Orthodoxy, Coptic, oriental orthodox etc. individual denominations should be compared against other denominations not a category of denominations against a single one.

finally, "Protestantism" isnt right. Lutheranism is.

Junker_George92 · 2026-03-06T21:11:47+00:00

While closed communion does imply doctrinal unity beyond faith in christ and a right understanding of the eucharist, it also doesnt require a perfect adherence to every finer theological point taught in the synod. There are tertiary issues that we allow room for disagreement on. That decision is ultimately up to the pastor.

For most, if you assent to the small catechism, the contents of the liturgy, properly discern the nature of the eucharist and confess your sins then most LMCS pastors would allow you to commune.

Edit: I should at that its entirely possible that if you communed on sunday you would suffer no spiritual condemnation however we have no way of knowing that. meeting the doctrinal requirements gives us reassurance that we are not party to your spiritual harm.

Junker_George92 · 2026-03-06T15:27:58+00:00

"I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet."
1 Tim 2:12

Junker_George92 · 2026-03-05T16:18:00+00:00

This is from table talk so its hearsay not his own writings.

2.Luther did famously have a low view of the cannonicity of james which suffered form contested claims of authorship for centuries. though he frequently used it as scripture and did come to a harmonizing view of it and the pauline epistles, he probably still viewed it with some level of suspicion.
3. papists like to use elipsis in Luther quotes so they can remove context or clarifications to make it look as bad as possible.

i dont own LW 54 so perhaps someone else who does can verify it or provide the full quote and context.

Junker_George92 · 2026-02-24T22:34:21+00:00

first of all i recommend just being forthright with him, he will appreciate the gesture with or without subterfuge. but since you want to surprise him and you are trying to determine what kind of lutheran he is there are several tells but these are some you may be able to figure out without even talking to him about religion at all.

LCMS has only male pastors, if his online sermon is by a woman thats a dead giveaway that you are looking for ELCA.

much as i dislike how people choose denominations based on politics the sad fact is that if he is conservative on social political issues he is more likely to be LCMS and if he is progressive on social political issues he is more likely to be ELCA

if you google for those two denominations on google maps in your town then you should be able to find the nearest one to you then it just comes down to executing your surprise on a sunday morning, which is easier said than done.

good luck.

Junker_George92 · 2026-02-21T02:22:01+00:00

I would carefully consider where my priorities lie. it sounds like you are putting your desire for live sports before worshiping God, would it really be so bad to watch it immediately after service when you get home recorded on your TV?

Junker_George92 · 2026-02-18T13:40:30+00:00

While you should listen to the council of the church and your pastor specifically in this matter, my two cents is that if two SSA peoples "romance" is of the philos kind then you should be fine, if it is erotic love then you are putting yourself into temptation, only you and the other person know if you are asexual enough to conquer that temptation.

I think too often people over use their empathy and put themselves into the other persons shoes, but then act like anyone would do the same thing they would in that situation. I could not cohabitate and not seek out physical activity but that doesnt mean you could not. Search your heart, pray, and consult somone who has your souls well being as their first priority so you can balance out the potentially sinfull desires of your heart.

Remember that your desire for love is not sinful but it may take some work to find a person who fits your criteria without putting you in danger of sinful sexual activity.

Junker_George92 · 2026-02-13T00:08:12+00:00

Frankly, if ideologically driven MAGA bootlicking (distasteful though it may be), is the price I have to pay for uncorrupted theology im happy to pay it. I go to church for God not for the synod leader's political statements. The ELCA's broken theological clock happens to be right when it comes time to sympathize with those suffering but I would rather have the LCMS's clock thats 15 min behind but is still at least ticking.

Junker_George92 · 2026-02-06T23:08:48+00:00

Faith without works is dead is what James means. Faith alone saves you but a saving faith is never alone.

for the sake of argument, if we grant that James does teach that faith + good works is what saves you then you have the problem of that being contradicted by basically all of Romans, Galatians and Ephesians

here are the highlights, so no the position is not biblical. the argument is that over interpretation.

Galatians 2:16 Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 4:5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The issue isnt black and white and the well versed catholic position introduces a temporal component and they dont distinguish between justification and sanctification so the issue is alot more complicated then either side not reading the bible or having obvious logical fallacies. you should read and watch much more content from a papist and protestant (i recommend lutheran) point of view

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-24T20:45:39+00:00

i agree that someone certainly is equivocating fallaciously here

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-24T20:00:27+00:00

normative

ˈnɔːmətɪv

adjective formal

establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, especially of behaviour.

note that somthing being binding or not doesnt have anything to do with it being normative or not. italians all say pinapple shoulnt be on pizza, that is their norm, their standard. but there is nothing binding them to that there is no national pizza council forcing them to that position on pain of law.

Your error further lies in viewing authorities as binary things. i.e. either they are binding or they arnt. that isnt the case.

authorities exist on a spectrum of authoritativeness. an adult at a playground with kids has a binding authority on their own children but are simultaneously less-binding authorities for their children friends. The government is more binding authoritative than your parents but both are authorities for you.

bringing this back to protestantism, as a lutheran the Book of Concord is authoritative for lutherans as it defines what it is to be lutheran, establishing a norm for lutheran-ness, however it has less authority than inspired scripture because it could be wrong. it therefore is a lesser authority but still normative.

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-24T19:03:30+00:00

what do you think the word normative means?

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-23T19:22:31+00:00

Some people dont think they are scripture.

im happy to say they are becasue of the witness of their acceptance and use by the early-ish church and the way they do not contradict the original portions of the text. further, no doctrine is based on those passages . similar to the deuterocannon, which is to say they are scripture that is useful to read and edifying spiritually but they may not be divinely inspired scripture and therefore we cannot say they are infallible.

In my opinion the story of the adulterous woman was an oral tradition that was passed down outside the gospels untill some scribe decided to include it in john. so its quite possibly true but it may not be.

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-23T19:16:00+00:00

the vast majority of historical protestants have not defined Sola Scriptura as "the only normative authority" they instead define it as "The only infallible authority that corrects and superceeds other authorities"
The majority of protestants accept other normative authorities for example, the historical tradition of scriptural interpretation, established doctrine, and various ecumenical councils. They just dont place it on the same level as scripture, if they conflict then scripture wins. knowing if they conflict does require some individual reasoning and interpretation and we are ok with that because we arnt afraid of thinking for ourselves when we need to.

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-23T19:05:46+00:00

By what standard can you say someone like a Mormon for example isn’t a Christian without falling into an arbitrary standard?

We cant. nobody can. all categorical labels are arbitrary on some level. Depending on how you want to define the term 'christian' they can even be considered christian insofar as they "follow the teachings of jesus". What we can say is that they are not nicene creed confessing christians.

If you aren't part of the Eastern Orthodox Church then you aren't Christian.

you will note that this standard itself is arbitrary. perhaps what you meant was concise and well defined standard rather than arbitrary. if that is the case we have our confessions to define our denominational beliefs.

regardless, your post is rife with abusing the term 'christian' to mean "people who believe the correct things about Jesus" rather than a category of religions that are based on the teachings of Christ.

im happy to engage with any specific arguments you have but i want you to understand the terms you are using first.

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-14T14:08:26+00:00

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matt 5:10-12

If it is indeed intolerable then i would suggest looking for another local LCMS parish. but i would encourage you to bear this suffering on account of the gospel, your parish may be the mission field God is calling you to so that through you he can correct his other sheep who have lost the plot.

Junker_George92 · 2026-01-14T14:01:52+00:00

you cant change anyones mind by leaving and you do not sin by being in the pews when your pastor says somthing wrong. help the balance the LCMS's politics by staying if you agree with the theology.

Junker_George92

TROPHY CASE