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rrmoderator
GeneZ:
You continue to confuse God with Thieme.
You continue to get confused as to what I think.
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And you don't seem to be here to discuss anything, other than praise and/or defend Thieme.
You do not read my posts very well that addressed this issue when asked. Just because I did not see all bad seems to be a problem for what you want to hear. You are looking to build a case. You see anyone that does not lead where you want it to go needing to be led by your insinuations. I have seen you leading the witness when they are not heading where you would like it to go. You put them down when they do not agree with how you want the case to end by using your power to control the direction that the dialog is taking. I see how you give some free reign when its the direction you want it to go, even when they have been shown to be motivated strictly by bias and personal feelings.
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I have watched this thread for some time and that is my conclusion.
Tunnel vision. You sometimes see what you want to see. Yes, you , too, can be prey to that human condition. I have watched some of your posts in other threads and see a trend in you as well. You want to find something, even when its not there. You tell a person what the outcome is to be when its not what you are seeking for an answer. In a funny sort of way, its like cult pressure to conform to a desired way of thinking towards an outcome.
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There are about 30,000 posts at this board. Many mention groups called "cults." There is not a distinct personality profile regarding those that join cults, people that do have varying personalities and backgrounds.
Not all fathers who are strict with their children are abusive. Yet all abusive fathers are strict. Its you that have a mind set that has become habitual. You see certain trends and you assume it must fit a pattern in its own way. Then you keep hitting to try and make someone confess what you want them to. Even when you were not there and do not really know what happened.
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No need to PM, just say it here on the board and I will respond.
I just did...
And something else I noticed.
You are not a Christian, are you? You appear to be affiliated with Jewish organizations solely. What is your experience with Christianity as a Christian? You appear to be unaware of certain problems that do take place in many Christian churches on various levels. Churches that are not cults.
What qualifies you to understand the problems with churches unique to Christianity? Cults are easy to spot. But you appear to not see the line that divides the two when it comes to authority. If you are not a Christian you would see it as abusive because you would have no means to identify for the reasons for the authority.
If I wanted to play this game too, I could drag in a lot more churches here and start giving reasons for them being cults. All I would need to do is to seek out the malcontents and mentally unstable. Even Billy Graham is seen as being of the Devil by some. Yet, since he has such world wide popularity most can see for themselves that these complaints do not hold water. Yet, if Billy Graham were not yet well known? A case could be made. And, some will listen. There will always be an audience for this.
Now? For those who are truly cults? They will quote Scripture to defend what they do. But, when someone like you do not know Christianity? It will just seem like a superstitious belief gone awry. I am assuming you are not a Christian. Most Christians stay away from cults because they know the correct meaning of what the cults misuse.
Thieme got in trouble with many fundamentalists because he exposed them for being religious fundamentalism. He equated the abuses that are real and never get noticed here with the Muslim fundamentalists. He took sacred cows and pulled off the veils for all to see. That is why he became controversial. Then the malcontents who were forced to be there (not by Thieme) came out of the wood work. Others listened to them because they felt threatened by Thieme's teaching.
My parents we both Jewish. My father was a founder of a local synagogue and my mom's grandfather was a rabbi. They despised what they saw in Christianity, and I could not argue with them. For they were seeing religion and fundamentalism in action. Which is a sub clinical form of being a cult.
I was disowned by my parents when I first became a Christian. Years later my Dad was given a few tapes by Thieme. He liked listening to him. My father did not become a taper. He stil, attended Jewish services.
After his funeral my Mom and I discussed the tapes I saw in his office. She looked at me and said with tears in her eyes. I wish your brother and sister would listen to him. Your Dad could listen to Thieme because the man had an open mind.
My brother and sister had gotten themselves wrapped up in fundamentalism which I stayed away from and avoided. Three Jewish kids. Three believers in Christ. Three different paths. One can easily say that Christianity attacked my home and broke it up. That Christianity is a cult. For it did break up my family. No preacher did. Christianity did.
Matthew 10:33-36 (New International Version)
"But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'[/size:cf8e3890a1]
What do you do with that? Family members will become enemies of each other when Christianity finds a place in members of the family's hearts. Who will they blame? Christ? Or, the one teaching about Christ? A strong case for a cult can ensue. If someone attempting to put a stop to it is not keenly aware of this? It all will be branded as cult tendencies.
There you have it. Christianity will appear to have the same end results as a cult, yet be exactly what Christianity will be. Cults do not simply have controversial teachings. They have teaching which are shown to be contrary to the truth by even those denominations which will not agree with each over in areas that they do see as controversial.
Controversy in itself does not constitute a cult. It may reveal intelligence in action. It may not. But, it has nothing to do with being a cult. For if you were a Christian? You would know that there is controversy all the time. That is why we see so many denominations, and sub denominations.
Ok... No PM. There you have it.
In Christ, GeneZ