Rating: Summary: Less than correct? Review: I have a very good friend who is LDS with whom I discuss his religion often. He seemed a little concerned when I told him another friend had loaned me a copy of Kingdom of the Cults. I understand why. After reading the section on Mormonism in Mr. Martin's book, I asked my friend if he had any of the LDS books which were used as references by Mr. Martin. He lended me the ones he had, and after a few days of study, I discovered that many of the references did, in fact, NOT exsist. Those that did, appeared to have been quoted inacurately or had words transposed which changed the meaning of the original statement considerably. As a result, I would not consider this book a good source of factual information about Mormonism.
Rating: Summary: Christianity is a cult Review: I have found that this highly regarded book (within the Christian community) is completely false with regards to the TRUE definition of what a cult really is. It fails to expose the most controlling and destructive cult in the history of the world - Christianity itself. This book takes great pains to examine those whom it considers to be a cult, yet what it SHOULD have done is examine itself with its own great perception. But it cannot and will never do so. This is the very reason why it avoids explaining the true identifying marks of what makes a cult a cult. If it did this it would condemn itself in the process.
Study Lifton's "Criteria for Thought Reform", Margaret Singer's "Conditions for Mind Control", Steven Hassan's "The BITE Model", Kevin Crawley's "A Behavioral Definition (of 'cult')", Jan Groenveld's "Identifying a Cult", or Jeff Jacobsen's "Academic Research into Cults" (all standard works) and you will see what makes a cult a cult is NOT what they believe nor their doctrinal deviations from "orthodox" Christianity, but because of ITS BEHAVIOR and STRUCTURE. You will never learn this from ANY Christian source, because Christianity, with few exceptions, has an elitist view of itself in relation to all other beliefs and religions and views itself as having a unique cause, i.e., they are the only ones who are right - everyone else is wrong. They are the only ones doing God's will - everyone else is in apostacy. Christianity also promotes its cause actively, and in doing so, abuses the God-given personal rights and freedoms of others. This abuse can be theological, spiritual, social, and/or psychological. This is proven by the history of the Christian church and especially the tens of thousands of people who are leaving Christianity every year because of its abusive, cult behavior. No other religion in the history of the world has cause so much bloodshed, tears, fear, pain and condemnation as Christianity.
It is for this reason this book has had to create its own new definition of what a cult is and how to identify it, because if it took the standard, universal definitions it would expose itself and it own behavior.
Do the research from non-Christian sources (of which I sited above) with an unbiased, teachable heart and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
I recommend to any searching Christians to read the books of those sited above and such websites as Tentmaker and bible-truths dot com if you desire to still follow Christ and to be free from the control that traditional Christianity brings to mankind.
Rating: Summary: understanding should precede judgement Review: I have looked at at least one edition of this book. I also know a fair bit about a number of religions, having studied several either formally or informally for almost 20 years. This book shows the authors never intended to understand the religions they wrote about. For example, if they wanted to write about Buddhism, rather than reading books about B. by Christians, they should have consulted quality texts by Buddhists, and interviewed knowledgeable Buddhists themselves. But the bibliographies listed in this book mention no texts on B. I was familiar with, despite the fact that I AM Buddhist and have read most of the core texts on the subject. How would Christians feel if I, in order to study Christianity, read books about C. by Muslims, or Jews? At least one of the authors of the book had a Ph.D., but the intellectual acumen displayed in this book is weak at best. No Buddhist would buy into the absurd presentation of the Buddha's Teaching that is described here. (The same, I am sure, goes for other religions as well.) To anyone who has read this review this far: please, rather than leaping to ridiculous judgements based on half truths about traditions that are thousands of years old and have influenced millions (or billions) of people, have some humility and go to the source. Religion should be a sincere quest to determine what IS true, not what you want or hope to be true. The first path leads to discernment and insight, the second to delusion and, as evidenced by this book, hatred.
Rating: Summary: A Classic ? The Definitive Reference? Review: I have read the reviews - I have read the book. I have friends from all over the world, from many different faiths and perspectives. (...) Ignorance breeds fear, which breeds violence. Here's a quote from this very book (1985 edition:)"Though Christians have not been known historically for putting to death those who disagreed with them (notable exceptions are the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Inquisition, and certain phases of the Crusades)..." (pg.271) Excuse me? "Notable exceptions?" Those four events saw the elimination of millions of people, all based on disagreements with the Church. For Martin to take such an arrogant stand is insulting to Christians and non-Christians alike. By the way, Martin completes the above sentence by stating that violence is a common eruption in "other" religions. Arrogance, indeed. For one who searches for the truth, this book is not recommended. It paints an elitist, uneducated, and judgemental view of the author's faith. One can sense the outright anger and intolerance in these writings. In the Introduction, he states that he has no intention of "making fun" of other religions, yet he does so in every chapter. Calling Buddhism "the most self-centered, selfish system of philosophy that the depraved soul of man can embrace" is reminiscent of grade-school name-calling, not a serious research of cults. To place the label "cult" on a major world religion does nothing to win "converts" to Christianity. Martin is preaching to the choir. The only reader who would consider this a valuable reference would be the narrow-minded, unsympathetic, judgemental Christian who has no patience or desire to understand the world we live in today.
Rating: Summary: Good, but why is it still missing info on the Cult of Rome? Review: I have used this text for over a decade. I still wonder why though, when more and more Protestant Churches are more openly calling the Catholic Church what it is, a cult, is it omitted from this work. Ravi believes Roman Catholicism is a cult, so why was it not included? No cult has ever done as much damage as Catholicism. I'll still be buying this book, but it won't be THE resource it could be until the RC church is exposed also.
Rating: Summary: The Best Selling Book In The World!! Review: I havn't read 'The Kingdom of The Cults' yet, but I'm certainly going too. Taking the Bible literally is a very wise thing to do, considering that it the Word of God and it has stood for over 2,000 years and that it is still standing. Why wouldn't I want to know the history and doctrine of other religions? I recently read the history and beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses and I am appalled that people would follow a system built on lies and false prophesy and think that they are right in doing so. The JW's have twisted the Holy Scripture so that they could brain-wash people who don't know the Word of God into believing that they can't study the Bible for themselves, but have to have it explained to them through the Watchtower by the elders in the Kingdom Hall. Their teaching is still lies and false doctrine and they refuse to believe what is right and true. I can't wait to read this book, along with the Bible. In these last and evil days, no one needs to be misled by a cult, but saved by the revelent Word of God.
Rating: Summary: Misunderstands Mormonism Review: I realize I'm probably not the intended audience for this book. However, I've been a Mormon for 40 years, and this book does not accurately represent the doctrines or practices of the Mormon church. Part of the problem is the book's sources. First of all, some of the sources listed in the bibliography have a strong anti-Mormon bias, such as the book by Fawn Brodie and the 14 books listed by Jerald Tanner. Being strongly biased, they should not be relied upon heavily in an objective discussion. Other sources the book uses are not considered official Mormon doctrine. Take the Journal of Discourses, for example. The JD is a sprawling collection (26 volumes) of some early sermons by various church members in the 1800s, including sermons by Brigham Young (the second president of the church). However, the JD is not a Mormon church publication and is not as a whole considered to be the official teachings of the church. The JD contains many things I would consider to be merely the individual ideas of some members. For example, our author quotes one person in the JD who apparently said the marriage at Cana was actually Jesus' own wedding, even a polygamous three-way wedding to Mary Magdalene, Martha, and a second person named Mary. This would be shocking news to all the Mormons I know! I myself have never heard this idea preached anywhere, and it is certainly not the doctrine of the Mormon church today. Actually, even some statements by Brigham Young in the JD are not now taught as the official doctrines of the church. So I would not rely too heavily on the Journal of Discourses and other such books, if you want to understand what most Mormons believe. (A good explanation is Gospel Principles, published by the Mormon Church.) The author does quote from some official church sources. However, unfortunately, time after time the author misunderstands what these sources are saying. This can perhaps be forgiven, because he is apparently trying to interpret Mormon ideas while still applying the framework from his own religious background. When viewed from a Mormon perspective, Mormon doctrine is pretty logical and rational. To me, at least, it is not the "maze of confusion" the author portrays. If you accept a few basic Mormon ideas - that God is willing to reveal knowledge to His children today just as He did in the past, that the gospel and the priesthood were lost during the Dark Ages and had to be restored (not just reformed), etc. - then I find that most of the doctrines follow logically from there. As far as the whole cult question, the book does not make a convincing case that the Mormon church is a cult. The author states the Mormon church "[binds] its followers into a tight, homogeneous circle, escape from which, apart from severe spiritual as well as economic penalties, is virtually impossible.... Apart from acceptance by this group, the average Mormon can find no peace or, for that matter, community status or prestige.... [A Mormon who leaves the church] can lose his business very easily by incurring the disfavor of the Mormon Church" (page 46). This just isn't accurate. In fact, many people who join the Mormon church eventually stop attending meetings and become "inactive." Obviously, they entered the church by choice, and they are free to change their minds later. Mormons feel sorry when that happens, but they don't usually ostracize those people. And I have never heard of any cases where such people were punished by the Mormon church. True, if people commit serious sins (adultery, felonies, etc.) their membership is usually cancelled, but not before they are provided the opportunity to explain their side. But the church certainly does not impose economic or other penalties on people. It may be that in some small town in Utah or Idaho, where most everyone may be Mormon, that businessmen have lost customers in such a case. But I have never heard of that occurring, and if it did I would attribute it more to a small-town mentality than to something inherent in Mormonism. As a Mormon, it seems odd that my church would be lumped together with such diverse faiths such as Buddhism, scientology, and New Age. I certainly don't think it's a cult. The author's argument seems to be if a religion does not fit his idea of Christianity, then it's a cult. My Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a cult as "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious." Well, that's a pretty broad definition. Obviously, most religions regard the others as incorrect or unorthodox in some way. Moslems see a lot wrong with Hinduism, but I don't think they would call it a cult. They would likely just call it a different religion. So it seems to me the term "cult" is not really that useful when talking about religion. There's a lot more I could say, about book's evaluation of Mormon history, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, etc. but I'm out of room here. For some futher reading, check out Are Mormons Christians, ISBN 088494784X.
Rating: Summary: Thanks for the reviews Review: I would just like to say that based on the many reviews this book has gotten, both for and against, I will not be reading it. I can already tell by what other reviewers have written (even among some of those who defend the book) that this book is full of incorrect information, and perhaps even downright lies. I was hoping to find an unbiased, factual look at the various faiths that exist in the world, but I can tell just based on the reviews that this is not that type of book.
Rating: Summary: Vile. Review: I write this review as a Christian who came to the faith as an adult. I grew up in a faith other than Christianity and had an older sibling who converted to a fundamentalist branch of Christianity when I was a teen. This book was thrust in my face as 'evidence' of the religion I was raised with being askew. I then spent 18 years of my life hating Christianity and having utter disdain for the people who practiced it. Not until did I encounter a group of critically thinking, wise and educated Christians did I re-open my mind to the faith and receive Christ. Bottom line - this is a hateful book that does not take into account the history and tradition of the worlds' religions. If they're not Christian, they're a 'cult'. Purchasing this book is a waste of time and money - and if you're considering the buy to help evangelize to people whose faith is one of the 'cults' - think again. You'll just make them even more angry at Christianity. Try being a good neighbor instead and reading some C.S. Lewis.
Rating: Summary: Thoroughly Engrossing Review: Let's keep one thing straight: 'Kingdom of the Cults' was written by a biblical scholar, from the point of view of a fundamentalist Christian. If you don't care for a world view centered on the core beliefs of Christianity, you will abhor (and probably refuse even to read) this book. If, however, you are a Christian thoroughly versed in scripture, or especially a Christian only beginning to be familiar with the Bible (and wanting to clearly understand the differences between Christianity and the other major world religions and quasi-'Christian' sects), or simply curious about Christianity (without an axe to grind), you will find this book totally engrossing. The book is organized on a chapter by chapter basis, with each chapter centered on a particular world religion or cult. Thus, the reader can choose a particular religion or cult (such as Hinduism or Christian Science, among many others), and delve immediately into this author's insights on the underlying doctrines of each. Somewhat suprisingly (because it is so "Non-PC"), the author considers the three other major world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam) to be "cults." Even more suprisingly, the author patiently and thoroughly explores the doctrines undergirding these other epistemologies and compares them with Christian doctrine in a measured, methodical, and non-hysterical manner. The author thoroughly explains why these doctrines have failed in the past - and are currently failing - both in theory and practice. There is no "moral relativism" or "tolerance" in this approach. From the perspective of Christian theology, the author illustrates why those who are earnest members of any one of the Kingdom of the Cults face certain eternal damnation. The book then, is a hard-nosed (and by virtue of this approach, fascinating) study of Biblical doctrine seen through comparison with the other major religious doctrines of the world. Those who are tired of fence-sitting, limp-wristed, warm and fuzzy expositions of "feel good" Christian doctrine will find this work arresting and engrossing. Others, who are simply trying to understand why Christians believe what they believe, get a no-holds-barred explanation. Kingdom of the Cults could have been leavened with a dash more charity but the author's emphasis is on scholarship, not proselytizing. And, as noted above, the author directs this work to a Christian audience.
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