Christian Apologetics Free Course 02, Lesson 4

Christian Apologetics Free Course 02, Lesson 4

Presupposition and Classification In Apologetics

Presuppositions, Contd…

7. Christian Spiritism: Christian Spiritism is a deception that hides under the form of a Christian worship. The church may include all the normal items such as: pulpit, pews, crucifix, and organ. The service seems normal in their use of: Bible, Christian payers, and songs. However, the change is that they also use trances and psychic readings an ancient practice to try communicating with the dead, which makes it a sacrilege.

Spiritism in any form is Condemned in the Bible, A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned to death, their blood is upon them” (Leviticus 20:6,27)… and it is called “an abomination to the Lord” in Deut.18:12.  Christian Spiritism presuppositions are:
• God: is an infinite spiritual intelligence, an impersonal power controlling the universe.
• Jesus: was a man, not God, and during His time on earth, He was a prophet or an advanced medium who communicate with the spirit world.
• Jesus: is now a primary spirit that one communicates with in the spirit world.
• No Virgin Birth
• No redeeming cross: yet many will have a crucifix displayed above the pulpit.
• No resurrection
• No Second Coming
• Heaven and Hell do not exist, they are states of mind.
• People continue to live in the spirit world after their physical body dies.
• Rejection Of Bible Alone: they also use their Spiritualistic Manual, Aquarium Gospel of Jesus the Christ, and Oashpe

8-CHRISTIAN CULTS: Originate from a group of churches that may call themselves Christians, use the Bible as their Sacred Scripture, and may even have the name of Christ in the title of their church. Many so-called Christian Cults claim to be the true Church. Since many Cultists are experts at beguiling unsuspecting believers, it is necessary to know the presuppositions with which they operate.

Not every cult holds all of these presuppositions, but most cults accept most of the following:

Rejection Of Sola Scriptura And Elevation Of Their Own Books To The Level Of the Bible
Rejection Of Salvation By Grace Through Faith
Rejecting The Uniqueness Of Jesus Christ
Rejection Of Normal Hermeneutics
Claim That Only They Are True Children Of God
Rejection Of One Or More Of The Biblical Doctrines Related To Sin, Salvation, Grace, Justification, Hell, etc.

The following are a few of the Christian cults:
• Mormons: The Church of Jesus Christ of the of Latter-day Saints
• Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Moonies: Unification of Christianity
• Christian Science Church
• Church of Scientology
• Children of God: Family of Love
• Worldwide Church of God, of Armstrong
• Spiritualism
• Church Universal and Triumphant
• Unitarianism/Universalism.
• Gnosticism/Neo-Gnosticism.
• Way International
• Holy Order of MANS
• Church of the Living God

Other Christian Cults:
• Central London Church of Christ
• Rev. Ike Penitents: Snake Handlers
• Churches for Homosexuals: Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
• Branch Dravidians: “Waco”, David Koresh
• People’s Temple: Jim Jones, Jonestown

9-CHRISTIAN OCCULTISTS: Before listing the presuppositions of Christian Occultists, we should examine what occultism is. To the Occultist, Occultism is the study of hidden wisdom, truth, or rather the deeper truth that exists beyond the surface. Most people consider this as an unknown area, which is limited only to depth of human imagination and the use of talismans, magic, voodoo, astrology, numerology, or even religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. 

Christian Occultists are in reality, advanced students of Occultism and use their gained knowledge of magic, astrology, numerology, or other training to produce what seems like miracles. They have produce mass-hypnotism, mass-hysteria, and many other delusions. Reportedly, they have also produced individual as well as mass-healings. These Christians believe God gives them their occultic skills not the power of evil spirits. Because of the power, they feel while practicing their skills:

Rejection Of Sola Scriptura
They Believe That Occult Techniques Are Approved By God
They Believe That The Spirit Beings That Help Them Are From God
They Reject Most Of What the Bible Says About the Devil And His Angles
They Believe That Occult Phenomena Can Bring People Close To God

10-NON CHRISTIAN CULTS:  They study hidden wisdom, truth, or rather the deeper truth that exists beyond the surface they use of talismans, magic, voodoo, astrology, numerology, or even religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. They do not try to work with physically measurable facts, but those obtained through the mind or the spirit, which can be associated to mental, psychological or spiritual training. However, occultists do study science because they perceive science as a branch of Alchemy that they try to use to add validity to occultist practices.
These non-Christian cults often pretend to have close similarity or relationship with the Christian faith. Their leaders often quote from the Bible however, there beliefs are not Christian and the differences can be seen in the following: 

Nature of man:

Christian: Believe man made in God’s image and separated from by sin
Occultist: Believe man is like God, only most people do not realize it 
Heaven and Hell:

Christian: Believe they are actual places
Occultist: Believe that Heaven and Hell is a condition that conformed to the will of God or not. Some occultists actually believe in the Christian version of afterlife.
The devil:

Christian: Believe to be an actual being
Occultist: Believe to be those that perverse the use of their abilities through wrong thinking.
Magic and Ritual:

Christian: Believed to be Satanic activities
Occultist: Believe in making changes through natural forces that they believe is a function of the spirit world
Their general presuppositions are:

Rejection Of Sola Scriptura
Rejection Of Salvation By Grace Through Faith
Rejection Of Jesus Christ As The Only Saviour
Rejection Of All Major Christian Doctrines

 

 

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