Exodus 22:18 You should not let a sorceress live.

I swear the atheists know more about the Bible than I do.

Now I wonder if that makes me a bad Christian, or does that make fleabay a bad atheist?

There are two definitions of "cult". One is used by pretty much everyone outside of religious circles and some within and is rather complicated. By this definition, neither JW or Mormons are cults. The definition used by those within religious circles, especially Christianity, defines a cult as a sect that has deviated far from scripture and is heretical. By this standard, the entirety of Jehovah's Witness theology and the book of Mormon and the teachings of Joseph Smith classify both as cults.

That's one of the reasons why it's better, in my opinion, not to define a cult on what their religious beliefs are, but on the organisational and operational structure of the group, and the way in which they interact with the wider community.

When a cult is a religion, it can only be defined on religious beliefs. Jehovah's Witness, for example, took the Bible and basically rewrote it, all the while denying the deity of Jesus. They broke off of Christianity and became something.. else.. while still holding many of the same beliefs. I cannot look at them as anything but a cult. "Sect" doesn't adequately describe the theology.

That being said, I can believe this and have friends that do not. My best friend is a pagan and practicing witch. I strongly oppose her religious beliefs, and she knows it, but I LOVE her! We have the utmost respect for one anther, in spite of our differences. All I can do is love her and pray for her.

Exodus 22:18
You should not let a sorceress live.

I pray she comes to Christ. However, if she never does, she will always remain my friend and I'll always love her. God will ultimately be her judge.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God."
Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
Mark 12:31 "Love your neighbor as yourself."
John 8:7 "When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, 'Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'”

But the most important, when dealing with the Mosaic Law as a Christian, comes from Galatians 3:10-14:
"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.' Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because 'the righteous will live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, 'The person who does these things will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Or to put it plainly, Christians are not bound by the Mosaic Law and anyone still living under that law is cursed.

When a cult is a religion, it can only be defined on religious beliefs. Jehovah's Witness, for example, took the Bible and basically rewrote it, all the while denying the deity of Jesus. They broke off of Christianity and became something.. else.. while still holding many of the same beliefs. I cannot look at them as anything but a cult. "Sect" doesn't adequately describe the theology.

That's incredibly subjective though. How much do they have to deviate from accepted (and who gets to decide what is accepted?) doctrine before they stop being a sect and become a cult?

edit:

To expand on that. I just don't see it being a useful way of classifying what a cult is as it will lead to far many arguments. I think a far more useful and objective way to determine if a group is a cult would be to have a set of diagnostic criteria, and if the group matches with a predominant number of the criteria then it is a cult.

I was mildly depressed at where this thread looked like it was headed, but it looks like it's gotten interesting. Fair enough.

As far as a cult goes, I alluded earlier that it's understandable for any organization to not be so quick to use that label, even when the shoe fits. Scientology in particular has been very litigious about this. And if you are, say, the Australian Royal Commission, you would absolutely not want to be biased or to show bias. That would absolutely play into a true cult's hand, because then they can claim "attack" and "persecution". (The JWs already do, which is why Mr. Angus Stewart has performed brilliantly in his questioning, even when he questioned one of the top guys in the governing body of the WTBTS, Geoffrey Jackson. It's all on YouTube on the channel "JakkeControl" if you're curious.)

There is a wider issue here. There are also not only religious cults. The key element of any of them is undue influence. What about political cults? Cults of personality? Cults of protest and outrage? Whatever the case, shutting off all dissidents and critics, demonizing "the other"... This doesn't generally help anything. It tends to hurt and split people apart.

But the most important, when dealing with the Mosaic Law as a Christian, comes from Galatians 3:10-14:
"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.' Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because 'the righteous will live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, 'The person who does these things will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Or to put it plainly, Christians are not bound by the Mosaic Law and anyone still living under that law is cursed.

Christianity was not so solid on this issue. The Ebionites understood Jesus to have been a Jewish prophet, not the end of the Jewish law. Paul was selling this idea to the Gentiles, and there were a number of ideas floating around over the decades about the divinity of Jesus, many of which became heretical. Marcion comes to mind.

Considering the development of Christianity, then, as the Pauline letters and the Q source and the gospel we attribute to Mark came along, and then the other gospels and the pseudepigrapha after Vespasian and Titus sacked Jerusalem in 70 CE, I can't take it seriously. It is at best something to take and adapt into your own life and experience, perhaps skipping over parts, and at that point, it seems unnecessary to me.

has anyone else left a religion because of a bad experience, unresolvable contradiction, or just outright repression?

I've left the Catholic Church if that counts. Well, kinda left. Or something.

At the time of my birth, I was considered a child of the devil by the Munichian High Pharisee because my parents only married after my mother was already pregnant. What a deadly sin. My parents left the Church after that. When I was 10 years old, there was this occult ritual called Communion, for which all children were indoctrinated and prepared for this magic-animistic rite where they drink their god's blood or something.

Much to the surprise of everybody, it was found that I was pretty sceptical of the voodoo and the funny Bible stories which didn't make any sense, and what's worst I said that I had not baptized. An even bigger surprise (not to my parents, nor me) was that it turned out that, indeed, I had not been baptized. Of course not -- I hadn't because I was refused at birth.

Thus said the priest who ran the local church at that time, baptized must I be, or my soul be lost. This is something I couldn't and still cannot understand. If there is a god, and if whether or not he loves me depends on whether a random guy spills a cup of water over my head, then frankly, I give a crap about that god. If I am to believe in a god, that's a god who loves his children without conditions and queer rituals.

Anyway, the local priest who, for a change, was not a child abuser, and -- apart from being a priest -- a really nice fellow, and from what I can tell a honest man, insisted on saving my soul. In return, his god had him die like a dog from pancreatic cancer a year and half later. I cannot understand why a god does such a thing. You'd think he punishes the evil guys, not the only rightheous one.

Anyway, since the water show really doesn't hurt a lot, and because he was honestly concerned about my soul we had him do it. There were presents too, so it wasn't so bad.

About 18-20 years later, I was to work at a hospital owned by the Catholic Church. The field Confession: None in the (confidential) HR form promptly granted me an witch trial with Her Highness the Reverend Mother and... whoever the other two were. Court marital feeling at its finest. So I had to answer questions during a one-hour interview and justify why I was against the Catholic Church (I wasn't) and why I was against God (I wasn't either) and why I was going to disturb the spiritual balance or something with my controversial and wrong religious ideas (I wasn't either). My answers which were along the line that I was not against anything they might believe in, it's just that it's personally not my thing didn't satisfy them. Nor did my statement that I couldn't care less but discuss religion at my workplace. They wanted precise reasons why I was against them (I was not, but they are just too fucking stupid to understand that there exists something in between "with us" and "against us"). My answer as to why the Christian belief was not really my thing didn't please them either. Of course, there's no contradictions in the doctrine, and there's nothing that could strike anyone as queer.

They were going to revoke my job agreement, and it was only because the chief physician -- a less extreme Christian -- said: "No way, I want him, I've committed, this is my decision." that I was finally hired.

A year later, I had another "fun" experience with the Mother. In cometh She, Her Highness, accusing me of sexual harrasment on one of her... what are they called, acolytes? A young nun-to-be, not yet inaugurated. The truth was the girl was being horny and made very clear advancements, got physical, and I told her "woah, no way" (not so much because of the nun thing, but because I was happily married, and I found the idea kinda unprofessional, too). An hour later, she had told the Reverend Mother how the heathen had harrassed her and had demanded that she do unspeakable things. Which was, of course all lies... but try to explain that to a religious zealot when you are not a registered member of their club!

What saved me was another nun, who saw what was going on, and much to my surprise stepped in and outright lied to the Reverend Mother. She protested how I was one of the most honest and righteous men she had met in her life, and the fact that anyone could possibly believe these incredible accusations was most shameful and obscene. Further, she had witnessed what had happened. Now... I know for sure that she had not witnessed what had happened, but she nevertheless described it very accurately and in a quite colorful way. Funny how a nun would know!

Later, I asked her why she had lied for me, and not just to anyone, but to the Reverend Mother. She replied: Well, you said you were innocent, and I trust your word. If you are innocent, and of course you are, God will forgive me that little lie. I did not say anything that was fundamentally wrong, did I? Besides, the Mother is no saint either. That was one of the most surprising things a Christian has ever said to me.

But yeah... in summary... religion, no thank you.