Denunciation of Others (Mark #11)

When one announces himself as the true Messiah, the holder of all true knowledge, all others of course are false and must be put down. Some of the most bitter imprecations in print are the scathing calumny of cultic messiahs upon all who do not believe their views and join their organizations.

One sometimes suspects that cult leaders are infected with a horrible inferiority complex, pushing them to a neurotic defensiveness. They are for the most part unwilling to appear in public debate or answer questions from perceptive Christian scholars concerning the nature of their faith. Expressing their persecution complex, they denounce all alternative views as being satanic and corrupt.

The contrast of true Christianity is very marked. The Bible teaches that there is one Saviour, Jesus Christ, and one way of salvation, faith in His finished work on the cross. Within that wonderful circle of faith once delivered to the saints, however, the Scripture allows for a great diversity of views. Each individual Christian is a believer-priest and he is related to God as a person. The New Testament however, has plenty to say about false teachings. Three quarters of the books of the New Testament talk about and deal with the subject of false teachers. This must be a subject which is of great concern to our Heavenly Father.

The cultic attitude is a fearful contrast. They believe that all other religious points of view except theirs are condemned.

We are often warned in Scripture to be very suspicious of those whose first calling seems to be to produce divisions within the Church of Christ. When grievous wolves from the outside enter in or when from the ranks of Christians there are those who arise "speaking perverse things" (Acts 20:30), there are bound to be those who turn their attention from the things of the Lord to a new fascination with the provocative words of an aspiring human leader.

Much unsettlement has been caused in the ranks of Christians by those with pretended convictions who demand a hearing and who are often purveyors of a new discovery of truth. Therefore the Apostle Paul earnestly exhorted, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Romans 16:17-18).

(from Know the Marks of Cults - the 12 basic errors of false religion by Dave Breese)

The Grand Poo-Bah says:

This is exactly how Barrie Victory Centre got started. A reliable source has informed me that the current leadership of Barrie Victory Centre infiltrated the congregation at Mapleview Community Church. While they were there, they caused all kinds of trouble and dissatisfaction among the congregants. Mr. and Mrs. Troublemaker managed to convince the hearts of twenty or so simple families to leave the church and start Barrie Victory Centre with Mr. and Mrs. Troublemaker as the new pastors.

Unfortunately, two of my sons were among this simple group that Mr. and Mrs. Troublemaker were able to lead away from Mapleview Community Church. BVC does not deserve to exist because of their marauding behaviour. Its cornerstone reason for existence is the denunciation of others. God's condemnation of this behaviour makes Barrie Victory Centre an illegitimate church. Do you really want to be part of this this church? The wise choice would be to leave it, immediately. There has to be something better out there, somewhere!