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Frequently Asked Questions: Cults & Cult Leaders Session 1
Frequently Asked Questions: Cults & Cult Leaders Session 1
Frequently Asked Questions: Cults & Cult Leaders Session 1
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Frequently Asked Questions: Cults & Cult Leaders Session 1

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Jesus discusses issues such as what is the common definition of a cult, and whether Jesus is the leader of one.
Document source filename: 20121113 FAQ - Cults S01
This ebook is a collection of answers given by Jesus (AJ Miller) on the topic of cults and cult leaders. The answers were given in an interview with Mary Magdalene (Mary Luck), who posed frequently asked questions from members of the media and public, on 13th November 2012 in Wilkesdale, Queensland, Australia.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 13, 2016
ISBN9781310855672
Frequently Asked Questions: Cults & Cult Leaders Session 1

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    Frequently Asked Questions - Jesus (AJ Miller)

    1. Do you feel that care is owed to God?

    Mary: On Wikipedia, under Cult (religious practice) it states in the first few lines In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings (scriptures), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and its observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is literally the care" (Latin cultus) owed to the god and the shrine."

    Mary: Do you feel that care is owed to God?

    Well firstly, if I can point out that the word 'cult' comes from the Latin ‘cultus’, which actually literally means ‘care,’ so the suggestion is that all religions need take care for the way in which they worship God. If they don’t care for it, they don’t have enough piety and therefore you know they are probably not observing that particular religion. It is interesting that the underlying word, the word that 'cult' comes from is implying that God needs to be cared for. The reality is that God does not need to be cared for. God is self-caring, self-responsible, God does not need to be cared for and God is not seeking our worship. There is this common viewpoint on the planet, I feel, that God is seeking worship and God does not seek worship. God knows Herself very well and knows Her value and She does not need us to support Her value or to make Her feel better about Herself than She already feels. In fact the underlying word of ‘cult’ is implying that. Now if you look at how the word is used today, it is often applied to a cult leader and I am often associated with being one. If you look at the underlying thing again, it is like, does a person, does one single person need to be cared for and honoured above all others? The answer to that is also: no. Any person who has any degree of self-responsibility and love for themselves does not need to be cared for by any other person, and therefore does not need to be worshipped or even listened too. God does not have an investment in us listening to God and any person who is an appropriate spiritual leader would also not have any investment in another person listening to them.

    By 'an appropriate spiritual leader' I mean a spiritual leader who is not invested in other people’s opinion of them and who is just interested in telling the truth.

    2. Do you feel that God punishes those who neglect worship of God?

    Mary: On Wikipedia, under Cult (religious practice) it states in the first few lines In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings (scriptures), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is literally the care (Latin cultus) owed to the god and the shrine."

    Mary: Do you feel that God punishes those who neglect worship of God?

    Definitely not. In fact, God does not even desire our worship. God desires our love, which is a very different thing to desiring to be worshipped. Somebody who feels a lack within themselves generally, wanting somebody else to support that lack by providing them with feelings that they wouldn’t otherwise have is desiring to be worshipped. God doesn’t do that with us. All God desires is a relationship with us and God desires that we have this relationship in a sincere, frank, open, truthful manner.

    God certainly does not desire our worship in the sense of desiring all of these reverential emotions given to God. However many people who come to know God do finish up giving those particular emotions to God, because of the honour they feel towards God and that is a different matter, whether God desires it or whether the person desires to give it. God desires a close relationship with each one of Her children, very similar to the type of relationship that a parent desires with its children on earth.

    It is very important for us to understand that God does not demand that we worship God but rather God desires a relationship with us based on love. I don’t believe God demands worship and therefore God does not want to punish the people who do not worship God. This whole concept that ‘the people who do not worship God will be punished’ comes from a very human trait of punishing people who do not give honour.

    God is okay with the concept of giving us free will and this means that God is also accepting of the fact that we might not honour God or we might not worship God. God still makes the sun shine and makes it rain upon the righteous and the wicked because God is not selective in the way in which God gives Her gifts to all of Her children. However God recognises that there are some children who will receive God's gifts differently and who will desire to have the closer personal relationship with God and under those circumstances more Love flows to that particular person because of their desire for it.

    3. Do you feel that external religious practice makes a person sacred?

    Mary: On Wikipedia, under Cult (religious practice) it states in the first few lines In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings (scriptures), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is literally the care (Latin cultus) owed to the god and the shrine.

    Mary: Do you feel that external religious practice makes a person sacred?

    Definitely not. In fact what I have found in my personal experience is that many people who have an attitude of piety or an attitude of being holy are often some of the least holy or impious persons on the planet because they use their piety as a justification for violence. What is true is that there is only really one religious practice that is God's definition of a religious

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