Besides the New Testament, this scholarly text and bible within Orthodoxy, provides the Psalms. (For disclosure, once again, I am Protestant and Reformed)
Continuing with this Bible's introduction...
(a) Purpose
The text opines that Psalms serve many functions, such as foretelling coming events (636) and recalling history (636), framing laws for life (636), providing suggestions for what should be done to obey God's word (636), which was in the context of the time the Hebrew Bible books.
But the importance of the Psalms is applied to the Christian Church which connects the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament which is documented historically as supernatural revelation.
The Orthodox bible also writes that the Psalms are to provide the treasure of good doctrine (636), and deal with passions which effect the human soul (636), through the power of transformation.
In agreement, based on my educational background, I view the Psalms (and the Proverbs) as effective writings, presenting general, but not always specific truths, in light of problems of evil and problems of suffering. The ultimate remedy to problems of evil and problems of suffering provided through the atoning and resurrection work of God the Son, Jesus Christ, as this will eventually be culminated and applied to new creation.
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(b) Cults
I was recently viewing a television drama with someone (Person X) that is not a confessing biblical Christian or well-educated in religious studies. The television program featured a fictionalized cult. I mentioned to Person X that the show had done some reasonable research on cults. Person X claimed the Baptist church or local charismatic church down the road was just as much a cult as the dramatized version on television.
Importantly, Person X meant in the context of a cult of excessive control as in the fictionalized example.
So, for our purposes of this entry and relevancy, let us add churches including Orthodoxy within this review, into a greater category of religion, which may very well, quite possibly, be considered a cult by Person X and/or those with similar views. Or at least many churches and religions as critics will debate on what is a cult. We therefore connect section (a) to section (b) in this entry.
John Ankerberg and John Weldon in Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions admit that the use of the term cult is not easy to resolve. (XXI).
(My add)
In an academic sense, all religious worship and groups within a specific system of worship can be viewed as cult (cult 1). (XXII). This is commonly used in academic textbooks, for example, Oxford describes cult as a system of religious worship, especially in ritual. (327).
If Person X meant that Baptist churches and the charismatic church down the road were cults in that sense (religions) (cult 1), he would be right. His premise would be true.
But that was not what he meant...
Based on a Christian perspective, state Ankerberg and Weldon, a cult in another sense is a (pseudo Christian, my add) false Christian church and or movement which claims to be (theologically, my add) Christian and yet has core and key dogmas and doctrines which contradict biblical Christianity. (XXII) (cult 2) .
Therefore, in my view, in this second context (cult 2), any church that holds to biblical Christianity (a form of biblical Christianity as Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox, groups differ) would not be a cult.
In other words, biblical Christianity embraces essential, core, key doctrines such as, non-exhaustively, the biblical nature of God, Trinity, deity of Christ, and the atoning and resurrection work of Christ applied to those believers in Jesus Christ. All human beings tainted by corruption, sin and the fall and in need of salvation. Heaven is the end result for those in Jesus Christ; Hell for those not in Jesus Christ (Revelation 20).
Further Ankerberg and Weldon in another third sense (cult 3), define a cult as demanding submission to unbiblical authority and an unbiblical leader (my add) (XXII); this is connected to excessive spiritual control, psychological dependence and regulation. (XXII).
Contrary to the cult example in the fictionalized drama, most Christian churches do not demand submission to unbiblical authority and unbiblical leadership (cult 3). Most Christian churches do not feature the level of excessive spiritual control, psychological control and manipulation and rule.
Yes, there are certainly exceptions, and I do believe that there are Christian cults that exist, in contrast to pseudo Christian cults. In other words, there are biblical Christian churches and movements with cultic aspects in the sense of wrong doctrine, at least secondary dogmas and doctrines, and excessive control over attenders and members.
A Christian church claiming some key essential, core, key doctrines, and yet not others, is in my view debatable as truly biblically Christian, but of course ultimate judgement is up to God. (Revelation 20, 2 Corinthians 5: 10).
I noted to Person X that I could leave my Mennonite Brethren Church and attend a Baptist church with no threat of leaving the Gospel.
Many cults assume their organization is the only true church.
There is the biblical Christian Church, that along with Hebrew Bible era saints, will live everlastingly within the culminated Kingdom of God in Revelation 21-22.
Therefore, now using some of my learned symbolic logic (see entries)
In one sense
Cult = c
Religion = r
Biblical Christianity = b
c ⊨ r
(Cult entails religion)
c ⊨ b
(Cult entails biblical Christianity)
(cult 1)
In another sense
c ˜⊨ b
(Cult does not entail biblical Christianity)
(cult 3)
Person X has a view that is error as he had (cult 3) in mind. His premise, false.
Key symbols ≡df = Equivalence by definition : = Equal (s) ε = Epsilon and means is ⊃ = Is the same as ⊨ is Entails ˜ = Not ∃ = There exists ∃! = There exists ∴ = Therefore . = Therefore < = Is included v = a logical inclusive disjunction (disjunction is the relationship between two distinct alternatives). x = variable = Conjunction meaning And 0 = Null class cls = Class int = Interpretation
ANKERBERG, JOHN AND JOHN WELDON (1999) Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions, Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House Publishers.
LANGER, SUSANNE K (1953)(1967) An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, Dover Publications, New York. (Philosophy).
THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY (1995) Della Thompson (ed.), Oxford, Clarendon Press.
The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy,Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.
