What differentiates a cult from a religion?

[Kidlicious]

What if you appropriate someone's culture to make a political statement?

This person suggests that the upsurge in the popularity of the hijab and identifying as Muslim is actually a protest against the patriarchy. But he also suggests that wearing a hijab is identifying with an actual rape culture. That is, the hijab dehumanises women which causes women to get raped.

https://www.investigativeproject.org/3719/the-dangerous-lie-of-the-hijab

[Ming]

Just more fake news from an alt-right BS site. Typical Kid....

[Kidlicious]

Just more fake news from an alt-right BS site. Typical Kid....

What's fake about it?

[Ming]

It's alt-right hate opinion, not news. Typical Kid.

[Elok]

The word, like many words, can be used in a variety of senses. There's no one official definition because it's not a technical term in anybody's field. I find it helpful to reserve the word for extremely aggressive fringe movements that attempt to directly control their members' lives along with their access to information.

[giblets]

welcome back elok

[Jon Miller]

Five, they all tend to have some beliefs about the eternal destruction of the human soul in hell. Why? Because it's a very important point to note that the human soul is imperishable.

This is both very Christian centric and non-Christian at the same time.

For one, it has to do with one of the great doctrinal arguments in modern Christianity with traditionalists holding to the Greek-Christian consensus of Augustine while reformists arguing for an interpretation closer to scriptures. It is probably close to meaningless for many other faith traditions.

The scriptures heavily oppose the idea that the human soul is imperishable, to take one that is even used to argue for the existence of hell (Matthew 10:28):
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

JM

[Ben Kenobi]

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell

This is the problem with 'proof texts'

It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

²⁶ “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^[b]30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven

Who is the One? That is God alone. Only God can destroy the soul, not Satan or any of the evil spirits. This is the important distinction between Christians and between so many cults of various forms.

[Ben Kenobi]

This is also problem with the KJV. *sigh* ἀπολέσαι, can mean to destroy, but in this context it means "exile, banishment" of the soul, not destruction.

[Ben Kenobi]

καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεννόντων τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι: φοβεῖσθε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ.

[Ben Kenobi]

Et nolite timere eos qui occidunt corpus, animam autem non possunt occidere: sed potius timete eum, qui potest et animam et corpus perdere in gehennam

Vulgate has perdere- to lose.

[Ben Kenobi]

The better translation would be: ⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the One who banishes both soul and body in hell.

[Jon Miller]

Read this book then, which goes far beyond arguments about single texts and describes where the false teaching of an immortal soul came into Christianity.

https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Final-Edward-W-Fudge/dp/0891121498

Yes, there are some verses which can be interpreted both way, but there are many more that support the Annihilationist position.

JM

[Jon Miller]

And https://www.amazon.com/Fire-That-Con...Z6P7FMDPNFD9ZZ if you have a bit more time.

JM

[Berzerker]

hey, Ben is back...good to see ya