Tag Archives: Cults

UFO Cults

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Earth Versus the Flying Saucers

It all began on an ordinary day in June of 1947. The pilot of a small plane named Kenneth Arnold saw some unusual objects flying near Mt. Ranier in Washington state. They were not circular in space—actually more crescent-like. But he described their motion as being like saucers skipping over the surface of the water. Later this would result in people calling these objects “flying saucers.” Thus was born not only a new entry in our popular vocabulary, but a cultural phenomenon.

It was only a month later that another incident occurred near Roswell, NM. Something crashed in the desert there. The government officially declared that a weather balloon had come to earth. Others thought it was something more otherworldly—that an alien spacecraft had smashed into the desert sands. Whatever these two incidents really were, the fact is we had now entered the age of UFO’s, ETI’s and close encounters.

Fascination with flying saucers exploded on the American scene. It has never gone away. Through the late ‘40’s and the 50’s, it was the stuff of science fiction and B-grade movies. Not something to be taken too seriously. But then came George Adamski, who claimed that in 1952 he saw a flying saucer land and an alien being emerge from the craft. The alien was supposedly from the planet Venus, and was named Orthon. He communicated via mental telepathy. And he began to teach Adamski all about the universe, including many ideas of a religious and philosophical nature. This was beginning of another phenomenon—UFO religion.

Since the ‘50’s and 60’s there have been waves of interest in extraterrestrial life and UFO’s. According to the accounts of many contactees, the UFO occupants have come to earth with a specific purpose—to aid us in our evolution as a species. They come bringing not only advanced technology, but superior mystical knowledge. They are here to teach us the ways of God (or the gods), to help us in our search for enlightenment, and ultimately to realize our spiritual potential.

There are numerous cults and religious groups that center around UFO’s and the message these otherworldly visitors want to convey to us. These include cults like Unarius, the Raelians, Ashtar Command, the Order of the Solar Temple, and Urantia. We all remember Heaven’s Gate, the weird cultists who received messages through episodes of Star Trek, whose members committed corporate suicide, enabling them to leave their bodies and take a ride on a comet. Both Scientology and the Nation of Islam have theology rooted in the idea of aliens being involved in human history. In addition, many New Age groups believe strongly in UFO’s—some even asserting that the next World Teacher may come to us via an alien spacecraft.

When it comes to the belief systems of the UFO religions there is a true hodge-podge here. There is sometimes a veneer of Biblical religion, a lot of the occult, Eastern mystical ideas, New Age beliefs, paganism, and a host of imaginative and wacky ideas from science, pseudo-science and science fiction. UFO’s devotees believe in everything from the Greys (the small, bald, bug-eyed, large-brained aliens) to invading alien reptiles—who are disguised as humans and hide in plain sight, e.g., as members of the British Royal family.

This all may seem somewhat odd, but not too threatening. But don’t be fooled. There is much spiritual error, and not a little of the diabolical in the UFO’s cults. For example, I remember watching the video of one contactee channeling an alien intelligence. It was obvious that there was a demonic presence at work speaking through this individual. Scary!

Summary of Beliefs
God: Varies from group to group. The most common ideas are some form of pantheism, or the
belief in many deities.
Jesus: Usually believed to be either an alien visitor, or a contactee.
Salvation: Usually some form of enlightenment experience, similar to Eastern or Gnostic
concepts. Some believe in reincarnation.
Human nature: Man is usually seen as basically good, often divine.
Sin: Varies. Usually the greatest sin is our ignorance of spiritual truth, cf. Gnosticism.
Afterlife: Varies. May be an advancement to another planet, or another dimension.
Scripture: Many different writings, often channeled via demonic agency.
Truth: Generally relative, individual and existential in nature.

Sources:

Mather, George A. and Larry A. Nichols. Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993.

Lewis, James R., ed. The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions. 2nd ed. Amherst,
NY: Prometheus Books, 2002.

New Age Movement

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Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron… take some pagan mythology, mix in a little Eastern mysticism, two parts occult philosophy, a good sized dose of Gnosticism, a dash of alternative medicine, some crystals, a pinch of UFO lore, a few shakes of karma and reincarnation, a hefty sprinkling of the human potential movement, some right brain/left brain studies, a heaping portion of pseudo-science, a good sized portion of astrology, season it with folk magic to taste, then blend it in a container made of Mayan calendar prophecies and the quatrains of Nostradamus and… Ta-da! You have a modern witch’s brew called the New Age Movement!

This cultural phenomenon burst on the scene in the early 1980’s. Though discounted at first (and often since) as a fringe spiritual movement, the followers of the New Age Movement have consistently held lofty goals. They see themselves as part of a universal human happening that is literally ushering in a new spiritual era. The promise of this New Age is the end of war and violence. All nations will join together and do away with nationalism and divisions. All religions will come together into one world religion. The leader of this new world religion will be the World Teacher, the next great spiritual leader anticipated by all individual religions. He will be the Messiah of Judaism, the Imam Mahdi of Islam, the Christ of Christianity, and the Lord Maitreya of Buddhism. And the good news is that he is already here, on the earth, waiting for the appropriate time to reveal himself to the world.

Although a very contemporary movement, the roots of the New Age concept are in the revival of occultism and Eastern mysticism that occurred in the late 19th century. If there is a grandmother of the New Age, it has to be Helena P. Blavatsky and her Theosophy. (See Truth Builders newsletter issue # 3 for more info on Theosophy.) Other influences include groups such as the Golden Dawn, the Lucis Trust, New Thought, the I Am movement, Christian Science and Wicca. People such as Alice Baily, Krisnamurti, Edgar Cayce, David Spangler and Benjamin Creme are looked on with esteem and respect.

When it first became known in Christian circles the New Age Movement was often presented as a secret political conspiracy to take over the U.N. and the U.S. In the ensuing years, it has proven to be something even more dangerous. It has become a social phenomenon has subtly, gradually and yet effectively changed our culture and affected the worldview of many Americans, even Christians.

Summary of Beliefs

God: God is an impersonal deity. The New Age is pantheistic in theology.
Jesus: A mere man, who was possessed by the Christ spirit. A vessel for the World Teacher.
Salvation: The goal is to achieve spiritual enlightenment.
Human nature: Man is essentially divine, and has unlimited potential.
Sin: What the Bible calls sins are errors and misconceptions. Spiritual knowledge and
experience will free man from these errors.
Afterlife: Reincarnation is a fact. Salvation will come when we are absorbed into the divine all.
Scripture and Texts: Various texts, including the Bible, Eastern religious scriptures, books by
Alice Bailey, H. P. Blavatsky, Edgar Cayce, David Spangler, Krishnamurti, Mark and Clare Prophet, New Thought writers, etc.
Truth: Relative to the individual person.

Group Snapshot: Jehovah’s Witnesses

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The official name for this group is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, often simply called the Watchtower. The members of the organization are generally called Jehovah’s Witnesses, witnesses or simply Christians. They meet in buildings called Kingdom Halls. They are known for their literature: The Watchtower magazine, Awake! magazine, The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, and numerous books and pamphlets. The Watchtower claims that its source of authority is the Bible. However the Witnesses are discouraged from reading the Bible by itself, and instead are required to study the Bible only as interpreted and presented through Watchtower books and literature.

Origins:

What is now the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society began in 1879. It was founded by Charles T. Russell. Russell was a man who had been influenced by Seventh-Day Adventists and was adamantly against the Christian doctrine of hell. In the 1870’s Russell was elected as “Pastor” by a small group of students who had gathered to hear his teachings. With Russell’s death in 1916 the leadership passed to “Judge” Joseph Rutherford. It was under Rutherford that the group took the name Jehovah’s Witnesses and established the essentials of their doctrine.

Essential Doctrines:

1. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the Trinity. They believe that only the Father is Jehovah God.
2. Jesus is viewed as the first and greatest creation of Jehovah. He is a god, but not the Almighty God. He was created as the Archangel Michael, he came to earth as Jesus, and was resurrected a spirit creature. His resurrection was definitely not bodily and physical.
3. Not only is the Holy Spirit not God, he is not even a person in JW theology. The Spirit is the power or activity of God, his impersonal force at work.
4. The Watchtower denies the reality of an everlasting hell. Hell is death, the grave.
5. Men do not have souls that live on after death. They are souls. When a man dies, his soul is also dead. The resurrection is really God’s recreation of a person.
6. There are only 144,000 who are born again and make up the Bride of Christ. These will be resurrected and live in heaven with Jesus. The rest of the true followers of Jehovah, if they are resurrected, will live in natural bodies here on this earth.
7. The Watchtower is God’s theocratic institution here on earth. The Society speaks as the end-time prophet of God.
8. Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only true followers of God, the only genuine Christians.
9. Armageddon is due to occur at any time. When it comes then all false religions, especially churches, will be wiped out. The only ones left will the JW’s.

Summary of Beliefs

God: God is a solitary being. The idea of the Trinity is pagan and devilish.
Jesus: Jesus was the Archangel Michael before coming to earth. He is a divine being, the first
and greatest creation of Jehovah God. But He is not Jehovah, or the Almighty God. He died on a torture stake, not a cross; and resurrected as a spirit creature, not physically.
Salvation: Salvation is gained through the works you do for Jehovah.
Human nature: Man is fallen and needs redemption.
Afterlife: Man does not have a soul; he is a soul. When he dies, he ceases to exist. The
resurrection is actually a recreation of our persons. Only the 144,000 go to heaven, as the Bride of Christ. The rest of Jehovah’s followers live on earth eternally. There is no eternal hell.
Scripture: The Bible, but as interpreted through Watchtower writings.
Truth: They claim to believe in absolutes and a Biblical understanding of truth. But all is filtered
through Watchtower writings and teaching.

Freemasonry

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The beginnings of Masonry are uncertain. It probably began with the stonecutters and masons who worked on the Medieval cathedrals. They organized themselves into guilds and lodges. To preserve guild secrets and tricks of the trade, they developed a closed institution with passwords and identifying signs. They also developed a number of legends regarding the antiquity of their craft. These are known as operative masons, that is, masons who actually work in stone. With the demise of cathedral building, the lodges began to die off. To preserve their identity some began to allow non-operative masons into their fellowship. Some of these masons began to see masonry as an opportunity for spiritual and moral truths to be taught. These were called Speculative Masons. They were heavily influenced from a variety of traditions, including the Kabbalah, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism and Templarism. By the end of the 17th century most lodges in England were wholly speculative in membership. In 1717, four of these lodges united to form the Grand Lodge of England. Soon, speculative masonry enjoyed a time of great growth. It spread from England to the Continent and to America. Beginning the mid-1700’s there began to develop various systems of higher degrees. Continue reading →

White Supremacists

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Probably everyone is familiar to a greater or lesser degree with the White Supremacy movement. We envision KKK members in their pointed white hoods, or survivalists holed up somewhere in the wilds of the upper mid-West fighting off ATF and FBI agents. And these are not unrealistic images. However, as with all cults there is a heretical theological basis to the movement.

The followers of this movement generally think of themselves as part of the Christian Identity movement, or simply the Identity movement. They call themselves this because the distinctive belief that characterizes them is the assertion that they are the true children of Adam, and the true heirs to the promises of Israel. Generally it is posited that only the white (or Aryan) race are true sons of Adam. Other races, especially Jews and blacks, are descended from some other source. There are several theories offered for their variant origin. Some believe that the inferior races are descended from a sexual liaison between the Serpent and Eve. Some think that they are a cursed race (or races) originating either with Adam’s son Cain, or Noah’s son Ham. Others say that the hated peoples are descendents of the demonic “sons of God” who fell in the days of Noah by having sex with human women. Today there are many groups which teach that the non-white races are descendents of pre-Adamite “bestial” peoples, i.e., they are literally “beasts of the earth” and while having bodies and souls, they have no spirits. Whatever their origin, it is commonly held by believers of the Identity movement that Jews, blacks, and all non-white, non-Aryan peoples are inferior, spiritually cursed, and rejected by God.

There are three main categories of Supremacists. The first is the most visible, and probably the most well known. This is the U.S. group known as the Ku Klux Klan, which began after the American Civil War as an attempt to “protect white southerners” and keep “uppity” blacks in their place. The Klan has waxed and waned in its membership and influence through the years. Their heyday was in the 1920’s and 1930’s in the U.S. The second group is those Supremacists who model their beliefs and organizations after Hitler’s National Socialist Party. This includes the more traditional groups which are rooted in the Nazism of the 1930’s and 1940’s, as well as the more contemporary Neo-Nazis groups. The Neo-Nazis are found not only in the U.S., but also in many other places, most notably in Germany, Britain, and other western European countries. The third category is comprised of the Christian Identity churches, such as the Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Aryan Nations. They characterize themselves as the true followers of Jesus Christ, and the promoters of the true gospel, which is meant exclusively for white Protestants.

It is common to see aberrant action and behavior follow heretical belief. This is no less the case with regards to the White Supremacists. There is a perverted and twisted theological base for this movement. The two main areas where the Scriptures are “twisted” by these groups is in their views regarding the true identity of Israel, and the spiritual/physical origins of Adam and Eve’s children. First, the identity of Israel…

In Britain and America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries there was a great deal of speculation as to the fate of the so-called “Ten Lost Tribes.” Out of these speculations arose the idea that the Lost Tribes had through the centuries migrated northward and westward, finally settling in Britain. It was asserted that the Anglo-Saxons are actually the true descendents of Israel. Supposedly this is even evidenced by their name: “Saxon” being held to be a contraction of “Isaac’s Sons.” Also, the word “British” was believed to be derived from the Hebrew words for covenant (berith) and man (ish): Berith+ish = British, or “man of the covenant.” (I am not making this up. They really believe this!) This odd teaching came to be known as British-Israelism. British-Israelites say that Great Britain is the biblical Ephraim and that America is Manasseh, and they are the true Israelites. This strange belief affected a number of cults, including the followers of Joseph Smith, as well as the followers of Herbert W. Armstrong. It also is a major component of the doctrinal structure of the Christian Identity movement.

A second major component of their belief system is the Two-Seed Doctrine. This doctrine asserts that there are two strains of heredity running through human history. In some forms of 19th century Reformed theology this referred to the elect and the non-elect. It was taught that God had infused good seed into Adam and Eve. But with the Fall, Satan had also infused bad seed. Whether you were part of the elect or not was evidenced by God’s providential decision as to which seed you belonged. This teaching is still found in some Primitive Baptist churches. In the Christian Identity movement, they have taken this teaching a step further and given a racial twist to it. They also assert that there are two seeds present in the history of the human race(s). First, there is the natural and godly seed. This seed began with Abel, the son of Adam and Eve. However, there is another seed, an ungodly, wicked and cursed seed. This seed began with Cain, who was the unnatural offspring of a sexual encounter between Eve and the Serpent/Satan. The first seed is represented in the pure, white, Aryan followers of God. The second seed is represented in the corrupt, “colored,” non-Aryan children of the Devil. Throughout history there is a spiritual and racial conflict between these seeds. And, of course, one of the greatest sins we can commit is to mix the seeds.

While some New-Nazi groups have reverted to a pagan theology, believing this to be the truest expression of their Aryan roots, most White Supremacists claim to be Christian. And while they may superficially seem to agree with many basic Christian beliefs, e.g., the Trinity, the Resurrection of Christ, etc., in reality they reject the true Gospel of Jesus. First of all, their faith is more about race than it is about grace. Racial purity and ethnic heritage is essential to salvation in their worldview. Also, the racist and hate-filled ideology they espouse is completely inconsistent with the Gospel of the Savior who died for the whole world, and desires that all men come to salvation.

Summary of Beliefs

God: Superficially orthodox in Christian Identity churches, including belief in the Trinity. Some
Neo-Nazi groups are pagan in theology.
Jesus: Jesus is the Savior of the Aryan people, true sons of Adam.
Salvation: Salvation is essentially a result of birth; race is of paramount importance.
Sin: Holiness and purity are expressed in racial terms; racial purity is the utmost good.
Afterlife: Basically heaven is for the good, white Christian.
Scripture: For the Christian Identity groups, and the Klan, there is an allegiance to the Bible, as
interpreted with their hermeneutic. The writings of Hitler, and other such leaders of the past may also be revered.
Truth: Truth is absolute, as determined by the heretical teachings of the leaders. The White
Separatists are the true church of Jesus. All other churches are heretical.

Sources:

Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult by George A. Mather and Larry A. Nichols.
The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions by James R. Lewis