Was Christianity the first cult?

General Discussion
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Hey Hey Lovelies,

I know it sounds radical, but ever since the thought popped into my head, I cannot shake it so I’m sharing it lol.

I believe the early days of the planet, humanity was more spiritual and nature-based, with God and Goddess generally being equally worshipped; there are those who felt a more Goddess-centered vibe, and later on came those who literally said we can’t have this. I often think about the first line of the Bible, In the beginning… well Christianity wasn’t there in the beginning, was it?

After millenia of worshipping balance and equality, along came a religion who said there is only one God - they weren’t the first to start a religion and they certainly weren’t the last. But perhaps, they were the first to completely annihilate other religions and those who followed them, because they were doing “God’s Work”; it was deemed okay to kill free-thinking women and all those who did not believe what they were told to believe. Thousands of years of history and harmony from multiple religions were obliterated, and no one was safe… maybe that’s where the Mafia learned their techniques? Bear in mind, these were the same “Christians” who declared that minorities were inferior, married women could not be assaulted, and committed atrocities against children. No offense, but a bunch of white men gathered somewhere in Europe and decided which books would or would not be included in the Bible - who knows what they left out? And don’t get me started on the different versions! They created a religion which made awful things acceptable, effectively creating a system which is still embraced the world over… even now, if you speak out against Christianity, you can expect a tsunami of trouble. I don’t think there’s any other religion on the planet more protected than Christianity… why is that?

So it makes me wonder… was Christianity the first real cult and we just didn’t realise it? Of course, I don’t mean every single Christian is a cultist, I’d like to think that most are just looking for the Higher Power as we all are - but you have to admit, the way they literally convinced the entire planet that our way of life is an offence to nature is kind of cult-like. When a preacher speaks in tongues, he is blessed - if we do it, we have demons. If a preacher heals someone it is a miracle from God - if we do it, it’s the Devil’s work. We are literally doing the same things - only because Christianity stole the majority of their beliefs from paganism and just remixed them - but yet we are “alternative” to the mainstream, because Christians said so. They literally killed millions of women, they killed their own followers apparently too… yet Christianity is the beacon for all mankind? And the hypocrisy is laughable in so many ways, back then and now. Millions of people the world over complain about immigration these days; yet it wasn’t a problem when the forefathers, those same “Christians”, literally invaded every other country on the planet and stole people’s lives for the sole purpose of bringing them to “civilisation”.

Anyway, I’m going to stop babbling now and let that run away in your mind…

With Love & Light x

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I too have wondered many of the same things! I bet many of us have…Thank you for sharing your perspective on this.

Many blessings :blossom:

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Merry Monday Nikki,

Yes, I have often wondered what you have written.
Lady Gene :phoenix:

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@Nikki-Phoenix
you took the words right out of my mouth. Thank you for saying. I always thought that way. I was raised Roman Catholic, and never felt I was part of the church. But, as children what do we know. So here I am with my broom held high!!

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I’m sure that cults have been around for thousands of years. Usually, it’s when people want power and attention. Christianity may be the first really big religion that came out of a cult, though. Or at least, the only one that’s still around in the modern ages. The Maenads from ancient Greece were a cult of women who got into divine madness. I’m sure there were cults in Egypt, the Hittites, and many others had cults. Pazuzu was used in ancient Babylon as a protector from the demoness Lamashtu. I’d kinda call that a cult.

But it’s interesting to me that Christianity is still around. I mean, really, if you think about it, not many religions stick around that long. Shintoism, Hinduism, Muslim, and Judaic along with Christianity, are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head.

I think Christianity lasted so long because it incorporated so many other religions that had been around for ages into it. And they have been the ones to educate people, for the most part.

It’s interesting, maybe a 100 years since we’ve had public schools with no religion, and Pagan religions are making a comeback. No wonder there are some saying that schools should have prayer, they’re trying to indoctrinate the kids into their beliefs!

Sorry, that’s more than you probably expected. I kinda thought vomited a little. It’s just that I’ve always thought that cults were very dangerous. So this has made me thoughtful.

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Merry Monday Amethyst,

No diarrhea of the mouth, what you said is so on-point!! Lady Gene :butterfly:

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Good stuff, as usual, Nikki-Phoenix!

I don’t know if it was the first cult - but it does check a lot of cult-ish boxes.

Total acceptance: Don’t ask questions- believe.

Use fear as a motivator for obedience: If you don’t believe, you’ll burn in hell for eternity.

Behavior control: who is or isn’t acceptable for marriage or general inclusion. Maybe don’t talk to those outsiders, who just don’t think like we do.

I’m sure there’s more, but this is off the top of my head. There are always various levels of participation, too, with some branches of Christianity much more intense than others.

Lots to consider here - as I said: good stuff! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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@Nikki-Phoenix Hey, I have debated this type of conversation with many people for over 35 years. I feel you! :heart:

@Celestria We are what we are taught until we are taught that is not the only thing we are. :heart: Wave that broom!

@Amethyst I am so with you on this! imo: Christianity only held the poser it held for so long is because of ancient times: things that were done to repress other faiths and fear of those in charge. But we could talk about this 24/7 for a month and all my opinions wouldn’t be shown yet. BTW: you forgot Taoism, and Buddism… :zany_face:

@leilani1 high five

@Feathertip totally agree, and it’s not even the different branches: it’s more the total control and advertisement of the only true way to a higher place is their way. :heart:

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This made me giggle a little :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: I hadn’t thought about the whole public school thing…

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Thanks! I was mainly getting my thoughts out, and wasn’t sure I was making sense.

Around here, we have what Sally and I call the Holy Rollers. You know, the ones who get the Spirit and speak in tongues and roll around on the floor and shake. You can always tell the women of that group, because they all dress and do their hair pretty much the same. No haircuts, ever. Denim skirts that are long and shirts with long sleeves. Gods forbid a man sees an elbow! The men are harder to tell; they can wear what they want. I accidentally went to one of those churches once when I was very young and naive, and man, you could not get me outta there quick enough! I thought everyone had been poisoned and was having seizures!

Oops. I knew I was forgetting a few. Thanks, love!

I sort of think that the current school system is indoctrination in a way. Go here, fall in line, only ask questions when allowed, and eat on breaks. I really noticed it when I got into telemarketing. It was like high school, only with calling people.

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Helloooo to all, seems there are a few minds churning this over lol!

It seems we have indeed, you are most welcome!

Merry Meet sweetie, I’m glad it’s not just me!

Hear Hear!!! :clap:

Ahhh now you’ve really started my brain off… was Christianity the first major religion to produce a cult, or was it the first major cult which gave way to a religion? I’d like to think the former, because of course you’re right in that cults have been around for thousands of years… but those are usually deemed as such and yet Christianity wasn’t. Of course, it was Christianity usually doing the deeming…

This is the part where I utilise ATW - According To Whom? Was it divine madness or just divine; was it called mad because they were women, or were the women called mad because they were doing what was only supposed to be done by men?

Interesting, I always thought it lasted so long because they were such zealots about it, literally killing anyone who openly disagreed with the teachings. I feel like people were more accepting of it, because there were elements of other religions in it, therefore there would always be one element that everyone could relate to or was familiar as a part of their former beliefs.

Yes, this exactly… along with changing the idea that love and goodness is available to all, to it’s only available if you believe in this man - an idea which created many spin-offs. I think it depends on one’s definition of a cult, and whether one is comparing cults of old to those now. In my eyes, the level of global dominance and complete destruction of any beliefs which challenged theirs makes Christianity the top of the list. One could make the argument that any religion has the foundation of a cult, because it’s about maintaining order and control over others, creating an environment in which certain beliefs and practices are deemed acceptable. Of course, I have no idea exactly how spirituality worked in ancient times, as much as I’d love to find out - even ancient discoveries evoke a level of cynicism in me, because people have a habit of concealing that which doesn’t work for them. But I just feel as though the rules and rigidity that religions brought, detracted from the purity of nature and spirituality.

:heart_eyes: Glad others feel the same!

It’s funny, the public school system here was not originally created to educate children, it was to prepare them to work in factories; make them obedient, efficient, work-ready essentially. The learning part came later. It’s just another thing we still cling on to which surprises me, especially given the way that many schools are not equipped to educate the children as well as others, people know that and yet the school system is still the same. Also, I still vividly remember my first experience of speaking in tongues, and I distinctly remember feeling ridiculous because I had no idea what I was saying, if I was doing it right, I didn’t really understand the point of it… but everyone at church was ecstatic. It was rather weird. :see_no_evil_monkey:

With Love & Light x

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Good point. Or a mixture of both. Who knows?

Yeah, I believe it!

May I ask, did it really feel like something was taking over your body? That’s what I’ve always heard happens, but I don’t see how.

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Well, my experience wasn’t great when I was part of the church - I was too much in my head, trying to make my parents proud, trying not to sound as ridiculous as I felt… it wasn’t about the Holy Spirit at all. When I saw others do it, it varied between channeling messages from someone else and speaking as someone else. Just like us, I might add lol.

In terms of my spiritual journey, I’ve connected much better with the Light, and those experiences have been freaking awesome. I remember my very first time, it was just like someone said it would be… I realised my body was moving, but I wasn’t the one moving it. But it didn’t feel like someone had taken over control of my body, it was more like someone was standing in almost the same spot as me but like a centimeter behind (on another plane obviously) and just sort of swaying me from side to side, as if to say hi I’m here lol.

It differs with Guides, sometimes it feels like a radiating warmth (usually Mother), galactic electricity (Metatron), blue shield (Michael), golden pyramid (Isis), and so on. It’s a little hard to explain what those feelings feel like… for example, the golden pyramid feels like exactly that; golden sunlight ancient knowledge solid structure and reverence, which feels like Isis to me, but other times she feels like white robes, strength, wisdom, and lotus flowers in the Nile. But I imagine that anyone’s connection to the Light/Source/God/Spirit will be different, and it might not always be the same every time. The only thing they have in common, in my opinion, is the knowing - I know when the feeling is coming from me, and when it isn’t. Which is like the empath thing but different… I hope that made some kind of sense!

With Love & Light x

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I get that. I just wondered how many were real, and how many were faking. You know? And then some just get carried away by the energy in the room.

That sounds very scary!

It did! Sort of. See, I’m what I call head blind. I couldn’t psych myself out of a paper bag. I have a very hard time even feeling my own energy, no matter how hard I try. So a lot of the things I do, I do on faith. But you explained it very well, I think. Thank you!

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Oh yes, I know, and I saw lol. There was one sister in our church, who was very much about the show and spectacle of it all, and to top it off she would talk for AGES! Testimony service time, as she stood up there was a collective silent groan from pretty much everyone in the church; us kids would roll our eyes, the adults would try to stay engaged, it was torturous nearly every single week. The problem is, the whole idea of speaking in tongues is that you’re so “in the Spirit” that you start worshipping in another language; the idea perpetuates itself, because if no one ever knows what is being said in the other language, no one need question it. Sometimes it came with an interpretation, sometimes it was just another language and I swear, there were times when I was convinced it was gibberish. But I was rather cynical by the end lol… and again, any one else who spoke in an unidentified language would be exorcised, not encouraged.

On the contrary, it was wonderfully beautiful… aside from actually making the connection in the first place, the validation that I was right all along was extremely satisfying. And it wasn’t like I was swaying violently or being moved from one side of the room to the other (which definitely would’ve freaked me out), it was more like the gentle sway of a pendulum, very comforting. Think of it like this - after wondering for years if my guide was real, I had proof for myself, which was all I ever wanted; I always felt I had one, but until that moment I didn’t know it for sure.

I’ve had a few clients like this over the years, and more often than not it’s the awareness that’s missing, not the energy. Like everything really, we learn by seeing, by doing, by feeling… but unless someone shows or tells us how, it is next to impossible to figure out certain things. If you don’t mind some unsolicited advice, start with the simplest practice, which for me is still the strongest practice and something I still do every day - start with your hands.

It requires a mindspace of serenity, often quickly achieved with the right music; wherever your zen is, it could be rock music or classical or just nature sounds it does not matter as long as it works for you. Breathe in and out through your nose, as slowly as you possibly can - breathe in very slowly until you can’t anymore, then breathe out even slower - breathe in serenity, breathe out stress. Repeat until you’re ready, the more you do it, the longer you’ll be able to breathe in and breathe out over time. Once you’re in the zen zone, keep breathing in and out slowly and rub your hands together softly and just keep rubbing until you feel the fizz, like static - that’s your energy. Try doing that as a starting point, have fun!

With Love & Light x

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Heyyy sweetie :waving_hand:t4::waving_hand:t4::waving_hand:t4::face_blowing_a_kiss:

Very interesting, and what an intriguing perspective - I know absolutely nothing about demonaltry, so it’s fascinating reading. Even though I still apply the According To Whom principle here, my initial thoughts…

That would be the first ATW moment - the fundamental problem of history is that we don’t know if it’s actual history or the history chosen for us. That said, if you have a link I’ll gladly add it to my someday link… were any of the authors women?? :see_no_evil_monkey:

YAASS I knew it! I always wondered if Jesus was mystically inclined, although I also wondered if he was black; but if a brother had been saying what Jesus said, he’d have been shot. Or hung. As for Lucifer, I never really believed in the fallen angel story because frankly it didn’t make sense, Archangels aren’t like humans so why would one try to overthrow God? Also, I often wondered whether he was deliberately misunderstood for going against the norm, like Lillith… to this day, she is still seen and portrayed as a dark goddess and I’m not entirely convinced she is. I feel like every sacred book in every religion holds a piece of our history, but it’s next to impossible to determine what is true and what was planted.

I feel like it was more that they redefined what was evil to their benefit I.e. anything which went against them lol.

:clap:t4::clap:t4::clap:t4::clap:t4::clap:t4:

Interesting, because thanks to @dan3 I now see them as 2 halves of the same thing - there can be order in chaos, and there can be chaos in order. I believe that they were both created by humanity, because before us, there was harmony. When we stepped foot on this planet, we kept evolving and growing and created chaos, which then led to us creating order to control it. To this day chaos is still used to control people, at the most basic level they use our fear of it, as if it’s bad and something to avoid; when the truth is it’s the balance to order, spmetjing to be accepted and to learn from, we can’t have one without the other. And while it’s usually not desirable, without it we would not appreciate order, or at least what we think os order lol.

This is exactly where I landed. In all the reasech and studies and experiments and observations, there are more similarities than differences and the differences are just as beautiful as the similarities. It’s like music, which I think is the universal language; as important as words are, the alphabet song is still twinkle twinkle little star no matter what language or culture, because it’s the musical energy we connect to, as well as the words. It’s also like the Archangels - nearly every religion and culture believe in them, but who they are, what they do, what they look like… everyone has their own version. And I think I’m rambling so I’m going to bed lol love, hugs and sparkles!

With Love & Light x

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Christian Mystic booklist for you and missing texts. @Nikki-Phoenix

A Catholic bible as it has more books than the Protestant version

An Ethiopian Bible, even more books

The books of Enoch

(Includes Ethiopian book of Enoch

Slavonic book of secrets

Hebrew book of palaces)

Apocryphal texts

(Includes Gospel of Mary

Testament of Abraham

Apocalypse of Abraham)

Fragments

(Fragments of the book of Noah

Fragments of Ascension of moses)

Further gnostic gospels

(Gospel of Thomas

Gospel of Philip

Gospel of truth

Gospel of Judas

Gospel of Peter

Secret book of James

Infancy gospel of James

Gospel of the Hebrews

Gospel of Ebionites

Infancy gospel of Thomas

Egerton gospel

Gospel of Nicodemus

Gospel of Bartholomew

Book of the resurrection of Christ)

Lon Milo DuQuette Enochian vision magick

The works of John Dee

Beyond Angels and demons the truth behind the fiction Rene Chandelle

Beyond the da Vinci code the book that solves the mystery Rene Chandelle

The complete books of the Apocrypha which includes

(1 Esdras

2 Esdras

Tobit

Judith

Esther

The wisdom of Solomon

Ecclesiasticus

The epistle of Jeremy

The three holy children

The history of Susanna

Bel and the dragon

The prayer of Manasses

1 Maccabees

2 Maccabees)

Some of the above are in the Catholic bible

The twelve books of the apocalypse

(Includes The apocalypse of Peter

The apocalypse of Abraham

The Coptic apocalypse of Elijah

The apocalypse of Paul

Gnosticism

The apocalypse of Adam

First and second apocalypse of James

The apocalypse of Thomas

Apocryphan of John

The Coptic apocalypse of Peter

Thunder perfect mind

The apocalypse of Baruch)

The Templars history & myth Michael Haag

The lesser and greater keys of Solomon

The Ars Goetia

Celestial guardians David m Eaton

The book of souls unlocking the Akashic records nyx corven

The Luciferian revelation the secret history of the light bearer nyx corven

Apotheosis Michael w Ford

The book Enoch Angels, watchers and forbidden knowledge of the fallen nyx corven

The path of the watcher nyx corven

The lore of Asmoday Arundel overman

The complete book of demonolatry S Connolly

Discovering Christian witchcraft Emyle D Prata & Sara Raztresen

The new big book of Christian Mysticism Carl McColman

Psuedomonarchia daemonum

A dictionary of Angels Gustav Davidson

The Grimorium Verum

I’ve probably missed some but that’s my top shelf for starters :rofl:

Skal :clinking_beer_mugs: :green_heart:

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Yeah, that would make it easy to fake. Man, I’m glad I grew up Methodist. We didn’t even have Testimonies. You just prayed with everyone else, followed the schedule, and were out in an hour, an hour and fifteen minutes tops!

Yeah, that would be nice! Thank you for your point of view!

I can sit there and breathe for an hour and try this. I’ve done it before. I feel a little bit of energy, but after about four inches, it goes away.

On the other hand, my personal space bubble is huge. I don’t like people I don’t know getting closer to me than a foot or so. That was always fun when I got on the crowded bus.

I think I had some empathy and burned it out due to stress a long time ago. Plus, I have problems with my nerves thanks to diabetes. So I tingle in certain places no matter what. Makes me have mixed signals. Thanks for the advice though!

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The interesting thing about speaking in tongues is the Greek is refering to languages not gobbledygook, now this gift I could do with, to just know someone else’s language without the droll of learning, yep that would be good. :laughing:

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Definition of a Cult

Summary

Across scholarly, historical, and popular sources, several overlapping elements appear: (from Britannica mostly)

  • Small or insular group organized around a person, idea, or philosophy.
  • Beliefs or rituals considered unusual, extreme, or outside the cultural mainstream.
  • High levels of devotion to a leader, object, or doctrine.
  • Tension with dominant society, either socially, culturally, or religiously.
  • Potential for coercive or manipulative control, including isolation, indoctrination, or behavioral regulation.

These elements are descriptive, not moral judgments—though in modern usage, the term cult is often pejorative.

Short comment so you don’t have to read everything: I believe Christianity is a much later version of what could be called a cult. Definitely not the first cult.

  • There is no difference between Gods and monsters, child. Each in their own way wields their power to terrorize.” ~ Gill, Nikita, Hecate

  • Almost every recorded religion is known to have some form of human sacrifice as part of its canon. Even Judaism and Christianity speak of animal sacrifice in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, to name a few. The methods of sacrifice might be different, but the purpose is universal.

    “To please the gods." ~ Vance, R. E. . Mortality Bites

I think all religions were cults to begin with. It was a survival imperative. Dogma is part of such cults. For me (and those in my path) Dogma is the one thing to stay away from. However, I also believe there is good in most religions. Gotta separate out the wheat from the chaff.

Exclusivity is another part of cults. But isn’t that a challenge to the authenticity of all religions that practice it?

  • There are about 4200 active religions in the world. There are many times that number of inactive ones. Billions believe in Christianity. Billions are followers of Islam. Millions in other religions. Most believe in exclusivity. They can’t all be right. Conversely, denying their beliefs outright is also exclusivity. They all bring power and good in their own way. ~ Me

  • “I lived in a town that was multicultural, and I just found it so weird that somebody could choose one religion when right next door there were other religions on offer. How could you pick a belief and really believe it when right next door there was so much faith that went in a completely different direction?” ~ The Town by Chuck Hogan

  • “It is hardly enough to retell accepted history with dramatic embellishments; there should be a ghost clamouring for justice to be done…” ~ Captain Robert von Ranke Graves, British Poet, Writer, and Historian

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