I was wondering if there forummembers who have been in a cult before you got converterted by the Gospel ?

Before I embraced the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour, Lord & King, i was 4 years involved in the hare krsna movement.

1 Thessalonians 1:9
"For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God"¦"

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* Ralph Wilms (7-10-1974)
* Church : Christengemeente Roermond (The Netherlands)
* 1729 Goat Yard Declaration of Faith & 1646 Baptist Confession of faith

"To our mind, either everything or nothing must be held in subjection to the will and providence of God. Even the wickedness of ungodly men is restricted by predestination, so that the wrath of man shall praise God, and the remainder of wrath He will restrain." - GILBERT BEEBE (1800-1881)

I dabbled with the Hare Krishnas but never joined and I was a member of the Baha'i Faith for a time prior to my conversion. I also attended the Church of Christ for a little while after my conversion which is cult-like as well as another church in Texas which is cult-like. I have many friends who have been sadly influenced by Harold Camping, and some who have seen the error of his ways. Praise God for deliverance for his saints from the dangers of such groups!

[Edited on 11-5-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]

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Andrew

I got into TM for a while back in college. I can still picture my Christian friend's face as he suppressed his laughter when I told him the fruits I was carrying were for the TM initiation ceremony.

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B.Howes
Framingham, MA

What a surprise to see this topic! I was born into the krsna movement back in '77 and grew up completely isolated and immersed in it (my first name on my driver's license reads GovindaHari to this day). I was sent off to gurukul at age 5 and was trained up in various ashrams until a pilgrimage to India followed by a culture shock of public high school. I was in quite some darkness for years before coming to Christ. Praise God for showing me his truth in love!

I've always wondered if any of "my kind" ever became reformed Christians. All of my family remains spiritually blind. Today is a blessed day for me to know that the Lord has sown graciously amongst this pagan and idolatrous people.

Mayflower, if you or anyone else would like to discuss the krsnas or experiences with, please do not hesitate to pm me.

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[i]Since it is incomparably the greatest dignity to be introduced into the company of angels, nay, to be made the associates of Christ, he who estimates this favor of God aright, will regard all other things as worthless. Then neither poverty, nor contempt, nor nakedness, nor famine nor thirst, will make his mind so anxious, but that he will sustain himself with this consolation. "Since the Lord has conferred on me the principal thing, it behooves me patiently to bear the loss of other things, which are inferior."[/i]--John Calvin

Great idea for a topic, shows God's awesome working in our lives, and gives me great hope for the lost. I was never into organized religions, but I was into trying to go into astral body, new age, crystals etc.

God is good and merciful!

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WWW.SURFWRITERS.BLOGSPOT.COM
Trevor
Christian/Husband/Father/Writer/Teacher--
--In that order.
Bethany Church
CALIFORNIA
God is my King
Love God--Live Large

Does 9 years in an "easy-Believism" Dispy Sect, that so venerates its Leader to the point of tacitly believing historically that his "anointing and office" is without censure or accoutablity, count? Is the "classical dispy" gospel really even "The Gospel" - because in it faith precedes regeneration and repentance is not necessary to "come to Christ", but only to grow in sanctification? Also the distinction of a "carnal Christian" (1 Cor 2:10-3:3, Hebrews 5:11-14, etc.)

Check out www.carlstevens.org. Most of what is posted here has been verified by multiple witnesses who where there when these things occurred.

In fact, is so much of Modern Evangelicalism even Biblical Christianity - where God is not feared, and Christ's "Finished Work" and "the believer's positional truth" are taught over and against genuine conviction and holiness?

... had to come out of "sign off" PB status to get this in. It burdens me so!

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by BrianBowman]

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Brian Bowman
St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church
Apex, NC

This is difficult, and embarrassing even to this day to admit ...but shortly after I was converted I fell under the influence of Brother Stair (from Walterboro S.Carolina) the self proclaimed "Last Day Prophet of God."

I wasn't "in" a cult but I can't deny that his radio broadcasts adversely affected me. I simply couldn't, at the time, refute what he was saying...I just didn't have the tools and/or knowledge at that point -and I believe that it cost me in different ways.

Honestly, I am ashamed and sometimes wonder if his teaching doesn't still affect me.

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Christopher
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes (12:13)
Church Affiliation: Faith Presbyterian OPC

After being raised in the United Methodist Church, in my mid 20's I came across the voice of Roy Masters on the radio one night and became influenced by his teachings to the point that I soon began denying the deity of Christ. He made a lot more sense to me at the time than any Christian minister I had ever heard since all I had ever heard was ignorant evangelicals, liberals and Romanists. I never really got into practicing the meditation exercise he teaches though.

After a couple of years of listening, I began to notice contradictions in Masters' teaching and was converted while reading the Dave Hunt books "A Woman Rides the Beast" and particularly, "Occult Invasion".

Later I began listening to Family Radio, but I was never tempted by Camping's rantings on the end of the church age. I listened to Family Radio to hear Lloyd-Jones, Barnhouse, Lutzer, John R. DeWitt, Boice, etc. But of course all of those programs are now gone.

I've also come across Stair on the radio. I think his program literally runs 24-7 on AM, SW and the internet.

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Christian
One Pilgrims Progress

My folks were into TBN and its earlier variant PTL - you know, Jim Bakker. We listened to lots of Ken - Hagin & Copeland - I don't think my folks were aware that they were "Jesus only" people, but that's just one weird thing we were into. I didn't actually get saved until 7 years ago, and before I did, I checked out some of the stuff already mentioned.

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The man who is disposed to think of his sin as a great calamity, rather than as a heinous crime, is not likely either to reverence God or to respect His law. - John Kennedy, 1873
Meg
Blog
Member, Intown Presbyterian Church,PCA, Portland, OR

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

As I read the stories in this post, I am reminded most of the grace of God and how He calls us from all manner of false teaching. But His grace can even reach a sinner who sits in the pews of solid bible-teaching churches. I have often said that if we had spiritual 3-D glasses, and could look into the souls of those who sit in our pews on any given Sunday, we would be shocked by what we see.

Give God the glory due His name for rescuing His peole out of divers cults and religiousity.

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by BaptistInCrisis]

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Bill Brown
Elder
Reformed Baptist
Maryland

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?
Visit my BLOG Theology for the Rest of Us

I was a member, for several years, of the United Pentecostal Church (Oneness Pentecostals). The Lord graciously delivered me (and my family) from modalism and many other serious errors.

Some books that were very influential were:
*Gregg Boyd's "Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity",
*Walter Martin's "Kingdom of the Cults"
*John MacArturh's "Charismatic Chaos "
*Hank Hanegraaff's "Christianity in Crisis"
**The ministry of Christian Research Institute .

I was sad to hear that Gregg Boyd is now a proponenet of Open Theism.

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Steve Tijerina
<a href="http://www.nccopc.org/" target="_new" style="text-decoration: underline;color:blue;">New Covenant Community Church (OPC)</a>
New Lennox, IL

[i]Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
(Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV)

Does being Catholic count?

:bigsmile:

I studied the Dao by Lao Tzu for a few years in addition to my intensive studies of the Cathechism.

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Chuck Stoltz
Intercessory Missionary
International House of Prayer
Kansas City, Missouri

[i]"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised." (Song of Solomon 7:6-7)[/i]

I was baptised a Methodist, dabbled in New Age stuff in my teens until I realized it was stupid.

After that, I became a Randist. I tell people that Ayn Rand led me to Christ. And I mean it. She was the one that got be back on track of seeing reality. As she said, " A is A". She just didn't know why A is A. I found it was because God created A and the laws of identity.

I praise God every day to be delivered from my secular comfort. I think it is a cult of relativism.

Vic

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Raymond Victor Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Does theonomy count?

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Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
Husband of Dena
Father of Oliver
Master of Bruce
Pastor of Tchula Presbyterian Church

What can I say, I like blogs!

. . . that's pretty low Andrew

oh, it was just a joke. It is no lower than stating Methodist or baptist.

Besides it was just a joke.

Besides it was something about myself, I used to agree with it.

Wow! What a neat thread! (or is it topic?)

Mine is a bit different, I was saved at Age 10, in a IFB Church, and when I was 13, the Pastor of that Church, decided that a lady in the Church was prettier than his wife, and they left together...(you figure it out... )

Anyhow, seeing that I was very disheartened by the whole thing, and my mom put me into a new school, ran by Pentecostals.. I spent 9 years in that Church, backslid, came back to the Lord. Went to 2 others, before finally figuring out, that Pentecostalism was a bunch of nonsense... (This is better detailed, by reading here) Anyhow, After 20 years of sorting the nuts from the flakes, and being full of doubt and riding the "Holy Ghost" Emotional Roller Coaster, I finally said "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!" and parted ways with the Tongue Babblin' Apostates and came back to the Baptist Faith....

Elsewhere, I was asked If I'm IFB... and honestly, I'm a Christian, I serve Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour of my Life, First, Secondly, I am a Baptist by Doctrine, and honestly, I'm still sorting out what that means. Alot of the IFB stuff, I find very disconserting and some of it, downright appalling... (Dr. Phil Kidd is a prime example of this...)

Anyways, 'Dat's me rap sheet G money and I'm sticking to it... - (how Ghetto of me! )


-Chuck

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by StudentoftheWord]

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by StudentoftheWord]

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by StudentoftheWord]

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by StudentoftheWord]

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Chuck Adkins
[url=http://baptistbibleman.home.comcast.net]My Ministries Web Site[/url]
Currently Between Churches...Searching...Praying...
Blogs:
[url=http://360.yahoo.com/thor6883]My Yahoo 360 Page,[/url][url=http://k8cpa.blogspot.com/]My Blog[/url]

NO!

But antinomianism & autonomy count.

Amen! . . . and boy has reading works on Theonomy helped "this" former antinomian/autonomous dispy get on a path to reconstructing my mind in the Holy Scriptures! I don't understand it all yet and I'm sure the more I learn the clearer the various distinctions will become, but studying the Scriptures from a Theonomic viewpoint (only about 25% of my "study approach", the remainder being Historical/Grammatical study of the Texts and learning the Reformed Creeds) sure has created a holy fear in my heart toward's God's perfect character.

Yo Chuck!

Can you help a brother out ...what is IFB?

uhmmmm... just noticed something...

"converterted"? :P

-Chuck

[Edited on 11-6-2005 by StudentoftheWord]

IFB=Independent Fundamental Baptist

I was born and raised Catholic converted when I was 31.

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Shane
Sydenham Baptist
Port Elizabeth, South Africa

"The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man was the idea that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all Holy God" - Martin Luther

I "studied the Bible" with the Jehovah's Witnesses for 3 years, but couldn't officially "join" because I was in the military and the JW's don't allow it. This was overseas in Sicily, Italy.

I spent a great deal of time and energy "witnessing" to people, and the military made me talk to a psychiatrist, a Lutheran minister, and a Catholic priest.
All I ended up doing was confusing the heck out of all the Christians I came in contact with. None of them were prepared to "reason from the Scriptures" with me, and I pray that I did not do damage to their faith.

When I got out of the Navy, I moved back and was witnessed to by several organizations, including Campus Crusades.

The one's who eventually "won me over" was the International Church of Christ. So I left one cult and got into another.

It was not difficult coming to terms with the ICC, but the JW's screwed up my mind for many years. It was very difficult overcoming all of the propoganda.

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Christopher Hinton
Northland, A Church Distributed;
Altamonte Springs, FL

Indy Fundy Baptist, with Purtian Leanings....:bigsmile:

got seduced by the Jehovah's witness as a teenager. How? My parents foolishly took the material from witneses eventhough they never had any intention of joining. As a result, I stayed home and gobbled up one of their books and believed their foolishness.

It wasn't until I started listening to Hank Hannegraff that their foolish lying idolatrous way of thinking was obliterated out of my mind.

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~Keon Garraway~ Brooklyn, NY Member of Franklin Square OPC

Love for God demonstrated by the love for our children in giving them a God centered education is the only hope for our country. by David Morrow
Pslam 71:20 [Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

While I was never in a cult, I was a part of the PRCE or the RPNA! That must count for something!!!

Kind regards,

Jerrold Lewis
Pastor- APC
Vancouver

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Pastor Jerrold H. Lewis. (Dipl. IT; Assc. A; B.Th; M.Th Candidate, PRTS)
Lacombe Free Reformed Church
"A hot iron, though blunt, will pierce sooner than a cold one, though sharper."

JOHN FLAVEL

My Blog - Click HERE
Our Church site - Click HERE

Reading all these posts makes so thankful that I was born into a Reformed family, attending a solid Bible-teaching church.

It is a moving remider for me, however, that many of us come from different backgrounds, with very different inputs to our past and present. What we have in common is our goal, the upward call of God, but our paths may be quite different; not according to where we are headed, but according to where we came from.

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JohnV :detective:

John Vandervliet
Ontario, Canada
member of: Canadian Reformed Church
"In coming to understand anything we are rejecting the facts as they are for us in favour of the facts as they are" C.S Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism

I used to be a dispensationalist.

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[font=verdana][size=-2] Misery induces despair, pride induces presumption. The Incarnation shows man the
greatness of his misery by the greatness of the remedy which he required.
~ Pascal, Pensees 526[/size][/font]

Does attending mainline (apostate or nearly so) churches count? Also, I too spent a year with RPNA (steelites). I thought they were great, so unevangelical and lots of talk about Calvin, Gillespie, Rutherford, covenants etc, until one of them told me that it would be a SIN for me to worship in any other presbyterian body or indeed in any other church but theirs. I left them not long after that.

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Diane
God is Good and we're not.
All Saints Episcopal
Anchorage, AK

Rev. Jerrold Lewis and Diane, doctrinally I like the RPNA as they are the only church to officially hold to Cameronian political beliefs but would be unwilling to join a church hundreds of miles away with only one minister. I was wondering, how do you think our situation has changed from what it was for the Society People before they had ministers or do you feel they were wrong for not joining the Settlement Church?

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*Peter Gray* Elkins Park RPCNA

"Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. " Mk 9:24
"The greatest thing we can desire, next to the glory of God, is our own salvation; and the sweetest thing we can desire is the assurance of our salvation. In this life we cannot get higher than to be assured of that which in the next life is to be enjoyed. All saints shall enjoy a heaven when they leave this earth; some saints enjoy a heaven while they are here on earth." Joseph Caryl

I am not sure what you are asking. I admire 99% of what the RPNA is doing and I experinced genuine felloship with them, but I have a problem with anyone insisting that they are the only true church. They have been called by people on the PB as schismatics.
As for the covenanters there is no one that I admire more and they are one of the reasons that I recently joined the RPCNA. Yes I think that the Covenanters were right to not to join the settlement church but that does not mean that those who did join the settlement church were heretics/schismatics, not true Christians. Many people joined the settlement church because it was the best they could hope for under the circumstances i.e. Scotland had been wars, Cromwell, who was no friend to Presbyterianism, and the horrendous "killing times."

In that case I'd best come clean. I was ORDAINED Roman before being converted.

(Well, before that I also dabbled in Zen, Taoism, Alan Watts kind of stuff. Oh yeah, I was briefly a member of AMORC. But nothing came close to the papists.)

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Pastor Kevin Guillory
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
Baltimore, MD

"I don't interpret Scripture. Scripture interprets itself. And in the process ... scripture interprets me."

I grew up in the RLDS church or the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Dabbled in new age/eastern mystic stuff. I was also a Free Mason for a couple of years.

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Mark
Deacon at an SBC church
Atlanta, GA
Blog | Twitter | Facebook |
Atlanta Evangelical Perspectives Examiner

It's almost to horrible to talk about, but I guess this is the place. I used to be an Infralapsarian.

edit: sig didn't show up, turned it on

[Edited on 11-10-2005 by Mike]

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Michael Graham
<a href="www.wpc-bryan.org">Westminster Presbyterian Church</a> (<a href="www.pcanet.org">PCA</a>), Bryan, TX
College Station, TX
<a href="http://board.derekwebb.com/images/avatars/uploads/7597045443fa2abaa34cc.gif">Blog - Vouchsafe to Me Thy Grace</a>
London Baptist Confession of 1644

HA HA!

[Edited on 11-12-2005 by turmeric]

This statement really belittles the intent of this thread (but it sure made my day!).

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Adam J. Myer
Slated for the Jan. 10th Chaplains Basic Officer Leadership Course
Estacada Christian Church
Sandy, Oregon

Soli Deo Gloria

Calvary Chapel

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Scott Bushey
Husband to Tina, father to Nicole, Danielle and Zoe
Member First Presbyterian Church of Margate PCA

Is Calvary Chapel a cult ?

I was (when i lived 9 months in the US) a student at Calvary Chapel Bible College Murietta Hotsprings, and even though theyt are arminian and dispensationlist, i did not experience them as a cult. In their libary it was the first time that i started to read John Owen & Jonathan Edwards. Again i know they are arminian but being a cult ??????????