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I recently purchased a book called, “Out of the Shadows”, by J.Thomas Lapacka, a former high ranking minister in the World Wide Church of God, Herbert W Armstrong’s church out of Pasadena Ca the Church I was in for over 11 years active, and a total of 16 years including the inactive part, before they established a local church.

Lapacka is a great writer, and he hits all my switches and memories from those years, and it seems like another life time ago. Regardless of how much you learn and grow in spiritual knowledge, it’s still humiliating to remember you were suckered by a man who I thought represented God on earth..

I had left just a month or so prior to the Jim Jones, Jonestown Massacre, and I remember how I felt when I realized I had been in an organization that could have ended up the same way.

That is why I have come to trust no man, and if I’m wrong, I will take full blame for it, and will never point the finger at anyone for my beliefs.

In starting to read the book, I was surprised to read a list of what they call traits of a cult, and how familiar they sound.

They claim divine revelation apart from the Bible as a source of authority.

Claim there is only one true church, and we are it, and this type of thinking promotes a we against them attitude, and that we’re the bastions of truth that must be protected at all cost.

Belief that salvation is achieved through a combination of grace and works.

The Deity of God is diminished or denied.

The doctrine of the Trinity is diminished.

God is humanized, and man is deified.

The leaders wields complete and total power and authority.

Leader allows members to venerate him.

They are kept occupied all the time with meetings and etc.

They use psychological mind control..

they do a sociological study of people and cultures.

I know of a lot of religions that have several of these cult signs, but most of the big ones are controlled by lawyers that in protecting their $ interest, thankfully end up protesting the members.

FYI, JH