Yep, you can be a cult follower, a non-Christian, by any orthodox standard, a polytheist, a complete wackjob, whatever.. But criticize the Church and you have friends, you have an identity.
If called on your crazy or non-Christian beliefs, you can run behind a corner and hide them and still lob stones and feel good about yourself.
And your fellows will give you kudos - in big and bold type.
Rah. Rah.
18(A) "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19(B) If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because(C) you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.And, since we are in The Church founded by Christ, Christ's One Holy Apostolic Catholic Church, we'll read these verses in context
18(AL) "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19(AM) If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because(AN) you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you:(AO) 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me,(AP) they will also persecute you.(AQ) If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21But(AR) all these things they will do to you(AS) on account of my name,(AT) because they do not know him who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them,(AU) they would not have been guilty of sin,[c] but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23(AV) Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24(AW) If I had not done among them the works that no one else did,(AX) they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have(AY) seen and hated both me and my Father. 25But(AZ) the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled:(BA) 'They hated me without a cause.' 26"But(BB) when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father,(BC) he will bear witness about me. 27And(BD) you also will bear witness,(BE) because you have been with me(BF) from the beginning.
27And(BD) you also will bear witness,(BE) because you have been with me(BF) from the beginning.The Church of Christ, which has been with Him since the beginning, since Apostolic times, has been persecuted by the Romans, the Arian Visigoths and Lombards, threatened with devastation when the Western Roman Empire fell, threatened by Saxons, Magyar, Slavs etc. yet during the first millenium, the fruits are clear --> Celts, IBerians, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Slavs, Vikings, North Africans, etc converted to Christ. And, the threatening heresies all died.