Establish? Im just discussing the thread topic, what is a cult. A cult is any group of worshipers of someone or something. All other definitions after the fact seem to be subjective. I give, for example, the followers of a charismatic leader. So democrats are a cult, because they follow Obama. That's ideology. That is not necessarily a bad thing. There are people that follow Joel Osteen, just following him does not make for a bad thing. His parishoneers are followers of Osteen. I follow my Pastor. I follow Jesus. I follow the Apostles. It's NOT inheritly a bad thing
You didn't like my use of the word "establish" either? Sheesh! Should I get a lawyer when interacting with you???
Your definition "any group of worshippers" is one of many. You have a problem with subjectivity. I don't. Clearly, all the other posters on this thread defined the word in a similar context. Manipulative, exclusive, controlling, etc.
The way you use the word "follow" astounds me. If voting means "following" then sure. Since I used the word first (and you decided to argue with it) I guess I can define what I intended. This isn't chasing someone to the store, being a fan of someone, etc... the way it was used is one that gives exclusive "followership" to a man, exclusive of all others. Placing his authority higher than anyone else. SO while you certain do follow Obama and your pastor, it's obviously not in the same sense of what should have been obvious to you what I intended.
Wow, that's pretty condescending. First Socialite starts with the pejoratives and then lies about me now you are talking down to me as though I need to know Jesus is the Son of God? lol
You have had your fair share of condescension in this thread. Let's not play the victim card now. 
Again, you throw in that word I never used, yet you are arguing as if I did. Nothing here tells me it is wrong to follow someone. Sorry. I never said "give allegiance to"
Then maybe you needed me to spell out what I meant by "follow" since yours and my definitions didn't add up. I'd hate to add to your sayings and be cursed.
Then you say "even in your often misintepreted hebrew 13 citation"...what? I cited it once, how did I misinterpret it? I never said it means a single individual. IN fact if you read what I posted I mentioned following the Apostles, that's plural. So still I see nothing to show that following a charismatic leader is bad
Then stop using the word Allegiance and tell me how "following" the Apostles was a bad thing or following Jesus was a bad thing.
I never said following Jesus or the apostles was a bad thing! There you go, committing the same horrid crime you accused me of!
No, handing your brain over to a single individual is dangerous. Following them is not inheritly dangerous anymore than it was to follow Jesus, the Apostles or the elders in the 1st century was
Again. Jesus was the Son of God. The Apostles... they passed down what Jesus taught. The Apostle's Doctrine was really Jesus' Doctrine. Surprise!
Again you are not showing me why following someone is a bad thing. History is replete with examples of how the bible was misused...so throw the bible out! That's an argument of absurdity in case you missed it. The point is, your relying on a logical fallacy, a generalization and a strawman argument (allegiance)
Horrible logic. The Bible was misused, the Bible didn't misuse people though. Nice try. And way to go to your debate textbook and throwout every dagger you could there 
Strawman? Logical Fallacy? Your're a hoot.
All I am saying is, there is no reason to thing it is inherently bad to follow someone. If you were in the military you would follow the OIC, troop/platoon leader or whatever. You would listen to their commands and do it. You would look to them for direction. That is not a bad thing. It's only bad when and if that leader is himself bad.
So let's just debate the word "follow" now. Annoying.
It's not wrong to follow anyone. It's bad to follow anyone blindly and unquestionably to the point that you can not thing rationally for yourself. However I never said it's ok to follow someone under those conditions.If that's the clarification you wanted to make because you assumed that wasn't my intention, then take all the credit for being so profound and stating what was probably obvious to others. You are so smart. DING! DING! DING! We have a winner here!
It's NOT wrong to follow a leader,charismatic or otherwise,
I didn't know some hyperliteral debate was going to ensue. I would have sent the sentence to my lawyer first! Cult leaders are usually charismatic. Quite hard to convince people you are something close to divine without charisma. No, follow anyone you want! In fact, on Twitter, I have 300 followers and I follow 100 people! Sigh. 
Hybrid Mode
