I decided to post this here because I wanted to hear some critical thoughts regarding it and I didn't want to get flamed too badly by the Catholic's in the Philosophy board.
Way back when the Branch Dividian folks were being subjugated by the FBI, one of the broadcast news channels put up a list of what to look for in a cult. Being raised Catholic I am most familiar with that religion and as soon as I saw the bulleted items my only thought was they all apply to Catholicism.
I picked up the following list from:
http://www.vistech.net/users/rsturge/cults.html after a quick search on google. My comments follow each w/ ****
# The spiritual group claims to have received special instructions from one or more "messengers from the sky."
**** Can you say Angels and Saints?
# The spiritual group uses a special set of rules that you must obey or be cast out.
**** Excommunication, nuff said.
# The spiritual group promises eternal life in a paradise if you obey its set of rules, and threatens eternal suffering if you do not obey its set of rules.
**** Heaven and Hell folks.
# The spiritual group demands that you give up as much of your assests and your yearly income to it as possible.
**** Give more, more, more
# The members of the spiritual group call each other "brother" and "sister," even when they aren't related at all.
**** Well, the clergy do this
# The spiritual group is led by a group of enlightened masters who wear strange clothes and speak in esoteric parables.
**** They used to do Latin masses and don't forget the pope's hat
# The spiritual group demands that you accept its teachings without reservation, even when those teachings are in direct conflict with your understanding of basic scientific knowledge.
**** Um, I'll have to work on this one
# The spiritual group demands that you select your spouse and your closest friends from its membership.
**** Always marry a Catholic, all others must convert
# The spiritual group demands that you place your children in its training program.
**** I don't know about other children of Catholic families, but I had to attend catechism classes.
# The spiritual group teaches that giving up your life for the sake of the spiritual group may become necessary sometime in the future.
**** Even Prez Bush use the word Crusade is his plan for terrorist retribution.
Ok, so with one exception the cult warnings all fit. So, boys and girls. Is Catholicism a world wide cult?
