Specifically, I'm trying to determine where the line is between a church and a cult. My son is seriously considering dropping out of engineering school to go play guitar at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. I see this outfit is probably based on the teachings of the Pentecostal Church (which is already a bit too mystical for my liking) but I think they have gone over the line and are an end time cult. Anyone with knowledge or direct experience please share you thoughts.|||Focus on learning about this House of Prayer. Read some non-bias information on it, ask your son why he is attracted to the group, and attend a service with him. Don't worry about what the public thinks of it. What you think is what is important. "Cult" is just a label society uses for religions or beliefs that are seen as unacceptable. It's just another scare tactic used by the mainstream to keep everyone in line. I'm not saying a cult is a good thing, I'm just saying it is just a word. It doesn't change anything whether you call a place of worship a fellowship, church, or cult.|||Usually cults revolve around an admiration for a particular person or individual as opposed to a singular ideal or cause. In that aspect, Religions are not technically cults unless they are formulated around that one person. Sure, you could claim the Pope is an example of this. The mystical bit isn't the bit you should worry about, it's when people start referring to themselves as the sole proprietors of that mysticism - when individuals start saying things like "I am the way" or "Let me lead you through temptation". This actually speaks to me of something that is more or less engraved into the human consciousness - some individuals in society actually LIKE this mentality, that people could gather around a single mind as if somehow they would be protected because of it. It is the difference between liking that mentality and disliking it that is usually a good sign of a susceptible mind.|||I don't have direct experience here... just private Christian school education... XD cults usually claim to be Christian but don't match up with traditional christian worldviews... like, for example, many cults set a lot of store by works instead of salvation to receive eternal life... just keep your eyes out for beliefs that don't match up... they can be good people and all... but just not genuine Christian... and then, of course, there are the few "freaky cults" out there with wacked-out beliefs who can use psychological scare tactics to get their members to do whatever...

火车采集器