Flirting with a Soiled and Ragged Crowd: A new religious movement

 

During the seventies and eighties the name “cults” was changed by many in ministry and secular scholars who abhorred the use of the word cult.  The new religious groups are generally now referred to as New Religions. That is a better way of addressing such groups as Jehovah Witnesses or Christian Science—I was and am happy for the new way of seeing the many new developing groups. However there are still groups I refer to as cults. Scientology is one. Jim Jones group, seduced by Jones to reject all family and friends as well as God’s word, but to accept suicide, was a cult. A once local Sacramento group, Aggressive Christianity, was a small group whose members have dwindled since moving to another state where several of them, in the last few years, were arrested for child molestation. And that is a clue of why I would still call them cults, because their leaders attempt to absolutely control them and too often that controlling leads to bodily harm.

There is of course spiritual harm to members who belong to any false religious group. But generally there is no intent of absolute control.

There is, however, another description of religious groups, they can become movements rather than institutional entities. I think you could rightfully call the Fascists of the thirties a political/cultic movement. Each leader of the various countries, Italy, Germany and Spain were charismatic figures who became dictators. They were adored by many who felt they had returned their various countries to morality and prosperity. And, of course, there were those who detested and feared them, rightfully praying for their defeat.

I have been both reading and posting articles on Facebook whose authors believe that a new religious movement is growing among some Christians which they call a cultic movement. That is Trumpism. This Thursday I discovered on messenger a Facebook friend had left me a video—“The Plot to Steal America,” a video filled with conspiracy theories about the presidential election which supposedly led all the way to China. I did some searching and found that this person, Seth Holehouse, is a seemingly well to do man who loves fancy watches and motorcycles. And he was asking for donations.

Holehouse is on most of social media including the new Parler. And yes, he goes by the name Man In America. I wondered who he was attracting besides my Facebook friend. I did a lot of exploring, clicking on comments to what he posts and following up on the commenter’s site. It is troubling.

First, a day ago, he placed a link to “We The People Site,” which begins with this statement: We The People of the United States Request President Trump Invoke Insurrection Act to Take Back Our Republic w/Military. And there was a place to sign. Another posting or reposting was from “NO.1Dad☕🇺🇲·. He describes himself as, “American Nationalist, Fascist, Christian, White Lives Matter. On his site I found this remark about the recent Russian Hackers, “I wonder if every time Russia is blamed it's actually Israel.” And there is the far right’s use of Pepe the frog.

Another commenter calls himself Q tip and has all of the signs of QAnon plus also Pepe the frog. Another has posted a picture of soldiers saluting Hitler with this caption, “Adolf Hitler The Greatest Story Never Told (Full) PLEASE BE ADVISED: International Jewry has declared war on truth! This documentary like many others that are exposing the greatest lies of the 20th...”

There is more but that is enough. Is Trumpism a Christian cult attempting to mix religion with nationalism and using the fringe right to build a wide and greater movement? Well I’m sure my Facebook friend doesn’t think so. But it is simply a fact that cannot be denied. Some Christians are being seduced and within that seduction they are tearing the Church apart. Sadly they are hurting their own spirituality, their relationship with Christ. Any Christian who is flirting with that soiled and ragged crowd needs, as Jude, says to be pulled away from the fire. “Save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” (Jude 23)

Truthfully, biblically, we are called to that soiled and ragged crowd but not in cahoots with them, not in helping them in their delusions, anti-Semitism, and hate for other people but to proclaim the freedom of Christ to them.