DOOMSDAY URGENCY OF CULTS

A common feature of many of the abusive and dangerous cults is a belief in some sort of doomsday event or period.  The leaders of these cults use these beliefs to create a sense of urgency in their followers, to pressure them to prepare for the event.  This added artificial pressure often leads to stress, and can also produce depression based on a sense of failure to meet expectations.  Sometimes a cult will destroy itself, sometimes the leader engages in abusive behavior, and sometimes the abusive and destructive behavior gets directed outward.

Here is a list of doomsday teachers that founded groups or movements that are known to have become abusive or destructive:

Joseph Smith - Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

Ellen G. White - Seventh Day Adventist

Charles Taze Russell - Jehovah Witnesses

John Alexander Dowie - Divine Healing

Charles Fox Parham - Pentecostalism

Roy E. Davis - Ku Klux Klan

Wesley Swift - Christian Identity

William Branham - Latter Rain Healing Revivals

Jim Jones - People's Temple

David Koresh - Branch Davidians, offshoot of SDA

Marshall Applewhite - Heaven's Gate

This is not a complete list.  It does not include all the offshoots of the more widespread groups, smaller groups that affected only a handful of people, and groups outside the US.

Now, major faiths such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam do have doomsday-like beliefs, but the major emphasis of those faiths in not on the apocalyptic doctrines.  If you belong to a group that focuses on end-times, destruction, plagues, catastrophes, and such, look for other signs that it might be a cult.

WHY TALK ABOUT CULTS?

The answer is quite simple.  Cults usually don't draw in a large number of people, as in a large portion of the population, so they might not seem to be a big threat.  But, these groups might promote false doctrines that could be adopted by other groups.  Those other groups might or might not become a cults, but the ones that don't become cults could still develop cultish traits.

Today, church scandals make the news almost every day.  Scandals are nothing new in Christendom, but they have become more common.  When you look at the history of cults, you can see how they can be a breeding ground for scandalous behavior.

Some time ago, a video popped up on my YouTube feed that caught my attention.  It was about William Branham.  I had heard that Branham had operated in miracles, but had taught false doctrine towards the end of his ministry.  The truth about this man turned out to be much worse.  In short, he started a cult that still exists.

That video was a podcast, part of a series on William Branham.  The host had grown up in the cult, but left as an adult.  He had questions, and began to research.  The result of his research was not just the podcast, but some short documentaries, a website, and a few books.  If you want to know more -

William Branham Historical Research