GenesisNemesis

Can I have information on the early Christian cult?

Thanks.

WishboneDawn

um...Google?

Amaleq13

You could also search the archives for "early Christianity".

jakejonesiv

They handled snakes.
Gospel of Nicodemus, Part II.-The Descent of Christ into Hell, Chapter 14.
Jake Jones IV

Faithful

Not authentic Christians.

Jesus referred to the Pharisees as snakes. They were great followers of Jewish laws down to every little detail, but didn't follow Jesus' teachings.

Matthew 23:29-34"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!

"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.

Perhaps you are referring to this scripture when you speak about the handling of snakes -
Mark 16:17,18And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

Luke 10:19
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

From these scriptures we can see that Jesus would give them authority to drive out demons by handling snakes and would be protected if they accidentally drank poison. Handling snakes wouldn't be part of their spiritual ritual, but rather a form of exorcism.

The scriptures speak against anyone testing God by using snakes -

1 Corinthians 10:9
We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.

Paul is speaking about the rebellious worship during the Old Testament times. They wouldn't be Christians.

jakejonesiv

I don't know who wrote the long ending to Mark, but it itemizes the signs of true believers, at least from one perspective. How you can come along nearly 2000 years later and brand them as not Christians? The same group believed: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16:16. I would say you have your nerve criticizing other Christians salvation that way.

They didn't have to take up serpents to drive out devils, and they don't have to be driving out devils to take up serpents. Mark 16:18 imposes no such limits. They just had to be in the spirit.

And where does the word "accidently" occur in relation to drinking poison? It doesn't. The could allegedly drink any poison for any reason without harm; it was one of the signs! As far as I am concerned, I am leaving the poisonous snakes and drinking poisons alone; somebody had asked about early Christ Cults.

Jake Jones IV

Faithful

Yes, the above scripture is referring to the 11 disciples, but in 1 Corinthians 10:9 it is referring the rebellious worship back in Old Testament times. They wouldn't be called Christians, because Christ wasn't born yet.
1 Cor. 10:9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.

Let's take another look at Mark 16:14-20
Mark 16:14-20 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe:

In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

I'm certainly not saying that the Christians were not true believers. The Pharisees weren't true believers. We can see that Jesus himself rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith, and stubborn refusal to believe that he had risen.

He follows with an example of how much faith they should have, so that they could even drive out demons.

This scripture shows that God would keep them from harm. This was literally fulfilled when Paul shook the viper from his hand.
Acts 28:3-6 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."

But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

Jesus wouldn't tell them to drink poison, but by faith he would protect them from its affects. Poisoning seemed to be a common practice back in Bible times, as shown in 2 Kings 4:40.But after the men had eaten a bite or two they cried out, "Man of God, there's poison in this stew!" So they would not eat it.

The title of this thread is The Cult of Christianity. Many people believe that this is an example of a cultish spirit. Can you give a scripture to support a cultish spirit?

GenesisNemesis

Yes, but my questions were about the EARLY Christian cult. :devil3:

Faithful

Which century???

Chris Weimer

I'm guessing you're talking about the Jerusalem ekklesia? Scope out google for how Paul in Galatians deals with Paul. You might want to check out Ehrman and Eisenman as well. Cave - Eisenman should be treated very cautiously.