I believe I'm changing my position on JWs cultness.
First cult is not a Biblical concept. What is Biblical is
Matthew 23:13, 15-28 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [15] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. [16] “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.' [17] You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? [18] You also say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.' [19] You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? [20] Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. [21] And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. [22] And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. [23] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices---mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law---justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. [24] You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. [25] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. [26] Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. [27] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. [28] In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
This encompasses a lot of what today is known as cults.
I've long maintained that beliefs create the culture around them. Belief only salvation creates altar calls, sinners prayers, and counseling rooms. Infant baptism creates godparents, baptism certificates, and a strong identity of being catholic. The belief of being unique and special creates isolationism, a superior complex, and often times a hierarchy. But it takes more than the belief of being unique and special, the Jews actually were unique and special. That alone did not cause the abuses listed in Matthew 23. I believe it takes believing one is the keeper of God's words/understanding and not obeying Jesus's command to be a servant. This I believe kicks off the lust for power. God is the only keeper of His truths. When we defer to His teachings and recognize that others can find it on their own as well, we show humility before God as God. When we make ourselves to be a mediator between God and men, then we are claiming to have some of God's authority. Whenever a group sees themselves as unique and special, a keeper of God's truth, and an authority in & of themselves instead of a servant under God equally as everyone else, then Matthew 23ism has a fertile ground from which to emerge, in its ugliest forms. JWs governing body, in my understanding, claim to be such a keeper. They believe they are unique and special, and despite their servant name, they behave as an authority. There are many good qualities in JWs, but as long as those factors are there, there will always be abuses, akin to Matthew 23. They will always have to put out fires. They haven't yet cleaned the inside of the cup. The good aspects lauded as redeeming virtues will always be on the fringe, but the heart of their organization is corrupt as long as they maintain this position.
