It's happening again! It first occurred after Jim Jones and his People's Temple cult committed mass suicide in Guyana. That shocking event brought about such universal revulsion to the mere word cult" that Jewish leaders opposed to our evangelistic ministry seized the opportunity to blacken our reputation by labeling us a cult, too.
A nice Jewish girl's ordeal with Jews for Jesus," the advertisement proclaimed. The event at a Southern California temple was promoted by an anti-missionary group whose purpose is to keep Jews for Jesus and other ministries like ours from bringing the gospel to our Jewish people. The anti-missionaries use various scare tactics. Special events like the one at the temple represent just one of the ways they try to keep Jewish people from hearing the truth about Messiah Jesus.
The dictionary gives one generalized definition of cult" as "a small circle of persons united by devotion or allegiance to an artistic or intellectual movement or figure." Not all cults are religious in nature, but similarities do exist between most religious and non-religious cults. Cults prey upon an individual's need to identify, and be identified with, a strong belief and with others of like conviction. Cults rob individuals of the ability to make moral and social decisions that govern their lives. Cults rob followers of their individuality by making them conform to the identity of the group.
The Jewish community's opposition to our ministry stems from the refusal of its leaders to accept the fact that a Jew who believes in Jesus can and does remain Jewish. Jewish leaders feel threatened by our efforts because they equate our success with pro-moting the destruction of the Jews.
