[ElProximo]

Originally Posted by housemate

how is it that he breaks so many of the principles laid down by the very Book he preaches from? I don't think a Man with his supposed strength of Faith could bring himself to do those things. On that basis, in my opinion, he is a complete fraud!

You partly answer your own question there. It is because they break principles laid down in the very book they preach from that they can bring themselves to do those things.
It is because they find ways to misinterpret and just ignore some principles they feel free to carry on like this.

But look at it this way... 99.999% of Christians and non-Christians alike can look at the NT and be well aware that committing mass murder and then mass suicide is clearly antichristian,
yet,
almost 1000 people in a Jim Jones cult did that like it was the most sincerely committed truth they could find.
They were not being 'hypocrites'.
They were not 'con artists'.
They were not 'frauds'.
They were wrong. Deadly wrong. We might call it pure evil,
but,
they were not 'fakes'. They bet their life and the lives of those around them on it.

Let's hope David's cult doesn't go to the grape juice cocktails but the point is that they are wrong and even obviously wrong (to thinking people) but they are no frauds.
They believe it.

[housemate]

Originally Posted by ElProximo

You partly answer your own question there. It is because they break principles laid down in the very book they preach from that they can bring themselves to do those things.
It is because they find ways to misinterpret and just ignore some principles they feel free to carry on like this.

But look at it this way... 99.999% of Christians and non-Christians alike can look at the NT and be well aware that committing mass murder and then mass suicide is clearly antichristian,
yet,
almost 1000 people in a Jim Jones cult did that like it was the most sincerely committed truth they could find.
They were not being 'hypocrites'.
They were not 'con artists'.
They were not 'frauds'.
They were wrong. Deadly wrong. We might call it pure evil,
but,
they were not 'fakes'. They bet their life and the lives of those around them on it.

Let's hope David's cult doesn't go to the grape juice cocktails but the point is that they are wrong and even obviously wrong (to thinking people) but they are no frauds.
They believe it.

I'm going to have a good long think about that so Thank you!! I have to say that I don't imagine the followers of these cults etc to be cynical or disingenuous, but when you look at the leaders (and henchmen).. Jones being a prime example, a true believer .. really? I don't think he was, I saw him as a charlatan, pretty much the same as Dave.