Read Chapter 1 – What is Truth? Here

Read parts 1-3 of Chapter 2 – What Is A Cult? here

In order to escape the cult-like mindset, one would need a strong desire for knowledge beyond faith. This is no easy task – it goes against our neurological programming according to a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. This study showed that people only wish to seek knowledge if they feel it may have a favorable outcome and will actively seek ignorance if it can keep us unaware of the possible negative outcomes. We can infer that people would consider an eternal life beyond our fragile bodies to be quite favorable. Therefore, it seems only natural that humans would develop a paradise beyond our own reality, one where only we, our loved ones, and those deemed worthy would be allowed to enter. Applying this study to that idea, it’s safe to assume that people would prefer to stay ignorant of any knowledge that could take away their belief in any particular afterlife.

From small tribes to great empires, almost all cultures have tales of a paradise with a deity (or deities) ruling over it. The ruling deities of any particular paradise became a convenient source of explanation for the unexplainable events that occur throughout the course of time. In many cases, they became the source of authority for the seers who spoke for them. The seers would either become the ruling power of a community or they would vouch for their leader. If you follow the progress of knowledge, you will find a decline of adherence to these deities throughout all cultures as well as splits into multiple versions of the same deities. These sects would separate from their culture to assume a different way of interpreting the deity’s will or role in society.

Every religion started out as a small cult. The dominant religions today became reigning norms by process of popular selection. In the beginning of the first millennium CE, there were many sects of the Jewish religion along with many other cults in modern day Israel that worshiped other deities. The many Jewish sects were attempting to make sense of a Roman control over their “promised land.” They needed new interpretations of this sacred promise from their deity. Some chose not to find a new interpretation, but rather a new messiah. A new deliverer, like Moses, could create a new promise, a new covenant. Many men claimed to be this new messiah, preaching new teachings to add to or replace the holy scriptures and healing the afflicted. Christianity was one of many messiah cults along with many other sub-cults to Judaism. Eventually, this particular Messiah mystery cult began to separate itself from the Jewish traditions in order to expand to the Greco-Roman culture.

Christianity began at a time when mystery cults (or mystery religions as they are also called) were becoming popular in the Greco-Roman world. Historian Richard Carrier’s research shows Christianity to have been a Judeo-Hellenistic mystery religion in its earliest form; A mystery religion being defined as a Hellenistic (Greek culture) cult where participation in a series of rituals led to further knowledge that would guarantee eternal life. There are references to mysteries, “mature” and “immature” believers, and ritualistic initiations to obtain the secrets to an eternal life throughout the New Testament. These and other common NT phrases are commonly used in other mystery cults from the same time. All other mystery religions followed the same narrative as the gospels where a central savior deity delivers a son (sometimes a daughter) that suffers through some sort of trial to procure salvation for those who join the cult and to give them dominion over death. The trials and deaths in the other savior / mystery cults (such as Osiris) were also referred to as a “passion,” just like in Christianity. These cults had initiation ritual meals where the newcomers would become united with the other members and their god in communion. Some cults had an initiatory baptism where their sins would be “literally” washed away centuries before the birth of Christianity. This could be referred to as a form of syncretism, which in this case means a newer religion adopts parts from other more locally popular religions in order to draw in more people from the local population. There are other examples of this happening in the same area before Christianity: Mithraism joined its Persian roots with the Greco-Roman culture as well as a cult from Egypt dedicated to Isis and Osiris. We know less about these other cults though because, unlike Christianity, they were not eventually accepted by the monarch and were not as well preserved. But more on that another time.

In the Old Testament, salvation was procured through a blood sacrifice; And god really wanted that blood. In fact, in Genesis chapter 4 Cain kills his brother Abel because god accepted Abel’s sacrifice of a lamb but not Cain’s sacrifice of the crops he worked on. Such a sweet tale for children, don’t you think? But as the Jewish culture expanded, it needed to adapt to its surroundings. So it seems almost expected that as it was trying to expand to the Greco-Roman territory, god decided that baptism and communion, both of which were quite popular within many other cults in that particular geographical area in that particular time, could be the new ritual to procure salvation. But of course he would have to sacrifice his son to solidify this acceptance of the trend. Which works pretty well with the overall narrative of the Bible since sacrifice was the earlier ritual. Now god can just make one sacrifice for everyone willing to join in these two other popular trends.

When looking at this evidence it becomes clear that Christianity started out using the methods of the popular mystery cults of the time. Many of those rituals are now considered to be apart of the religion in a more open manner. Baptism in most denominations represents a rebirth into and commitment to Christianity. Communion is for anyone who believes in God and is done to demonstrate that belief and adherence to God himself.

Is any of this evidence that God does not exist? Not at all. I mention this to point out that at it’s inception, Christianity was a small cult like many others. As it grew and separated into hundreds of denominations, many of it’s cult-like attributes became normalized as it’s cult-like code became more relaxed. It became open to accepting more followers and spreading it’s message around a growing world. The rest of the world had their own versions of God, their own hero tales of saviors. Christianity had the advantage of coming around to the Greco-Roman culture after so many others so they were able to add the most popular elements of all the other religions. They seem to have hit all of the right notes and drew multitudes of people to join. They also had the distinct advantage of taking over the most powerful empire at a particular time. That empire used its power to slaughter those who did not believe. Therefore, more and more people were born into that religion and it’s growth became generational. Yet, at it’s core, Christianity is a cult.