That's because we are all slaves to self-righteousness and judgmentalism. It's built into human nature. We set "the standard"--the list of do's and don'ts--to which others must adhere. Then we associate this predetermined behavior with righteousness and declare, "A 'Christian' wouldn't do that." In this book, John Fischer points out that Jesus defined the truth in such a way as to leave no one righteous--not one. We cannot be made right before God by being "better" than anyone else. Instead, by recognizing and laying aside the Pharisee in all of us, we can embrace the grace, gratitude, and joy of the spirit-filled life.

    For those who have wondered in what specific ways it differs from the Christian faith, Mormonism 101 provides definitive answers. Together the authors examine the major tenets of Mormon theology and compare them with orthodox Christian beliefs.

    Using the simple, step-by-step format applauded by readers in Rhodes' previous books, Reasoning from the Scriptures with Catholics covers many theological issues that divide Protestants and Catholics, including¼purgatory and indulgencesthe reverence of Mary, mother of Jesuspapal infallibilityCatholic traditionsand much moreEach chapter examines a single Catholic belief or practice as taught in the Catholic Catechism and other major Catholic sources, provides biblical responses, and offers questions to help Catholics examine their church's readings. Pastors, teachers, and lay leaders will find this insightful guide a must-have tool for sharing the good news of salvation by faith alone with Catholic friends and family members.

    alone. Steven Hassan, himself a former member of the Unification Church, addresses the problem in Releasing the Bonds. Based on insider knowledge, years of scientific study, and the author's frequent workshops, the book offers a noncoercive, legal model for helping victims of mind control. The Strategic Interaction Approach teaches family and friends how to strategically influence the individual involved, laying out practical methods for recognizing the signs of a destructive relationship, undoing residual effects of past cult experiences, refuting fallacies about these groups, and becoming active in opposing them.

    Idealists, spiritual adventurers, intellectuals and philosophers flocked to his talks.

    The Pattern of The Double-Bind is a convoluted, insidious stratagem that turns our mental and emotional common sense world upside down. It is a circular pattern that ends in a vortex of depression and possible suicide.This book is the culmination of a twenty-year odyssey, a personal quest for a solution to an unknown problem that had become emotionally and intellectually intolerable for the author. What she found through trial and error, following threads and connections, was a pattern of behavior that she finally identified and named The Pattern of The Double-Bind. She first discovered it in her Mormon marriage, and then in Mormonism itself.Part I describes The Nature of The Pattern and The Double-Bind; it defines and gives examples of what The Pattern is, how it is used in different stages - and what results are incurred in each stage. Parts II and III present personal experiences of The Pattern in the lives of former members of the Mormon church. The last section, Part IV, gives a Summary of The Pattern and its antidote ... in How to Free Oneself from The Pattern.

    Violence, as associated with Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, Aum Shinrikyo, Solar Temple, and Heaven s Gate, all too frequently is the consequence of this mistrust. Presented here are case studies of contemporary millennial religions that either became violent, or had the potential for becoming violent. Wessinger provides the essential tools for understanding millennial beliefs and the complex internal mix that shapes a group s decision to embrace or reject violence. Wessinger s fair-minded, practical approach will change misconceptions and, ultimately, help prevent the violence.