How can you help a friend who you think could be involved in a cult?
The key, says Lalich, is to keep the lines of communication open, since the cult is trying to do the opposite by separating and alienating members from the friends and family.
Now think of all the times you’ve heard Pastor Bubba howl and bellow that Jesus must always come first, that you’re not the spouse you should be unless pleasing Jesus is more important than your spouse, that you’re not the parent you should be unless pleasing Jesus is more important than your children.
Again, then: First-century Christianity was a cult and, like all cults, the first Christians, including Jesus (see Matthew 12:46-50), understood that healthy marriages and families are a threat to their total ownership of believers. The New Testament is the literature of a cult, and the result is that cult-like teachings are embedded deeply into Christian thought.
Go to the park next Sunday morning. Our Invisible Friend can find you there, too, if He has anything to say to you.