# 2nd Great Awakening and cults



## arapahoepark (Oct 13, 2016)

I do not remember where I heard it but, I heard that most of the cults that still claim to be Christian 'mormonism, Adventism, etc. were a part of the Second Great Awakening. It was said I think to show you how screwed up that 'revival' was.
Are there any links between the two? Did one influence in the other? It is interesting to see how many of these cults were created here in America.


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## Bill The Baptist (Oct 13, 2016)

If a denomination cannot trace its roots back to the reformation, twists and turns aside, it is almost always a cult. While it cannot be said that the second Great Awakening was entirely bad, most of the Christian cults of today sprang forth from this movement. This would include Mormonism, JW, SDA, and pretty much the entire Pentecostal movement.


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## johnny (Oct 13, 2016)

I heard most of these were Millennial Cults due in part to the paranoia of the turn of the century and the end of the world.


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## Jake (Oct 13, 2016)

Bill The Baptist said:


> If a denomination cannot trace its roots back to the reformation, twists and turns aside, it is almost always a cult. While it cannot be said that the second Great Awakening was entirely bad, most of the Christian cults of today sprang forth from this movement. This would include Mormonism, JW, SDA, and pretty much the entire Pentecostal movement.



Well a lot of cults can be traced back to Presbyterians...


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## CJW (Oct 13, 2016)

_The Burned-over District_ by Whitney Cross is a fascinating book on the subject!


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Oct 13, 2016)

Jake said:


> Bill The Baptist said:
> 
> 
> > If a denomination cannot trace its roots back to the reformation, twists and turns aside, it is almost always a cult. While it cannot be said that the second Great Awakening was entirely bad, most of the Christian cults of today sprang forth from this movement. This would include Mormonism, JW, SDA, and pretty much the entire Pentecostal movement.
> ...



Can you elaborate?


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## johnny (Oct 13, 2016)

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> Jake said:
> 
> 
> > Bill The Baptist said:
> ...



I was surprised by this statement as well.

So I googled "Presbyterian Cult" and found one in Melbourne but all the Elders were excommunicated. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fellowship_(Australia)


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## Bill The Baptist (Oct 13, 2016)

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> Jake said:
> 
> 
> > Bill The Baptist said:
> ...



Maybe he is referring to the more extreme elements of the theonomist/FV camp? Still, I don't know that I would lump them in with the likes of Mormons.


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## Phil D. (Oct 13, 2016)

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> Can you elaborate?



Perhaps he is referring to the fact that Thomas Campbell (Campellites) was originally a Presbyterian, and Charles Finney, obviously a primary figure in the SGA and father of so-called revivalism, was a Presbyterian.


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## TylerRay (Oct 13, 2016)

I'll let Jake answer for himself, but I have a feeling that he was speaking tongue-in-cheek, and that he was referring to the fact that many of the major cult leaders were apostate Presbyterians. This includes Thomas and Alexander Campbell, as well as Charles Taze Russell.


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## Jake (Oct 14, 2016)

Founders of what became the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism (Joseph Smith attended a Presbyterian sunday school when young), various streams of Adventism, Campbellites, and various smaller groups I've been familiar with all have some Presbyterian roots.


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