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Title: The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Ralston Martin, Ravi Zacharias, Jill Martin Rische, Kevin Rische ISBN: 0-7642-2821-8 Publisher: Bethany House Pub. Date: October, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.35 (88 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Top-notch Biblical Scholarship and Discernment
Comment: As one reviewer already mentioned, those who argue that Dr. Martin had anything derogatory in mind when he called his book Kingdom of the Cults, in reference to his study of various religions, have either purposely disregarded Dr. Martin's own direct statements in the book, or simply didn't read the book carefully. Despite false allegations about Dr. Martin's doctorate ("degree mill") education and other unsubstantiated assertions about people "lambasting" him for "inaccuracies," the Kingdom of the Cults remains a perennial classic in its field.
What Dr. Martin attempted to do, as he clearly stated, was to evaluate various belief systems as they compared with the doctrines of the historic Christian faith. All the cults, and many major religions like Islam, deny certain historic Christian doctrines: The trinity, the deity of Christ, etc. With scholarly information and exhaustive documentation using mainly primary source material, Dr. Martin evaluates, in about 20 chapters, religious traditions from The Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Mormonism, and Spiritism, to Islam, Seventh-day Adventism, and Unitarianism, to name a few. It should be noted that although Dr. Martin includes the Adventists in his book, he clearly says that he does not consider them to be a cult religious system outside of orthodoxy, but a Christian sect with some heterodox beliefs, such as soul sleep and soul annihilation.
Since the exhaustive nature of this book and limited review space does not permit a review that does justice to Dr. Martin's work, I will only give a few examples of how he evaluated some religious teachings in comparison to historic, orthodox doctrine, focusing on how Dr. Martin contrasted the Jesus of orthodoxy with the "Jesus" of the cults.
Explaining Jehovah's Witness doctrine using their own works in context, Dr. Martin wrote: "For Jehovah's Witnesses, their Jesus is an angel who became a man. He is a god, but he is not God the Son, second Person of the Holy Trinity" (p. 379). Earlier in the book, Dr. Martin demonstrated how the Watchtower Society purposely mistranslated John 1:1 so that Jesus becomes "a god" instead of God, which is pointed out as simply bad Greek grammar and exegesis (pp. 85, 86).
Quoting Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, from her "Science and Health" book, Dr. Martin demonstrates that her "Jesus" is also an unorthodox one: "The Christian who believes in the First Commandment is a monotheist. Thus he virtually unites with the Jew's belief in one God, and recognizes that Jesus Christ is no God as Jesus Christ Himself declared, but is the Son of God..." (p. 378).
Dr. Martin also demonstrated from primary sources that Mrs. Eddy plagiarised from many sources to produce her "Science and Health" book. The plagiarism is obvious when you see it as it reads in Dr. Martin's book in parallel columns, as it was reproduced prior to his book in the New York Times of July 10, 1904. This was not something Dr. Martin invented, but a fact publicized in a well-known newspaper prior to his work.
Furthermore, by taking Dr. Martin out of context, one reviewer gave the false impression that he falsely attributed to the Christian Scientists the idea that they do not accept the inspiration and authority of the Bible. However, what that reviewer did not quote, conveniently, was this, "Christian Science, as a theology, and all Christian Scientists, for that matter, both affirm that the Bible is God's Word and quote Mrs. Eddy to 'prove' that their whole religion is based upon the teachings of Scripture. Mrs. Eddy said: The Bible has been my only authority. I have had no other guide in 'the straight and narrow way' of Truth (Science and Health, p. 126)." (p. 143). Then Dr. Martin went on to say, with documentation, that, "To the average Christisn Scientist the Bible is a compilation of ancient writings 'full of hundreds of thousands of textual errors...its divinity is...uncertain, its inspiration...questionable...It is made up of metaphors, allegories, myths and fables...It cannot be read and interpreted literally...'" (p. 144).
And finally, Dr. Martin deals with the Mormon view of Jesus from their own literature, which he quotes as saying, "Each of these gods, including Jesus Christ and his Father, being in possession of not merely an organized spirit, but a glorious body of flesh and bones..." (p. 380).
Dr. Martin then goes on to further explain their position by stating, "...in fact, the Mormons have a full pantheon of gods. Jesus, who before His incarnation was the spirit-brother of Lucifer, was also a polygamist, the husband of the Marys and Martha, who was rewarded for his faithfulness by becoming the ruler of this earth" (p. 380).
The sad fact is, most who criticize Dr. Martin's work either have not really read the book, have not thoroughly researched behind his information, or simply are not really qualified to make sweeping charges of "pseudo-scholarship" and so forth that they make in classic ad hominem style. Apparently those who are within the cults Dr. Martin exposes are bothered by the facts. But it is one thing to disagree with someone by emotional attachment, which is understandable, but it is another thing to prove he is inaccurate or misleading, which no reviewer here, and no one else of credible scholarship to my knowledge, has been able to do. The only one that even pretended to come close to proving Dr. Martin wrong on a point actually misrepresented him so badly that it becomes all too obvious that ulterior motives, not a quest for truth and honesty, are at work.
If you want a comprehensive, scholarly guide to help you discern the difference between the historic Christian faith and other religious systems (especially those using the name "Christian"), then this is the definitive work you need in your reading and reference library, especially the updated version. Buy it, read it with an open mind, and know the truth.
(This review is of the Bethany House expanded and revised edition, 1985)
Rating: 2
Summary: Some Heresies Protected
Comment: Martin ignores and gives a free pass to Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry. What a travesty not to call out Catholics out of that pagan religion with christian names that has a history of Massacres against true christians Read Will Durants "Story Of Civilization," Dave Hunts "A Women Rides The Beast," and "History of Protestantism," by J.A. Wylie. Masonry is nothing but a Satanic organization but you wont know that until you reach the 30th degree or higher Read Albert Pikes "Morals And Dogma." and William Schoenbelen's "Masonry Beyond The Light." Martin and his predecessor Hank Hanagraff have ignored the most dangerous cults and spent so much time on blatantly ridiculuous cults such as Scientology , Bahai. What do you expect from someone who has a friend who is a Jesuit priest, Although Martin has already been judged by his works. (...)
Rating: 1
Summary: Thanks for the reviews
Comment: I would just like to say that based on the many reviews this book has gotten, both for and against, I will not be reading it. I can already tell by what other reviewers have written (even among some of those who defend the book) that this book is full of incorrect information, and perhaps even downright lies. I was hoping to find an unbiased, factual look at the various faiths that exist in the world, but I can tell just based on the reviews that this is not that type of book.
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Title: Handbook Of Today's Religions : by Josh McDowell, Don Stewart ISBN: 0840735014 Publisher: Nelson Reference Pub. Date: 01 September, 1992 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
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Title: The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah's Witness (The 10 Most Important Things Series) by Ron Rhodes ISBN: 0736905359 Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Reasoning from the Scriptures With the Jehovah's Witnesses by Ron Rhodes ISBN: 1565071069 Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: July, 1993 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Christianity in Crisis: Includes Study Guide by Hank Hanegraaff ISBN: 1565076966 Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: July, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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Title: Reasoning from the Scriptures With the Mormons by Ron Rhodes, Marian M. Bodine ISBN: 1565073282 Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc. Pub. Date: July, 1995 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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