Calvinism is a cult for many reasons. Cultlike behavior is always marked by an idolatrous desire to the cult itself. This is especially true in Calvinism. You will not find every Presbyterian or Reformed Baptist to be mired down in the cult-like behavior of Calvinism. There are many people who attend Calvinistic churches do so for reasons other than Calvinism and such members essentially place little emphasis on Calvinism itself. It is those people who have committed themselves to Calvinism that are caught up in this cult. These are those people who immerse themselves in five point Calvinism and perceive it to be "the" gospel.
Firstly, like all other cults, Calvinists like to claim that all other theological systems are "false gospels." This is especially true when it comes to their concept of the doctrines of salvation.
Secondly, Calvinists have a belief very similar to the early Gnostics, the first cult-like group to preach heresy in the Christian church. Gnostics believed "the Elect" where those elite who comprehended the secret knowledge of God. Like the Gnostics, Calvinists also believe that the Elect are the only people who will accept and can comprehend Calvinism because only they are capable of understanding and accepting this knowledge. They interpret 1 Corinthians 2:14 in this way thinking that anyone who does not ultimately accept Calvinism must be a non-elect and non-regenerate person and such people cannot see these mystery knowledge of Calvinism.
Thirdly, Calvinism is a cult because those who adhere to its doctrines idolize Calvinism. Now of course the Calvinist will not admit he is an idolator. How many idolators do you know who admit they are idolators? So why are Calvinists idolators?
If you observe a Calvinist carefully and watch him at work, you will see that he has little regard for the true and intended meaning of the Bible message. The only message he will allow himself to see is the message of Calvinism. All Biblical passages are first run through the Calvinist mill. Any passage which seems to run contrary to his doctrines are interpretively reworked to fit his system. Like all cults, the Calvinist will not change his beliefs under any circumstances, including the message of Scripture. Rather than conforming his beliefs to the Bible, the Calvinist tries to conform the Bible to his beliefs. Instead of trying to understand what the Bible really says, he first asks himself how any given passage might impact Calvinism. Then, instead of honestly trying to understand the intended message of any given passage, he develops an interpretation that will suit Calvinism. Thus all interpretations are custom fit to suit Calvinism rather than investigated to comprehend the intended meaning.
Because a Calvinist does this he is an idolator. An idolator is one who serves his idol. The Calvinist serves the idol of Calvinism. He serves his belief system first and foremost and the Bible must be interpreted to conform to his belief system. All interpretations of the Bible are subject to the whims of his idol, his God, that is, Calvinism. He must first consult Calvinism before he does any interpreting since any interpretation of a passage which does not meet the approval of his god, Calvinism, will never do.
For example, in the gospel of John, Calvinists interpret the word "world" in John 1:29 and John 3:16 to mean "definitely the Elect" and only the Elect. But at John 17:9, they interpret the word "world" to mean "definitely not the Elect." Therefore, they give the exact same word, "world (Grk kosmos), totally opposite meanings from one passage to the next. They must do this because their idol, Calvinism, would not be pleased if they defined the word "world" at John 1:29 and 3:16 the same way as they do at John 17:9. There are myriads of examples in Calvinism just like this one. You will see them in the articles on this site.
Those who are not caught up in such cults have a fluid belief system. If a Bible passage comes up that impacts their present beliefs, most people will change their beliefs to conform to the Bible. Not so with the Calvinist. He approaches such things just like a Jehovah's Witness. Both the Calvinist and the Jehovah's Witness serve their belief system's first and foremost and no Biblical passage is going to change them. If a Bible passage comes up that seems to threaten his belief system, his idol, he lays awake endless nights devising an interpretation that can be made to fit Calvinism. In such cases, he never asks himself, "What does this passage really mean and does it prove that Calvinism or some point of Calvinism is wrong?" He never entertains such notions because he has committed himself to his idol rather than to God. Thus he cannot learn anything from many passages in the Bible because he never lets it speak to him apart from prior approval of his idol, his god - Calvinism.
The purpose of reading the Bible is to find out what it says and arrive at the intended meaning through understanding the context, grammar and following accepted objective interpretive principles. Most people read the Bible to discover the treasures therein. Not the Calvinist. He uses the Bible for nothing more than to please his idol. Although the Calvinist may claim he interprets any verse in its own context and follows accepted practices of interpretation, in reality his context is not the passage in question but the system of Calvinism itself and the only accepted practice of interpretation is to develop an interpretation of any given passage which does not anger his god - Calvinism.
Like other cults, Calvinist do not try to coherently piece the ideas in the Bible together to arrive at the big picture such that all pieces fit in their proper place. Rather, they hunt down passages which seem to suit them best and either ignore or rework all other passages which do not uplife Calvinism. Thus they gather together a bunch of passages and build something for themselves - a belief system of their liking. In short, they create their own belief system rather than seeking out the belief system which the whole Bible intends to convey. In the end, they create their own god, an idol called Calvinism, their own creation.
Many people would say this language is too strong to describe Calvinism. At one time I would have said so myself. But having studied and observed Calvinists for thousands upon thousands of hours, it is my solemn conclusion that Calvinism is a very dangerous cult and falls into the same categories of cultism as the Watchtower and Mormons. Do not let me or this article convince you. Do not let the fact that they accept the Trinity and the Deity of Christ fool you either. Observe them yourself and see for yourself if what is written here is the truth.
