How can I tell if an organization is a cult?

2 Peter 2:1-3There were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

1 John 4:1-4Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God.

You must compare the group’s teachings with the teachings in the Bible. That’s why it is so important to know your Bible. If the teachings of a group of people are contrary to what is found in God’s Word, and if they tell you that their way is the only way to true peace and happiness, then you may be dealing with a cult. Cults do not teach that faith in Jesus Christ as Savior alone and forgiveness of sins through him alone is the only way to heaven. Some of what they teach may sound harmless enough or be close to the Christian message, but they twist the truth just enough that it is no longer the truth.

Daniel 6:7We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions.

Matthew 7:15-17“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.”

2 Timothy 3:5-8They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses.

There are many danger signs that can warn you that a group is a cult. Daniel faced a cult-like devotion to someone opposed to God who was trying to divert worship away from God. Cults do the same thing. Watch for false teachers who set themselves up against the church and draw vulnerable people to themselves. Their actions will ultimately reveal their character.