Reply #51: Well, there are different levels of extremism in the pentecostal movement...

[phleshdef]

I grew up in that kind of church and the church I grew up in was not nearly as extreme as some of the other like minded churches I visited.

For instance, the church I grew up in didn't tell people how to dress, had no problems with what music you listened to or what movies you watched. Tithing (paying 10% to the church) was encouraged but certainly not required. That church didn't care if you gave a dime, you were accepted regardless. But the charismatic style of service, the speaking in tongues, teaching about the rapture, faith healing... all that stuff was still a part of the church's core beliefs.

But there were other pentecostal churches of the same belief that wouldn't allow women to cut their hair, wear pants or put on make-up. You couldn't be a member if you didn't tithe. Homosexuals were treated as something worse than murderers... it was some crazy stuff.

I think the argument of "cultism" could be made for a LOT of different denominations. But pentecostalism is a pretty broad category with many different subfactions.

On a personal note, I don't belong to any organized religion anymore, but the church I grew up in actually did me a lot of good. The church had a great youth program that gave me and other teenagers things to do that didn't involve getting in trouble. A strong message of compassion, charity and empathy was pushed every service and in a lot of ways, I think having those ideals instilled in me are a big part of my path to becoming a liberal as I started exploring my own political feelings.