One question that seems many are asking is whether or not Roman Catholicism should be classified as a cult. Major cult-watcher groups such as the Christian Research Institute of the late Walter Martin (and now under Hank Hanegraff) don't believe it is a cult. Neither does Josh McDowell think the Roman Catholic Church is cultic and isn't listed in any of his books, such as A Ready Defense, as neither cult nor false religion.
There is, however, the flip side. Those who believe the Roman Catholic Church is a cult and should be labelled as such. This seems to be the favorite choice among organizations/ministries on the internet. Some, though online have it classified merely as a religion, will personally admit they think it is a cult, but don't want to unnecessarily isolate Catholics that visit their particular website.
The latter group also appears to be generally bothered by the fact most books and ministries don't recognize Catholicism as cultic. I personally can see their reasoning. Big sites and organizations/churches/ministries don't want to label it as a cult because (drumroll please...) they don't want to lose money. I think that is what it comes down to. By telling a Church of 1,000,000,000 that it is a cult they are potentially excluding that many other customers who might otherwise buy their material to read as they point fingers at Jehovah's Witness and Mormons, cults not nearly as large as the Roman one, if indeed it is a cult.
So which is it? I believe it is a cult, but I must admit it is close to the line. Either way, it is NOT Christian. There are some merits to an argument against calling Romanism a cult, but I believe there are more reasons to.
All over the internet and the physical world people have differing definitions as to what a cult is. From reading different sources and articles dealing with this subject, I've come up with some general guidelines of what defines what is a cult and what is not.
1.Usually have one visible head or leader, either dead or alive, who possesses qualities possibly supernatural or extraordinary.
2.Have writings or works other than the Bible that are considered equal with or superior to the Bible. May also actually add to the Bible.
3.Different means of salvation other than the Gospel laid out in Scripture: By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
4.Distort or change the Jesus of the Bible, most commonly by denying His deity.
In addition to this, it may also be noted that most cults are exclusivistic in terms of salvation (ie: no salvation outside of their church or that it far more difficult), sometimes legalistic and are sanction-oriented (ie: require conformity to tradition, always ready to excommunicate or declare heresy). In almost all cults, additionally, there is a certain amount of a persecution complex- they feel their church is being unduly ridiculed or persecuted for their cause, and they glorify martyrs or great persons of their cult.
Now read back through the above definition or guidelines specifically thinking about Roman Catholicism. How many of those does it seem to fit? For the first main item, they have the Pope and his infallibility, secondly they have Sacred Tradition and the apocrypha. On the third item they add works to the equation and many also include Mary. Under the last general point things aren't as clear. True, they do not deny the deity of Christ- but which christ? The Jesus of Catholicism doesn't seem to be the Jesus of the Bible. Why do I say this?
1.The Jesus of the Bible accomplished it all on the cross and His blood was enough to cleanse me of all my sins.
2.The Jesus of the Bible died once for all.
3.The Jesus of the Bible died willingly, not as a sacrifice.
4.The Jesus of the Bible is greater than man and angels and does not have to submit to a priest during Mass.
5.The Jesus of the Bible did not promote cannabalism.
6.The Jesus of the Bible did not and still does not need a co-redeemer nor a co-mediator.
7.The Jesus of the Bible had a godly mother, but not a sinless, ever-virgin.
Catholicism definately distorts and warps the Jesus of the Bible!
Additionally, I found a cult checklist while browsing various websites. It was written anonymously and thus is fair use material. You can find it here.
However, this would hardly be fair if we didn't allow the other side to get a word or two in. For this reason, read an opposing view on this from, I believe, the Christian Research Institute.
And then finally, here are 10 Guidelines for Dealing with a Cultist.