# False Christian doctrines and practices

## Clear deviations from Christ

Gay Theology - Homosexuality is not a sin:

- The Bible clearly indicates that homosexuality is a sin ([Romans 1:26-27](https://biblehub.com/romans/1.htm)).
  - However, while it definitely represents more deviance, it's as much sexual sin as fornication or adultery ([1 Corinthians 6:18](https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/6-18.htm)).
  - It is distinctly odd (along with other domains like transgenderism), so many Christians don't know how to handle it.
- The Bible's context indicates how homosexuality is a form of self-worship, and God lets people run to it when they reject Him.
  - Many of them are part of the Pride cult (see below), so they severely need God's love and grace.

Spiritual Celibacy - Virginity outside of marriage is a purer state of existence than being married or divorced:

- The general idea is a simplified one:
  1. The ideal is to be single all your life, but...
  2. If you burn with romantic passion, then get married, and...
  3. Never leave your spouse, ever.
- At the extreme, this can take the form of mandatory celibacy to join a church.
- There is evidence in the Bible that being unmarried makes a person's [ministry](spiritual-discipleship.md) easier to perform, and that reconciling marriage is a good ideal ([1 Corinthians 7](https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7.htm)).
  - But, everyone is [gifted differently](spiritual-gifts.md), and it's better to marry than burn with [romantic desire](relationships-why.md).
- The idea often implies *all* marriages should reconcile without divorce.
  - In the case of clear abuse, it's clear someone should *not* live with their spouse if they're in any danger, but doesn't give license for divorcing.
  - Jesus *certainly* doesn't give free license to divorce or remarry, and remarriage will typically devastate another person in the process ([Matthew 19:7-10](https://biblehub.com/matthew/19.htm)).
- If someone repents from their situation, we *are* responsible to forgive them if they've truly changed ([Matthew 18:21-22](https://biblehub.com/matthew/18.htm)).
  - Without this forgiveness, a church culture can reject someone simply for having been a non-virgin *before* they were Christians.
  - It makes common sense for the divorcing person to spend at *least* 4-5 years single first, though.

Some heresies about Christian [rituals and practices](mgmt-church.md) create an environment with [bad boundaries](people-boundaries-why.md):

- Adamism - Everyone should live naked, like Adam and Eve.
- Barallots - Everyone should share *everything* in common, including wives and children.
- Donatism - The sacraments' validity depends on the character of the [minister](mgmt-church.md), not on the members' devotion.
  - They believed Christians who denied Christ and turned in their Bibles should be persecuted.
- Iconoclasm - Icons ([symbols](symbols.md) of specific things) should be destroyed.
- Kinism - People are only to consort, worship, and marry people of their same race.
- Egalitarianism - Females can be in positions that rule over men, such as pastors ([1 Timothy 2:9-15](https://biblehub.com/1_timothy/2.htm)):
  - Some people claim it's sexist, but [gender distinctions have a significant spiritual purpose](people-gender.md).
  - Many females in so-called "[pastor](mgmt-church.md)" roles are actually preachers, or they straddle that line very closely.
- Novationism - Christians who sacrifice to pagan gods or deny their faith, even under extreme pressure, are no longer Christians.

One of the most prominent heresies stems from [magical thinking](understanding-certainty.md) about God's interactions with humanity:

- Positive Thinking - Thoughts can form reality (either by willpower alone, or with God's unconditional endorsement).
  - We can't add to faith because it's a refined force given at God's discretion ([Romans 12:3](https://biblehub.com/romans/12-3.htm), [1 Peter 1:7](https://biblehub.com/1_peter/1-7.htm), [Ephesians 2:4-9](https://biblehub.com/ephesians/2.htm)).
- Prosperity Gospel - The Gospel's promises do *not* promise hardship, but do include physical health or earthly wealth.
  - God's covenant with Abraham ([Genesis 12](https://biblehub.com/genesis/12.htm), [15](https://biblehub.com/genesis/15.htm), [17](https://biblehub.com/genesis/17.htm), [22](https://biblehub.com/genesis/22.htm)) does *not* apply completely to all Christians in this life for material gain.
  - Jesus commands His followers to carry their torture device and follow Him ([Matthew 16:24](https://biblehub.com/matthew/16-24.htm)), and that nobody can serve both God and money ([Matthew 6:24](https://biblehub.com/matthew/6-24.htm)).
    - To treat giving like a spiritual form of [investing](money-investing.md) (expecting future gain) is absolutely against the spirit of denying oneself ([Matthew 16:24](https://biblehub.com/matthew/16-24.htm)).
  - The only Apostle who cared heavily about [money](money-1_why.md) was Judas, who betrayed Jesus at the end.
  - Jesus and the Apostles were [homeless wanderers](hardship-homeless.md), and almost all of them suffered shameful and brutal deaths by [persecution](hardship-persecution-church.md).
  - A *very* incomplete list of various prosperity doctrine leaders:
    - Heidi Baker
    - Jim Bakker
    - Todd Bentley
    - Mike Bickle
    - Christine Caine
    - Kenneth Copeland
    - Paul Crouch
    - John Crowder
    - Creflo Dollar
    - Jesse Duplantis
    - Jentzen Franklin
    - Steven Furtick
    - John Gray
    - John Hagee
    - Kenneth E. Hagin
    - Benny Hinn
    - Brian Houston
    - Rodney Howard-Browne
    - TD Jakes
    - Bill Johnson
    - Carl Lentz
    - Joyce Meyer
    - Joel Osteen
    - Rod Parsley
    - Peter Popoff
    - Fred Price
    - Joseph Prince
    - Pat Robertson
    - Todd White
    - Andrew Wommack
- Popularity Gospel - Jesus calls for us to love our neighbor, and God loves us so much that what we do is immaterial.
  - At the farthest end, we don't need to maintain any [correct conduct](spiritual-exercises.md), to the point that *any* disliking of [sins](theology-sins.md) (e.g., LGBetc.) is unloving.
  - Popularity Gospel churches tend to focus on growing church numbers more than strong doctrine.
    - There's typically more [cultural shaming](morality-taboo.md) than [theological](theology.md) strength to most of their arguments.
    - To that end, it's impossible to indicate *precisely* what they believe, except that [they're not very rigorous about it](understanding.md).
  - While they insist on having compassion and kindness (which *is* a product of love), they tend to disregard God's justice against sinners ([Romans 2:1-9](https://biblehub.com/romans/2.htm)).
- Word of Faith - Spoken words can form reality (either by the words alone, or with God's empowerment).
  - This is also known as "magical thinking".
  - Some go as far as saying *all* Christians with enough belief can receive [spiritual sign gifts](spiritual-gifts.md) like the Apostles.
  - Scripture indicates our [desires](purpose.md) will change, but makes [no promise](people-contracts.md) of physical gain in this life ([Galatians 2:20](https://biblehub.com/galatians/2-20.htm)).
  - Magical thinking doesn't bar anyone from salvation, but it *will* discourage Christians long-term.
    - At its farthest, magical thinking will become a standard cult if a very [eloquent](power-influence.md) speaker can [influence](power-influence.md) enough people.
  - This type of expression sometimes represents as a "prophecy", with some people being clearly false prophets ([Matthew 7:15](https://biblehub.com/matthew/7-15.htm)):
    - John Hagee
    - C. Peter Hagner
    - TB Joshua
    - Patricia King
    - Beth Moore
    - Sid Roth
    - Charles Russell Taze
    - Sarah Young

Heresies that take away part of the Bible:

- Often, people would rather not accept something uncomfortable or offensive.
  - Their justifications are often clearly against the Bible, and anyone else can see that they're taking a hard deviation from what the Bible teaches.
- Anti-Paulism - the Apostle Paul was a heretic and that the books he wrote are not a part of the Bible.
- Liberalism - Scripture is not inerrant or infallible.
- Neo-Orthodoxy - The Bible is God's revealed word as people read it, *not* through its original penmanship.
- Standpoint Epistomology - A person's [understanding](understanding.md) of the Bible is directly proportional to how far down the [proletariat ladder](politics-leftism.md) they are.
- When speaking in tongues is a direct measure of spirituality, [1 Corinthians](https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/1.htm) doesn't apply anymore.
- When the Bible only has explainable components, Revelation shouldn't be part of the Bible because we can't verify its author, or that it was already completely fulfilled with the Roman Empire.
- When evidence is the only way to believe, Hebrews and Job aren't part of the Bible because they can't verify who wrote it (though the ideas echo completely in other Scriptures).
- If God is too intense, the Old Testament doesn't apply anymore.
  - Marcionism - The God of the Old Testament is evil, and the God of the New Testament is good.
  - The Law and Jewish history are the foundation for God's grace ([Matthew 5:17-18](https://biblehub.com/matthew/5.htm), [Romans 3:31](https://biblehub.com/romans/3-31.htm)).
  - Some of God's promises in the Old Testament certainly *do* transfer to the Church ([Romans 10:12-13](https://biblehub.com/romans/10.htm)).

Heresies that add content to the Bible:

- Montanism - The Bible is either insufficient or incomplete, and God regularly gives new revelations that change based on the [culture](people-culture.md) He's speaking to.
  - Their attitude created a *lot* of [political friction](people-conflicts-war-why.md) for the Christian church.
  - There are multiple works inspired by them (mostly apocalypse-focused), including the Apocalypse of Peter, and the fact that they accepted the Apocalypse of St. John (now known as Revelation in the Bible) is why the Assyrian Church of the East won't accept it as canon.
- Some works have *very* significant historical value (e.g., Jasher, other early Christian letters).
  - This information is *very* valuable to gather context and understanding of the culture and context around the Bible.
  - However, the works are *not* inspired by God, and should be considered as authoritative as the writings of [spiritual leadership](mgmt-church.md).
- Some ancient works such as the Gnostic writings (e.g., Gospel of Thomas) have vastly contrasting ideas to anything in the Bible.
- Many cult leaders create documents they claim give more clarity to Scripture, but tend to add entirely new ideas.

## Outright against the Bible

Heresies about [God's nature](theology-god.md):

- Audianism - God has a human form, and we're precisely created in God's image.
- Christian Deism - God does not intervene in or interact with the world.
- Limited Theism - God is not omnipotent, and His powers can be limited.
- Neoplatonism/Pantheism - We are emanations from God, and we return to become part of God again when we depart this life.
- Open Theism - God doesn't know everything, including the future.

Heresies about the Trinity:

- Monarchianism - God is only one person.
- Modalism/Patripassianism - The members of the Trinity are only three different aspects or modes of the same person, not three distinct persons.
  - Sabellianism (Emanations) - The Father was the Old Testament God, The Son was the New Testament God, and the Holy Spirit is God right now.
- Partialism - Each member of the Trinity is not fully God, but only 1/3 of God.
  - Swedenborgianism - Each member of the Trinity is like humanity's [body, soul, and spirit](theology-godandman-humanity.md).
- Tritheism The Godhead is actually three separate gods.

Heresies about Jesus' nature:

- Adoptionism - Jesus became God sometime after His birth.
- Apollinarism - Jesus did not have a rational [human soul or mind](theology-godandman-humanity.md), but instead His soul was simply a Logos.
- Arianism - Jesus and the Holy Spirit are lesser, created beings and not directly God.
- Docetism - Jesus was divine, but only seemed to be human, and didn't experience any human experiences.
- Ebionitism - Jesus was distinguished from other humans, but was nonetheless purely human.
- Eutychianism/Monophysitism - Jesus only has one nature, which is divine, and any finite nature is swallowed up by it.
- Kenosis - Jesus wasn't divine while on Earth.
- Nestorianism - Jesus is two persons.
- Socinianism - Jesus is a deified man, and there is no Trinity.
- Subordinationism - The Son is lesser than the Father in essence or attributes.

Heresies about the Holy Spirit:

- Macedonianism - God the Holy Spirit is merely a creation of God and not one of His persons.

Heresies about the Virgin Mary:

- Collyridianism - The Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, is a goddess.
- Virgin birth denial - Jesus was not born of a virgin.

Heresies about [sins](theology-sins.md) and [morality](morality.md):

- Antinomianism - Jesus rescues Christians from the legal guilt of sin, so they're free to sin as they please.
- Manichaeism - Good and evil are both equally powerful in ability or authority.
- Pelagianism - Human nature does not have a fallen state and isn't corrupted by original sin.
- Semipelagianism - Man and God cooperate to achieve man's salvation.
- Works Righteousness/Legalism - Humanity is saved by what they do, or a combination of what they do combined with faith in Jesus.
- Christus Victor - All sins, and all death, has been abolished entirely, so there's no judgment for them anymore.

Heresies about salvation:

- Dual Covenant Theology - Jews can still receive salvation without believing in Jesus.
- Inclusivism - Faith is not necessary for salvation, and God's mercy includes non-Christian peoples on the earth.
- Pluralism - Two or more religions in conflict can be true at the same time.
- Rauschenbuschism (social gospel, or social justice gospel) - The primary purpose of the Gospel is to cure social issues, not to forgive sins and reconcile with God.
- Universalism - Everyone will go to Heaven.

Heresies about human nature:

- Reincarnationism - some humans (which may include Jesus and New Testament figures) are reincarnations of previous people (such as Old Testament figures).