Other Religions

Some Early Religions

Zoroastrianism

This is considered the world’s oldest surviving monotheistic religion. The founder of Zoroastrianism is a prophetic figure known as Zarathushtra (or Zoroaster in Greek). He established the single divine authority of Ahura Mazda. The exact time of Zarathushtra’s life is not known, but it is believed to be around the late second millennium (1,000 to 2,000) B.C.

Buddhism

Founded was by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as “the Buddha”, in the 5^th or 6th century BC. This religion is rooted in the belief of overcoming suffering and achieving enlightenment a state of inner peace and wisdom. Key principles include The Four Noble Truths which explain the nature of suffering and the path to prevent it, and the eight fold path guiding ethical conduct, mental discipline and wisdom. Buddhists practice meditation, follow moral codes and cultivate qualities like compassion and mindfulness. It does not focus on rituals or worship gods, but rather on individual spiritual development. There are many philosophies and interpretations within Buddhism, making it a tolerant and evolving religion.

Buddhism is the official religion in 6 Asian countries, and a significant minority in 10 others, with an estimated 500 million to one billion followers. In most places, followers mix Buddhism with Chinese religions, Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. After communism lost strong its influence in Asia Buddhism began to grow again. The Dalai Lama of Tibet has made Buddhism more popular in Western countries. Only a small minority from Buddhist backgrounds have come to Jesus. The Hollywood actor Richard Gere is a follower.

Confucianism

Founded by Confucius in 551 BC. Confucianism is more of a philosophical and ethical system than a religion, emphasizing personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, and sincerity.

These religions were founded in different ways, often by a central figure or prophet who shared their teachings and philosophies with others. Over time, these teachings were written down and passed on, forming the basis of the religions we know today. Please note that the exact details of the founding of these religions can vary based on different historical and religious interpretations.

Hinduism

Founding of Hinduism

Hinduism, also known as Sanātana Dharma, is an Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order or way of life which their followers adhere to. It is considered one of the world’s oldest religions. Hinduism has no single founder and is often described as a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions. It is not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and philosophies. It is often referred to as a “way of life” or a “family of religions” rather than a single, organized religion.

Its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. The roots of Hinduism can be traced back to the schools of commentary and debate preserved in epic and Vedic writings from the 2nd millennium BC.

Today, Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion, with approximately 1.25 billion followers, or 16% of the global population, known as Hindus. Roughly 94% of the world’s Hindus live in India. Despite India’s enormous diversity, a common grammar of ritual behaviour connects various places, strata, and periods of Hindu life. Hindu practices include worship (puja), fire rituals (homa/havan), devotion (bhakti), fasting (vrata), chanting (japa), meditation (dhyāna), sacrifice (yajña), charity (dāna), selfless service (sevā), learning and knowledge (jñāna), recitation and exposition of scriptures (pravacana), homage to one’s ancestors (śrāddha), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages (yatra).

Core concepts of Hinduism

• Righteousness – Dharma

In Hinduism Dharma is a key concept that refers to the moral and ethical duties and responsibilities that individuals must follow in life. It denotes behaviours that are considered to be in accord with Ṛta – the “order and custom” that makes life and universe possible. This includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues, and the “right way of living”. Dharma is believed to have a transtemporal validity.

• Pay-back – Karma:

Karma is a fundamental concept in Hinduism which describes a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions. This creates a system of actions and reactions throughout a soul’s reincarnated lives. The causality is said to apply not only to the actions taken in the current life but also to those from past lives.

• Reincarnation – Samsara

Reincarnation, also known as Samsara, is the belief that the soul (Atman) undergoes a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. After death, the soul is reborn in a new physical body, continuing this cycle until it reaches spiritual enlightenment (Moksha). The specific life form a soul takes on in its next life is largely determined by its Karma.

These three concepts are interconnected. The actions (Karma) performed in accordance with one’s duties (Dharma) influence the cycle of death and rebirth (Samsara), ultimately impacting the soul’s spiritual journey towards liberation (Moksha). Hindus practice rituals, festivals and pilgrimages to sacred sites.

Hindu gods

Hinduism is often described as a religion of fasts, feasts, and festivals. It is a complex and diverse polytheistic religion with many beliefs and practices. The number of gods in Hinduism is a subject of debate among scholars and practitioners. Some sources suggest that there are 33 crore (330 million) gods in Hinduism, or that there are only 33 gods, while others suggest that there is only one supreme reality, Brahman, who takes many forms.

The principal gods of Hinduism are often considered to be the Trimurti:

• Brahma: Brahma is the god of creation, and the first of the Trimurti. His consort, as well as his shakti (divine energy), is Saraswati, the goddess of learning.
• Vishnu: Vishnu is the god of preservation, and the second of the Trimurti. He is generally regarded to be the entity who is most often involved in mortal affairs. His consort, as well as his shakti (divine energy) is Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.
• Shiva: Shiva represents death and dissolution, destroying worlds so they may be recreated by Brahma. But he is also considered the master of dance and of regeneration.

In addition to the Trimurti, other important deities include:

• Ganesha: The son of Shiva and Parvati, the pot-bellied elephant god Ganesha is the lord of success, knowledge, and wealth.
• Krishna: One of the most beloved of Hindu gods, blue-skinned Krishna is the deity of love and compassion. He is frequently depicted with a flute, which he uses for its seductive powers.
• Rama: Rama is the god of truth and virtue and another avatar of Vishnu. He is considered the perfect embodiment of humankind: mentally, spiritually, and physically.
• Hanuman: Monkey-faced Hanuman is worshiped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance, service, and scholarly devotion.

These are just a few examples, and the specific deities worshiped which can vary greatly among different regions and communities. It’s important to note that interpretations can vary, and the above points provide a general overview.

Core Beliefs of Hinduism

Hinduism embraces many religious ideas, making it a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared concepts. Here are some of its core beliefs:

• Supreme Being: Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
• Sacred Texts: Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world’s most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed.
• Universe: Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution.
• Karma and Samsara: Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words, and deeds, and samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth.
• Moksha: Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained.
• Ahimsa: Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa; non-injury, in thought, word, and deed.
• Tolerance: Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God’s Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

The six main scriptures of Hinduism are the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas. Each of these texts offers unique insights and teachings, contributing to the diverse and rich tapestry of Hindu thought. Each of these texts has its own unique focus and contributes to the diverse doctrines and practices found within Hinduism. They offer guidance on various aspects of life and spirituality, from the performance of rituals to the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. However, the interpretation and emphasis of the teachings can vary widely depending on the specific tradition or school of thought within Hinduism.

1. Vedas: The Vedas are the oldest and most authoritative scriptures in Hinduism, composed in ancient India. They contain hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India. The Vedas are divided into four main types – the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the early Upanishads.

2. Upanishads: The Upanishads are philosophical texts in Hinduism that introduce concepts such as Brahman (the ultimate reality) and Atman (the individual soul). They emphasize self-realization and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.

3. Bhagavad Gita: The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse epic that is part of the Indian epic Mahabharata. It is a conversation between prince Arjuna and the god Krishna, who serves as his charioteer. In the conversation, Krishna provides Arjuna with guidance on how to live a righteous life and fulfil his duties.

4. Ramayana: The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic that narrates the life of Rama, a prince of Ayodhya. The epic follows his fourteen-year exile, the abduction of his wife Sita by the demon king Ravana, and Rama’s eventual return to Ayodhya.

5. Mahabharata: The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It tells the story of a great war between the Pandava and Kaurava families, and includes the Bhagavad Gita.

6. Puranas: The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu religious texts. They cover a wide range of topics, including cosmogony, cosmology, genealogies, folk tales, pilgrimages, and theology.

Some of the later Religions

The temptation to invent a religion, or to misrepresent the scriptures in the Bible in order to support a personal viewpoint or agenda, has always been with us. The apostle Paul warns us all that after he had left false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among us (Act 20:29), that we are all to ‘watch our life and our doctrine closely’ (1 Timothy 4:16) and that there would be ‘those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ’ (Galatians 1:7). Perhaps of even more concern is his warning to not believe even an angel or anyone else who preaches a different gospel to the one he and the other apostles preached (Galatians 1:8-9). In fact two religions were by their own admission founded in precisely this way – Islam and Mormon.

Galatians 1:8-9 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.

Seventh-Day Adventists

The Seventh-day Church arose out a movement called the Second Great Awakening of the 1830s / 1840s, and was officially founded in 1863 in New England, and now numbers over 22m members. A preacher, William Miller, predicted Christ’s return on 22 October 1844. When this never happened his followers split into several groups, including what would become modern Seventh Day Adventists. Ellen G White said the date was correct, but that on that date Jesus had begun the last phase of his atoning ministry in the “sanctuary in heaven,” set up by God where Christ ministers on our behalf. See below for more on this.

Ellen G White was recognised as a prophet to this church, and with having over 2,000 visions and dreams. She wrote 40 books and more than 5,000 periodical articles, though scholars have claimed that anywhere up to 90% of her writings were plagiarised.

Seventh-day Adventists claim that they accept the bible as the only source of their beliefs and as the only standard of faith and practice for Christians, and in the gift of prophesy; we believe it was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings speak with prophetic authority’. So really they believe in the Bible and in the authority of the writings of Ellen G White.

Like many other Christian denominations, the Seventh Day Adventist church believes in a core set of beliefs about God and salvation – their ‘28 Fundamental Beliefs’, which outlines the church’s specific beliefs. Here are some key points to know about Seventh Day Adventists:

• Core beliefs

They affirm the Bible as the Word of God; the Trinity as a unity of God, the Father and the Son; the Father as the creator; the Son as God incarnate; the Holy Spirit as an ‘inspiration’ for the scriptures. They also accept that God created the world in six days, humans are fallen; the conflict between Christ and Satan is a “great controversy.” On Salvation, the church says that the resurrection of Christ is atonement for human sin and that Jesus saves man. Some of their churches are vegetarian, while many forbid alcohol and tobacco. So far so good, but then:

• Their Sabbath is on Saturday

Seventh Day Adventists believe that the Sabbath begins at the end of the sixth day, which is considered Friday and lasts one day, which is Saturday. The Sabbath “protects man’s friendship with God and provides time essential for the development of that relationship” which all believers are obligated to keep – no secular labour, including any household tasks. This is of course in contrast to all other churches who agree on Sunday as the day of worship and of rest, and Romans 14:5-6 which shows that none of the days are inherently different or more holy than any other.

• Adventists believe in a ‘Heavenly Sanctuary’

Seventh Day Adventists believe that there is a sanctuary in heaven set up by God where Christ ministers on our behalf. In the first phase, called the ascension, Jesus became High Priest of this sanctuary and applied the forgiveness He purchased on the cross in the first compartment of the sanctuary. In 1844 at the end of a prophetic period of 2,300 days, Jesus entered the second phase of his atoning ministry. During this phase, Jesus’ work at the heavenly sanctuary is on eradicating all sin by an investigative judgment. This reveals who among the dead are asleep in Christ and are then worthy to take part in the resurrection of Christ. Those who are living in Christ when this happens are able to enter the kingdom. The Heavenly Sanctuary is considered the heavenly model for the Old Testament sanctuaries. What Israelite priests did in those sanctuaries is what Christ is now doing for us. This was all according to their prophet Ellen G White, who is credited as being the founder of this church.

• Seventh-Day Adventists believe death is an unconscious state

They believe that the wages of sin is death, but God will give eternal life to his followers. However until Christ returns death is an unconscious state for all people. This belief is based on e.g.:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which at v13 speaks of ‘believers who have ‘fallen asleep’ – but this is figurative for ‘died’. Sleep is often used as a metaphor for physical death in the Bible, as in John 11;11 in referring to Lazarus as being asleep, and Adventists believe that eternal life will come to believers only when Jesus returns.

• They don’t believe hell is infinite torture

Adventists believe that hell is not an eternity of suffering and torture. They believe God is just but also merciful and it’s not in the nature of God to torture the unrighteous for eternity. Instead, sinners and unbelievers will ultimately die for eternity. Most Adventists believe some variant of annihilationism, which says that after final judgment, all unbelievers will be destroyed rather than suffer in hell for eternity.

• Conditional Salvation

Their ordinances includes the baptism of believers by full immersion, and observing the Lord’s supper with foot washing. Salvation requires faith and that a person must be baptised and keep God’s laws, including the Sabbath, and that willing neglect of these can cause one to forfeit salvation.

In conclusion, one can gain or lose one’s salvation through works; therefore this is a false religion.

Mormons

The Mormon Church, officially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Their current membership (2022) is 17m, with 6.7m in the USA. Joseph Smith reported that while he was praying an angel called Moroni told him where to find a book written on gold plates and buried on a nearby hill, which contained ‘the fulness of the everlasting gospel as delivered by the Saviour’. Smith translated these writings using two transparent stones also found on the mountain, and another ‘seer’ stone, and dictated it to his scribes, which became ‘The Book of Mormon’.

Theology

While Mormons believe in the Bible, but also consider The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price as scriptures. A brief summary of each:

1. The Book of Mormon: This is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which according to its teachings, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2,200 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi. The Book of Mormon is divided into smaller books, named after the individual prophets. The book tells the story of two ancient civilizations in the Americas. The first is a group called the Jaredites, descending from the Tower of Babel. The second is a group hailing from Jerusalem from 600 B.C. onwards. This group divided into two factions called the Nephites and the Lamanites.

2. The Doctrine and Covenants: This is a part of the open scriptural canon of several of their denominations. It is a collection of modern revelations, most of which were received by Joseph Smith for the establishment and governance of the kingdom of God in the latter days. The book originally contained two parts: a sequence of lectures setting forth basic church doctrine, followed by a compilation of revelations, or “covenants” of the church: thus the name “Doctrine and Covenants”.

3. The Pearl of Great Price: This is a canonized book of their scriptures, relating to significant aspects of their faith and doctrine. These items were translated and produced by Joseph Smith, and most were published in the church periodicals of his day.

They believe in the crucifixion, resurrection, and divinity of Jesus Christ, and claim that God sent more prophets after Jesus’s death. They believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate gods. They also follow a strict healthy lifestyle that doesn’t allow them to consume alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea.

Apostasy and restoration

They believe that after the original apostles died the church went apostate. When Joseph Smith was walking out in the woods and upstate New York, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and they restored the true faith and the priesthood to Joseph Smith. So from the first century up until the ministry of Joseph Smith the Christian Church ceased to exist.

Polytheism and exaltation

Mormons claim that God the Father was once a man – that God the father was once a sinful man living on another planet near the star Colab, and that he progressed to godhood. Therefore through the rites and rituals of Mormons, men at least can become gods, and hence there are many gods. Not every Mormon becomes a God, but some can, so they believe in the exaltation of humans to God status. However they say that you have to go to the temple and go through all the rites and rituals and follow the doctrines and teachings and lifestyle and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Therefore Mormons are technically polytheists, although they would say that there is only one God. So they may call themselves monotheists but in fact in reality they are polytheists.

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was the firstborn Spirit child of the heavenly father and heavenly mother. Mormons believed that Jesus and Lucifer are actually Spirit Brothers. So Jesus is not God in human flesh, but a separate being, a spirit child of heavenly father and heavenly mother. So they believe that God actually engaged in celestial sex produced spirit children and then they are sent to earth and given bodies.

Heaven and hell

They believe that there are three kingdoms, and that most people will end up in one of three levels of heaven, or three levels of ‘kingdoms of glory’ as they call them, depending on one’s level of faithfulness. It is not clear if they believe anyone will go to hell, but if people do go to hell within Mormonism it is a very small number. Basically everyone who is a good person will at least get into the lowest level of Heaven. Regarding sin and atonement, Mormons believe that Adam’s transgression was a noble act that made it possible for humans to become mortal, a necessary step on the path to exaltation to godhood. They think that Christ’s atonement secures immortality for virtually all people whether they repent and believe or not.

Mormons practice baptism by proxy, so they’ll get the names of people who died unbaptized, even from hundreds of years ago, and then in their Temple Services one Mormon will baptizing another by proxy, which will at least gets him into the lowest level of heaven.

Jehovah Witnesses

The Jehovah’s Witnesses originated as a branch of the Bible Student movement, which developed in the United States in the 1870s among followers of Christian restorationist minister Charles Taze Russell. He began holding Bible studies that morphed into an organization called The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, but eventually they just became known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Current membership (2022) is 8.7m, with 1.2m in the USA.

They are well known for insisting that on the name of God being Jehovah, even though in the Bible God is called by many names, such as Elohim (translated as GOD), El Shaddai, Adonai (translated as God in lower case), and God is called ‘Father’ by Jesus, and Lord of Hosts etc.

Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the Trinity, claiming it is not biblical. Because they reject the Trinity the deity and divinity of Jesus Christ, and claim that Jesus was originally created as the Archangel Michael, and when he was born on earth he was a mere human and not God in human flesh.

They also deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, holding that Jesus was resurrected spiritually from the dead but not physically, even though the Bible clearly shows that Jesus had a physical body. In Luke 24:39 Jesus, after His resurrection, told His disciples to, ‘touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost’, and then ate some fish.

They reject the person of the Holy Spirit and believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s active, impersonal force, but is not God Himself. Unlike Christians who interpret the Holy Spirit as co-equal to God the Father, Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the personality of the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity and view the Holy Spirit as a means by which God interacts with His people.

They deny the second coming, holding that the second coming already happened, but that it was invisible. They say this was a spiritual event that occurred in the 1914. However the Bible teaches in Revelation 1:7 that when Jesus returns every eye will see him.

They believe that salvation requires faith in Jesus, but they also say they believe that salvation requires association with God’s organization, that is the Watchtower group, and obedience to its rules, so it’s Jesus plus works. Pentecostal churches hold that salvation is by faith, and cannot be earned. So faith plus anything else is a corruption of the gospel. Paul says in Galatians 1:8-9 let anyone who preaches a different kind of gospel be cursed.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in two classes of redeemed peoples – the anointed class of the 144 000 that will live in heaven and rule with Christ, and the others, a lesser class, who will receive paradise here on earth. Biblically, however, a heavenly destiny awaits all who believe in Christ, according to John 14:1-3.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that there is no immaterial soul – the soul is simply the life force within a person and at death that life force leaves the body. This doctrine, also known as “Conditional Immortality”, holds that when we die the souls of the unredeemed cease to exist, often described as “soul annihilation”. The souls of the redeemed will be recreated at the future resurrection. They believe that Jesus was raised as a spirit rather than in a glorified physical body, while the redeemed will be resurrected to life on earth during the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ, with a healthy physical body.

Following from this, they also do not believe in a literal hell or eternal judgment. They interpret “Hell” as “the Grave”, a state of nonexistence or unconsciousness after death, rather than a place of eternal suffering.

They teach that after Armageddon, a thousand-year period known as the “Millennial Reign,” will begin. During this time, Jesus Christ will reign over the earth, and the faithful will have the opportunity to perfect themselves.

Christian Science

Christian Science was founded by Mary Baker Eddy who wrote the book “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” in 1875, which outlined their theology. The book became Christian Science’s central text, along with the Bible. As at 2021, the number of members in the Christian Science Church worldwide has been estimated to be between 100,000 and 420,000, as their policy is not to disclose their membership.

Spiritual Healing: Christian Science is widely known for its highly controversial practice of spiritual healing. It teaches that matter does not exist and all is spiritual. Therefore, sin, sickness, and death, which appear to have physical causes, are instead only states of mind. Matter and sin are just an Illusion, none of it is real. Sin and sickness are treatable by spiritual means: prayer.

Trinity: Christ Christian Scientists deny the Trinity and replace the person of the Holy Spirit with Divine Science. Christian Scientists believe that matter and sin are just an Illusion, none of it is real.

God and Jesus: The unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is Life, Truth, and Love. Jesus, the Messiah, is divine, but not a deity.

Christian Scientists say that they believe in God and they follow the Bible. However, they do not think that the Bible is the only source of truth. They say they also follow the teachings of Jesus, but they do not believe that Jesus was God. Instead, they see Jesus as the highest human form of the Christ, or the truth that comes from God.

The problem with Christian Science is that it’s neither Christian nor science. They often redefine terms to mean something else, and they basically deny that sin and death and suffering exist, but the belief in sin is punished so long as this belief lasts, so as long as you believe you’re a sinner you are a sinner. If you believe you’re going to die you will die. If you believe you’re sick then you’ll stay sick but they also reject sin and suffering and death, but if you believe it then you’re going to experience them.

The ‘science’ of Christian Science is spiritual healing. Christian Scientists claim to have no doctrines though they do have six tenants .

1. Adherence to Truth: As adherents of Truth, they take the inspired Word of the Bible as their sufficient guide to eternal Life.

2. Acknowledgement of God and His Son: They acknowledge and adore one supreme and infinite God. They acknowledge His Son, one Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter; and man in God’s image and likeness.

3. God’s Forgiveness of Sin: They acknowledge God’s forgiveness of sin in the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as real. But the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts.

4. Jesus’ Atonement: They acknowledge Jesus’ atonement as the evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man’s unity with God through Christ Jesus the Way-shower; and they acknowledge that man is saved through Christ, through Truth, Life, and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death.

5. Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus: They acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter.

6. Promise to Follow Jesus’ Teachings: They solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in them which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as they would have them do unto them; and to be merciful, just, and pure.

Branhamism

Branhamism, is a religious movement which arose from as the teachings of William M. Branham (1909-1965), an American Christian minister and faith healer. He claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come to prelude Christ’s second coming. His fame rapidly spread as crowds were drawn to his stories of angelic visitations and to the reports of multiple miracles happening at his meetings. As at 2018 there were estimated to be some 2-4m followers.

Branham’s legacy in terms of salvations and healings is significant. He is credited as “a principal architect of restorationist thought” for charismatics by some Christian historians. His “stage presence remains a legend unparalleled in the history of the Charismatic movement”. At the time they were held, his inter-denominational meetings were the largest religious meetings ever held in some American cities. Branham was the first American deliverance minister to successfully campaign in Europe; his ministry reached global audiences with major campaigns held in North America, Europe, Africa, and India. Branham came to Durban and ministered at the Durban City Hall as one of a team of three preachers; himself, F F Bosworth (Author of ‘Christ the Healer’) and Ern Baxter, and also at the Grayville Racecourse, where a multitude of people were healed.

However, it’s important to note that while Branham’s healing ministry had a significant impact, it also attracted criticism and controversy. Some of his followers have been labelled a “doomsday cult”. His charismatic and Pentecostal contemporaries subsequently disavowed many of his doctrines as “revelatory madness”. His teachings are characterized by several distinctive doctrines:

Modalism. Branham rejected the concept of the Trinity, viewing Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as offices of one God.

Baptism in the name of Jesus only. Branham argued that baptism should be performed in the name of Jesus Christ, not in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Serpent’s Seed doctrine. Branham taught that Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden was sexual in nature, involving a relationship with the serpent that resulted in the birth of Cain.

Eschatology: Branham prophesied that the end of the ages would be in 1977.

Branham proclaimed himself the angel of Revelation 3:14 & 10:7, and prophesied that by 1977 all denominations would be consumed by the World Council of Churches. To him, denominationalism was the mark of the beast. William Branham was warned by his former ministerial manager, Gordon Lindsay, to focus solely on his specialized calling. However, Branham insisted that he also desired to teach. Gordon Lindsay warned William Branham about his teachings in 1964, and about a year later, in December 1965 Branham was seriously injured in a car accident. He lived for six days after the accident and died on 24 December 1965.

The followers of Branhamism, often referred to as “Message Believers” or “Branhamites”, can be found around the world without any overall formal affiliation or governance. The movement has become particularly popular in French-speaking Western and Central Africa, especially in Congo-Brazzaville. However, it’s important to note that beliefs and practices can vary widely among different groups of Branhamites. Many of his followers still only read and listen to his messages and refuse to attend meetings of any other church group – due to his teaching that members of denominational churches had taken the mark of the beast.

Wicca

Wicca is a modern form of witchcraft. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20^th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. They believe in gods and goddesses which are typically viewed as the moon goddess and the horned God. They practice rituals to celebrate the cycles of the moon and the seasons. Wiccans adhere to the Wicker creed, an ethical code that states if it harms no-one, then do what you will.

Dr Brian Drury