Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

How do you respond to individuals—neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, or the people who ride the bus with you—who are involved in toxic religions? The very question makes some uneasy, yet the reality is that toxicity in our world is on the increase. When the environment becomes toxic we complain loudly, denouncing the manufacturer who mindlessly contaminates the ground water that becomes our drinking water. We expect the government to deal with toxic substances in our food.  Manufacturers recall toys that are dangerous to our children.  But when some become involved in religions that are toxic, we are unsure how to handle the situation. Do you ignore them? Denounce them? Attack them?  Or just hope they will go away?

First, what makes a religion toxic?  For many years, a group that has departed from essential of the Christian faith accepted by mainstream Christian groups historically, has been described as a cult. No, the term is not pejorative or demeaning. It simply describes groups who rejected the integral beliefs of the Christian faith. Individuals involved in toxic religions usually follow strong religious figures who lay down iron-clad laws and dislike being challenged; however, Paul said that if an angel from heaven should proclaim any other gospel than that which had been passed on from Christ and the apostles, he was to be rejected.

Clearly, he considered those who rejected the deity of Christ, His bodily resurrection, and the atonement wrought by the shedding of Christ’s blood to be false teachers, and that what they taught was toxic.

In a pluralistic society, we tend to think that religion is a private matter and people can believe whatever they choose. Not so, if you acknowledge that God’s Word is truth; and when you reject what it says, your beliefs have become toxic.

OK, back to my initial question, “How should you treat others whose religious beliefs are toxic?” The following guidelines provide an answer from a Christian perspective.

First-love them. Jesus clearly taught that His followers should love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them and slander them. Loving individuals who hold toxic beliefs is usually a one-way transaction, but it breaks down the walls of hostility. Love is a powerful weapon. Real love doesn’t expect anything in return. When you love someone who is toxic, they may not understand why you love them, but they know you do.

The second thing you should do is to pray for those involved in toxic religions. Pray that God will open their eyes to the reality of who Jesus Christ is and what God’s purpose is for our lives.

Then recognize them as individuals who need the truth—they are not just on a different journey to the same place.  John was extremely clear in telling believers that those who deny Christ are not to be received as brothers.

Next, find common ground with those whose religions are toxic, if you can. Paul did this on Mars Hill. Ask what they believe and then show them from Scripture what you believe and why you believe it. Rarely do you find someone involved in a toxic religion who knows what the Bible teaches. Capitalize on their curiosity and understand that truth stands on its own merit in the marketplace. You never need fear confronting toxicity in a world that needs to know there is truth and there are absolutes that do not change. The darker the age, the more you will stand alone when you adhere to the truth of Scripture. Better, however, to demonstrate truth, walked out in love, no matter how narrow the way, than to walk in a toxic light that provides only a false security.

Resource reading: 2 John 7-11