The “Christian” organization you are supporting may very well be a cult.

The Unification Church, otherwise known as The Holy Spirit Association or the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, owns or is affiliated with several organizations, many with Christian-sounding names.

The organization itself “uses Christian terminology and categories, but the definitions and meanings are totally different,” said Fred Miller of True Light Educational Ministry in Shirley, N.Y. more >>

The word "cult," once simply used by certain groups to denote a system of religious practice, has become a topic of intense national debate. After Dr. Robert Jeffress' explosive comments in October regarding Mitt Romney, Mormonism and cults, defining the term may even be a crucial factor in the 2012 presidential race.

The inflammatory word is also quickly fueling a need to clearly distinguish the difference between biblical Christianity and religious groups who claim to be of the same faith.

"Defining terms is really important when addressing live cultural issues," said preeminent evangelical theologian R. Albert Mohler, Jr., in a March 3 radio broadcast of "The Briefing." Christians need to "make sure we know what we're saying," he said. more >>

A Christian commentator takes Twilight series author Stephanie Meyer to task for "ruining" the vampire genre by taking the traditional staples about the eternally damned bloodsuckers and "softening them with teen romantic tripe," otherwise ignoring "the eternal nature of death in sin."

In a post for Think Christian, a collaborative Christian blog that discusses "Christ, culture, and the ways that faith plays out in everyday life," John J. Thompson, a songwriter, musician and the Creative Director at EMI CMG Publishing, expresses his belief that "the whole world needs good vampire stories because they are so importantly Christian."

Meyer, who published the first Twilight novel in 2005, created the male protagonist of the popular book series and movie franchise as a romantic and lovable guy. Meyer's leading man and hero, Edward Cullen, is described as "inhumanly beautiful" - quite the opposite of the vampires seen in "Nosferatu" and the numerous "Dracula" films or "Blade." more >>

An online witch school recently launched a public relations campaign declaring a shortage of teachers it claims comes as the result of Wicca becoming the fastest growing religion in America.

Witch School International, Inc. said in a press release that “America is on the brink of awakening and discovering its inner magic, and this is changing belief systems around the world as well. How this change occurs depends on what people believe, and more people than ever are looking at Paganism and Wicca.”

The schools co-founder, Ed Hubbard, is quoted as saying, “There is such a rapid spiritual reorientation in America occurring, that the need for thousands of Wiccan teachers over the course of the next decade will be required to meet the demand for basic teachings.” more >>

A federal judge rejected a convicted inmate's request to have a copy of Anton LaVey’s The Satanic Bible inside his cell at an Illinois prison on Monday.

Kevin Halfmann, who is serving time inside the Centralia Correctional Center for predatory criminal sexual assault, filed the request even though the book has been banned by Illinois prisons for more than 20 years.

Illinois officials had previously determined that the book has a potential to incite hatred and violence. more >>

In the potpourri of doomsday predictions (Harold Camping’s misfire included), most do not include a way out or a safe haven. Enter a small town in France and the New Age cults prophecy for Armageddon on December 21, 2012.

Rumors swirling on the Internet in the last several months point to Bugarach – a town on a hilltop in the southwest of France – as the only place to survive the end of the world as predicted by some using the Mayan calendar.

The Mayan calendar reaches 5,000 years in 530 days, 12 hours, 41 minutes, and 21 seconds, according to a countdown clock found at MayanCalendar2012.org (at the time of this writing). more >>