What is the World Mission Society Church of God, and what do they believe?
The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) was founded by a man named Ahn Sahng-Hong in South Korea in 1964. He was born in 1918 to Buddhist parents and spent many years with the Seventh-day Adventists. He claimed to have rebuilt the Church of God—the same Church that Jesus established and with the same…
What is Yazidism, and what do Yazidis believe?
Yazidism is the religion of a Kurdish people-group that lives primarily in Iraq. Some Yazidis also live in Armenia, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, and Syria. The Kurds are usually identified as an Iranian ethnic group descended from the Medes. Not all Kurds are Yazidis, but all Yazidis are Kurdish. The Yazidi live in tight-knit communities, and…
What is the Druze religion?
The Druze religion is associated with an ethnic group living in the Near East. They are said to have descended from Jethro, the priest of Midian who was Moses’ father-in-law (Exodus 18:1), and they recognize him as their principal prophet and founder of their religion. The Druze religion is monotheistic (believing in one god), and…
What is the Baha’i faith?
The Baha’i faith is one of the newer world religions stemming originally from Shi’ite Islam in Persia (modern-day Iran). However, it has come to achieve a unique status of its own. The Baha’i faith has distinguished itself as a unique world religion because of its size (5 million members), its global scale (236 countries), its…
What is Priscillianism?
Priscillianism was founded in the fourth century by Priscillian, a Spanish bishop. The movement emerged in the Roman province of Hispania, corresponding to modern-day Spain and Portugal. The teachings of Priscillianism combined elements of ascetism, mysticism, and dualism. As such, they were condemned as heretical. Priscillian, born around AD 340 in the Roman province of…
What is Sikhism?
Sikhism arose as an attempt to harmonize Islam and Hinduism. But viewing Sikhism as a harmonization of the two religions does not capture the theological and cultural uniqueness of Sikhism. To call Sikhism a compromise between Islam and Hinduism would be taken as an insult akin to calling a Christian a heretical Jew. Sikhism is…
What is The Way International?
The Way International was founded in 1942 by Victor Paul Wierwille as a radio program, then was renamed the Chimes Hour Youth Caravan in 1947. The name became “The Way” in 1955, no doubt a reference to Jesus’ statement that He is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). In spite of its…
Who are the Two by Twos and the Cooneyites, and what do they believe?
The “Two by Twos” are a religious group founded about 1897 by Scotsman William Irvine. They have always held beliefs in opposition to sound doctrine, as have their theological cousins, the Cooneyites. Originally, Irvine had been sent to County Tipperary, Ireland, by the evangelical Faith Mission, but after Irvine told his new converts to separate…
What is Confucianism?
Confucianism, a religion of optimistic humanism, has had a monumental impact upon the life, social structure, and political philosophy of China. The founding of the religion goes back to one man, known as Confucius, born 500 years before Christ. Confucianism deals primarily with moral conduct and ethical living and is often categorized as an ethical…
What is a Gypsy?
The word Gypsy refers to a member of an ethnic group called the Romani, or Romany. The Romani are descendants of people from northern India, originating there about 1,000 years ago. They are related to the Dom people, who came from the same area but separated from the Romani. The Romani or Gypsies are a…