Some Cult members are brought up to think it’s all right to lie to those outside the cult. “Nothing wrong with lying to them.” they have been taught to believe.
Along with that comes the cultists’ notion that it’s all right to steal from outsiders. Some think they have the right, if not the duty, to kill outsiders.
Would a monk in a monastery, who dies in a state of mortal sin after intentionally missing a mass before he has a chance to go to Confession be as destined for Perdition as a cultist who committed mass murder?
On the other hand, one reading of the slaughters in Africa may ask, “Would an armed cultist, raised from early youth to kill upon command, who was charged with the duty of machine-gunning a family, be saved if, out of pity, he spared one child after killing thousands of people?”
Are transgressions in a permissive society punished less than those taking place in a culture with a clear awareness of sin? Is a wanton teenager who sincerely believes that “God doesn’t care about that.” punished the same way as one who intentionally disobeys a Commandment?
The best answer may be: “The only thing that matters is that I do my best.” Thinking we can do God’s job of judging is not the best way to spend our time. It may be among the worst.
