Cathar Church, General Conference: Online Publications: Are Cathars Secretive?

Good Christians have no problem with any person of clearly evidenced sincerity from asking questions about our beliefs or practices. Rigorous questioning helps to ensure that the good Christians remain up front and focused on their primary mission: to spread the radical Good News of Jesus Christ.

But there are a few exceptions where we are obligated to consider not releasing certain information. Briefly, these relate to any situation where we have a positive responsibility under Scripture to protect the people entrusted to our care and stewardship.

This may include the government and police, as well as any other individual or group whose past or present conduct gives rise to suspicion about the sincerity of their intentions. Where there is no information about past conduct, the good Christian seeks the guidance of the Holy Spirit in forming a common sense decision about the motives involved.

In order to avoid abuse, the good Christians make every effort to seek the advice of reasoned individuals in the larger Christian community whenever possible. In fact, if you are not satisfied with the answers you have received, the good Christians are the only church to have a review panel composed of people from outside the church to examine your request and advise the church, in accordance with New Testament practices, if it is wrong. If the local church refuses to accept such advice, the members of that panel are free to make their view known to other churches and the public. Does your church have such a policy of openness? Put us to the test.

On the whole, the good Christians have a well documented history of being consistently open about who they are, where they have come from, and where they are going.

The church, like GOD, is holy; its establishment, ministries, internal affairs and government are not to be entangled with the civil government. The Church of GOD exists separate and distinct from human, civil government.

The good Christians belong to a voluntary association subject to the laws of the Kingdom and the juristiction of the Word of GOD. The church and its people belong to GOD and are held in trust for Him by His local church.

The Good Christians are not registered with the government at any level. We have never filed for tax exemption. We are not listed as a non-profit corporation or otherwise incorporated, nor in any sense a creature of the state. Therefore, the church is private, not public. The church claims all its right of existence from the Word of GOD.

We wouldn't blame you if you receive that impression that we keep some secrets - and it's absolutely correct, we do, especially since January, 2000 with the well documented government violations of personal liberty in the name of national security. But we are committed to maximise the amount of information which we can in good conscience release.

Let's be clear then on what is secret and what is not. The ancient Disciplina Arcani, (Latin 'Discipline of the Secret) was a practice of the early church until the 6th century. Good Christians still uphold it today.

What this means is that people who are not baptised in the church may not attend certain meetings of the church or be present during some worship or teaching sessions of the church.

The good Christians generally do not keep membership statistics and reserve the right not to release that information. Specifically, that means we do not divulge the names of members or associates except with their permission.

This practice was largely the result of persecution, and "partly through the natural human instinct to withdraw the most intimate and sacred elements of faith from the knowledge of outsiders;" (The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Edited by F.L. Cross, London, 1974, page 409).

The good Christians upholds the ancient right of Sanctuary. The idea of a place of refuge is well established in Scripture and was carried on throughout history when the church became the sanctuary for those fleeing from the government and the police. The church is GOD's property, and should still be a refuge for the helpless and the hopeless - even if an arrest warrant has been issued against them. Scripture applies strict conditions for Sanctuary. This practice sometimes limits information we release.