My parents have become heretics. Should I cut them out of my life?
Question:
My mother and father have latched onto what I consider to be a heretical theology with fervor. My father, who is the reason I am a Bible-believing Christian today, has become a Full Preterist. He is radical, aggressive, and has tried to convert everyone he knows.
Both my parents believe that Satan, Hell, and spiritual warfare are not a thing anymore. When you die, you either cease to exist or go to Heaven. They believe the entirety of Revelation was intended for the Jews (who they've pinned the Whore of Babylon identity onto) and that everything else in the Bible has been fulfilled — including the Antichrist, Mark of the Beast, and the "Rapture" as we know it. The New Earth is metaphorical and this corrupted world will continue on in perpetuity to reap souls for God's kingdom. I believe some events in the Bible were fulfilled, but this? To me it's so backward, so wrong, and so evil to preach to people.
They have gone so off the rails that I feel sickened by them anymore -- physically sick. It feels like they have died or they were never really Christians in the first place. My faith has been rocked by all of this. It's made me question my simpler interpretation of the Bible.
They do not fear judgment anymore, so they've slipped into drunkenness, swearing and cursing, and not behaving like Christians at all. They are not concerned with the salvation of themselves or others. I have younger siblings who are still at the mercy of their indoctrination and their bad example.
I've made my position clear, so all I can really do is pray for them. But I don't want them in my life either. There's this oppressive darkness whenever I speak to my father. I dread seeing him or talking to him. My mother dismisses scary spiritual experiences I've had because they don't conform to her worldview.
So, my question is: am I justified in cutting them out from my life? Or is there never a justification for doing so?
Thank you.
Answer:
"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:15-20).
One way to spot false teachers is to look at the result of their beliefs. Your parents are getting drunk, even though God said through Paul that a person cannot be a drunkard and a part of the kingdom in Galatians 5:19-21.
Jesus had warned that following his teachings will at times divide households. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:34-37). Your duty as a child is to make sure your parents are cared for in their old age. It doesn't mean you have to agree with their false teachings. Move out. Call to see how everyone is doing but if the conversation turns to false ideas, then politely say you are not interested and hang up. Eventually, they will get the message that if they want to be a part of your life, they can't be pushing false doctrine on you.
Regarding some of the topics you mentioned, see
