Are Black Israelites a cult

Answer 1

A:

Several groups of people of African ancestry situated mainly in the United States, who use descriptions such as "Black Hebrews" or "Black Israelites," believe they are actual descendants of the ancient Israelites. They adhere in varying degrees to the religious beliefs and practices of mainstream Judaism, but are rejected by Judaism as not being real Jews. They would seem to be looking for an identity that would be a source of pride to them, failing to realise that their own heritage can be a source of pride in itself. The term 'cult' is often used to describe a deviant religious organisation with novel beliefs and practices, and would probably fit well with the Black Israelites.

Answer:

The beliefs and practices of Black Hebrew groups vary considerably. The differences are so great that historian James Tinney has suggested the classification of the organizations into three quite distinct groups.

Some of these groups are actually Christians, or part-Christians in their beliefs and practices. They have titles such as Church of the Living God, the Church of God and Saints of Christ, and the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ. Others profess beliefs closer to Judaism, such as the Commandment Keepers.

As Judaism sees it, the issue with their claims is that they can produce no generally-accepted evidence of actual Semitic ancestry. These groups created themselves spontaneously within recent history, from within the wider African-American population.

Any African-Americans who choose to become actual Jews through proper conversion are accepted into Judaism.