How is the LDS a cult?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kanuckistani
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FONT=“Comic Sans MS”]My sister has been best friends with a Mormon woman for 25 ye****ars. Susie has never tried to convert any of us. The only problem that they have ever encountered is when Susie’s sister was in horrible financial straights and my sister gave her $1500 as a gift. My sister was livid when she found out that $150 was tithed to the church from the gift. My generous sister hit the roof! It serves no purpose to call them a cult - if you do you will end up a handmaiden onnone of their planet kingdoms! Sorry - I know that was not PC…couldn’t resist. 😉
 
Jim_Dandy said:
Perhaps Mormonism is viewed as a cult by some because it is modern (established by Joseph Smith in 1831), polytheistic (they prefer the term henotheistic), polygamous (polygamy, now suppressed on earth, is practiced in the Mormon heaven), and the males believe they may (if they are faithful and give more than 10% of their gross income to the LDS “church”) become gods and rule over their own worlds in the life hereafter. Their wives may become goddesses and join them, but only if they are “sealed” to their husbands in a very secretive temple ceremony based on Masonic ritual. Oh, and their “Heavenly Father” is flesh and bones. There’s more, of course. But Mormonism is not Christian. So it is designated a “cult” – perhaps for lack of a better label.

Regarding Romney: I won’t like voting for a man who thinks he will become a god in the hereafter.
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The only thing I know about Mormonism is that Donny and Marie are Mormons. 🙂
Can someone here provide a link to information about this particular faith?
 
Just do a search of Mormon-related threads right here. That will do it. :cool:
 
Kanuckistani said:
Why do so many people believe the LDS is a cult? I personally think otherwise. How could a church with nearly 15 million members, be a cult? And I know some Mormons and they told me the church doesn’t dictate what they can and cannot do. Look at many Mormon politicians. They let their positions known and receive no criticism towards them from the LDS church. It’s not like Mormons are held on a leash or anything.

Also, the church has no charismatic or authoritarian leader, and I recently talked to a Mormon who told me they don’t worship any of their prophets (even Joseph Smith!). The current president seems like a genuinely nice, and democratic leader.

Here’s what a cult is defined as:
  1. A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.
  2. A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
If the LDS is a cult, then us Catholics and protestants are as well, since we devote our lives to Jesus Christ. Also, the LDS is by no means small, and it’s practices are not too strange (besides wearing special undergarments and not being able to drink coffee or alcohol).

Also, I don’t want to come off as pro-Mormon or anti-Catholic (I love my Catholic faith). So lets keep this civil.

Regards,
Kanuck
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It all boils down to the divinity of Jesus Christ and the unicity and triunicity of God.

Civil enough?
 
Jerusha said:
Just do a search of Mormon-related threads right here. That will do it. :cool:
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There have been enough discussions of the LDS on this forum to put together a blasted systematic theology of Mormon belief!
 
IggyAntiochus said:
There have been enough discussions of the LDS on this forum to put together a blasted systematic theology of Mormon belief!
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Brother Antiochus has been called for this assignment.He has met with the bishopric and is found worthy of keeping the teachings of The Gospel.All those in favor please indicate by the uplifted right hand.
All those opposed, please manifest by the same sign.
 
batman1973 said:
Brother Antiochus has been called for this assignment.All those in favor please indicate by the uplifted right hand.
All those opposed, please manifest by the same sign.
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I’m a little bit country, you’re a little bit out of your mind! 😃
 
How can anyone put together a systematic theology of Mormon belief? Mormons have no system of belief. What the prophet said yesterday, he will deny tomorrow.

Anyway, I am far beyond you. I’m already a’ workin’ on it. Got enough for 700 pages and possibly formulating a whole new chapter.

:grouphug: Thank you.
 
batman1973 said:
Brother Antiochus has been called for this assignment.He has met with the bishopric and is found worthy of keeping the teachings of The Gospel.All those in favor please indicate by the uplifted right hand.
All those opposed, please manifest by the same sign.
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:clapping:

I wonder if there’s ever been a time that somebody wasn’t sustained.
 
xixxvmcm85 said:
:clapping:

I wonder if there’s ever been a time that somebody wasn’t sustained.
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One time my older brother went to Sacrament Meeting with the family, and when the Bishop said “All opposed” he raised his hand. We were mortified. But looking back on it, it was pretty funny!
 
(I just gotta say that you guys have me laughing…Assignments and callings and sustainings and opposings yada yada…oh yea that “little bit country…” bit too…childhood memories indeed)…

Hope everyone is well this Saturday evening at the end of April… 🙂
 
Marie5890 said:
lolol…my fav star trek movie!!!..
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Mine, too! That’s why I couldn’t resist asking! 😃

Our whole family is full of Trek freaks. When that movie came out in video, we watched it so many times we could practically quote every line. That was definitely one of our favorite scenes. 😃 LOL
 
To the OP, there are several internet resources that define how to identify a cult. A few tell-tale signs of a cult:
  • A cult needs to recruit and operate using deception.
  • Cult leaders will tell you can only be “saved” (or can only be successful) in their organization alone.
  • In a religious cult, leadership is feared. To disagree with leadership is the same as disagreeing with God. The cult leaders will claim to have direct authority from God to control almost all aspects of your life.
  • Guilt will be used to control you. Maybe the reason you’re not making money is because you’re not “with the program”. Maybe the reason you’re not able to convert new recruits is because “your heart is prideful and full of sin”. It could never be that the program isn’t working, or those new recruits have valid reasons for not joining. It’s always your fault, you are always wrong, and so you must try harder! You will also be made to feel very guilty for disobeying any of the cult’s written or unwritten rules.
  • Character Assassination is used to help create the guilt in you. . The technical name for Character Assassination is “The Ad hominem Fallacy”. (Character assassination is a sure sign of a cult.)
  • Cult members are usually very fearful of disobeying or disagreeing with their leaders. Healthy organizations are not threatened by open debate.
  • Love bombing. Cults will arrange “instant friends” for you. These friendships will be used to control you. For example, you wouldn’t want to criticize something you have learned or discovered about the organization, cult leaders or members, because you might lose these “friends”.
  • Any information about the cult, that is sourced from the outside, is “evil”. If you are instructed to not read certain information about a group, it’s a sure sign it’s a cult. Legitimate organizations have no need to fear critical information about the group.
  • Everyone is encouraged to watch out for struggling brothers and sisters, and report these struggles to higher-ups. If you have given confidential information to a trusted member of a group, and it is reported to leadership, it’s a cult.
  • Time control. Never ending tasks and compulsory meetings.
Cult recruiting techniques:
  • Hyped meetings
  • Intense and unrelenting pressure to join
  • They tell you they are not a cult
  • Work on you at times you are vulnerable
  • Experiential instead of logical
  • Fake friendships
  • End of world pressure
  • Pressure to do things you would have considered “crazy” before.
  • Secret knowledge
Key warning signs a group is a cult:
  • Single charismatic leader
  • People are always happy and enthusiastic – you discover they have been instructed to act this way in order to attract recruits
  • Instant friends
  • Being told who you can and cannot talk to
  • Hiding what is taught
  • Saying they are the true group
  • Hyped meetings rather than sharing with you individually
  • Asking for money to get to the next level
  • Door-to-door recruitment during hours when they think only a woman is home (sexist thought that comes from thinking the woman will be easier to convince and she will convince the others in the home)
  • Saying that paying for something makes it more appreciated
Be especially eager to surf the internet for information if a group has told you not to.
 
Defined from the basics, Mormons are not Christians because they do not accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior; they do not believe that one’s personal belief in the validity of Jesus Christ will get them into Heaven.

Mormons do not believe in the Trinity.

Mormons believe that just only being “A good person” is enough to get oneself into Heaven.

Ask a Temple Mormon to explain how their soul might become a “god” and achieve getting their very own special Planet, stocked with virgins so they can produce “god-babies”, somewhere out there in the Universe.

There are more rather “different” aspects of Mormonism; please take it upon oneselves to study this unique religion.
Is it Christian? A cult? Don’t make any assumptions; take some time to study Mormonism.
 
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