How is the LDS a cult?

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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
 
Kanuckistani said:
and it’s practices are not too strange (besides wearing special undergarments and not being able to drink coffee or alcohol).

Regards,
Kanuck
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As a former Mormon, I’m not going to get in delineating as to whether or not Mormonism is a cult.

But I did want to point out, the temple ceremony is certainly cult-like in nature.
The temple ceremony is the summit of their worship.
 
Marie5890 said:
As a former Mormon, I’m not going to get in delineating as to whether or not Mormonism is a cult.

But I did want to point out, the temple ceremony is certainly cult-like in nature.
The temple ceremony is the summit of their worship.
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^
reminds me of the anti-Catholic talk i hear, and that the Mass is “cult like” blah blah blah
 
Well… relatively small could mean small compared to Catholicism or Islam, both with around 1 billion members each. And Mormons are around 14 million.
And some would say their practices are strange.

But I think they are called a cult because they are not in line with mainstream Christianity (i.e. view of the trinity)… so some research groups classify them as a non-Christian cult.
 
CountrySteve said:
^
reminds me of the anti-Catholic talk i hear, and that the Mass is “cult like” blah blah blah
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I’m guessing that the anti-Catholics say that don’t know much about Jewish services. Considering many of the early Christians were also Jewish, the echos can be seen quite clearly. 🤷
 
By common definition, every church is a cult
  1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
  2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
  3. the object of such devotion.
  4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
    dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult
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When applied to a specific denomination, I think it’s used to be exclusionary and twist the knife (as opposed to discuss theology)
 
tarboy said:
By common definition, every church is a cult

When applied to a specific denomination, I think it’s used to be exclusionary and twist the knife (as opposed to discuss theology)
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Heck, one of the things that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints looks at for the various causes put before them is the “cult following” of the particular person in question

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/csaints/documents/rc_con_csaints_doc_20050929_saraiva-martins-beatif_en.html
 
Kanuckistani said:
Why do so many people believe the LDS is a cult?

Because of their beliefs and practices.

I personally think otherwise.

Ok

How could a church with nearly 15 million members, be a cult?

By believing what they believe.

And I know some Mormons and they told me the church doesn’t dictate what they can and cannot do.

That is not entirely true. They dictate what you cannot eat and drink. They dictate if you can go to the temple (and by extension, heaven), they dictate what you think (if the prophet says, it MUST be accepted). There are other examples, but we will leave it to this.

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.

They really don’t. I have never heard Romney, for example, say anything about his Church’s belief that God was once a sinful man or that Satan and Jesus are brothers, or that Adam is our God, etc etc. They keep all that pretty hush hush

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.

Their prophet is that very thing. What he says, GOES. As to worship…listen to some hymns about Joseph Smith, listen to talks at Sacrament Meeting. Listen to testimonies on Fast Sunday. See if you still believe they don’t

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.
Well, they ARE relatively small compared to Catholics. but let me submit THIS to you.

I attended LDS Temple Ceremonies till 1989 (I am 51). In those ceremonies, we had secret handshakes and phrases that we had to SWEAR never to divulge. We took blood oaths that described how we were allow ourselves to be killed (there was more than one way we were to “suffer our lives to be taken”). Women had to swear strict obedience to their husbands. We would wear secret underwear (garments) with odd symbols on them. Looking back, it seems pretty cultish to me.

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

I do not dispute your faith. Just let me say, another sign of cults is how hard it is to leave. When I left, some Mormons tried to kidnap my children. I was harassed at all hours of the day and night with calls and visitors telling me I was going to hell. I admire your convictions, but having been LDS, I totally understand when someone calls it a cult.

Be Blessed
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I don’t think the modern idea of a “cult” is a useful one. Its meaning is at once ambiguous and intensely negative, lending itself to abuse.

However, one thing that concerns me about the LDS’s, apart of course from their beliefs themselves which I believe to be false, is the way they seem to often be less than up front (to say the least) to outsiders about what they actually believe, including to people they are trying to convert. I suspect the impression that deception is used in their apologetics and missionary work is part of what makes people label them as a cult.
 
Aelred_Minor said:
I don’t think the modern idea of a “cult” is a useful one. It’s meaning is at once ambiguous and intensely negative, lending itself to abuse.

However, one thing that concerns me about the LDS’s, apart of course from their beliefs themselves which I believe to be false, is the way they seem to often be less than up front (to say the least) to outsiders about what they actually believe, including to people they are trying to convert. I suspect the impression that deception is used in their apologetics and missionary work is part of what makes people label them as a cult.
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It is commonly referred to as “lying for the Lord”, or “Milk before meat.”

That is one great thing about the RCIA process. No question, or teaching is out of bounds. At least in our parish.
 
“Cult” as it is used by many anti-Mormons, is just a derogatory label. Labels distance people from people. Describe the inner secrets of Mormonism, and its character is illuminated. The people are deceived-- pitiable, like Gollum. I mean, you can’t really hate Gollum-- or at least I can’t. You just can’t trust him. In a sense, he is a victim of his environment-- isolated from the rest of humanity for so long, he invented his own reality, revolving around the ring, which had to be destroyed. He loved it so much he followed it down into Mount Doom.

Pray for them-- don’t label them.
 
Jerusha said:
“Cult” as it is used by many anti-Mormons, is just a derogatory label. Labels distance people from people. Describe the inner secrets of Mormonism, and its character is illuminated. The people are deceived-- pitiable, like Gollum. I mean, you can’t really hate Gollum-- or at least I can’t. You just can’t trust him. In a sense, he is a victim of his environment-- isolated from the rest of humanity for so long, he invented his own reality, revolving around the ring, which had to be destroyed. He loved it so much he followed it down into Mount Doom.

Pray for them-- don’t label them.
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Does this mean the Osmond’s are Ringwraiths???

“I’m a little bit country.”

“I’m a little bit Witch King.”
 
Whether it is defined as a “cult” or not, it is certainly an entirely different religion from Catholic, Orthodox, or any type of Protestant Christianity.

Mormonism is not a “church” in the sense that Christians use the term. According to the Vatican, Mormon baptism is rendered invalid by non-Christian Mormon beliefs, and Mormons are therefore not part of the ecclesia.
 
Jerusha said:
“Cult” as it is used by many anti-Mormons, is just a derogatory label. Labels distance people from people. Describe the inner secrets of Mormonism, and its character is illuminated. The people are deceived-- pitiable, like Gollum. I mean, you can’t really hate Gollum-- or at least I can’t. You just can’t trust him. In a sense, he is a victim of his environment-- isolated from the rest of humanity for so long, he invented his own reality, revolving around the ring, which had to be destroyed. He loved it so much he followed it down into Mount Doom.

Pray for them-- don’t label them.
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Smeagol’s descent into complete slavery to evil, and destruction by it, was a gradual process that began even before Deagol found the ring, with his always looking down rather than up. Pitiable though he was his doom was also ultimately of his own making.

I’m not sure whether Mormonism actually fits the Gollum model of descent into sin that well. That is a very individual story of vice and temptation, while this is a case of a culture of sin and error (mixed with virtue and even an element of truth here and there, let’s not forget).
 
Can we make an analogy between the psychological/spiritual life of an individual, and the dynamics of a subculture?

However, your point is well-taken. The beginnings of a lost life contain the seeds for the loss.
 
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
Click to expand...
You are actually right regarding the technical definition of what a “cult is vs a 'sect” the Mormon church has go the number behind them to be noted as a “religion” definitely. I think that the issue with the LDS church is that there is this issue with Joseph Smith. when you have a Mormon come over…as I have had MANY times…and their response to me??/ “Well, I don’t know all you know because i am so young” or better yet “we have people waiting for us, and HAVE to go. I have heard other “good ones’ such as " a conflict of interest” making them unable to come back to the door they first decided to push their faith on. To get to the point. Mormons can ALWAYS dispute Bible reading by “the Book of Mormon” making the bible 'null and void” Joseph Smith was more involved with other writings that were really out of this worked unbelievable. Joseph Smith HIMSELF talked about how God revealed to him about polygomy…well, if that is the case, I would think honestly the FLDS folks are more on board with their spiritual leader. What we also see with LDS is that they don’t have the basic Christian principle held by ALL christians…and that is there was NEVER to be a false profit… Joseph smith deciding the "end of the world"to occur in 1890, really proved him to be just that. the Mormons at your door, never speak of the peril of great price or covenants and docrines…I wonder why??? anyway… Calling the LDS is not literally a cult in terms of population of it’s members, but it does not hold true to what main stream Christians would say is the “trinity” what any other Christan may not see as the trinity, and therefore on the "same page’ with other christians…is NOT so at all. Mormons believing three totally different persons…Just plainly NOT Christian. they may have ‘Christ in their name, but that doesn’t make it so according to Christians. so I do agree with you as Mormons are NOT a cult…they are definitely in favor to the "Book of Mormon’; over any translation of the Bible. this is the real problem when Christians state that Mormons are “cults”
 
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.
 
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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Better than voting for obama, who thinks he is a god now
 
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