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? …
Here’s what a cult is defined as:
- A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.
- A relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
Regards,
Kanuck
Hello, interesting topic. However, where did you get your definition of a “cult”? A cult does not have to be small in size nor does it have to direct its worship toward any particular figure. A non-Christian cult is simply a group that calls themselves Christian, but ignores or denies the basic precepts and foundational truths of Christianity. The Morman church, as you will see soon, fits into this category and one would be wise to keep this in mind when conversing with its members.
Short History:
Mormonism began in 1820, when Joseph Smith, Jr., purportedly expe¬rienced a spectacular vision of two celestial personages appearing to him, claiming all existing churches were wrong. One of these apparitions was purportedly the angel Moroni which divulged to Smith the location of gold plates con¬taining the “fullness of the ever¬lasting gospel and were written in “reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics.” Smith was able to read these texts by using a pair of magi¬cal eyeglasses that he used to trans¬late the cryptic writing into English. The result was a new revelation called the Book of Mormon and a new religion called Mormonism.
Theology:
How millions can take the Book of Mormon seriously is almost beyond comprehension. While Smith referred to it as “the most correct of any book on earth, its flaws run the gamut from the serious to the silly. In the category of serious we find that Ether 3:14 (“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, I am the Father and the Son”) is modalistic and militates against Trinitarian theology. In the category of silly is the account in Alma 44 of a man who becomes irate after being scalped and stirs up his soldiers to fight “more powerfully.” And in Ether 15 we read of a man who struggles to catch his breath after having his head cut off. Additionally, the Book of Mormon has been altered over 4,000 times to compensate for Smith’s poor command of English, as well as for the numerous errors and incon¬sistencies it presented.
The second extra biblical revelation, Doctrine and Covenants, a compilation of alleged divine revela¬tions given to the Mormon church, is equally problematic. Among the far-fetched revelations is the doctrine of polygamy. This said, the “new and everlasting covenant” of plural marriage is per¬haps the best example of Mormon equivocation. In 1890, under threat of exile to Mexico, Mormons officially abolished polygamy in the “earthly” realm. However, in secret males continue to be sealed to multiple wives… in the heavenly realm. Thus, the earthly practice of polygamy, publicly promoted by Brigham Young (who personally had 27 wives and 52 children), is now promised to those who attain the highest level of the celestial kingdom. Like their Heavenly Father, Mormon males may hope to one day, too, rule their own personal planets and enjoy endless, celestial sex with multiple goddess wives.
The third authority of the Mormon Canon, the Pearl of Great Price , is no less troubling. It was used for years by Mormons to prevent African-Americans from entering their priest¬hood and consequently from being exalted to “godhood” in the system’s celestial kingdom. While these and other aberrations pose a serious threat to Mormon credibility, it is the organi¬zation’s deviations from essential Christian doctrine which ultimately define it as a non-Christian cult. Major Mormon theological travesties begin with the denial of Christ’s deity. In fact, Christ, according to Mormon theology, has the dubious distinction of being Lucifer’s spirit brother. In addition, Mormonism denies:
The doctrine of original sin, teach¬ing instead that men and women are, in reality, gods in embryo;
Christ’s preservation of His church, teaching instead that the true church vanished from the earth after the death of the apostles, and that Joseph Smith had to restore it with his “latter-day saints;”
The Trinity, affirming instead that God the Father and Jesus have bodies of flesh and bone and that the Trinity is pagan in origin.
The inerrancy of Scripture,
Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost, teaching that God the Father had relations with Mary
The immutability of God, affirming instead that God was perhaps once child, and mortal like we ourselves
The biblical concept of hell, teaching that all can be rescued.
Even this cursory overview of Mormon history and theology should make it abundantly clear that although Mormons use Christian terminology, both the roots and fruits of their reli¬gion are decidedly unbiblical. It is crucial that Christians learn to scale the Mormon language barrier. It is my prayer that, in the process, you will become so familiar with the truth that when counterfeits loom on the horizon you will be able to recognize them instantaneously. God Bless!
