Is the mormon church a cult?

Answer 1

Yes

Answer 2

Well its quit obvious none of you are or know any members of the LDS church!!!!! As for the comment of horny old men justifying mulitple sex partners thats not the LDS church, that is groups that have branched off of the original and have no affiliation at all with the ORIGINAL Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As the church being a cult I guess maybe in a way it is Webster defines a cult as a formal religious veneration so if you want to get down to it every church, relgion or anything out there can be called a cult. I realize that you are calling the CHURCH a cult in the evil ways, but hey if you cant take the time to find out on your own and just take what other people have to say about it then you are just idiots!!! My question to all of you is why does the LDS(Mormon) church threaten you so much that people have to always say such crap????? I realize that now days orginized religion just makes people mad, thats because so many of them know and feel they are doing things wrong!! I am not saying I am perfect I am far from it. next time take 5 minutes and do some research before you call something a CULT!!

Answer 3

No, the mormon church is not a cult, although it has cult like things about it. If your going to call the mormons a cult, then you need to call the Catholic, baptists and everyone else a cult. If you want to know more about the mormons, just ask me, because I've been one my whole life!!

Answer 4

Many people think of cults as being a group led by a dynamic leader that captures and manipulates people such that they no longer make decisions for themselves. In general when people think of cults they also think of something that is difficult to get out of. People tend to think of Jim Jones or David Koresh for example.

Mormons have had many leaders over the years and if you have ever heard or seen their current leader Gordon B. Hinkley I think you would have a hard time categorizing him as a "dynamic" leader who could "capture" anyone. They also make it significantly difficult to honestly join (you have to give up your vices first and prove sincere intent). And to leave the church you can just stop going. If you want to formally leave the church and not be bothered again all you have to do is say so on a piece of paper and send it to the local pastor "Bishop" and they will permanently remove your name from the church and not visit or bother you again. To me that doesn't sound very "cult-like".

Finally it is important to understand that the Mormon doctrine places a high value on "figuring it out for yourself" and "pondering and praying" about doctrinal points in order to get a "spiritual confirmation" about whether it is true or not -- regardless of who said it. While some members are lousy at doing or teaching that, it is still the doctrine.

So all-in-all it is tough to call it a "cult" as most people think of it. It is a strict religion that requires a lot of its members, but it also allows people to make their own choices and walk away from it if they choose and even makes it easy to do so. That kind of freedom is not characteristic of most cults.

Answer 5

The 'normal' mormon church is not by and large, but they are in some respects.

The Fundamental Latter Day Saints (the leader, Warren Jeffs was this) is definitely a cult. Jeffs was on the FBI 10 most wanted list for assisting in child marriage arrangements, and being charged for assisting in rape.

Answer 6

It might be more accurate to say that the LDS church has many cult-like features. They maintain a high degree of control over their members, there are high requirements of both time and money to be involved, interactions with people of other faiths is discouraged, the services are highly ritualized, the doctrine promotes a very pervasive us-against-them mentality, the day-to-day operations of the church are hidden from the membership, and it's run by a single individual who is appointed, not elected, and with whom individuals are not allowed to disagree. On the other hand, by and large they do promote the education and welfare of their members, people that want to leave the church are allowed to do so, and for the most part are a benefit to the communities they live in, although the benefits become greatly lessened when they comprise the majority of people in the communities they live in.

Answer 7

Ah, you've found me out! If by cult you mean complete devotion to a single religious leader, then this member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is DEFINATELY a member of a cult.

Of course, I refer to my veneration of the leader of my faith -- Jesus Christ.

If you sense I am making fun of your question, you're right. I do that because the meaning of the word "Cult" is any religious group. The word is misused today, usually by bigots, to mean any religion they don't like very much.

Answer 8

Yes. They are a cult. In fact ALL relgions are cults. And I do mean 'all'. Christian, Satanism, Judaism, Islam, even Atheism.
My Funk and Wagnalls dictionary (because ya just gotta love a dictionary called "Funk and Wagnalls") defines "cult" as thus:

noun /kult/
1 Worship or religious devotion; esp., a form of religion.
2 A syste,m of religious observances.
3 Extravagant devotion to a person, cause, or thing; also, the object of such devorion.
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So you see, to call any religion a cult doesn't necessarily denote radicalist thought, suicide pacts, or brainwashing. The word 'cult' is simply a synonym for 'religion'.

Answer 9

Any relgious church organization is a cult so yes. It's not a bad, nazi cult, if that's what you're asking too.

Answer 10

If you are talking about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, no they are not a cult.

However, this really depends on your perception and definition of 'cult'.

Answer 11

Yes...

The Church claims to be the exclusive restoration of the church founded by Jesus Christ and the sole source of priesthood authority necessary for ordinances of salvation (such as baptism). This has led to extensive criticism from Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians, some of which label it a "cult", "sect," or "heretical", or dispute that it is truly "Christian".[27]