Mormons: Cult or not?

Question

With a mandotory tithe and having great difficulty leaving, it seems like a cult to me. I'd like to hear your opinions. Thanks.

Answer 1

What is the "great difficulty" about leaving the mormon church? Obviously if your friends and family are mormon, they will exert pressure to keep you in, but I know of no cases in which the LDS church has forcibly restrained someone from leaving the church. They will send missionaries and other church personnel to lure you back into the fold as long as you are in their membership records. They will excommunicate you if you ask to have your name expunged from their records, but that shouldn't concern someone who wishes to leave. As for the mandatory tithe, the church doesn't send thugs to collect. It is necessary to be a full tithe to partake in their temple ceremonies, but punishment is left to the afterlife.

All religions exhibit some "cult" characteristics...

http://www.sspx-cult.com/CultCharacteristics.htm

Answer 2

Pretty much every organized group of "followers" is a cult...Christianity is a cult, Islam is a cult, Judaism is a cult...they all follow a person or beliefs.
Get over it.

That said, tithing is not "mandatory" we all have our agency, the LDS church does not make anyone do anything, that would be against our Heavenly Father's plan and the church would cease to exist.
Constantly looking for members? Of course we are! What religion does not try for more members/followers? We feel and believe we have the truth, therefore, we want to share it with everyone we can, plus it is a commandment to spread the gospel.
Seriously, people need to just get over this whole "cult" thing. The church isn't scary or weird or anything and I challenge anyone to go attend a Sacrament meeting and see for yourself.

Answer 3

Counterfeit Christianity is probably the best description I can give for a cult. Counterfeit Christianity is an imitation of real Christianity. Bible terms like "Jesus Christ, Resurrection, Salvation, and Atonement" are used by the Cult, but the various cult groups have assigned entirely different meanings to these terms.
Like counterfeit money which is sometimes difficult to detect, so it is difficult to detect counterfeit Christianity, since it looks like the real thing. Experts examining counterfeit money often hold it up to a strong light and look for identifying marks. Counterfeit Christianity also has identifying marks, which can be seen when, held up to an even stronger light, the light of God's word, the bible.
We are at an advantage if we know what to expect from a cult. Cultists are very well trained to appear "Christian", and indeed believe they are the true churches, and you need the deliverance! Therefore, be bold and ask the question, "do you believe the group you represent is the only true church on the face of the earth?"
If they reply that they are, or if they are evasive, making remarks like "Well, every church has a measure of truth but...", you have made an early detection of a Cultist.
Every true Christian, if asked the same question, regardless of his denomination, would reply that the true church is comprised of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and HE (not some organization) is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, (John 14:6). No legitimate denomination would claim that they alone and their members have salvation exclusively, but the cults (the counterfeits) do.

Answer 4

No Mormonism is a cult. Anything that had such an absurd begging has got to be a cult. They do not do anything with the correct rational from the bible.

And they are constantly seeking converts.

Answer 5

NO. Definitely not a cult! The Mormons are excellent people, very kind, smart, religious, intelligent, honest... And how is a mandatory tithe make it a cult? Please expound.

Answer 6

Here's a clue: every religion is a cult in it's own right.

A "cult" simply means "a following of people".

Answer 7

It's a cult.

Answer 8

cult, dangerous blood thirsty cult. my opinion.