The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a cult?

Question

Cult: (noun) a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

Doesn't sound bad to me? Any other Mormons who really do not give a crap if anyone says the LDS church is a cult? I am totally fine with that! Yeah Mormons are a cult...now what are you going to try and throw in our faces next? Do you not know that Jesus led by example not mere words and accusations?

Meat,
Your ever so welcome. Now you can feel better about yourself. I hope I helped!

Answer 1

In order for a religious organization to be considered a "cult" they must isolate themselves from main stream society. The Mormon church has not done that, in fact they cover the globe and try to convert everyone! I am definitely not an L.D.S. member (never) and they have MANY issues, but being a cult isn't one of them.

Answer 2

Ignoring the definition of cult which makes all religions sound like one, I think most people in the world today are enlightened enough not to consider the LDS church a cult.

I believe this is largely due the the church's size and contribution to society, but more to the point it the church organization and teachings does not seem like one to me.

Answer 3

If we are a cult, then all religions are cults.

meat said "I have another definition: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious"

Regarded by whom?

Jews regarded Jesus and His teachings as unorthodox and spurious. That would place Christianity as a cult.

Lots of religions regard other religions as unorthdox and spurious. That would make all of them "cults".

But, we all know that the word "CULT" is used to get that knee-jerk reaction of "OMG! A CULT! We must do something!" There are those who would make people believe that the Mormons are trying to take over the world, etc. But, the last time that sort of thing happened to a specific religion, 6,000 of them died in horrific conditions in places named Auswitz and Bergen-Belson.

I don't care what religion it is, nothing like that must ever happen again.

Answer 4

Your minister has been critically misinformed. He of course is being prejudice and impolite and un-christian with the help of badmouthing yet another faith. One definition of cult is as follows: (This definition isn't used anymore. the widespread definition thoroughly excludes our church in each way.) one million: formal non secular veneration : worship 2: a gadget of non secular ideals and formality. we don't evaluate ourselves a cult. in spite of if with the help of the definition of cult above your church alongside with another faith may well be considered a cult too. So i assume we are all in a cult till we are athiest! AHHHH!! Oh no!!!!! we don't condone polygamy or its 'evils' as you place it. Being a polygamist is the quickest thank you to get excommunicated from our church, arms down. We had our motives for training it 215 some unusual years in the past, and wager what, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had their motives for training it too! there have been very strict rules approximately polygamy and you had to be requested to marry a 2nd, 0.33, etc. spouse. you will possibly desire to no longer in basic terms say, "ooh look at that 14 365 days previous hottie, i % her to be my spouse and then i'm going to rape her!" like the FLDS church does. you will possibly desire to be 18 to get married in our temples besides. the main motives for polygamy have been that girls needed nutrition, and a place to stay and a acceptance to possess belongings in. such lots of husbands have been lost crossing the plains and abruptly there have been all and sundry of those widows. Polygamy saved lives. there have been lots of different motives for it too. we don't prepare it anymore for plenty of motives including the actual incontrovertible fact that that's against the regulation and between the commandments is to maintain the guidelines of the land.

Answer 5

what a silly question.
you know what the world means when they call the LDS church a cult.
the world doesn't seem to know that LDS are Christians
you need to spend a little time letting people know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are Christians
fyi; I am not LDS

Answer 6

Of course its a cult. Cult is just the honest word used to describe any church. The synonym of cult is religion.

Answer 7

I do not personally know enough about their practices to make an evaluation.

But in terms of the "cult" status of any religion, the word is generally (currently) used to mean something more than what you have above.

If you're ever worried about someone you love bieng involved in a dangerous "cult", you can use this handy-dandy evaluation form:

http://www.ra-info.org/library/programming/Bonewits.shtml

Answer 8

Yeah, they're all "cults," according to the definition. It's just that "cult" has a somewhat negative connotation in our society. We think of Waco rather than the 700 Club; but it's the same thing.

Answer 9

Well if you really want a definition:

cult [kuhlt] –noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. 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.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
–adjective
9. of or pertaining to a cult.
10. of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.
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[Origin: 1610–20; < L cultus habitation, tilling, refinement, worship, equiv. to cul-, var. s. of colere to inhabit, till, worship + -tus suffix of v. action]
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It is Just Like a Christian to Hear only what they want to...
Anyway you are being unchristian by rabble rousing another follower of christ. Some of the most respectable people I know are Mormon. But on to you...
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You seem to not understand that "christianity" is a cult. Look at the definition and compare I can o so for you if it hurts you to think...

#1) You go to Church every Sunday, Pray before eating and sleeping, have funeral and marriage "rites", You chant in large groups to beg a Deity for mercy and help... So killed by your own definition so far lets see what else I could come up with off the top of my head...

#2) So uhhh You Greatly respect lets see Jesus, God, The Cross(your symbol for him...), The church its self, certain clothing that defines your holy men, a book cover, not to mention all of the "angelic representations that seem to be sooooo very fancied. Doesn't seem to be getting any better for you...

#3) Well it looks like all you have to do here is look up at answer #2...

#4) Yes you have a name for your cult, Yes you have a name for your sect., "Parish"

#5) I shouldn't even have to begin on this one...

#6) Hmmm yup that's it exactly. The next time you go to the door of my home and try to curse me to my face, A.K.A. "your heart is as black as mud, but could be as white as snow..." There will be a very bad side effect that I will not begin to get into...

#7) This means you...

#8) Hmmm healed through the power of prayer. I've heard it before...

#9) the worship as a whole.

#10) Im pretty sure there are some nasty flicks that you just can't live without owning... don't forget te different bible types and the books on tape that are not the bible but reference to them... I'm pretty sure there is a DVD bible now and don't forget the sadomasochist "passion of christ"
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I shouldn't have to go on from here, but knowing the christian doctrine yo have already stopped reading because it is unfamiliar and as such scary to you. Forget this word and its use because you are in the same bracket as all other organized crime, I mean religion, ooopppppsss.

Answer 10

Given your definition of cult, I have no problem with it. However, given the way the world uses the term, I do. The way the world uses the term it infers something unGodly about the organization which is thought of as a cult. That couldn't be further from the truth.