Why is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints considered a cult?

Question

I am a Baptist and today our minister was talking about the danger of cults and said that the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints is a cult because it tries to replace Christianity and has hijacked the name of Our Lord Jesus.

He also exclaimed that he was shocked that anyone would join a church that had condoned polygamy and it's evils. But I would like to know all of the reasons why LDS is a fringe cult.

Answer 1

I've found most people to consider us a cult because we're not Protestant.

I'd ask your pastor what he thinks of Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, et.al

He will probably call them cults as well.

I always thought cults were small little groups with all the authority resting in the one individual. Doesn't this more fit with Protestant groups than anything else? I mean, they are independent churches. I could become a pastor by just going to some measley "Bible College" then start running a church and tell my parishoners whatever I want.... Big deal, no pope or prophet, or president or board or anything to tell me otherwise.


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Edit: Martin S has provided us with what I find to be one of the MOST objective pieces about LDS doctrine that I've yet to see from a Protestant. Thank You Martin S. Though almost all of your statement is accurate, it doesn't exemplify how the LDS aren't Christian, it simply demonstrates how we differ from other Christians. Seeing as how we believe that Latter-Day prophets have restored Christianity to its antiquity, we (by your logic) can claim that all other "so called Christians" aren't really Christian because they have deviated from our beliefs. That is not what we profess however. None-the-less, well done!

Answer 2

Well, to be brief, the reason that he, amongst others with the same belief, proclaims the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to be a cult is Misunderstanding and Miseducation. I would be very surprised if he read anything published by the church within his life that was in proper context, which I would not expect everyone to do, but for those who are "experts on Mormonism" it would probably be a good start, instead of some anti-Mormon propaganda.

If you have an interest in finding true answers from those who can answer your questions properly, please be referred to :
www.lds.org and
www.mormon.org.
These web sites will lead you to the Church's official position on any issue (within reason) that you would like to reasearch.

Also, please be advised that taking information from a person who is obviously antagonistic toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints would be like asking a Chicago Bear's fan about the Green Bay Packers (you will get an answer along the lines of "they suck", or something equally fair and well balanced).

Please take some time to see what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has to say about the some of things that have been brought up on this message board.

Answer 3

Your minister has been severely misinformed. He obviously is being prejudice and rude and un-christian by badmouthing another religion.

One definition of cult is as follows: (This definition isn't used anymore. The modern definition completely excludes our church in every way.)

1: formal religious veneration : worship
2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual.

We don't consider ourselves a cult. Although by the definition of cult above your church along with every other religion would be considered a cult too. So I guess we're all in a cult unless we're athiest! AHHHH!! Oh no!!!!!

We don't condone polygamy or its 'evils' as you put it. Being a polygamist is the fastest way to get excommunicated from our church, hands down. We had our reasons for practicing it 215 some odd years ago, and guess what, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had their reasons for practicing it too! There were very strict rules about polygamy and you had to be asked to marry a second, third, etc. wife.

You couldn't just say, "ooh look at that 14 year old hottie, I want her to be my wife and then I'll rape her!" like the FLDS church does. You have to be 18 to get married in our temples anyway.

The main reasons for polygamy were that women needed food, and a place to live and a name to own property in. So many husbands were lost crossing the plains and suddenly there were all these widows. Polygamy saved lives. There were lots of other reasons for it too.

We don't practice it anymore for a lot of reasons including the fact that it's against the law and one of the commandments is to keep the laws of the land.

Answer 4

Honestly it is a cult because Protestants say it is. Not trying to be rude or funny here just telling it like it is. If a church is a cult because of polygamy then Christianity is a cult because in the early days of Christianity there were men who had more then one wife thus the rule placed by Paul to Timithy when selecting Pastors(Elders that is what the word originally meant. It has been corrupted.)

Most Baptists believe if you believe if you do not accept Once Saved Always saved and the sinners prayer then you are in a cult or very near to being in one.


BB

Answer 5

Doesn't your church believe that a guy walked on water and raised the dead? Beat death itself? Is that a cult?

Mormons are no more or less a cult than any other mainstream Christian church out there.

Most ministers don't like Mormons because we're their stiffest competition. We have an active missionary effort that they can't duplicate (mainly because their members won't donate their time and money in the same way) and they can't ask their members to "pray to God and ask him if ours is the true church" because they know that God won't tell them that it is. That's a challenge that Mormons give to everyone liberally.

Bottom line....your preacher doesn't like Mormons, so he tells lies and slanders them. Now is that what Jesus Christ would do?

By the way....why is he bothering teaching what OTHER faiths believe? Isn't that a time for him to teach what he believes???

Answer 6

Wow. Your minister is kind of judgmental - don't you think?

I wouldn't join the LDS church because they discriminate against others from coming into their temple. i.e. if you have a relative who is getting married there - and you are not part of their church - you cannot go into the temple - you have to just sit on the steps.

Dictionary.com defines a cult as...

cult /kʌlt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuhlt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–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.

So basically - anybody who is a member of a religion - (that would be you - and me) - could be considered part of a cult.

So - please - tell your minister this for me.... When he's pointing his finger at others - that there are three fingers pointing back at HIM!!

I will tell you this - the Mormons who I have had the privilege to know have been loving, kind people.

Cult? Well - I guess so. But who cares!?!?!?!? (Other than your minister. Maybe he wants to make sure the church of LDS doesn't get your money instead of him!!)

Answer 7

People like your pastor use the word "cult" to mean "Church I don't like and don't believe, that I want others to fear and hate as much as I do". He is afraid that if you learn from US what we believe, you might leave and that would be a di$a$ter.

As for condoning polygamy and it's "evils", does he excommunicate anyone who commits adultery? What about couples who live together without marriage? Or does he wink at the evils of sex without marriage? Personally, I don't find marriage between a man, and one or more women (consenting adults) nearly as evil as adultery and fornication.

Just because we see Jesus Christ slightly differently than Baptists do does not mean we have hijacked the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, any more than the Baptists have. Nor are we trying to replace Christainity. We ARE Christianity. We believe that every man must be given the right to worship as they believe..

Answer 8

Cult is defined as: A religious group which denies the essential doctrines of Christianity. If you believe that mormons are not christian they I suppose under this definition they are a "cult". That would also place many other religions in this boat. Mormans are normal people they don't do weird chants around fires or live in caves or have horns or eat their dogs. They lead normal lives, believe in christ, follow the laws of the country, have families, and contribute to society. You probably couldn't pick one out of a crowd. Call them what you want though they probably don't care.

Answer 9

In looking through the responses you got, most of them are from anti-Mormons. And they will tell you anything except the truth.

People who do not understand something tend to make up answers, and eventually believe the drivil they are spouting. My cousin is a Baptist preacher, and he has gotten up on Sundays and preached all sorts of anti-Mormon junk to his congregation. The problem is, he knows absolutely nothing about the Church. My question has been, "if you don't know anything about it, how can you preach against it?"

By modern definition, a cult is some organization guised in the form of a religion that takes you away from home and family and tells you what to think and what to do. They usually insist you have no contact with your family for fear they will convince you that what you are doing is wrong.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not do this. First, they encourage you to stay in touch with your family and friends. Second, they encourage you to study and work out for yourself if the Church is right for you. They want you to find the answers for yourself. If you decide to leave the Church once you have joined, you are free to do so. As a matter of fact, once you join, you are free to never attend a Sunday meeting for the rest of your life. No one is going to force you to do anything you do not want.

Does this sound like a cult? Not by modern definitions, anyway.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has over 13 million members around the world. We are welcomed in most countries. We have a reputation of being the first organization to provide relief in disaster areas. We also provide assistance and relief efforts as long as help is needed. We are still providing assistance in the areas struck by the tsunami a few years ago. We are providing relief even though all the other agencies have stopped helping. We provided homes and assistance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and helped many of the victims relocate and set up house. We are providing dental, vision, and medical assistance in South America, at no charge. We send doctors to third world countries to train doctors in those countries so they can help their own people. We are providing wheelchairs and hearing aids and eye glasses to people in many countries, at no charge.

Does this sound like a cult?

Answer 10

Baptist Church of Christ Latter Day Saints Catholics Protestants Mormons Jehovah Witnesses Nazarene etc... (LOL) which religion isn't a cult?!