Do you think Mormonism is mainstream Christian or a cult?

Question

I hope this question is acceptable. I'm not meaning to Mormon bash verbally. I've had them in my home.

We talked about salvation and basically found I had said all the right things till they came to this point. According to them I had done everything required for salvation except had hands laid upon me by the appointed Mormon elder. Well beeeep! wrong the Mormons proclaim grace and works- the works of the laying on of hands by the Mormon elder.

Note I acknowledge the many fine Mormon people in the world.
But salvation is a gift of God.

Answer 1

i knew some mormons and they were good folks. i dunno a lot about it but do they add to the Bible (basic instruction before leaving earth) which in the back it says "do not add or subtract from it or else!

Answer 2

Wow, talk about the varied responses from people on this answer, most of the responses are pretty pathetic.

So let me get this straight, you think that because LDS people have a different viewpoint that conflicts with yours we are a cult?

For one before you start throwing the word cult around you might want to find out what the word actually means, not what most people think it means. From the websters online dictionary the definition is as follows:
1: formal religious veneration : worship
2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b: the object of such devotion c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

Hummmm That does sound like every religion I know, christians, muslims, budism, everything, amazing!!!

Christian means: one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ

Well, as I believe in the teachings of jesus christ I guess I'm a christian than. One of the funny answers to this question what the one that proclaimed us a cult because we don't believe in the trinity. What does that have to do with it? The trinity was never even considered a theology until several hundred years after the apostles died. Constantine the emporer of rome (who was a pagan sun worshiper until he had a sprinking baptism on his death bed) enforced the trinity, and created the catholic church.

Anyway, salvation does come from god. But if you read the scriptures everyone who joined christs church was baptized by those who had authority to baptize. Then they received the gift of the holy ghost by the laying on of hands by those who had authority.

The scriptures were very specific who had the authority and who did not. Jesus christ came to john the baptist to be baptised for example. A good example is acts 2: 37-47, where peter teaches and baptizes a multitude, at the end of 47 it even specifies that lord added to the church daily those who should be saved.

But who has the authority from god to baptize? How is that authoirty given? Can you go to school and get a degree to be a pastor and that gives you the authority to baptize (like most pastors do), sounds fairly rediculous to me, paying money to be able to baptize and teach?

We simply believe that the authority to baptize has been restored to our church. Along with the original organization of the church, including prophets and apostles.

Answer 3

Mormons:
Salvation comes by works and all men will spend
eternity on some level of a multistoried heaven. The level will be determined by the scope of each man's good works.

Answer 4

@jonesbill61:

occult:oc·cult /əˈkʌlt, ˈɒkʌlt/
–adjective
1.of or pertaining to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies.
2.beyond the range of ordinary knowledge or understanding; mysterious.
3.secret; disclosed or communicated only to the initiated.
4.hidden from view.

cult /kʌlt/
–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.

Answer 5

You are judging them by your view on grace and works. Most Christians don't believe in grace alone to save you.
Catholics don't believe in this doctrine and they are 2/3rds of all members of Christianity. Eastern Orthodox don't believe in it either. It wasn't until the reformation came around in the 16th century that grace alone and Paul's writings became more important than all the other books in the bible.
Thus protestants who broke away from Catholicism are the only ones who believe in grace alone. Kind of funny they call themselves Christians as if they are the only ones who are Christians. Mormons aren't mainstream Christian nor a cult.
Mormons are the restoration of 1st century Christianity by the will of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why is James 2 not as important as Ephesians 2?

Are Mormons Christian?
http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/LDSChristian.pdf

Are Mormons a cult?
http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/LDSCult.pdf

Ancient anti Christians and modern anti Mormons
http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/Celsus.pdf

Apostasy and Restoration
http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/ApostasyRestoration.pdf

Answer 6

Mormonism, to my understanding is not a Christian religion, although they do believe in Christ. However, Christian faiths (such as Catholocism and their protestant offshoots) all believe in a triune God who exists in 3 persons at once: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit/ Holy Ghost. In short, Christians believe that God the Son (Jesus) is God in human form, where as Mormons believe that Jesus is God's son and is wholly separate person from God. Hope this makes sense.

The elder thing is a little odd to me too.

Answer 7

Christians don't think they're little gods in training, don't think they're going to get their own planet someday, and most especially don't think God's Only Begotten Son has a brother named Satan!

Answer 8

Just let it be.

Answer 9

It is definitely a cult! They don't believe in the Holy Trinity and Joseph Smith himself was dabbling in the occult!

Answer 10

CULT 4 sure

Answer 11

that is a cult.