Are Mormons a Cult?
Mormons seem weird, are they a cult?
What is a cult? In general the word cult refers to a new religious movement or group that has beliefs or practices can be considered abnormal or bizarre. Originally the word comes from the French and just meant any system of ritual practices. But this isn't how it is used by the enemies of the Mormons. Those people use the word CULT because that implies that the labeled group is really far outside of the norms and as such, it is a danger to it's members (who are implied to be brainwashed), as well as a danger to the public. The word CULT is a negative word that is used for the purpose of creating negative reactions which is meant to keep people from using their own study and their independent thinking to make an independent decision about the religion that was labeled a cult. The act of labeling Mormons as a cult is a common technique designed to manipulate the emotions of the hearer. The people who use vicious name-calling like that do not want their followers to think on their own. By using an emotionally loaded phrase such as "Mormon cult" they tend to lead many people to jump to negative conclusions and that stops them from even considering learning anything about the religion. A lot of people that were taught things like this in their church don't really know why the term was used. That's just what their leaders said. Well, it is a very non-Christ-like thing to do. (Christ would never have used such an un-loving technique)
It reminds me of when I joined the army and started mixing with many non-Mormons (I grew up in Utah and only knew a couple of non-Mormons). When I mentioned to one guy that I met that I was a Mormon, he looked startled and said " Why you DON'T have any horns!" Turns his religious leaders taught that Mormons were devils, and had horns and all. Strange that people could teach such nonsense in this day and age. But such prejudiced teaching is still common in certain areas. I guess the preachers don't realize that by using insulting nicknames or such loaded terms as the word "cult" isn't just wrong, it is very un-Christ-like. In today's world you have to respect others and their beliefs if you want them to show for respect for your beliefs.
Mormonism isn't a cult. Mormons are a part of Christianity, they are not a cult. They are not brain-washed even though many enemies of the church claim they are. True, they may have some different beliefs about Christ than some Christian churches, but that doesn't make them a cult. They are normal people who after much searching and study and prayer have decided that they believe in teachings that are more in line with the original teachings of Christ as taught by the Bible. If a different interpretation of scriptures in the Bible was enough to label some group as a cult, then ALL the protestant churches are cults. After all they are break-offs from the Catholic church and the Catholic church did consider them as DANGEROUS heretic groups. And the Catholic Church killed many of the Protestants in the early days of the reformation. (It started in 1517 when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Catholic church in Wittenburg. That was the beginning of the Reformation).
Then many others started speaking out against the Catholic church, and many new Christian religions were established which followed their various leaders, and conflict developed as different countries tried to force others to convert others to their religion. Were they cults? They were teaching different versions of the bible, they presented a danger to the public. Was the resulting Thirty Years' War (from 1618 to 1648) a war of the protestant cults against the Roman Catholics? Or were they just different Christian sects with their own different beliefs? If all those Christian sects can be labeled as Christians and not called cults, then the Mormons can also be called Christians, and not a cult. Mormons are a part of Christianity, they are not a cult.
What is a cult? In general the word cult refers to a new religious movement or group that has beliefs or practices can be considered abnormal or bizarre. Originally the word comes from the French and just meant any system of ritual practices. But this isn't how it is used by the enemies of the Mormons. Those people use the word CULT because that implies that the labeled group is really far outside of the norms and as such, it is a danger to it's members (who are implied to be brainwashed), as well as a danger to the public. The word CULT is a negative word that is used for the purpose of creating negative reactions which is meant to keep people from using their own study and their independent thinking to make an independent decision about the religion that was labeled a cult. The act of labeling Mormons as a cult is a common technique designed to manipulate the emotions of the hearer. The people who use vicious name-calling like that do not want their followers to think on their own. By using an emotionally loaded phrase such as "Mormon cult" they tend to lead many people to jump to negative conclusions and that stops them from even considering learning anything about the religion. A lot of people that were taught things like this in their church don't really know why the term was used. That's just what their leaders said. Well, it is a very non-Christ-like thing to do. (Christ would never have used such an un-loving technique)
It reminds me of when I joined the army and started mixing with many non-Mormons (I grew up in Utah and only knew a couple of non-Mormons). When I mentioned to one guy that I met that I was a Mormon, he looked startled and said " Why you DON'T have any horns!" Turns his religious leaders taught that Mormons were devils, and had horns and all. Strange that people could teach such nonsense in this day and age. But such prejudiced teaching is still common in certain areas. I guess the preachers don't realize that by using insulting nicknames or such loaded terms as the word "cult" isn't just wrong, it is very un-Christ-like. In today's world you have to respect others and their beliefs if you want them to show for respect for your beliefs.
Mormonism isn't a cult. Mormons are a part of Christianity, they are not a cult. They are not brain-washed even though many enemies of the church claim they are. True, they may have some different beliefs about Christ than some Christian churches, but that doesn't make them a cult. They are normal people who after much searching and study and prayer have decided that they believe in teachings that are more in line with the original teachings of Christ as taught by the Bible. If a different interpretation of scriptures in the Bible was enough to label some group as a cult, then ALL the protestant churches are cults. After all they are break-offs from the Catholic church and the Catholic church did consider them as DANGEROUS heretic groups. And the Catholic Church killed many of the Protestants in the early days of the reformation. (It started in 1517 when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Catholic church in Wittenburg. That was the beginning of the Reformation).
Then many others started speaking out against the Catholic church, and many new Christian religions were established which followed their various leaders, and conflict developed as different countries tried to force others to convert others to their religion. Were they cults? They were teaching different versions of the bible, they presented a danger to the public. Was the resulting Thirty Years' War (from 1618 to 1648) a war of the protestant cults against the Roman Catholics? Or were they just different Christian sects with their own different beliefs? If all those Christian sects can be labeled as Christians and not called cults, then the Mormons can also be called Christians, and not a cult. Mormons are a part of Christianity, they are not a cult.
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