Why is mormonism considered a cult

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Luther College offers Bundles programs that group together first-year students and classes to give you a great start and help ease the transition from high school to university. The Saints, or Mormons as they are referred to by church outsiders, [1] assert that they are Christian as they believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

However, many outsiders do not agree. The fact that twenty-two percent of recently polled Americans would oppose voting for a Mormon for President causes one to wonder why there is such opposition to Mormonism in its country of origin. According to a standard dictionary definition of Christians "as believers and followers of Christ", Mormons are Christians.

Jan Shipps, a Methodist and noted scholar of Mormonism, is often asked whether she believes Mormons are Christians and responds with questions of whether the question is analytical, analogical, historiographical or theological and religious.

Only those who are on the receiving end of racism get to decide that. Not off topic; KathyBates brought up racism after all. A race base policy. Go beyond wikipedia, which is not a great source anyways. The birthrate of minorities has surpassed those of whites. And by Hispanics or Hispanic whites, if you wish are expected to surpass non-Hispanic whites in the population. Interesting article.. Instead, they persecute those who believe what they once believed themselves; in Biblical terms they are like Esau in the 25th chapter of Genesis; but they bought into American citizenship that way — and are as immoral as Jacob in denying basic life or liberty without payment.

Mormons in Utah do not prosecute polygamists at all. That is the fact. They excommunicate practicing polygamists. I am unaware of them actively seeking out polygamists, but it is considered a punishable offense within the modern church. As long as an excommunicated member is willing to make the necessary changes to their behavior, yes, they may be welcomed back into the church, often with full fellowship.

A man who I was once acquainted with had been excommunicated, but looked forward to the day when he could return to the church. I lost contact with him years ago, but it is my hope that he was able to satisfy this desire.

John, I appreciate your comment more than most. I am a Mormon, happy and unashamed. Two of my best friends are Wiccans. They are some of the brightest people I have ever known but just as your comment illustrates, there are many who make judgments about my faith because they simply do not know any better. Please allow me to edify you on the historical issue of polygamy as it relates to the Mormon faith. Polygamy was instituted in a time of dire need. Many families had lost their fathers, husbands and older brothers to any of thousands of uncontrolled factors.

The Mormon leadership instituted the practice of polygamy as a means of assigning responsibility for the well-being of these families to men who remained alive. They were tasked with leading and providing for people who were not originally theirs to care for. We often think of the benefits of polygamy as being without cost, and so immoral, but fail to consider the enormous cost and responsibility that gave rise to this practice among Mormons, so long ago.

When Mormons finally arrived and settled the Salt Lake Valley in Utah, the practice was continued for only about one or two generations before it was terminated. You are correct that one of many reasons for the discontinuation of the practice was that it was not generally approved of by the leaders of the US; and the Mormon leadership of the Utah territory wanted to be incorporated into the US.

However, make no mistake that it was not the primary reason for the cessation of polygamy. Mormons were finally settled. The population balance of male-to-female was being restored. Therefore, polygamy was no longer necessary. You have to eliminate the excess number of males in order to assign multiple females to one male. This creates an extreme abuse that anyone can see as wrong. I once questioned the issue of polygamy, like you and many others.

After much study, I discovered that my historical perspective of the practice of polygamy is much clarified. It was never an issue of Core Mormon Belief to utilize polygamy; but a practice that had specific purpose based on the needs of the time and place in which it was utilized. After the need had passed, the practice was correctly closed.

Those who use the practice beyond the need succeed only in abusing the practice for their own selfish benefit. To your post I would add the following: Plural marriage goes back to Old Testament times, when Abraham, Jacob, David and Moses where commanded by God to have more than one wife that God might raise up a people unto himself.

The doctrine that made it ok then is the same doctrine that made it ok for a short time when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was first being established. That doctrine is laid out in the Book of Mormon. Jacob reads as follows:. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. As you can see, verse 30 explains that under certain circumstances the Lord has commanded plural marriage and gives his reason for doing so.

If polygamy was a legal and accepted practice today, the LDS would be practicing it. The simple reason the Salt Lake City branch of Mormonism abandoned the practice was to get church assets back from the U. With church assets seized by the government and the corporate entity dissolved, there was no church. The main reason for plural marriage being done away with was that the Lord had accomplished his purpose, and had raised up a people in these latter days to preach the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

See Revelations Please note when you read this scripture that there would be no need for God to send this angel to preach the everlasting gospel to those who dwell on the earth if the gospel was still on the earth in its purity. The real reason Brother French is that Joseph got caught and thus got lynched for committing polygamy and polyandry. They have several podcasts on the subject. Joe and his sexual appetite for new partners creating a convenient revelation.

You are being sucked in if this is what you believe. I know, because my great grandfather, and his parents were there right from the start. Anyone who has attended our Gospel Doctrine classes and studied the revelations that Jesus Christ has given to the Church in these latter days should know that the New and Everlasting Covenant applies first and foremost to the covenant of marriage between a man, and a women. Naturally, that would include plural marriages authorized by God but would not be limited to those marriages.

Perhaps the following information will help you to become more familiar with our doctrine. Plural marriage goes back to Old Testament times, when Abraham, Jacob, etc.

As you can see, this doctrine is very clear, and verse 30 explains that under certain circumstances the Lord has commanded plural marriage and gives his reason for doing so. Please show me the text in the OT that states god commanded old testament prophets to participate in Polygamy. Joseph took polygamy and turned it into a commandment from the lord that one had to follow to be saved.

That is the major difference. Also you are supporting your argument with the BOM! Please support it with biblical passages not your own doctrine.

Last, I have re-read my comments on here and I want to say that I share my research and hope with you in love. I have not hate towards you or any LDS.

I would recommend reading a book by one of your own. A temple going faithful latter day saint named Todd Compton. After the manifesto, Woodruff, the 12 and many others still practiced and took wives for years afterwards. As I see it you are only using a portion of the scriptures the Bible and therefore your situation is like a Jury that has reached a verdict without hearing the defense witnesses latter-day scriptures.

To get that witness directly from God a person must seek to know the truth in the way that God has prescribed. It is my opinion that to switch from being a detractor of the Church to being a believer is very difficult. It requires a lot more effort on their part than someone who has not first staked out such a position. However, over the years I have heard many members say that they did succeed in doing so.

The following is how I personally think it must be approached. First and foremost a person must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or at least be willing to do those things that will develop that faith.

See James Second, a person must read and ponder the Book of Mormon, giving special attention to those chapters and verses concerning the atonement of Christ. See the list below. Third, he must ponder and be willing to apply the principles of the gospel as taught by the BOM into his life. See John Five, he must attend all our church meetings each and every Sunday to observe and understand how we apply the teachings of Jesus Christ into our lives.

Seven, he must be ready and willing to join the Church when he receives his witness from God that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

By doing these things he will show the Lord that he has a sincere heart and real intent. It is similar to listen to the radio. There are certain steps that must first be taken. I recommend this approach because it is exactly what my wife and I did, and we both received the promised witness from the Holy Ghost. In addition, during the forty years or so that I have spent in missionary work for the Church I have never once seen this approach fail.

See Matt , Moroni Enos — Enos experiences the power of the Atonement. Mosiah 2—5 — King Benjamin teaches of Christ. Mosiah 12—16 — Abinadi gives his life in testifying of Jesus Christ. Alma 5, 7 — Alma testifies of the Savior. Alma 17—22 — Lamanites receive the testimony of Jesus Christ. Alma 34 — Amulek testifies of the Atonement.

Alma 36 — Alma experiences the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Alma 40—42 — Alma testifies of the resurrection and Atonement. Ether 3 — The brother of Jared sees the Savior. Moroni 7—8 — Mormon teaches of the pure love of Christ and His Atonement. Moroni 10 — Moroni invites all to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. I happen to know them. Barack O. I can guarantee that when it comes time to get this current president out, conservatives all around will bound together in unison.

Being Mormon will not affect Mitt Romney, specially if he has the backing of ministers and other important political figures, which he will! Mitt has already exceed B. If recent gubernatorial and house elections are any indication of what is to come and I mean any sign of the political shift in this country, get ready for some real change you will be able to count on!

One only has to look at local elections. Most members of polygamous groups, whether in Utah or not, have never been members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In reality, those that still practice polygamy would denounce the modern LDS church as being the true church. This is not entirely true. Although they may not have been baptized into the modern organization, they follow almost all of the same beliefs and use the same set of set of scriptures.

In the rest of the country, it is much less likely that people are acquainted with someone who is Mormon. There is also that competition thing—apparently Baptists and Evangelicals are mad when members of their church leave to become Mormons. This has given rise to some of the most inaccurate, un-Christian, crazy anti-Mormon propaganda. The goal of such drivel seems to be to keep people as far away from Mormons as possible.

Sooner or later, when people figure out their church, however well-meaning, was lying to them about what Mormons believe, they start to wonder what else their church was lying to them about.

Interesting article, but did it really have to begin by talking about underwear? Cristine Hutchison-Jones seems to be very well informed about Mormons, but the poor journalist illustrates the problems of how hard it is for normal people to sort out the misinformation they learn for popular media.

I do appreciate the good intentions and respectful tone of the article. Perhaps it will help to set that record straight. Yes, Mormons are Christians. For a deeper examination, you may want to explore Mormon.

One who does not believe the same things Christians do can recite a prayer in his name with little comprehension of its meaning or just complete lack of faith.

A lot of people follow MLK Jr. Nicean Creed, very important! Be proud of your faith. Why must Mormons be so anxious to bust into Christianity? Be strong on your own!

Own it! Correction: The Trinity is not 3 independent beings but 1 being made up of 3 parts. Kind of tricky I know, but very important in Christianity. If you believe they are 3 seperate deities then no dice.

The dictionary definition of a Christian is a believer and follower of Christ, and this is what a Christian is at its most core level. Tim was pointing out that Mormons have Christ as the center of their religion, and therefore, are Christians. Mormons are Christians because they believe in and follow the doctrine of Christ as they believe the Gospel was taught and revealed through the scriptures and modern-day Prophets. We Mormons believe the Holy Bible is the word of God insofar as it is translated correctly , and we use the King James version.

Here ar some scriptures from The Book of Mormon that will help you to know that Mormons are Christians. Also, the Bible contains a prophacy relative to the coming forth of The Book of Mormon in these latter days. About B. God commanded the tribes of Israel to keep two scriptural histories rather than one as they had done in the past. This new record was soon hidden from world when the Prophet Lehi and a small group from the tribe of Joseph were led by God to the Western Hemisphere.

However, God declared to the Prophet Ezekiel that he would bring it forth to be joined with the Stick of Judah prior to the gathering of the twelve tribes of Israel in the latter days. Also see 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon.

Today, we know the Stick of Joseph as the Book of Mormon. It covers a period of history from B. As a companion book to the Bible the Stick of Judah it provides another Testament, and a second sure witness to both Jew and gentile that Jesus is the Christ! We believe that the perception that an unbaptized infant is somehow damned, limited or punished in any way is a evil belief. He became man through the process described the bible. They are united in purpose, but separate entities. We believe that the creeds were uninspired, man-made documents that redefined God in a way that the Apostles and early Christians would not recognize.

They were Christians before conversion and after. Tom — if you truly believe that Jesus prayed to himself… and not to his Father in heaven… then you would also not be able to believe that Jesus Christ was a separate, divine entity from his Father….

The Apostle Stephen saw two 2 , divine and separate beings, Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of God…. Mormon beliefs:. Number two is incorrect. Mormons most certainly believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ. This is quite clear and easily verifiable see the Book of Mormon — almost any page — or mormon. With regard to defining the boundaries of Christianity, its not as simple as picking a couple of beliefs that some faiths hold to but another does not.

For example, Roman Catholics have many distinctive beliefs. Does that make catholics not Christian because they are the only church that believes in transubstantiation or praying to saints?

Who decides what these criteria are? The fact of the matter is that Mormons believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he is divine, that the Bible including the New Testament is the word of God, and that our salvation is dependent on him. This is at the very core and center of Mormon belief. There is absolutely no parallel between Mormon beliefs about Jesus and that of Judaism or Islam.

To them assuming they know something about Mormon beliefs , the question of whether Mormons are Christian is painfully obvious. Of course we are Christians. We believe in Jesus Christ! In addition, every good member of our church strives to follow Jesus Christ by keeping his commandments and doing the will of their Heavenly Father. We are Latter-day Christians. There are also Nicene Christians. Both are followers of Jesus Christ even though they differ in doctrine as to what God is like.

I refer you to the following if you want to know more on the subject:. The two bottom line differences are that we Latter-day Christians teach that Jesus Christ is a separate person from his Heavenly Father and from the Holy Ghost. See Hebrews , Revelations. Therefore, there is no doubt in our mind that our doctrine concerning the nature of the Godhead is true.

You can also refer to John , , Luke , Acts These scriptures, and scores of others, show that Christ is a separate person from his father. The issue is you did something against christian law. Having another book the Book of Mormon and the fact that you claim Jesus came to America after he was in the middle east. You give a different image of Jesus than christian have been given.

Speak the truth. Lying is a sin and your works are filthy rags to god. Everybody knows this thing of the first vision being revised multiple times is used as a straw man. Everyone who was there from the beginning of the Church knows that Joseph Smith saw two personages just like Stephen the Martyr did before they stoned him for saying so. As to Mitt Romney — you have no worry whatsoever as proven by his four years as the Governor of Mass.

He is the focus of our beliefs and everything we do in our church. There are so many people that misunderstand us and what we believe. I know we do see eye to eye on everything with all of Christendom, which is fine. We are happy to talk with people about what we have in common and where we differ we have more in common that you think. A very simple and inclusive definition. Dictionary defines it as follows: Adjective: Of, relating to, or professing Christianity or its teachings.

Noun: A person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings. Most of Christendom believes you must adhere to a set of beliefs Nicene Creed, et al that all Catholic or Protestant churches have about him to make you a Christian.

I find that view vary narrow. So narrow that you exclude us from it. Mormon, Joseph Smith, etc. And just to correct a couple of points you made above: 1. Jesus had a mortal mother and a divine Father. He is the only begotten Son of God in the flesh. We believe them to be one Godhead, made of those 3 distinct beings beings, one in purpose. You guys have a seperate divine book for crying out loud!

They recognize it is written by man. Why is it such a big deal to be called Christian when your beliefs are so far from it that you literally push Christians away like a bad smell in a small room. If its that important to you convert though I would not recomend this as it shows little faith.

I am a product of a Muslim father and Presbyterian mother. Labels are not an issue for me because I realize that religion should be about the way we worship God, not what we call ourselves. This could be the new religious revolution perhaps, rising above labels.

That be wonderful. To others who responded to my reply: Did you read it? Religion is much deeper than that. Thanks for skimming! The Trinity was defined by Catholic Bishops in AD as part of the Nicene Creed and is, therefore, an interpretation of various doctrinal sources. There are plenty of differences between us. Many of us have spent countless hours studying scriptures the Bible included , praying, pondering, identifying our true feelings, considering very deeply what we are taught and what we read.

We have felt and experienced things that have confirmed our beliefs, and through this process learned for ourselves that God is mindful of us. The decision to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not one that is usually taken very lightly. It means a life-long commitment and dedication to upholding and practicing the very things that Christ taught. My own mother made that sacrifice, as did I.

This goes beyond the Protestant belief that the original church was corrupted, but could be remedied by different interpretations and reformations. I do want them to understand that I have made a serious commitment to follow Christ and do what he told us to do.

In my mind there is no difference. I apologize. But I really do need to apologize. I was rude. The validity of the Book of Mormon is also a big if for many non-mormons. It seems like an exclusive club. But honestly, you follow Christ, like you said so do you really need the membership? Though the church which is now broken up into many different denominations that do all share basic beliefs was very quick to cry heresy in the past, it is not so now.

The church has become more open and hopefully more accepting. Please forgive me for ever judging you or being rude. I was in the wrong. You are right Sean! Thank you for being understanding and patient where I was not. Sincerely, Michelle. Actually, the original transgression brought about a state wherein Adam and Eve were required to leave the innocent state in the garden and bring about the rest of the human race in a fallen world. They were accountable for their own transgressions.

We are accountable for our own. The point here is that all transgression and sin require the atonement of Christ to overcome.

The fact is, we look to Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer. The way I see it, His divine parentage have Him the power to overcome and provide salvation. His mortal parentage have Him the ability to more personally understand our mortal trials. Your view of how this works may be different. That is OK. The foundation of Mormon faith is that they are real we are grateful for what Jesus did to bring reconciliation and comfort in time of need.

Who are you or anyone else to define our relationship with Christ? Our beliefs are not at all the same. I love that my children have never had to see their father act like an idiot while being drunk I grew up watching my dad get drunk.

I love that our children are taught to be modest from a young age. I love that when I was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to take care of my young family, the members of my church stepped in and brought in meals, visited me in the hospital, got my kids ready in the morning and took a lot of pressure off of my husband.

This would be diagnostic of a semantic change. Jim Jones was an anti-segregationist Christian preacher from Indiana who envisioned a mixed-race church. Jones and his followers left Indiana for California in search of a utopian community. When those family members discovered the move overseas, they appealed to the government for intervention. A delegation went to Jonestown—Congressperson Leo Ryan, his aid Jackie Speier, journalists, and cameramen from network news.

What started as a fact-finding mission ended with five dead on the tarmac at Port Kaituma airfield, when Ryan and his delegates fled Jonestown along with a handful of defectors.

Ryan was shot and killed, along with three members of the press and one defector, and the rest of the delegation were attacked. In spite of all that I've tried, a handful of our people, with their lies, have made our life impossible. Jones died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Pictures of the dead bodies were on the cover of Time magazine. In Waco, Texas in , the Branch Davidians were attacked by law enforcement in their compound. They were Adventists, but their community was a polygamous one, and easy to earn the designation as a cult— their beliefs were heterodox to Christianity.

End days scripture is Christian in origin—the last book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations, is the source. But not all apocalyptic religious movements end in death or waiting for spaceships. Seventh Day Adventists come from a tradition from the s that predicted an apocalypse in , based on calculations from the Book of Daniel.

If one factor can determine the difference between a cult and a religion, according to Tavor, it would be time. Scientology is now recognized by the state as a religion, with tax-exempt status. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Newsletters Donate My Account. Research Topics. Mormons from Pew Research Center surveys: 1 The LDS church typically places very high importance on families and traditional gender roles.

Share this link:. Aleksandra Sandstrom is a former senior copy editor focusing on religion at Pew Research Center. Facts are more important than ever.