So ARE Mormons a cult?

Found Sheep

Had a short, cuz I cut it off, conversation about Mormons today. She claims to be one. Before I knew she was my big mouth called it a cult. She said it's not and said "do I look like a cult follower?" She doesn't being 100% honest, been ummm drunk with her. I asked if they shun those that leave. She said no almost the opposite. They try to help back any that are "leaving". Then we talked about excommunication and she said only the "real bad sinners" get that. So was thinking maybe they arn't a cult? I think the big thing with JW's is that all you have to do is piss off three elders and you are out! Baptism is a bit different also. She isn't baptized but claims to do one, hasen't gone to "church" in years. Her family and friends don't treat her any different then when she was going? She said it has no "control" of her life, but her sister is also one and is 23 with three kids..... I don't know?

cedars

Mormons have become more mainstream than Jehovah's Witnesses, but yes - they're a cult. A cult (in my understanding) is any religious organization that teaches beliefs that are potentially damaging to its members. Shunning is clearly a very damaging practice psychologically and emotionally and it is very much a part of Mormonism, although the extent to which shunning is encouraged seems to sometimes differ geographically.

Here's what one Wikipedia article has to say...

Still, many ex-Mormons are completely shunned and have given up spouses, children, and the ability to enter Mormon temples to witness life events of family members. Ex-Mormons in geographic locations away from major enclaves of Mormon culture such as Utah may experience less stigmatization, however.

Cedars

EmptyInside

I don't think you can go by the experience of one person. She doesn't sound like a practicing Mormon to me. I'm sure you would find some Jehovah's Witnesses that get drunk too,lots. And some JW families aren't that strict with those that left.

Jehovah's Witnesses say only unrepentant sinners are disfellowshipped.

There are different types of cults. Mormons don't put everything they believe out there. An example,look up what they believe about the afterlife.

My personal view is they have the "Book of Mormon",and followed Joesph Smith in the early days. Jehovah's Witnesses have the Watchtower and followed Charles Taze Russell in the early days,and the Governinng Body today.

Although,I wouldn't be quick to tell someone they are part of a cult. I just know not to get involved myself.

A funny story about this. There was a family that would be off and on about the Witness religion. They only seemed to come around when they needed help. And they even had a bad reputation in the neighborhood,their house was dirty,and the daughter was kind of loose as they say.

They eventually didn't go back to the meetings. A couple elders did a shepherding call on the mother,I think the parents were divorced by then. When the elders got there,they discovered two Mormon bishops. I guess the mother converted to being a Mormon.

The one elder always laughs about this story. And I asked him when they told you she was a Mormon did you get up ,shake his hand,and say thank you. Seriously,at the time it was a relief that she was no longer a Witness.

finally awake

And remember, those that still believe or identify with a group are not the most objective source of information about what really happens behind the public facade. People say that ex-dubs are bitter and present the WTS in the worst possible light, even lying and twisting the 'truth', but we all remember how we soft pedalled the less appetizing aspects of dub-ism.

WTWizard

The Mor[m]ons are a cult. They were a cult before Scumney Romney almost got elected as president, and they are still one. I believe that Scumney Romney almost getting elected was the only reason they delisted the Mor[m]ons as a cult, which is not a valid reason. What needed to happen is for them to adjust their belief system so they are not cut off from society at large, which I believe they failed to do.

Qcmbr

By almost any definition they certainly were when they started ( charismatic leaders , cult of personality, new revelations, group rewards and group punishments and so on.) Now they have the veneer of history and the respectability that comes with adjusting to the society they reside in ( dropping polygamy and more extreme language against other faiths ) they are beginning to lose the tag cult and are edging into the skirts of orthodoxy. They will always be a fringe group but they aren't as extreme as they once were, they have too much money invested in the world to gain much from biting it ( same reason JWs have dialled back the more extreme anti UN stuff I presume.)

Do they still destroy people , steal time , alienate families, link sex to guilt, invoke tremendous peer pressure and cause immense emotional and practical issues for doubters? Yes. Even a loving group can end up acting like a pack of emotional wolves when they are trained to. My vote is - still a cult and all the more dangerous for their size, wealth and acceptance.

Just to add - look up Dannites to see what can happen even amongst self styled people of god.

cofty

Did you ask her about her sacred underwear?

Qcmbr is the person to ask as he is an ex-mormon but yes they are every bit as cultish as the Watchtower.

cofty

... just in time

designs

She is what use to be called a Jack Mormon similar to an inactive JW.

You can live pretty freely as a Jack Mormon like many inactive JWs do. Its when you want to climb the ladder within those world's that the cultish traits come out.

OnTheWayOut

Every frigging religion, AA, many businesses can be defined as cults. The real question for people like us is: Is Mormonism a dangerous mind-control cult? Are they a group which employs mind control to recruit and retain members?

Clearly, Joseph Smith offered his con game to trick people into joining. They still teach the nonsense that he established, so they fit the criteria.

Steve Hassan't BITE method can be explored more at freedomofmind.com, but off the top of my head, they do use the methods of :
Behavior control
Information control
Thought control
Emotional control.

I could go on, but my brief research has shown me that Mormons and non-practicing Mormons will quickly say NO, they are/were not in a cult. I wouldn't waste my time proving JW's a cult to a JW, and I wouldn't do it for any other group.

So ARE Mormons a cult?

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