Why Many Christians Believe Mormonism is a Cult

Here is a list of just a few sample of their belief. This is not made up this comes from ex-Mormons who questioned the teaching of LDS in light of the Bible.

1) Mormons believe God is not eternal, or even the only God, but was who inhabited a planet in the star system Kolob.
2) They believe they are saved by obeying Mormon doctrine.
3) They believe that God had a god that elevated God to godhood and that they, too, can be elevated to godhood.
4) They believe they lived as full-grown adults (the Doctrine of Pre-existence) in a spirit world before they were born. In Pre-Existence, they had friends and family and relationships and knowledge. While there, they were presented with the Plan of Salvation, which included being given a choice to be born as humans with the prize at the end being godhood of their own planet. They didn't have to and some were content to stay in the spirit world where they were already in heaven instead of taking the plunge and getting a shot at being God.
5) They believe that when their spirits passed into existence, they also passed through a Veil of Forgetfulness where they forgot their previous spirit lives. Here, they recreate their pre-existent families as eternal families.
6) Jesus and Satan were brothers and God liked Jesus' plan best so Satan rebelled. Mormons don't believe in the sin nature, or 'original sin'.
7) Mormons believe the purpose of human existence is to become like God.
8) Mormons also believe it is ok to lie about their beliefs and affiliations to non-Mormons and to new Mormon recruits under the 'principle' of "milk before meat.". So they are free to deny the crazier parts, (God was a man, there are lots of Gods, including them, they take spirit wives to become goddesses, etc.) on the principle that until a Mormon has been sufficiently indoctrinated, they will recognize how crazy it sounds and maybe refuse to join or even quit and then spread the word.
9) Mormons believe that after they die, they move back to the spirit world. Some of them are imprisoned for not believing the Mormon gospel while on earth. Those that never heard the Mormon Gospel will be visited by Mormon spirit missionaries.
10) Mormons believe that the dead can be saved after death if they are baptized by proxy by living Mormons.
11) Mormons in this spirit world can still sin: "Those who are righteous in this life will still be righteous. Those who were unrighteous will still be unrighteous. We will have the same desires after we die as we had while on this earth" (Gospel Fundamentals, "Life after Death," pg 195.).
12) Resurrection is a several parts and only those that had a perfect knowledge of the divinity of Christ yet chose Satan will be damned. The rest will go through various stages of perfection while in the post-life spirit world.
13) If you miss your dog, don't worry. Fido, (as well as every other dog, cat, hamster, pigeon, aardvark and platypus) will ALSO be resurrected during the last of the, umm, seven different resurrections taught by the LDS.
14) The Mormon Plan of Salvation is in seven parts as well, with final stage, logically enough, called the Final Judgment.
15) At Final Judgment, those finally judged go to one of three heavens, as befits their works, or to the Outer Darkness, which is Mormon hell.

this is not a complete list of cultish doctrine but stand to suffice as proof why many Christians believe Mormonism is a cult

All religions are cults, just some are more widely accepted.

Originally posted by ShortMemory
All religions are cults, just some are more widely accepted.

Thank you for your astute progressive response.

I should have titled it "Why Many Christians Believe Mormonism is a Christian Cult"

Originally posted by ShortMemory
All religions are cults, just some are more widely accepted.

I agree, the only difference between a religion and a cult is the membership numbers, all religions stem from tribes worshipping stars and the sun , so i guess all religions - started as cults -, you know, stuff like - sacrificing people to the gods to make sure the sun rises in the morning ..... not normal behavior , not even for mud eating cavedwellers.

Wiki covers those that leave under Ex-Mormon.

Ex-Mormons commonly begin their journey toward disaffiliation from Mormonism and the LDS church because of skepticism over the authenticity of their Mormon spiritual experiences.[3] Most ex-Mormons leave Mormonism and the LDS church because specific intellectual or spiritual reasons have led them to a conviction that the religion is false. The foremost reasons are disbelief both in Joseph Smith as a prophet[4][5] and in the Book of Mormon as a religious and historical document.[6][2] Reasons for this disbelief include issues with anthropological, linguistic, archaeological, and genetic evidence for the Book of Mormon in the New World. In addition to rejecting the Book of Mormon for such reasons, the Book of Abraham and other Mormon religious texts are rejected on similar grounds.[7][8]

Individuals leave Mormonism for a variety of reasons, although "single reason disaffiliates are rare among former Mormons."[9] Research shows that 43% of Mormon disaffiliates left due to unmet spiritual needs.[10] Other reasons for leaving may include a belief that they are in a cult, logical or intellectual appraisal, belief changes or differences, spiritual conversion to another faith, life crises, and poor or hurtful responsiveness by Mormon leaders or congregations.[11] Of former Mormons surveyed, 58% switched to other faiths or practices.[10]

So, this is a very much downplayed variation on your list.

Originally posted by ChesterJohn

Originally posted by ShortMemory
All religions are cults, just some are more widely accepted.

Thank you for your astute progressive response.

I should have titled it "Why Many Christians Believe Mormonism is a Christian Cult"

just stating the facts man

Originally posted by ChesterJohn

Originally posted by ShortMemory
All religions are cults, just some are more widely accepted.

Thank you for your astute progressive response.

I should have titled it "Why Many Christians Believe Mormonism is a Christian Cult"

just stating the facts man

This video is good to explain about mormonism. It is a cult and it is not Christian.

reply to post by ShortMemory


I suppose you didn't have the "right" answer?



All religions begin as cults. Some "make" it further than others.

Some just don't catch on quickly, like Mormanism, isn't catching on.

Originally posted by kyred
reply to post by ShortMemory

 

I suppose you didn't have the "right" answer?

All religions begin as cults. Some "make" it further than others.

Some just don't catch on quickly, like Mormanism, isn't catching on.

no matter how far they make it, theyre still cults. when more people believe it they are actually increasing its belivibilty and credibilty unlike some cults which stay refined to small groups. fact is there is very few differences between cults and religions, the most basic being its members trust in the cult without the need for evidence. I think the pyschological effect defines wether it is a cult or not and both cults and religions effect the mind in the same way.
the only think that made religions like christianity catch on is their age, and the fact that recent generations were forced to believe and fear in it.. people seem to forget that, that seems very much like a cult to me.

Originally posted by ShortMemory
All religions are cults, just some are more widely accepted.

You are correct but it is not limited to religions but even philosophies, social justice,personal opinion and Educational Facilities and programs as well

And it would include private societies like Illuminate, Masons, Scottish Rites, Metaphysics, Satanism, Wicca, Occupy Wall Street and most of the atheistic sciences as well.

Websters Dictionary defines

Cult /Cult/ (klt) n.[F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. Cultus.]

1. Attentive care; homage; worship.
Every one is convinced of the reality of a better self, and of the cult or homage which is due to it.

2. A system of religious belief and worship.