Does anyone out there that knows about the LDS religion, better known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe that it is a cult? I have been researching different web sites, and have not been able to come convince myself that it is not one.
The LDS Church has a massive amount of members where I live in Southern Idaho, but in researching I have found that most members of this church live in the North Western United States.
I do know that in the Southern Bible belt of the US that the church is not as prominate, and that it is very hard to find followers down there. Do you believe that there is a reason for this. It is very hard to find information on this churches " secret" religious observances, because of the fact that they make everyone take a blood oath to never tell even when they are excommunicated from the church. To me this seems like a cult, but I can not be sure, because everyone that I interview that is LDS will not speak of anything that they believe is private and spiritual. Can you give me any insite into this religion, or any web site where I may find the answers that I seek.
Thanks,
Mustang Sally

I'm an ex-Mormon, and I'd be happy to share my experiences within the LDS church. For general information, I recommend:

[www.think-link.org]
[www.exmormon.org]

and most definitely:
[www.lds-mormon.com]

There's a lot of misinformation out there on the church and its practices, but I've found these sites to be accurate.

Quote

It is very hard to find information on this churches " secret" religious observances, because of the fact that they make everyone take a blood oath to never tell even when they are excommunicated from the church.

The sites listed above have info on the secret temple rites. Fortunately, the "blood oath" is not taken literally--more as an affirmation that the member would rather die than share the secrets, not as a "If I tell, you may kill me" thing. Also, the oaths were removed from the ceremony as of 1990.

Do I consider it a cult? Yes, or at least very cult-like. I don't view it as a particularly dangerous one, though its control over members' thinking can have damaging results for some.

Members hate the cult label. I myself defended its non-cult status adamantly at one time. But taking an honest look at how cults are defined, it's impossible to deny that the LDS church is borderline at best.

-There's a living leader who speaks for God.
-Donations (tithes) are mandatory to achieve the 'highest salvation'. This is accomplished by denying non-tithe payers access to the temple.
-There is no disclosure of finances and no accounting of where tithing money goes.
-Declares itself as the "one true church".
-Members frequently shun non-member or apostate family and friends.

Etc., etc...

I'm afraid I can't offer any insight into why Mormonism hasn't taken root in the South. I would guess it's for the same reason that other religions aren't very prominent in Utah.

Good luck with your research, and best wishes! :)

Thanks Interesting Information

I am of the opinion that ANY 'religion' that is ever willing to "excommunicate" someone and turn their backs on
a person is NOT something that God would particularly
appreciate. There is much stuff on the 'net to look for
when you wonder about *any* religion and whether it is
a cult or not. I always check Rick Ross' site often just to
see if something is listed, and I am able to get a number
of key words to use in searching for ex-members and
what they went through. I think that would be good measuring-stick
of what is and isn't OF the Biblical GOD (which is who I believe in,
and His Son as well.)

Some cults you will read about will make you sick. Get prepared...
there will be a LOT of people to pray for afterwards.

JetteNette:

What church do you go to, which considers people to be members even if they don't follow the doctrines of the religion?

The Old Testament has numerous passages on excommunication for such things as those who eat unleavened bread (Ex 12:15) or who "walketh disorderly" ( 2Thes 3:6) -- usually not as punishment for the offender, but to protect the spirituality of the faithful.

Back when my Christianity was limited to the Bible, my preacher told me that he had seen me talking to Mormon missionaries, and that such behavior was unacceptable for members of "his" flock. If I did it again, I "could" be asked to leave his congregation.


Free2think:

The sites are "accurate"? Not lately!

They have an agenda, and are not likely to give anything except through their own filtered viewpoint.

But then, the anti-Mormons still refer to Walter R. Martin as "Dr" Martin.


Mustang Sally:

Actually, fewer than half of the members of the Church live in North America. One American in 50 is a Mormon, and there are plenty of them in the Bible Belt (even among the areas with more different Baptist sects than gas stations!). I travel with my work, and haven't had any trouble getting to Sacrament, no matter where I find myself on Sunday.

No, I won't talk about the Temple ceremonies, any more than I would put you into a one-man space capsule without proper preparation (milk before meat). If you aren't ready, you will not understand the important subtleties. It takes about a year after someone is baptized before they are ready for their endowments.

Part of this is simply because, if you were confused (from not having the experience in the Church which brings familiarity), those around you would have to help, interrupting their own peace. When someone goes through for the first time, they generally have a friend along to help them, and there is help available, but that's not the place to catch someone up on the entire Gospel.

Everyone takes an oath TO GOD not to reveal what they learn there. When you see something purporting to be the "real Mormon temple stuff," you have to either assume that they are phony, or that they have broken an oath they took (freely) not to ever reveal it. Which makes you more comfortable with what they say?

One thing that I will tell you is that nothing in the ordinances would frighten you, make you uncomfortable, or in any way disturb your own sense of peace.

The Mormon religion is based upon the supposed "revelation" of Joseph Smith. The problem is the so-called "Book of Mormon" he produced is obviously not what Smith claimed.

That is, it is not a historical record of any actual people that occupied the Western Hemisphere (Americas) before Columbus (pre-Columbian) until about 400 A.D.

Instead, Smith's claimed historical premise is actually only a fanciful fiction concocted by him with no basis in fact, either through objective physical evidence and/or the accepted science of archaeology or anthropology.

This has been demonstrated and/or proven over and over again.

No reputable university, outside Mormon control such as BYU, teaches that the Book of Mormon is anything other than a religious mythology.

There are no archaeological artifacts to support its claims, i.e. the supposed American people mentioned within it, such as the so-called "Laminites," "Nephites" etc.

The book also reflects Smith's educational limitations with its mention of horses, glass manufacture, metalurgy and farm crops that did not exist within pre-Columbian America.

For additional commentary about Mormonism and its historical problems see the following links:

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

Mormons have apologetic seminars to arm the faithful with supposed explanations for all this. However, they are never armed with facts, but rather apologies as to why they have no hard evidence.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Mormonism may have fit the definition of a classic personality-driven cult under when it was under direct control of Joseph Smith during its early days. But gradually the group evolved to its current structure, with shared authority and some democratic reforms.

See the following articles:

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

[www.culteducation.com]

Mustang Sally,

I left a cult and joined the LDS Church. The Church does fit into the definition of a cult, but I wouldn't consider it harmful. What church doesn't fit the definition?

The longer I have been gone from my cult the more my mind opens to things like that, so I don't know where I stand with the Church.
It's not something I would try to talk people out of doing because it does good in many people's lives.

My issues with it are that I don't like people telling me what to do, how I can live, and what I can drink. I'm also not sure if I believe in it.

There is no blood oath, as I have been through the temple also. I will not go back because some things in the temple are cult like. Just a little. But I am oversensitive to things like that.

rrmoderator is correct in what he says in his reply about there being no actual historical record with the people from The Book of Mormon. I guess that is my problem with it. I do not follow by feelings anymore, I go by facts.

Jewels

hellow every one on this thred.

I have done exhasted studys on the mormon church, including the part that was left behind prior to the abandonment of polygamy in 1889.

@rrmoderator, Joseph smith did have limited understanding, but for his time he was very educated. He cam from a highly developed academic family and part of the "book of mormon" was his knowlage of what the spanish inquisition noted about the inca and the nativ Amricn's prior to and during their conquest. Much of it he also trancribed from the bible. Only changing the story. You are absolutly corect, there is no archiological evidance whatsoever to prove the book of mormon true and many things in it that just aren't reality.

@Everyone. He and his brother Hyrum where high level Masons and much of the tempal rituals, witch I know next to nothing about since I'v never been there, are based upon very similer Free Mason rituals. He betrayed those mason rites. Altho it is only rumord I belive the story that the Free Masons marderd him as a blood oath he had taken as a Free Mason and betrayed.

Joseph smith in his teaching said "dont put your trust in the flesh of man", or somthing very similler, he also said "don't take my word for it seek truth for your self.

I also can't help but to comend him, altho I don't belive in mormondry, for the work he did in the peoples favor. He did love, and want what was best for humanity, he was a compassionate man and did allot of good for people. the peoples of his fallowing where much better off than the rest of the surrounding towns due primaraly to his teaching.

He was running for president of the United States against Ford and would have won had he not been marderd (my opinion, this country would have been better off had he won).

The problem is the people who tooke over (this is where I may cause controversy, again this is my opinion) userped the power that the fallowers saw in him(Joseph Smith) and defiled it tward their own benifactor.

As much as I don't belive in the mormon church any more than any other church, I feel the book of mormon (wich I have read cover ot cover four times) is in fact a fabrication of his, most of the rest of his teachings/wisdom, how ever missled are some of the best sugestions for humanity to fallow that there are in the western world. And I feel for this reason he dosen't get the philisophical ( non religious philosophy) acceptance he deservs in the academic world. I realy do belive much of what he tought, non religously of course, to be tword the beterment of humanity.

As all philisophers, Joseph Smith had very human problems and ideals, as well as opinions and asumtions.

Mustang Sally,

I forgot to mention in my last reply about the south.

I live in the bible belt. The Southern Baptists are probably as big here as the mormon church is out west. Being a Mormon here is like not being one in Utah or Idaho. I now have been in both situations.

The LDS religion is just not as known out here, believe it or not. Baptists do have issues with the way Mormons believe with the trinity not being one, and they think Mormon's are arrogant for thinking they can be God's in the after life.

Escapee,

That is very interesting about why he might have been murdered. I have never heard that before.

The temple rituals are so similar to the Mason's that you can read a Mason's handbook and get the temple ritual almost word for word, action for action.

You might want to get your hands on a copy of "In Sacred Lonliness." Very good book on Joseph Smith and his wifes. It was not written to make him look bad, but being from the kind of group you were from you will pick up on a lot.

It might change your views just a bit on what kind of man Joseph Smith was.

Sorry if that is a bit harsh. After reading just a couple chapters I realized he was no better than the leader of my group. Very similar in the wife swapping, etc.

Jewels

jewls,

Thanks for to book referance. I tried to find it for sale on the shelf's and came to find out there are only 19 copys left for sale by by Barns and Noble in the nation. I orderd a copy there. I also found some on Amazon.com for sale, new and used. It sounds very interesting I'v read very little about the womans perspective on mormonism since most of the studying I did was while I was still in polygamy, and a couple of years after I left. I'm looking forward to seeing the perspective it offers. I'm somwhat of an [i:7a9c97675f]iconoclast[/i:7a9c97675f] so I'll refrain from further comment on the Mormon church.

Mustang Sally:
Well I guess that conferms it(what jewls said). If you must know what goes on in the Tempel, study Freemasonry. I have a few books on Freemasonry, two of wich are: "The History of Freemasonry" by Abert Gallatin Mackey, and "Morals And Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry" by Abert Pike. The latter being the better. This will only get you similaritys to the mormon church. I'm not certain these books will fully answer your question but they may help. The website where you can find this book is. [http] It's also a good recourc for rare reprints, scarce, and hard to find books.