A "cult" is a closed religious organization that teaches that their organization is the ONLY organization that should be followed. .....An organization that refers to all other religious organizations as "abominations." It's the prideful exaltation of one's own peculiarities.
LDS falls within this definition.
Christian churches may jostle and disagree, and think that their denomination more accurately follows Jesus, but they also recognize that there are "sheep in other flocks." You do not see this attitude in the LDS.
Nonetheless, I am (lukewarmly) supporting Romney.
Very well, you’ve got your definition. It’s a subjective one, but you’re certainly entitled to it.
~”You do not see this attitude in the LDS.”~
That is patently untrue, my friend. In fact, you’ll rarely find a religious belief system that is -more- inclusive of those outside its immediate number when it comes to the doctrines of salvation. Why, for example, would we so heavily stress the work we do in temples? We’re not doing it for us. We’re doing it for non-Mormons.
It is our doctrine - not my opinion, but our doctrine - that each person will be judged based on the desires of his heart and the degree of light and truth which he has. This applies to the devout Mormon, the good-hearted Baptist, and the ignorant bushman alike.
I do not understand where you could have perceived this notion about the LDS Church, but, please, disabuse yourself of it. It simply could not be further from the truth.
In contrast, according to many adherents of mainstream Christianity, I am going straight to Hell because I refuse to accept their dogmas. That is not inclusionary, and it is certainly “prideful exaltation of one’s own peculiarities.” By your definition, any person who believes that is a cultist, and I reject that notion entirely.
A "cult" is a closed religious organization that teaches that their organization is the ONLY organization that should be followed. .....An organization that refers to all other religious organizations as "abominations." It's the prideful exaltation of one's own peculiarities.
LDS falls within this definition.
Cult:
- a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
- an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
- the object of such devotion.
- a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
- Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
- a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
- the members of such a religion or sect.
- any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific. –adjective
- of or pertaining to a cult.
- of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.
You seem to have a private, pejorative definition of the word Cult which you apply to us specifically, by your definition, I think the Catholic church qualifies as a "Cult" too. I have also seen many of these So-called Christian Churches saying they were the "path to salvation" and that adherents to other faiths were damned, admittedly, that was years ago. but if they have not repudiated that belief and are just not emphasizing it, are they still a cult?
Then there is the little matter of the Dictionary, words mean things, IMHO all churches would qualify as a cult according to their definition.
I have still not decided what to do, I am still pining for Fred.