There would be nothing wrong with Billy saying he and Mormons agree to disagree about deep issues of theology. That’s obvious. It’s the relatively modern term “cult” that is the flash point.
The flash point is that you have one of these "cult" members who has a chance to win the Presidency. It doesn't matter what you called the Mormons in the 1850s, the 1950s, or 2010s - non believers, cultists, heretics, charlatans, whatever, they could be ignored for the most part. They can no longer be ignored, and having somebody who believes in false prophets and false prophecies is a major concern of quite a few people, even though publicly they may not acknowledge it because they don't want to look like a bigot.
Not everybody has
the courage that Jim Robinson does:
Well, if being in opposition to false prophets and false prophecy makes a Christian believer a bigot, then I guess I'm a bigot. I've posted before that I flat do not believe that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God. Nor do I believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. The Christian bible warns us to be weary of false prophets and that I am. Romney being the presumptive Republican nominee does not change that fact. (Jim Robinson, August 2012)
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But to many this concession will make the BGEA look weak.
My cousin, who is a preacher, summed it up much better: "It looks like somebody at the BGEA wants access to the White House in case Romney wins. They can remove a word from a website, but that does not change the view in my eyes that the Mormons are nonbelievers and cultists, and if anybody asks me about it, I will not hesitate in saying that."
He said the only way the BGEA can really change anything is not by removing a word from a webpage, but if they came out pronounced that they believe Mormons are true believers. That will not happen.
Nicely worded.
Get your fire protect gear on. ;-)
Now if we could just get mormons to stop calling themselves Christians......funny thing, until about a couple of decades ago, they vigorously denied they were Christians.
And why not Joseph Smith founded mormonism as an anti-Christian belief system.