Join FR's cult, Send your money to FR, Agree with FR, or get mocked and ridiculed so you stay in line, Disagree too strongly and get excommunicated/banned.
Just sayin'.
All good points, but Mitt Romney will never be President of these United States.
Cults are typically characterized by:
a) A "new" truth after the completion of the Canon of Scripture.
b) Non-Biblical source of Authority.
c) Another Jesus.
d) Rejection of Orthodox Christianity.
e) Non-Biblical teaching on the nature of God (Rejection of the Trinity).
f) Changing Theology.
g) Strong authoritarian leadership.
h) Salvation by Works.
i) False Prophecy.
It might be noted that nearly every denomination lasts for about 200 years with orthodox doctrines and then nearly all of them have a faction which slips out of fellowship by succumbing to extended doctrine a bit further than what has been provided in Scripture by His Word. Even amongst rather orthodox denominations, while the bulk of their doctrines are sound, some discerning bits of doctrine arise differentiating that denomination from another and causing fracture within the Body of Christ. Such mainline denominational differences are not sufficient to bring upon the label of "cult" although they might be properly described as 'extra-Biblical' or unorthodox in their interpretations.
Such believers who slip into those areas aren't getting away with anything, for they merely fall out of fellowship and other indicators arise regarding their degeneration from sanctification. The only true thinking is that which concurs with God the Holy Spirit, which He uses to grow the soul and spirit of the believer in fellowship with Him.
What does this thread have to do with supporting Romney’s candidacy?
You’re right. Cult is a poorly chosen description of Mormonism.
Better and more accurate is to describe it as syncretistic post-christian paganism.
You’ll be missed.
IBTZ
The is a wide range of definitions for the term cult and if you wish to apply a non-mainstream Christianity meaning to it that’s your call. But even if you win the definition war Mormons will still not be Christians.
Even though Muslims believe in Christ they make no claim to being Christian because they follow Muhammad. You follow Christ and Smith yet you claim to be Christian. Since Christ himself said “no man can come to the Father except by me” there is no room for Smith just as there is no room for Muhammad.
I know this is not what The Book of Mormon claims. But using The Book of Mormon as your basis for claiming that your are Christian is no different than Muslims using the Qumran, to claim they are Christian.
What’s the obsession with trying to pass yourself off as a Christian religion when you believe that all of the rest of us have it wrong?
Mormons believe that the Bible is inaccurate, and so they’ve come up with new “scriptures” to replace it, adding all sorts of “histories” and “prophecies” and “new truths.” And yet they claim Jesus as part of their faith.
From their foundation, they’ve rejected traditional faith in Christ, saying that all Christian traditions are corrupt, and that their religion alone possess the truth.
Mormons have rejected traditional faith in Christ. Of course they’re a “cult.”
Indeed, “cult” is a nice term for such a religion.
Warning! There are huge business bucks to be made off of anti-Mormonism - books, tapes, DVD’s, speaking engagements, workshops, seminars, etc. An entire industry exists with the sole purpose of knocking The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and all of its members - 14 million plus all over the world.
Furthermore, there are preachers, teachers, evangelists, leaders of other Christian churches whose very livelihood depends on passing the plate and preaching sermons about how evil the Mormons are, and on and on it goes. I heard many sermons of this sort myself when I was a Baptist and a Pentecostal in my past.
I suspect that the anti Mormons who continually populate these threads are hard pressed NOT to act as they do or they would lose financial support.
It’s a stacked deck. However, the Truth is the Truth. I am a Christian and that is the fact that cannot be tolerated by the anti Mormons. You see it here on FR thread after creepy thread. Most of the Mormons have already been purged from the ranks of FR.
Please note: I was once an anti Mormon. I remember saying things like: “Joseph Smith thought he was Jesus Christ!” I had been taught a falsehood. I was wrong; I opened my mind and heart.
A cult wants everything its members have. If you had a van, now the cult has a van. If you had a 50 cal machine gun - the cult now has a 50 cal machine gun.
Mormons only want 10%.
;)