Is Mormonism a Religion or a Cult

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

First, when Christians, particularly evangelicals as myself, refer to a sect as a cult, they do not mean a cult in the way David Koresh or Jim Jones' groups were cults. In the evangelical lexicon, a "cult" is a religion that have the trappings of Christianity, but differ greatly in essential doctrine from traditional Christian beliefs (Divinity of Jesus, Trinity, nature of God,.etc.) One example of a cult would be JW's, who deny that Jesus was God but Michael, etc.

This stupid re-definition of words is probably part of the reason so many people have issues with evangelicals, another example being how they often used the word "Christian" to simply mean "evangelical", I've noticed this is common amongst evangelicals even if they don't claim that Catholics and mainline Protestants aren't Christians and may even deny that they think that, but then say things that in context seems to imply that only evangelicals are Christians.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

53 certainly fits very well.

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[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

jmf, I appreciate the degree of attention, but as I am but a novice in LDS history and doctrine, I must indefinitely suspend meaningful conversation on these points.

novice or expert...I'm just warning you of what should be obvious brainwashing techniques which feed upon the one's desire to be apart of something bigger than one's self.

Uh, you are aware that Christian churches do that sort of thing all the time? It's not "brainwashing".

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Uh, you are aware that Christian churches do that sort of thing all the time? It's not "brainwashing".

NO!, that is NOT the practice of all Christian churches.  I have been going to the same church for 19 years, and I have NEVER heard my pastor say something along the lines of, “Make sure you have this study guide handy when you read your bible”…nor have I ever heard him say something like, “Here’s our statement of beliefs, read them and pray to God about them.”

Instead we are told just he opposite, “Don’t rely on a study guide when you read your bible.”

As Dibble pointed out, I never said all do. And I agree that the study guide thing often is as used as such, because the "study guides" are often intended to railroad someone into one interpretation. I know this is a big indoctrination tactic used by Jehovah's Witnesses based on something I read awhile back about their recruitment practices.

But at far more liberal churches than your's or Mormons I have heard things such as praying for guidance and that you seek the truth in reading the Bible, etc.

And I agree with that approach, because I didn’t start going to my church until 5 months AFTER I was saved, and in those 5 months (and for a over a year afterward), I was dealing with “Christians” who were taught to be terrified of attempting to read the bible without an official study guide from their church.  And they thought I was attempting to deceive them by asking them, “Put down your study guide, start at the beginning of a book of the bible, read a section, then tell me what you think it means…then read the next section, then tell me what you think it means…and keep going until you reach the end of that particular book.  I am simply going to sit here and listen and not say a word.”…and they, for the most part, had NO TROUBLE AT ALL understanding what they had just read. 

For example, when I had them read the book of Hebrews, they completely and without question understood the New Covenant was currently in effect.  When they finished reading and stating their interpretation:

I said, “I agree with your interpretation…So, just to be clear, from what you read from the book of Hebrews, you believe the New Covenant is currently in effect, right?”

…and they answered, “Well, of course it is, it just said so over and over again. In fact, the whole book of Hebrews I just read to you was all about the New Covenant being in effect and how it superseded the old!  Why do you ask?”

Then, I would spill the beans: “Because your church says that the New Covenant is NOT yet in effect.  But that it is a future covenant…..here, look what your church says in this article, and in this other article, and here, and here, and here…”

And they would be very upset, and then after I couple of days I would receive a phone call: “[jmfcst], I just called to let you know that I have prayed about it and now I see how the New Covenant  has not been put into effect yet.”

Me: “But what about what you read in book of Hebrews”

Them: “I don’t want to read the bible anymore without first checking with my church’s study guide.  I’m too afraid of being deceived.”

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I am somewhat an expert on brainwashing techniques of cults, not because I have studied the subject, but because I have witnessed it firsthand for 18 straight months.  I myself went and attended a cultish church for 18 months with my friends (their church’s services were on Saturday, so after finding my church 5 months into it, for the remaining 13 months I attended their church on Saturday and mine on Sunday)

I lived and breathed their church’s doctrine for 18 months and became an expert on their doctrinal beliefs, so much so that I knew their doctrine better than 99% of their members.  I read everything they published, past and present – in order to learn their doctrinal roots and how their doctrine had changed over the years…I searched and acquired older books published by their church which their church had previously told their members to get rid of or burn (they would make changes to their doctrine - yet claim it really wasn’t a change since they were, after all, “the true church” and could make no doctrinal errors – so they would instruct their members to get rid of some of their previous books and magazines so that the members couldn’t trace the history of their doctrine and wouldn’t think they had fundamentally changed some beliefs).

Their services were NOT open to the public, and they took attendance at the door.  If you were a visitor, they took you aside and asked you a series of questions like, “Why are you here?  What is your motive? Was our staff expecting you?”.  In fact, in order for me to attend their services in Houston, I had to first write to the church’s headquarters in California (the address was provided on their weekly TV show).  They then replied by mail and sent be the phone number to one of their local pastors, which I had to call and discuss my interest BEFORE even being invited and given their address to where their weekly services were located.  Once inside, everyone who could write was expected to take notes, and all the men were dressed in suits and brought brief cases to keep their bible and notepad in, and all the women, if they couldn’t fit it in their purse, would do likewise (I kid you not!), so that they all appeared as clones of each other.  If your attendance wasn’t up to par, you received a phone call.  If your tithing wasn’t up to par, you received a phone call.  If you brought a quest, you were expected to check with your pastor BEFORE bringing them to church.  And the only unforgivable sin was for a baptize member of their church to leave the cult

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This isn’t some game that is being played.  This is real varsity level brain washing and deception.  And it is demonic, even if it doesn’t involve pentangles and human sacrifice.  I didn’t buy into it because God had already opened my eyes before sending me to them.

This is why I warned Tweed not to attempt to pray to or petition the spirits seeking to gain insight into Mormon scripture, because he is simply opening himself up the spiritual force behind the Book of Mormon.  If one wants to pray a Christian prayer, then lift up Christ in prayer.  If one wants to seek what is proper Christian doctrine, then don’t consult the spirits, rather consult the bible.

This is not something to play around with.  If you want to check out Mormonism (or any other “Christian” church, no matter how benign it appears), than check it out by comparing it to the OT/NT, since every church claims to be in agreement with the OT/NT.

Yes that church indeed sounds quite bizarre and cult-like. But the type of indoctrination tactics they use are quite different from what's described here. Mind you I'm familiar with a lot of the indoctrination tactics Mormons use and it's not much different from evangelical churches. I don't have a problem with that either really. The problem with Mormonism is the other aspects that are quite similar to the church you described.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Well of course not because it's in the New Testament. The Bible wasn't completed at that time.

Now yes what you describe here is different but I've seen conservative evangelical websites advise to do that all the time. I'd like to note that it would have no effect on anyone who isn't already a Christian of some type, although granted that's probably where the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses draw most of their converts from.

the bible says that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light - you do NOT simply believe whatever some spirit has told you in prayer, rather you "test the spirits".  And if a spirit is telling you something contrary to scripture, then OBVIOUSLY, it ain’t the same spirit that inspired the bible.

Ha, at the church that afleitch thinks is some evil right wing holy roller abomination (and thus just like you according to him) a few months ago in the sermon the guy actually spoke about listening to the voice of God (and gave some example about how he had a dream about a friend of his committing cheating on his wife so he talked to his friend saying "Hey I know this sounds crazy but..." and then his friend broke down and admitted that he was considering and planning adultery.) So are you saying you agree with afleitch?