The Cult of Mormonism

"Is Mormonism a cult?" That question is being bandied about in the media and on the Internet. "Do you [Evangelicals] believe that Mormonism is a cult?" And you have to read that with the shock and outrage that they bring to the question. As if, "How dare you consider it a cult??!!"

What is a cult? If, by "cult", you mean "a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies" (the standard English definition), then, yes, it is. So is every religion. Since all religions contain their own particular system of religious worship, all religions are cults. But I'm fairly certain that this isn't the (offensive) definition about which the question is being asked. So to what form of "cult" are they referring?

One more likely definition would be "a quasi-religious organization using devious psychological techniques to gain and control adherents." We often think of cults as some sort of mind control, some sort of brain washing where the followers simply follow like automatons. Is Mormonism that kind of a cult? I don't see it. People come and go from the religion all they want. It doesn't seem to be any more of some "devious psychological techniques" than any other false religion. Often we think of a "cult" as "a religious group held together by a dominant, often charismatic individual." Nope. Can't see that in the Mormon religion. So is Mormonism a cult? With the exception of the standard definition which would include all religious beliefs, I can't see how Mormonism could be classified as a "cult".

One other definition for the word is found in academic religious studies. They place "cult" under the term "new religious movements". Now that would be the case for Mormonism. While they like to claim that they are "Christian", it is not possible to maintain that claim in any way, shape, or form.

Mormonism rejects the singular mainstay of Judaism and Christianity carried from the beginning: monotheism. They are polytheists and claim, in fact, that we, too, can become gods.

Mormons reject the Christ of the Bible, represented as "the only begotten of the Father", the singular Son of God. The Bible presents Him as the second part of the Trinity, a part of the Godhead. They consider Him an offspring of God, a literal son, in fact, brother of Lucifer. Not the same Christ.

Mormonism rejects "saved by faith apart from works" in favor of "saved by works". That is, direct contradiction. We are saved by faith to start with, but ultimate salvation is attained by working for it. Ultimate salvation, by the way, is godhood for those who attain it.

Mormons reject the authority of Scripture. They venerate the Bible to some extent, but hold a two-fold position that says that our Bibles were contaminated and are, therefore, unreliable, and that the Book of Mormon is pure and, therefore, the best source of truth.

Is Mormonism a cult? Not in the common usage. It is a religion, so it would be a cult in that use of the term, and it is "new religion", so it would be a cult in that use of the term. But I wouldn't classify it as a cult in any of our normal understanding of the term. Neither could I classify it as Christianity. Not in any standard understanding of that term. It is not merely a "different" form of Christian theology, but a complete rejection of anything that makes Christianity what it is.