Reason #77: The Earned Cultic Status of Mormonism

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• From Helen Radkey:

  Without question, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a non-Christian cult. It claims absolute (priesthood) authoritarianism with zero tolerance for questions or critical enquiry.

  Some Mormons may feel inadequate because of the cultish pressures to conform to the "rules" of the LDS Church.

  Former Mormons, such as myself, often relate horror stories of LDS abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.

  The LDS Church insists there is never a legitimate reason to leave its ranks. Former members are always wrong, and are often blacklisted.

  The LDS Church teaches that its leader is always right and has exclusive authority from God, another indication that Mormonism is a cult.

  Dissent is never permitted. The LDS Church is fond of attacking people, as a means of handling dissent, another symptom of a cult. With its harsh and punitive church court system, an LDS Church member doesn't have to be guilty of any specific wrongdoing to be deprived of his/her church membership. He or she may be wrongfully expelled with no redress.

  The LDS Church also demonstrates cult-like tactics when LDS officials and church members vigorously and continuously slander people, like myself, who openly and publicly question Mormon practices, such as baptism for the dead, a non-Christian practice.

  "Kill the messenger," seems to be a maxim that is part of the Mormon way of thinking. This includes the spreading of slander and outright lies about persons who are perceived threats to Mormonism.

  "Lying for the Lord" is an LDS standard, another sign that the LDS Church is a non-Christian cult.

• You are absolutely right in calling Mormonism a cult. Any religion that tells other family members to cut ties with someone that chooses to walk away is a cult.

  Any religion that would encourage a spouse to push away from the other is a cult.

  There a numerous documented instances of both of the above.

  In addition, Mormonism makes people pay for salvation. Of course this is done implicitly so they will not admit this but they do. The only way a Mormon can earn their salvation and advance in their path to god hood is by performing temple rituals. The only way one can do their temple rituals is by having their temple card. The only way one can have have a good standing temple card is by verifying to LDS authorities they are giving 10% of their income. This is cult behavior.

  Jesus told us that salvation is free, you do not need to earn it, pay for it.

• The Mormon leadership and level of authority is a "cult" but not Mormonism. I am a fifth generation Mormon (Parley P. Pratt) who cares not to throw out the "baby" with the dirty "bath water".

  The Bible is very sacred to all Mormons. It is a second witness of Jehovah and Jesus as being the same.

  I have been very staunch in standing up (as a former BYU Bishop) and exercising my rights in the LDS Church for full disclosure and understanding the origin and history of the Land of the Free.

  God placed Joseph Smith Jr. in a family where, as the third child, got a name after his father, Joseph Sr. That fulfills 2 Nephi 3 by Lehi as he was instructing why he named his last son with the same name.

  Mormons are the best people because they believe in second witnesses. The Foundation of Mormonism is the Original Book of Mormon, not the Bible. The history in this book is for the people of the United States of America today to understand why a second witness of Jesus Christ was needed, especially from the Stick of Joseph.

  The Stick of Judah is inferior, thus saith the Bible.

  I have case law against the modern day 'money-changers" to expose the US Ward System and Bishop organization as being Freemasonry. That doesn'et remove the fact that Mormonism is true.

  Tithing (10%) is a lesser law. The Bible is a Law taught by Moses. Jesus fulfilled it. Wake up all Christians in the USA, especially all the ex-mormons. The LDS Church still holds the keys, even after being cursed for four generations (Exodus 20:3-5). Baptism is important. Restoration was required. God Bless America
  http://www.stopzion.com
  http://www.bridgingtruth.com

  Steven C. Davis, Private Investigator and a faithful Mormon, even though the Leaders called me the "devil of the Mormon Church". I am very happy for the compliment Gordon B. Hinckley proclaimed.

• Mormonism Cannot Be Christian Because They have a Different Jesus!

  The Christ of Mormonism is not the same Christ of the Bible. 2 Cor.11:3-5 tells us that there will be those who would teach a different Christ.

  Paul says of them, "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ".

  There is a Biblical warning about those who would bring the doctrine of another Jesus and a simple test. Do the Mormons and their Jesus pass that test? No.

  The Mormons have a difficult time understanding what actually happened at Calvary. In their pamphlet, WHAT THE MORMONS THINK OF CHRIST, we see the problem. In the section, The Blood of Christ (page 22 in the 1976 edition), we read:

  "Christians speak often of the blood of Christ and its cleansing power. Much that is believed and taught on this subject, however, is such utter nonsense and so palpably false that to believe it is to lose one’s salvation. For instance, many believe or pretend to believe that if we confess Christ with our lips and avow that we accept him as our personal savior, we are thereby saved. They say that his blood, without any other act than mere belief, makes us clean.

  "What is the true doctrine of the blood of Christ? Salvation comes because of the atonement, and the atonement was wrought through the shedding of the blood of Christ. In Gethsemane Christ sweat great drops of blood from every pore when he conditionally took upon himself the sins of the world, and then the shedding of his blood was completed upon the cross." end of quote

  This is not the Biblical account of the Atonement! Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray and prepare. The Atonement was the Cross! The garden was the sanctification of the sin offering (Leviticus 4:3-5) to be given ONCE - for all - at the cross.

  The LDS Church teaches in its Articles of Faith, Article 3, "We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel (The MORMON gospel)”.

  These Mormon laws and ordinances have been placed there, in the way of the Cross, blocking the LDS people from it and its cleansing power!

  The Bible clearly teaches another Christ; and another gospel...

  In Col. 2:13-15 Paul writes: "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

  The Mormon Jesus has been stripped of his unique Deity and his sacrifice on the cross has been robbed of its power.

  Theirs is a tragically bloodless Christ, whose death only brought us immortality, NOT eternal life. Their Jesus forces us under laws, ordinances and an all-too-human priesthood. This is not the "Good News" of the Bible:

  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

  And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance...Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others.

  For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." (Hebrews 9:14-15, 25-26)

  Hebrews 10:28 states:

  "He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith He was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

  In the early LDS church, there was a more orthodox Christ preached. But, when Joseph began to teach the strange doctrines of this different Christ, one without the redemptive powers, the church could no longer deal with the reality of the blood of Calvary and its full redemptive work.

  That was when the church removed the red wine from the communion table and went to water. This act literally washed away the reality of the blood from its basically Christian converts. The same holds true today. The cross and the blood have become strangers to the saints.

  Ed Decker