Originally Posted by tadpole256

Ok, I decided to start a whole new thread for this... This should be good...

So what do you think? Are Mormons a religion or a cult? I personally think they clearly constitute a religion, whereas others obviously believe they are a cult. What do you think?

The dictionary defines a cult as the following...

Dictionary definitions of "cult"
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary lists five different meanings of the word "cult".

1)Formal religious veneration

2)A system of religious beliefs and ritual; also: its body of adherents;

3)A religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also: its body of adherents;

4)A system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator;

5)Great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book).

The Random House Unabridged Dictionary definitions are:

1)A particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies;

2)An instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers; The object of such devotion;

3)A group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc;

4)Group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols;

5)A religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader; The members of such a religion or sect;

6)Any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

So in other words, are Mormons a Cult? Yes. But so are Catholics, and every other form of Christianity, and every other religion for that matter. Further more, cult is the root word of culture.

So all you Christian Cult followers out there... Judge not lest ye be judged yourself...