Mormons

Are there any mormons that are posting on this board? I ask because I wonder if someone so restricted in their thinking could even allow themselves to put their beliefs up for examination. I tried talking to a mormon once (yes...only once) about his beliefs, every question I asked, some such as the complete lack of historical evidence, outside sources, credibility of Joseph Smith, and the story of the stranslation of the plates (I think south park explained that best). All his answers started something like this "Faith teaches us that the evidence can prove what you want, so by faith we believe the truth to be __________________" I have given up on talking to people who perpetuate this line of thinking Has anyone else dealt with this? And on a side note, does anyone know how this religion became so big?!?
-Brad

Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.

Sounds just like any literalist, Mormon or otherwise.

---

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

my, uh, recent ex-girlfriend was a mormon. and i have known a few others as well. well i was visiting her last, i had the opportunity to talk to a few missionaries from their church.they were actually very willing to discuss just about anything. one seemed a little like she should have been a fundamental christian (similar attitude and mindset) but almost everyone i talked to seemed very rational and friendly.their beliefs actually align with my own very well. better than christianity for the most part, but for several glaring inconsistancies. and they do take offense, btw, when you attack their holy book, even though it is... a lot more spurious than the bible, and that's saying alot.i have no faith in joseph smith.why is it so big lately? well, they have the most sensible church service i've been to in a long time. and they're nice people.

Hey Shadow, nice to hear from another person in the Northwest. The Mormon population here in Boise is pretty high. The rumor is that there are more Mormons per capita in Boise than there is in Salt Lake City. What I have found is that they are not afraid to talk about their religion, but they are deathly afraid of temptation. However, as far as evolution goes, I don't think the church has a huge problem with it. I could be wrong, but evolution is taught at BYU. There are probably those that still hang onto a literal intepretation of Genesis, not unlike the current Protestant movement. But I think they would be less likely to allow those views to be challenged in an open debate where they didn't hold all of the cards, sort of like their aversion to temptation.I think that Mormons already suffer enough persecution across the country without having to hear the same abuse on an internet discussion board. They seem to be comfortable in their own communities, and maybe it is best that way. Who knows.

is what the mormons are. The measure for cults is simple. Whenever Christ is not the center of the religion, it is a cult. Having successfully replaced the word of God with the word of Smith, they are not to be construed as anything other than cult.
And it don't matter how nice the people are.

---

"Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit!"
2 Cor. 7:1

And where did you get the idea that they replaced the word of God? Or is God only allowed to talk to you?

---

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

YES! Haha... I love that episode...

quote:

---

The measure for cults is simple. Whenever Christ is not the center of the religion, it is a cult.

---

Early christians were considered part of a cult. The absence of Christ does not a cult make. A cult is usually an unpopular religion. It moves from cult to mainstream religion not by it's tenets, but because of popular acceptance.

Anything that changes scripture in translation or teaches something fundimentally different from what the bible teaches (especially about persons in the Godhead like the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses do) is what one can describe as a cult. Knowing about their peer pressure tactics within their congregations makes it very hard for the person to actually turn their back on their church. That is what I would call a 'cult'

Mike King,What prevents Christianity from being a cult? Would it be fair if Hindu's called Christianity a cult, since Christianity is fundamentally different than their beliefs concerning Vishnu and Shiva?

So God stopped talking to folk? He just get in a snit or something and walk away? LOL.What possible reason can you have for saying that God is incapable or has refused to speak to anybody for the last 2000 years or so?If something happens once, it may be unique. When it happens more than once it is no longer unique. When it happens several times thaere is no reason to think it will not happen again.

---

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

quote:

---

Mike King,
What prevents Christianity from being a cult? Would it be fair if Hindu's called Christianity a cult, since Christianity is fundamentally different than their beliefs concerning Vishnu and Shiva?

---

Christianity is very different from other religions as its not really about people seeking after God, but rather God seeking for people. Not knowing much at all about Vishnu or Shiva, but knowing something about the Hindu religion is that with the cycle of reincarnation and the weighing up of the positive and negative things in your life determining where one ends up is all about self effort to get to God. Chritianity is fundamentally different where you have God himself redeeming mankind.
I would call a cult a cult if it was a spin off from mainsream Christianity where what the bible teaches is twisted and its participants coersed.
Hinduism is not a cult, its simply a different religion. I personally believe Jesus was God's revelation of himself in human form taught 'I am the way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by me'
That is an astoninshing statement!

quote:

---

The absence of Christ does not a cult make.

---

See, even YODA says you're wrong. Just face it, man (:.No, but seriously, I think the definition of cult is too loose to have an argument over. I would say a cult is any group of people that A. hold similar views that they believe to be the ultimate truth on something, B. practice activities or rituals that differ from every day activities, and C. that require others of their group to do certain things to maintain status in their group. In this sense, I would indeed call many religions cults. However, there are plenty of you that will disagree, which is perfectly fine. In fact, I think we're all right. It's just one of those things...What matters is what organizations do, not what you classify them as. I've met several Mormans, and they've all been pretty nice.

I put their popularity down to their keen fashion sense...