Mormonism cult

Is Mormonism a Cult?

Originally the word “cult” derives from the Latin cultus, meaning "care" or "adoration." By this definition, almost all religions, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, exhibit at least some characteristics of a cult.

But what exactly do people mean when they say that a religious group is a “cult”? According to the American Heritage Dictionary (AHD) the word Cult is:

    a) A System or community of religious worship and ritual.

    b) The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.

If these definitions were all that people had in mind when they define Mormonism as a cult, then Mormons wouldn’t mind being referred to in that context. However, people often mean something very different from the definitions above when they refer to Mormonism as a cult. The AHD provides another definition that better explains the meaning that most people attach to the word “cult”:

    A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist of false, with its  
    followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an 
    authoritarian, charismatic leader.

This definition is very generic but it clarifies the general implicit criteria used by most people when they define a religion as a cult: their own personal or religious biases. Based on this definition almost all religions are cults, since most of them, if not all, are “generally” considered false by some other group.

Mormons don’t believe that their religion should be classified as a cult. In fact, very few people define their own church or religion as a “cult”, but usually they use this term to criticize or downplay the value of another church or religion. This is what happens with Mormonism: a few people, members of other religious groups, define Mormonism as a cult with the purpose of discounting its value and achievements.

In practice, are usually the religious minorities that are defined as “cults” by the traditional religious leaders of the time. For example, the negative label “cult” has been given to recently formed groups as the Unification Church or the Hare Krishna movement. However, even early Christianity or Islam during the life of Muhammad were considered “cults”.

A more scientific definition of “cult” refers to the beginning phase of a new religion. If we follow this approach, a cult’s main characteristic is that it provides a radical break from existing religious traditions. If we use this definition, we can say that initially Mormonism was a cult, because it challenged and broke away from the existing religious traditions.

However, most religious groups that start as cults fail to survive more than a single generation and very few evolve into a developed new religion; but this was not the case with Mormonism. In fact, social scientists now generally agree that Mormonism as represented by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should not be longer classified as a cult but should be seen as an example of a successful transition to the status of new religion.