Why do Christians consider Mormonism a cult?
This is why I consider Mormonism a cult. It is not simply because Mormons have beliefs that are different from traditional Christianity. It is because of the combination of teachings, rituals, secret ceremonies, and doctrines that set Mormonism apart from historic biblical Christianity. Here are some of the reasons:
Rejection of the Trinity:
Believing that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three entirely separate gods.
A Bodily God:
Teaching that God the Father has a literal body of flesh and bones.
God Lives on or Near Kolob:
Believing that God's physical residence is located near a planet or star called Kolob.
God Has Thousands of Wives:
Teaching that God is a polygamist who rules alongside multiple Heavenly Mothers.
God Was Once a Man:
Teaching that God the Father was once a mortal human who attained godhood.
Human-to-God Progression:
Believing that righteous humans can eventually become gods and rule over worlds of their own in the afterlife.
Jesus and Satan as Brothers:
Teaching that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers, both being literal spirit offspring of God.
Satan as the Temple Film's Main Character:
Featuring Lucifer as the most prominent and active speaking character in the temple instructional film, where he speaks directly to the audience.
Satan Threatening the Audience:
Satan looks into the camera during the film and warns participants that if they do not keep every covenant made in the temple, they will be under his power.
Wearing Satan's Apron:
During the instructional portion of the endowment ceremony, the character representing Satan introduces a green fig-leaf apron as a symbol of his power and priesthoods. Participants are then instructed to put on a similar apron.
Temple Garment Symbols:
Marking sacred temple undergarments with symbols associated with Freemasonry, including the square and compass, placed over the breasts and abdomen.
Tribal Affiliation Through Seers:
Using local seers, known as patriarchs, to lay hands on members and declare which literal tribe of Israel they belong to.
Baptism for the Dead:
Performing proxy water baptisms for deceased individuals inside temples.
Denial of Original Sin:
Rejecting the belief that humanity inherited a fallen and sinful nature from Adam.
Salvation by Works:
Requiring church ordinances, covenants, and good works for entry into the highest degree of heaven rather than relying on grace alone.
Denial of Hell:
Rejecting the traditional Christian teaching of eternal conscious punishment and teaching instead that nearly everyone will receive some degree of glory.
Extra-Biblical Scriptures:
Adding the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price to the scriptural canon.
Corrupted Bible Belief:
Teaching that the Holy Bible is incomplete and has been corrupted over the centuries.
The Great Apostasy:
Claiming that traditional Christian churches fell into complete apostasy and corruption until Joseph Smith restored the original faith and authority.
Living Prophets:
Treating the teachings and revelations of modern church presidents as authoritative scripture that can supersede or reinterpret earlier biblical teachings.
Eternal Polygamy:
Holding the doctrinal position that men can be sealed to multiple wives for eternity through temple ceremonies.
Secret Signs and Tokens:
Teaching secret handshakes, grips, signs, and other gestures that participants must learn as part of the temple ceremony and that are associated with passing by the angels who guard the way to God's presence.
Secret Names:
Giving participants a new temple name that they are instructed not to reveal publicly.
Historical Blood Penalties (Pre-1990):
Older versions of the temple endowment included oaths of secrecy accompanied by mimed penalties involving gestures representing throat-slitting and disembowelment. These practices were later removed from the ceremony.
Chanting Prayer Circles:
Participating in a ritual prayer circle, sometimes called the "true order of prayer," in which participants join hands around an altar and repeat specific phrases while performing prescribed gestures. Women historically participated with veils covering their faces.
The Ritual Veil:
Standing before a literal fabric veil in the temple while a person representing God tests participants on the secret grips, signs, and words they have been taught.
Washing and Anointing (Initiatory):
Performing a temple ritual in which participants are washed and anointed with oil by temple workers as part of the initiatory ceremony.
The Fig-Leaf Apron:
During the instructional portion of the endowment ceremony, the character representing Satan introduces a green fig-leaf apron and identifies it as a symbol of his power and priesthoods. Participants are then instructed to put on a similar apron. As noted in a Facebook discussion, Satan identifies the green fig-leaf apron as a symbol of his power and priesthoods, and participants comply by putting on the apron.
The Prayer Circle:
Also known as the "true order of prayer," this ritual involves participants gathering in a circle around an altar, raising their hands, and repeating prescribed phrases together. Critics have compared the arrangement and ritualized recitation to occult or ceremonial summoning circles.
Inverted Pentagrams:
Some early Latter-day Saint architecture, including historic buildings associated with Nauvoo, incorporated inverted five-pointed stars. Critics have interpreted these symbols as occult or Satanic imagery, although the historical meaning and use of such symbols is more complicated than that interpretation alone suggests.
Historical Oaths and Penalties (Pre-1990):
Earlier versions of the temple endowment included vows of strict secrecy and mimed physical penalties. These elements were removed from the ceremony in 1990.
Satan's Command to Cover Themselves:
During the instructional portion of the ceremony, the character representing Satan instructs participants to hide themselves or cover themselves with the fig-leaf apron, and the participants comply with the instruction.
Mormon Sources
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