Mormon Church: Cult-Lite

[_Hades]

Cult-lite is brilliant.

Right now Romney is wearing magic underwear. Under his pants he has on magical underpants. Thanks to Penn for pointing this out. Is that cult-lite or cult-like?

[_Kishkumen]

Would a monastery be a cult?

[_Dr. Shades]

He says it’s “cult-lite”.

That's funny; those are the exact words I used to describe it last year to my aunt.

The one exception is the LDS mission, which is, in my opinion, full-blown cult.

Don't forget the other one: The temple experience. I'd say that that's full-blown cult, too.

[_Corpsegrinder]

Would a monastery be a cult?

I suppose. Some monastic orders are probably more cult-like than others.

[_bcspace]

All churches are cults by definition. In addition, any born Jew, Catholic, or Southern Baptist in an active family is just as likely to feel the same pressure when considering leaving or marrying outside the faith. Feel sorry for the Muslim where the penalty for leaving is death (on the spot....lol).

[_Chap]

Would a monastery be a cult?

It is by no means easy to be accepted as (say) a professed Benedictine monk; even less so to be accepted into one of the contemplative orders. Most monastic orders will not even look at you unless you fall into the kind of group they believe might not be wasting their time as a candidate. There will be prolonged periods of trial during which your ability, your determination, and your sense that you have what they call a 'vocation' are thoroughly tested before you are allowed to commit yourself to the attempt at permanent poverty, chastity and obedience. Many don't make it through that stage.

They certainly don't send missionaries round asking you to commit to membership after the first couple of meetings.

And if you leave a monastic order (you can apply to be dispensed from even final vows, and thereafter be a church member in good standing), nobody, but nobody will come round trying to reactivate you, and nobody will tell you have you have destroyed your eternal family.

That would seem to make membership of a monastic order rather different from what most people speaking English might call a cult - though I don't find that word all that useful myself

[_Corpsegrinder]

Thanks, Chap. I stand corrected. And yes, I would agree the term "cult" is not especially useful.

[_Chap]

I respectfully reminded her that all candidates of any religion believe in bogus claims that are completely contrary to science, reason or logic. It’s not just the Mormons.

I used transubstantiation as an example.

She got quiet.

Yes, but transubstantiation is not a falsifiable claim. By its very nature (change of the substance of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ while preserving their original perceptible properties, or 'accidents') it cannot be shown to be wrong by any means accessible to the senses.

It can on the other hand be shown (for instance) that the translations appended to the Book of Abraham facsimiles are not in the common meaning of the word a translation of the ancient Egyptian text written thereon. Mormonism is in a considerably worse case than Catholic Christianity in this as well as other regards.

[_sock puppet]

All churches are cults by definition. In addition, any born Jew, Catholic, or Southern Baptist in an active family is just as likely to feel the same pressure when considering leaving or marrying outside the faith. Feel sorry for the Muslim where the penalty for leaving is death (on the spot....lol).

Yeah, but Jews, Catholics and even Southern Baptist beliefs and practices are not as bats*** as what goes on in Mormon temples.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

He says it’s “cult-lite”.

That's funny; those are the exact words I used to describe it last year to my aunt.

The one exception is the LDS mission, which is, in my opinion, full-blown cult.

Don't forget the other one: The temple experience. I'd say that that's full-blown cult, too.

Amen, and amen. The images and feelings I retain from those two experiences are still among the most powerful and affective I carry with me to this day (as opposed from most of my other life experiences).

The level of control a mission has over the person is most definitely cult-like.

The level of crazy the temple experience can carry for a person is definitely cult-like (in my case pre-1990).

V/R
Dr. Cam