Recently,
a man in our neighborhood attacked the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints on Facebook. Many of our neighbors stood up for us and for the Church.
One of the things he said was that the LDS Church was a cult. I’ve been thinking
about that and have shared my response below.
What
is the definition of a cult? One person humorously said, “A cult is any group I
don’t agree with.” If one used that definition, then if one is a democrat, the
republicans would be a cult and vice versa. An online dictionary defines a cult
as “a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices
regarded by others as strange or sinister.” Sinister is typically thought of as
something harmful or evil. Wikipedia defines a cult as “… a group which is typically led by a
charismatic and self-appointed leader, who tightly controls its members,
requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are
considered deviant.” Deviant behavior is behavior far outside of society’s
norms.
How
does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stack up to these
definitions? Is the Church small? At present there are more than 17 million
members of the Church in more than 31,000 congregations throughout the world.
It is the fifth largest Christian church in the U.S.
Are
the beliefs and practices of members of the LDS Church strange, sinister, or
deviant? The 13th Article of Faith says, “We believe in being
honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and doing good to all ….” The LDS
Church gives hundreds of millions of dollars each year in humanitarian aid in
157 countries regardless of the religious or non-religious beliefs of the
recipients. The LDS Church operates four universities or colleges open to
students regardless of their beliefs or non-beliefs. Members of the church are
encouraged to be actively engaged in their community and to give service to
those in need. Do these facts strike you as strange, sinister, or deviant?
Is
the LDS Church led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who tightly
controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion? Since the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in 1830, there have been 17 Presidents
of the Church. I think it would be fair to say that all 17 have been
charismatic leaders. The present president of the Church, Russell M. Nelson,
was a world-renowned heart surgeon and researcher before devoting his full-time
service to the Church. Are the leaders self-appointed? No. Church leaders at
every level are sustained by the vote of the members of the Church over whom
they serve. Do the leaders of the LDS Church tightly control the members? No.
Any person joins the Church or leaves the Church according to their own
desires. The 11th Article of Faith states “We claim the privilege of
worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and
allow all men (all people) the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or
what they may.” Agency is an important and respected principle in the LDS
faith. Members of the Church who find joy and happiness in their faith do want
to share their beliefs with others. This is by invitation. One leader wrote, “Come
and see. Come and help. Come and stay.”
Are
the leaders and members of the Church without fault? No. They are trying to do
the best they can, individually, in their families, and in their communities.
Do they make mistakes? Of course, they are human. They are striving to live
more like the Savior, Jesus Christ, taught.
It is my hope that all people will respect one
another even though they may disagree on some matters. Imagine what the world
would be like if everyone felt that way about others and tried to live with
respect for all people.