Is Mormonism a Cult? A Stake President Responds

A student named Alethea contacted me saying she was studying cults and wanted to write a page about Mormonism in her report.  I was quite taken back until she clarified that she didn’t know whether our religion had cultish traits or not and simply wanted to meet with a leader to get clarification.  I invited her to meet with me personally explaining that while I don’t speak for the church as a whole, I would be happy to attempt to answer her questions as accurately as I knew how. 

She emailed me this link ahead of the interview saying that it listed the common characteristics of cults and that her questions would be based thereon:

http://www.prem-rawat-talk.org/forum/uploads/CultCharacteristics.htm

For those not wishing to click on the link, here are the first few characteristics mentioned on the site:

1. The group is focused on a living leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.
2. The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.
3. The group is preoccupied with making money.
4. Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished………….etc

Alethea also told me in that email that most people in cults (including many who are very intelligent) don’t realize it and would think the idea absurd. She said that people who join cults gradually lose their free-agency to conformity.  (Thankfully this is not something that we see at all in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). 

When Alethea arrived at my home I offered to get something for her to drink and she asked for a cup of coffee.  I said that coffee was not permitted in Mormonism as part of our health code which greatly intrigued her. Our conversation went something like this:

Alethea: So if a Mormon were to drink coffee would there be a punishment attached?

Bill: Well they wouldn’t be allowed to hold a recommend which allows members access to the most sacred places on the earth, our temples.  Also certain positions in the church require one to have this recommend as a basic show of worthiness; so someone who partakes would be relieved of that position. 

Alethea: ….and this is all for just drinking an occasional cup of coffee? You know rigid rules and regulations are mentioned on the site I emailed you as common characteristic found in cults.

Bill: Obedience is a very important principle Alethea.  We follow this and many other teachings given to us by our leaders.

Alethea: I understand; may I have a cup of tea instead then?

Bill: Well the thing is Alethea, we don’t drink tea either.

Alethea: Oh. Well to be honest I’ll be just fine with my bottle of water, assuming that is permitted?

Bill: Of course. 

Alethea: Bill you mentioned obedience to leaders earlier which leads me to a question I had in mind to ask you. As per the website I sent you cult leaders often claim new revelation from God and that they, alone, speak for God. Is this the case in Mormonism?

Bill: Keep in mind that the adversary mimics God in many ways Alethea. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church upon the face of the earth according to our holy scriptures.  New revelations from God with regards to mankind as a whole come only through our prophet.

Alethea: I see.  Bill please tell me a little bit about the person who leads the Mormon religion. Would you say that Mormons are focused on a living leader to whom they display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment? 

Bill: We are not excessive at all towards our leader Thomas S. Monson, but we do accept him as a prophet of God. In fact we raise our hands to sustain him several times a year (General Conferences, Stake conferences, Ward Conferences, and this is confirmed in temple recommend interviews etc) as a prophet seer and revelator and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all the priesthood keys necessary for the salvation of mankind.

Alethea: I see.  Are members expected to obey his counsel?

Bill: Absolutely.  Apostle Robert D. Hales in his 2010 General Conference talk entitled ‘Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life’ asked the following question:

My brothers and sisters, are we hearkening with exactness to the voice of the Lord and His prophets?

Alethea: And how do members in general feel about this prophet?

Bill: We love him dearly. A favourite hymn of mine that we often sing has these words “We thank thee O God for a prophet to guide us in these latter days….”

Alethea: So Mormons sing this song of worship regularly?

Bill: We do indeed.

Alethea: If ever the group or the leader is criticized or questioned is this characterized as "persecution" Bill?

Bill: It is. And we are very used to this sort of persecution. 

Alethea: Calling it persecution is a common trait mentioned on the website I sent you, but let’s move on to another subject. We have found that cults have a preoccupation with bringing in new members.

Bill: Well I wouldn’t call it a preoccupation so much as I would call it a duty. Every member is a missionary and is encouraged to talk to his friends and neighbours about the church Alethea.  We encourage all families to have a mission plan where they plan how many people they will invite to church. In addition our young men consider it an honour as priesthood holders to serve the Lord full time for two years throughout the world as missionaries.

 

Alethea: Yes I have encountered these young men from time to time! Another cultish trait we find is that groups are preoccupied with making money. How does your church finance its operations?

Bill: Well we are certainly not preoccupied with money in our church.  The Lord doesn’t require our money, just our faith. 

Alethea: Well that’s good. Most cults withhold certain privileges to people who aren’t willing to fund the operation.

Bill: That’s terrible. Our faithful members willingly obey the law of tithing paying 10% of their incomes to the Lord.  They also have the option of giving even more money to assist other inspired church programs.

Alethea: That is wonderful Bill.  May I ask if this 10% is mandatory or in other words are there any punishments to not paying for example?

Bill: Oh it is definitely not mandatory, but members who don’t pay simply don’t get the same blessings as those who do.

Alethea: What sort of blessings?

Bill: Well God promises blessings to the obedient Alethea.  Plus access to our temples and the holding of certain leadership positions require members to pay this tithing.

Alethea: What if someone feels like they can't quite afford 10% and they 'only' give 9% of their income to the Mormon church - would they be able to hold leadership positions and enter the temples?

Bill: I have never come across this specific situation but the answer is no; the Lord requires us to have the faith to pay a full tithe Alethea.

Alethea: So can I write down that someone who doesn’t pay 10% of their income to the Mormon Church cannot hold certain positions and cannot attend the most holy places? And can I accurately add that this would affect their standing within the community?

Bill: Well, yes if you want to put it that way.

Alethea: Well how would you put it Bill?

Bill: Those who do not pay tithing are welcome in the church but do not enjoy all the blessings the Lord would give unto them.

Alethea: I see. Another thing I wanted to ask you about is that as per the link I sent you “no cult wants its inner workings exposed, although sophisticated cults may curry media interest or even employ public relations consultants and ad agencies to manage their image”.

Bill: Well I don’t see what’s so cultish about using ad agencies to manage our image.

Alethea: Do you know the inner workings of the church from a financial perspective?

Bill: I do.  The church discloses everything online here in the UK and over in Canada.

Alethea: Well it is by law that this is done in the UK, though I can’t speak for Canada. The head quarters of the Mormon Church are in America where the law doesn’t require disclosure of financial details. Do they disclose them anyway?

Bill: We get a confirmation at world wide General Conferences to the effect that all the money is accounted for and has been used legally and properly.

Alethea: But you don’t get to see details such as how much money leaders take as incomes or anything like that?

Bill: No we don’t see any of that.  I wish we did as there are many critics who claim that the top leaders are highly paid (half a million dollars a year according to one person who said they used to be in a position to know such things).  I would like to see the look on their faces when they see that the hard earned tithing money of church members would never go to help enrich those good honest men leading the church.  

Alethea: Of course.  Another thing that happens in some cults is that individuality is removed. This is often done by demanding conformity to the group dress code.  I have noticed that Mormons tend to look alike.  The men for example are all clean shaven and wear business suits with white shirts – is this conformity mandatory?

Bill: No not at all. There are many members that do not conform to the inspired guidelines given by our loving leaders, but they are still welcome among us.  Leadership positions in the church are not given to those who do not conform and I personally released one of my leaders as a stake high councilman for growing a beard recently, but I understand other stake presidents are not so strict.  As a people we try to emulate our prophets and apostles in the way we think, talk, act and look all the while maintaining our individuality.

Alethea: Right. Moving on then; another trait we often see is that questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished. How does your church deal with those who leave?

Bill: Well we have an extensive reactivation program in place and do all we can to lovingly help people overcome their weaknesses so they can be brought back to the fold.  

Alethea: So someone who leaves Mormonism is considered to have a weakness?

Bill: Oh absolutely. Satan works hard on our weaknesses and doubts and we must ever be watchful lest we fall away.

 

Alethea: Very well.  This leads me to another question from the website I sent you; if someone provides sound evidence against the groups teachings, are members taught to question the motivation of the presenter? In cults we often find that sound verifiable documentation is ignored because of doubts over the presenter's motives.

Bill: Well I consider myself an apologist (defender of the faith), and one of the main things apologists do is verify the background and motivation of the person presenting the evidence in order to show their personal weaknesses.  This helps most faithful members decide to ignore the lies being presented. 

Alethea: Can you give an example?

Bill: Well I’m not too familiar with all the details but there is a man called D. Michael Quinn who wrote some books that ‘apparently’ contain accurate but damaging information about the church.  The church excommunicated him, which surprised some people but we now know that he is in fact gay. 

Alethea: and…

Bill:  So if a member were to express an interest in reading his books I would be able to state that I have not read the books and nor would I since he is homosexual and has been excommunicated by righteous church leaders. 

Alethea: Okay so if a former member presented good, solid, well researched evidence that showed a flaw in the way Mormons think or in a particular teaching you would be more interested in the personal life and the motivation behind the presenter than the actual evidence.

Bill: You cannot get good fruit from a bad tree Alethea.  If the presenter has left the church or been excommunicated it can only be at the instigation of the evil one and I would do all I could to expose the person and the weaknesses that led to his demise. 

Alethea: Some would see this as attacking the messenger rather than dealing with the issue.

Bill: Well it’s important that information comes to us from faithful members Alethea.  We have a living prophet and authorized leaders who act as “watchmen on the tower” for us.  We want members to see church teachings from the church’s point of view and not from the view of those who would harm and deceive.

  

Alethea: I was always taught that in order to find truth one should consider all points of view, but let’s move on. One trait from the site I sent you is that the group and its leader are the exclusive means of knowing "truth", no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

Bill: Well our leaders are inspired men Alethea and we are all encouraged to pray and obey their counsel until we receive a personal testimony of their divine calling. Once this testimony has been achieved we come to know that the Lord would never allow our leaders to lead us astray. 

Alethea: I completely understand. Well I think I have a pretty good idea now of where Mormonism fits with regards to my project and would like to thank you Bill for taking the time to meet with me.

Bill: It was my pleasure Alethea.  I realize there are many destructive groups that try to control people and I am happy to have had the opportunity to clarify the teachings of our church in order to show that we are not to be associated with such groups.

Alethea: It is much appreciated.

Bill: Oh and Alethea if in your research you come across anyone that is in a cult and doesn’t realize it, as is usually the case, please let me know so I can send our missionaries over to teach them the truth. 

Alethea: Umm I will keep that in mind Bill.  Thanks again for all your help today.