Mormonism: is it a cult?

[Asher]

Re: Missions

LDS Church President Spencer W. Kimball said, "Every young man should fill a mission".[4] Completing a mission is often described as a rite of passage for a young Latter-day Saint.

Young men between the ages of 19 and 25 who meet standards of worthiness are strongly encouraged to consider a two-year, full-time proselytizing mission. This expectation is based in part on the New Testament passage "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations..." (Matt. 28: 19-20). In 2007, approximately 30% of all 19-year-old LDS men became Mormon missionaries; from LDS families that are active in the church, approximately 80-90% of 19-year-old men serve a mission.[12]

If you're actually a mormon (attend church), that's a pretty high rate for something that isn't required. From what I've heard, you're not treated like a real mormon by your follow cultees unless you go on a mission, which is important to those close to the church.

[Tuberski]

I never did the mission thing.

By 19, I only went to church twice a month so I could play on the church basketball team. Each "ward" of the city I lived in, there were 8 wards, had their own teams. Each church, 3 of them, had it's own basketball court inside the church.

ACK!

[Egbert]

Poly is a cult... of cults. We have Deities here and they are worshiped by posters (generally themselves). We have rituals such as chanting "****", "pedo", and "jackass"... The location of these activites are a well kept secret and few if any outsiders venture here (due to ranking poorly in Google).

With your 10,001 posts, I see that you have just become a Poly deity. Please tell us of the rites you intend for your worship, most holy one.

[Aeson]

I grew up Mormon. I was still going to church in my late teens when a good share of my friends were going on their missions. I didn't serve a mission. I know (personally as life long friends and family) hundreds of Mormons (who are still in the church) who didn't serve missions, and many who were excommunicated as well (a good share of which are back in the Church... it's a temporary thing in most cases).

It's not some sort of shunning thing. Quite the opposite in fact. The vast majority of Mormons are going to end up trying to reconvert you by being sickeningly nice to you if you go apostate or stop attending Church. If you want to call that cult-like, then at least it's applicable, rather than factually incorrect nonsense derived from your amazingly in-depth research about one guy you met one time who's family (and Bishop) sound like douchebags who don't know what their religion teaches.

[Aeson]

With your 10,001 posts, I see that you have just become a Poly deity. Please tell us of the rites you intend for your worship, most holy one.

The only way to show respect to me would be by PCR... bunch of heathen apostate scum we have here

[SlowwHand]

Some people don't want to serve anything. Not their country, not their religion, not anything. They're here for themselves. It's always been that way and will always be that way. That doesn't make it right.

[Asher]

I grew up Mormon. I was still going to church in my late teens when a good share of my friends were going on their missions. I didn't serve a mission. I know (personally as life long friends and family) hundreds of Mormons (who are still in the church) who didn't serve missions, and many who were excommunicated as well (a good share of which are back in the Church... it's a temporary thing in most cases).

It's not some sort of shunning thing. Quite the opposite in fact. The vast majority of Mormons are going to end up trying to reconvert you by being sickeningly nice to you if you go apostate or stop attending Church. If you want to call that cult-like, then at least it's applicable, rather than factually incorrect nonsense derived from your amazingly in-depth research about one guy you met one time who's family (and Bishop) sound like douchebags who don't know what their religion teaches.

FWIW, it wasn't one guy I met one time. I went to Jr High and up through 11th grade with him. He moved to Provo in the 12th grade, where all the fun happened.

The other gay mormon I knew opted to "convert" to heterosexuality because he was told he'd be excommunicated unless he did so. And the faith meant everything to him and his family.

[Barnabas]

This happens because the USA has no institution for crushing new heresies

[Al B. Sure!]

I grew up Mormon. I was still going to church in my late teens when a good share of my friends were going on their missions. I didn't serve a mission. I know (personally as life long friends and family) hundreds of Mormons (who are still in the church) who didn't serve missions, and many who were excommunicated as well (a good share of which are back in the Church... it's a temporary thing in most cases).

It's not some sort of shunning thing. Quite the opposite in fact. The vast majority of Mormons are going to end up trying to reconvert you by being sickeningly nice to you if you go apostate or stop attending Church. If you want to call that cult-like, then at least it's applicable, rather than factually incorrect nonsense derived from your amazingly in-depth research about one guy you met one time who's family (and Bishop) sound like douchebags who don't know what their religion teaches.

What's with excommunication in general, both with Mormons and other faiths that excommunicate? That's weird to me. You have a religion that claims to be about some brotherhood of man stuff and wants to convert as many as possible but it excommunicates members.

[Tuberski]

FWIW, it wasn't one guy I met one time. I went to Jr High and up through 11th grade with him. He moved to Provo in the 12th grade, where all the fun happened.

The other gay mormon I knew opted to "convert" to heterosexuality because he was told he'd be excommunicated unless he did so. And the faith meant everything to him and his family.

I have a gay cousin, who, obviously, is Mormon. I don't know if he's been excommunicated or not, but the family, at least, has accepted him being gay and still support him.

ACK!

[Aeson]

If you're actually a mormon (attend church), that's a pretty high rate for something that isn't required. From what I've heard, you're not treated like a real mormon by your follow cultees unless you go on a mission, which is important to those close to the church.

The 30% sounds about right as far as people who go to church. (If you define "active" by having been missionaries then it'd be 100%. Who knows what they mean by active?)

My own family, 3 brothers went on missions, 3 didn't. 1 sister did, 1 didn't. It's obvious that the ones who did go are more active in the Church. They believe in it, and chose to live their life a certain way because of it. I would have gone if I believed in it, I was having my doubts at the time and am not Mormon in my own eyes. Why wouldn't I do something if I believed in it? Why would I go on a mission if I was unsure? Sounds like meaningless statistics to me.

I can safely say that of all my family, I have received the most "help" from people concerned about my well-being. That because I was the one who left the church yet still lived in Mormon communities. Every girl I ever met was trying to get me to go to their party. This is the reality of being apostate in Utah.

[Al B. Sure!]

8 kids, Aeson? Really?

Are Mormons expected to have giant families?

[Asher]

Yes. Church gets more income that way.

[Aeson]

What's with excommunication in general, both with Mormons and other faiths that excommunicate? That's weird to me. You have a religion that claims to be about some brotherhood of man stuff and wants to convert as many as possible but it excommunicates members.

As I said, with Mormons it's usually a temporary thing. Excommunication simply means you can't take the sacrament (or go to the Temple). It's usually because of infidelity from what I've seen. It's kinda like a glorified "time-out" until a person get's their act together in regards to the teachings of the LDS church. The "punishment" is that you can't do the things that only matter if you believe in them, so it's really not a punishment unless you want to remain a Mormon.

This isn't beheadings or burning witches or anything like that.

[Tuberski]

8 kids, Aeson? Really?

Are Mormons expected to have giant families?

Suburbans aren't called Mormon Assault Vehicles for nothing.

ACK!