Mormonism: is it a cult?

[SlowwHand]

Zoning laws.

[SlowwHand]

I can assure that none of that is needed to post on the Poly OT. All opinions need to do is ... exist. Just post away without any of that nonsense about logic, reason or brain activity. I do that all the time.

Hence your name. Or was that a rhetorical...statement?

[Tuberski]

What's with only Mormons can enter the physical church? What's that about?

Anyone, Mormon or not, can go into a Mormon church. Mormons in "good standing" are the only ones allowed into the temples. Two different buildings.

ACK!

[Al B. Sure!]

How gaudy are these Mormon churches? While Catholics have a reputation for gaudiness, the Cathedral in question is pretty unassuming. I guess the Mormons are going to one-up it.

[Ben Kenobi]

My assertion is your opinions change as often as you cry yourself to sleep. You've no coherent thought process or, really, any sign of real brain activity to speak of. Your opinions need not be logical or consistent, they frequently just...exist.

Glad to know that you have conceded the point.

[Aeson]

What's with only Mormons can enter the physical church? What's that about?

Anyone can enter one of the churches. The temples only people who have been reviewed as worthy can go to. They take "no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God" very seriously, and view the temple as part of that. (This means lots of Mormons can't go as well, though eventually anyone could go if they wanted to do what is required... living according to the teachings of the church.) They are places where the baptisms for dead happen (I went once when I was 14... it was boring), as well as places where marriages are performed. Usually Mormon couples will have a public wedding ceremony as well as the one in the temple. The one in the temple may happen at a much different time as the public one. I was at my parent's marriage in the temple, 3 years old at the time. Technically I wasn't a member of the church then since you can't join until you're at least 8 and ready to be baptized. So it's untrue that only Mormons can enter.

It's essentially just a place for people to get baptized for other people or make wedding vows to each other in a way that's unique to Mormons. (Married couples go back every so often to renew their vows.)

Before the Temple is "blessed", anyone can enter and they usually have public tours.

[Al B. Sure!]

So it's like Jews back when they had the Temple?

[Ben Kenobi]

They are places where the baptisms for dead happen

This is where the baptise dead people who weren't mormon. That's another thing.

[Tuberski]

Interesting split. I find myself voting with the folks I usually don't vote with.

I've had some long associations with Mormons, one of my mother's closest friends is a member and her husband gave the eulogy. Her family and mine grew up together, and my mother grew up next door with their mother, which makes two generations.

Couple of my concerns with Mormonism -

1. The Book of Mormon. That's a big one for me. Christians are not supposed to add to scripture, and writing your own book speaks volumes of where your religion stands in relation to everyone else.

2. Assertions of divine revelation, not shared by others, documented only to your followers. Documented in a fashion that is contrary to how scriptures have been distributed in the past, and reluctance to share the original documents. What do we have to corroborate any of the claims made by Joseph Smith?

3. Insularity of temple ground. Non-mormons can't go there. That's a really big tell-tale sign to me.

4. Teaching that God was once a man, and that man can become God over time.

Those are the four things that have me put Mormonism in the same bin as the Witnesses and other cults.

1. The Book of Mormon is needed, because the Catholic church, for example, changed the original Bible in many, unknown, ways. The BoM doesn't teach anything greatly different than the Bible. It's, supposedly, all the little things that had been... lost, from the original Teachings of Christ. Note I said teachings, not actual history.

2. What do we have to corroborate the claims made by the bible?

3.Vampires can't go into catholic churches.

4. Man can become a God over time. Not the God.

ACK!

[Aeson]

How gaudy are these Mormon churches? While Catholics have a reputation for gaudiness, the Cathedral in question is pretty unassuming. I guess the Mormons are going to one-up it.

The churches tend to be really bland and once you've seen one, you've seen 95% of them. The main difference is the larger ones (Stakes, which serve several Wards) tend to have hardwood basketball courts. The ones for Wards tend to only have carpeted basketball courts.

The temples are very ornate (though not as colorful as Catholic buildings tend to be) each with original architecture. Very beautiful and completely not in accord with the actual teachings of the church.

[Al B. Sure!]

Man can become a God over time. Not the God.

And here we have a confirmation of Pax's analogy of Mormons are to Christians as the Nation of Islam is to Muslims!

[Aeson]

So it's like Jews back when they had the Temple?

Sorta. Weren't one tribe only allowed in the temple? I don't think they baptized the dead there though.

[Tuberski]

How gaudy are these Mormon churches? While Catholics have a reputation for gaudiness, the Cathedral in question is pretty unassuming. I guess the Mormons are going to one-up it.

When it's built it will be open for to the public for 60 days, or something like that, go see it. The Cathedral will pale in gaudiness.

ACK!

[Al B. Sure!]

The churches tend to be really bland and once you've seen one, you've seen 95% of them. The main difference is the larger ones (Stakes, which serve several Wards) tend to have hardwood basketball courts. The ones for Wards tend to only have carpeted basketball courts.

The temples are very ornate (though not as colorful as Catholic buildings tend to be) each with original architecture. Very beautiful and completely not in accord with the actual teachings of the church.

Well this is the Cathedral that's across the street... more ornate than this, I'm guessing?

[Tuberski]

It'll be bigger. And brighter.

ACK!