Some of us believe it is a corporation.

;)

*raises cup of joe*

I think cult or corporation is giving it too much credit. Wow, its really made me bitter towards it.
Not complaining :-)

We need a new acronym for this board: YAIMACT

Yet another is Mormonism a cult thread.

Of course, teaming up with the catholic cult to see the passage of Prop-H8 might make "Co-Cult" more appropriate.

Then they could make a soft drink called Co-Cult Cola!

The possibilities are endless!

Timothy

It is a cultish corporation.

I worked for the Church. It is definitely a Corporation. Their product is their brand of eternity and gee, it'll only cost you 10% of your gross income, plus fast offerings to be a member of the Club.

But it definitely has a lot of features which still makes me feel that it's at least cult-like in many ways as well.

I've told this story before, but the day I decided that it was a cult was when I was out walking with my Mom. It took me many months to resign, because the Bishop (who I'd never even met) kept dragging his feet and I had to nag and nag to get it done. I think it's easier to get out now.

But anyway, my mother said to me, "I don't understand why you're going through all of this trouble to officially resign. When I left the Catholic Church, I just walked away."

I said, "Well that's because the Catholic Church won't track you down, for the rest of your life, trying to bring you back. They won't assign you Visiting Teachers, try to give you a calling, send you cookies, assign you fake friends, etc." (I know a family who left the Church in 1962. They still receive regular contact from their Visiting Teachers and they're still on the Ward List).

My mother said, "That sounds more like a cult." That's when a light bulb went off in my head and I went, "It is! It is a cult." Before that time, I'd always defended it against such accusations.

There are also the guilt trips, the call for members to be perfect. There's an "us vs. them" mentality. There's the elitist thinking, where they're God's only true church and the rest of the world is an abomination.

The second biggest thing to me would be the fear instilled in you should you ever leave. I know that kept me in much longer than I could have been.

And last, but not least, there's singing, "Praise to the Man," about Joseph Smith - the charismatic leader. I don't think I need to say more about the Joseph worship.

That to me, spells c-u-l-t. But yeah, definitely a Corporation. Maybe a cult-like Corporation, as 'anybody' said, something like Amway or Mary Kay.

A cultish corporation may be a good description.

Greyfort -- "I said, "Well that's because the Catholic Church won't track you down, for the rest of your life, trying to bring you back. They won't assign you Visiting Teachers, try to give you a calling, send you cookies, assign you fake friends, etc." (I know a family who left the Church in 1962. They still receive regular contact from their Visiting Teachers and they're still on the Ward List)."

This is the cultish aspect of the church which started out as a cult. Questioning or leaving the church certainly has torn families and marriages apart.

The church is also selling a product. After watching "The Mormon Candidate", the church's spokesmen reminded me of corporate shills like the tabacco execs swearing their product isn't addictive.

What ever it is, it is still a cult, a lying, soul stealing, money grubbing, and soulless cult.

Cult is too kind of a term for MORmONISM. We do LDS Inc and MORmONISM a huge favor when we get engaged in the already decided softball debate of whether or not MORmONISM is a cult. LDS INC rewards us by stomping its feet, howling and squirming in objection to being unfavorably labeled. Its a big act for them.

once the examination how LDS Inc violates the law, really needs to be taxed, extorts ppl, proper prison terms for LDS leaders, or how LDS INC resembles Al Queda, the Mafia, Hez bollah, then something meaningful might be happening.

It's a cult.

''The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a new religious movement or other group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre.The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices.''

Someone here described it a few weeks ago, in reference to its tithing practices: it's a giant ponzi scheme, run like a corporation, with a church as a storefront.

Not a church, and not a corporation, but a highly integrated organized crime syndicate.