1. Every cult has a single powerful human leader. In fact, all cult leaders will proclaim themselves a god on earth.
2. The cult leaders word, or teachings of the cult become absolute truth over shadowing the Word of God. In fact, ALL cult leaders declare their traditions are above the Bible. They must do this because the Bible exposes them. They need to make the Bible appear fallible so as to ingrain the thought process that makes man’s word appear superior to God’s Word.
3. Each cult uses force to coerce its members into submission. Most cults today will use high pressure tactics to get people to not only join them, they also resort to extreme measures to make them stay. They do this mainly because they know the loved ones of their converts would eventually reveal their hidden evil agenda to them causing them to leave the cult.
4. Each cult leader will teach a Jesus that is not found in the Scriptures. Like Jim Jones, or Charles Manson, their version of "Jesus" was light-years from the true Jesus of the Bible.
5. A Cult will teach a Gospel of good works in place of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
6. Cults often urge their converts to leave their families. This is often done by involving the person so much in the cult that they have no time for their families.
Cults also often establish dietary and clothing requirements for the faithful. They also often are characterized by levels of participation/knowledge (the rank and file members are the basic level, with the leader and his inner circle at the top).
7) group paranoia and fear of the outside world 8) restrictions on reading and accessing material which opposes them 9) filling the followers' time with various activities and meetings 10) development of "secret (coded) language," and special terminology 11) closely held assets and finances, and so on. 12) lack of accountability of the leadership (notably, self-perpetuation of succession) 13) a continuing need to revise doctrine and ecclesiastical offices.
I respectfully take exception to the term "brand of Christianity." TSCC is not just another denomination, and JS never intended it to be so. Mormonism is a form of paganism with a veneer of Christian teaching and terminology, just as Christian Science is Eastern metaphysics interlaced with selected Christian beliefs.
But you're especially right about cults emphasizing the necessity of works (e.g. Temple observance) and "teach(ing) a Jesus that is not found in the Scriptures." Everybody wants to fashion a Jesus after their own liking and a gospel to suit their sinful purposes.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/2013 03:55PM by caffiend.
That's why I put Christianity in quotes. I don't believe that Mormons are Christians. My Pastor really simplified this by saying, "What would the Mormons do if I called myself a Mormon?" My reply, "Well, they'd tell you that you can't do that because you've not been baptized with authority and don't believe in the BoM or J.S." Then he said, "So, if Mormons can define who is or is not a Mormon, Christians can define who is or is not a Christian."
I agree that Mormonism is closer to paganism than it is to Christianity.