People often wonder if Mormons are a cult.

To keep it short, we are not a cult; I repeat, we are not a cult! 

Over the years, many people have implied or outright told me that I am most definitely a member of a cult. I find that a rather rash accusation because I don’t think a lot of people really know what a cult actually is.

Which is why I have put a lot of thought and research into what constitutes a cult and answering the questions of “Are Mormons a Cult?”.

According to the Cult Education Institute, there are ten signs of pinpointing a cult.

They are as follows…

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget or expenses, such as an independently audited financial statement.
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
7. There are records, books, news articles, or broadcast reports that document the abuses of the group/leader.
8. Followers feel they can never be “good enough”.
9. The group/leader is always right.
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

Now let’s go over this and I will briefly describe how each of these things doesn’t apply to the Church. 

1. Authoritarianism: Nope. Our prophet doesn’t do that and nor do any of the apostles, seventy, stake presidents, bishops or leaders and if they do and are reported, they will be removed from a place of leadership promptly. All positions in the Church are volunteer based and unpaid. 
2. No questions: Uhhhh…we are constantly encouraged to ask questions. In fact, the last chapter of the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:3-5) encourages everyone to ask for themselves whether or not the writings are true. In fact, the leaders always encourage people that are listening to ask questions and seek answers.
3. No financial disclosure: It isn’t a secret as to where our tithing and fast offerings go. And in light of the ‘new’ information that the Church has invested money, we still know where it’s going and how it’s being used. 
4. Fear of the world: We do believe, as most Christians do, in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but we don’t believe in it as an impending doom and gloom day. We aren’t taught to fear it nor is there fear mongering. However we are encouraged to prepare physically and spiritually for a rainy day. Kinda like the story of Joseph and Technicolor Dream Coat.
5. Can’t leave: I’m sure people who have left the Church might feel that way and maybe some active members think that but it’s not what is actually taught. When people leave the Church, that is their choice. We are encouraged to maintain those relationships and continue to be good friends, neighbors, and/or family members.
6. Abuse: Of course when people leave the Church there will be similar reasons but they’re not about abuse from the leaders. Every now and then a leader abuses their position or a member is just not a good person. However, abusive behavior is not condoned by the Church as a whole. So report it to the proper authorities.
7. Consistent documentation of abuse: There aren’t.
8. Never good enough: Nope. This Church is all about improvement, progression, and reaching your potential. We aren’t demeaned by the leaders for not being good enough. However, we are encouraged and told that our potential is endless!
9. Leader is always right; Like I said in point 2, we are encouraged to ask our own questions and find our answers through our own study and ponderings. For me personally, I ask a variety of people questions, read, and meditate till I find an answer that feels right. (D&C 9:8)
10. Only the leader knows the truth: This Church is founded on the teaching of modern day revelation. True, we have a prophet who is authorized to receive revelation for the Church as a whole, but he cannot conduct us in our daily lives. i.e. who we marry, what we do, if we have kids, etc. That revelatory right resides with the individual. There will be an article for this topic on it’s own. I could write a lot on it.
    

Are Mormons a Cult? No.

Like I said in my article about how I “escaped” the compound and my “overbearing” father, there are branches off the Church that I think fit the Cult mentality.

To read that article, Click HERE!

But I’m not an expert on them and won’t pretend to be so you can do research on that if you so desire.

To summarize, I think it’s easy to throw words like ‘cult’ around when it’s in regards to a religion, especially one you don’t understand. Which is why it’s important to ask questions and seek knowledge from good and reliable sources. And a great source tends to be the actual organization. So if you’d like to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, here are a couple websites that can help answer your questions.

https://www.comeuntochrist.org/ and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng are both excellent resources for starting your search.

I hope I was able to clear up any confusions and was able to answer the question Are Mormons a Cult?

Further Reading:

On Identifying Cults:

The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/06/the-seven-signs-youre-in-a-cult/361400/

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/27/cults-definition-religion

Cult Education Institute: https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html

On Church Finances:

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2019/12/17/21026103/the-washington-post-mormon-church-whistleblower-says-billions-thank-goodness