In response to a previous post, someone—we’ll call him David—wrote the following:
“Jana, you may be a nice person but you don’t know squat about your cult.”
Today I’d like to respond.
First, there is the question of whether I’m a nice person. Well, David, you’ve never met me but I am really trying. I’m also surprised by how hard that is. I thought that by my age I would have overcome being petty, jealous, proud, judgmental, insecure, nitpicky, impatient, etc., but as it turns out I’m still struggling. I do, however, believe that the gospel, the example of the Savior, and my associations with people who are sincerely trying to be Christlike help me recommit to doing better day after day.
Second, is the question of whether I know squat about the church. This part made me smile because the topic of the very post that David was responding to was my admission that the more I learn about my religion, the more I realize just how much I don’t yet know. He recommended that I read some anti-Mormon stuff that I have in fact already read. I know that I’m no expert, but I do have over a half a century of experience as a member of the LDS church and have been doing some really intense studying lately. I know I have a lot to learn, but squat still seems a little harsh.
The third question is the most interesting—way more intriguing than whether I am personally nice or clueless. It is the question of whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a cult. Well, I guess that depends on your definition of the word “cult”. Let’s start with Merriam-Webster (with my comments in green):
1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious
I’m not willing to accept spurious, but surely we are unorthodox and if we go back to the Joseph Smith beginnings of the restoration, we can see that to the majority of his Protestant neighbors his teachings seemed highly unconventional.
2 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work
b: the object of such devotion
c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion
Certainly, we are, as a group, exceptionally devoted, and while the church is growing, as a percentage of the overall population we are small.
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also: its body of adherents
Our church is unquestionably a system of religious beliefs and rituals.
4: formal religious veneration: worship
I agree; we do worship in a formal way
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
This is the only one I find myself a little ambivalent about. Undoubtedly we see the gospel as the cure for spiritual ills, and we also believe in physical healing but not as the church’s primary purpose. (Note to self: start using the word promulgator in casual conversation.)
Looking at this dictionary entry, I would have to say that Mormonism qualifies as a cult by not just one, but possibly all of the five definitions and I don’t see anything in these definitions to bristle at. Rather, it is the negative connotation that society has attached to the word cult that makes us defensive.
So let’s look at the characteristics of a dangerous cult according to experts on the internet. I’ve compiled a list of the features that I saw most frequently sited while researching this.
- The group displays excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to a charismatic leader, who has no accountability, becomes an object of worship, and is the exclusive means of knowing the truth. He always right and his word is law. He has all power and authority and no other process of discovery is acceptable.
- Indoctrination, coercive education, mind-altering practices, or brainwashing to the point that members of the group are willing to do things that benefit the leaders but are not in individuals own best interest.
- The leadership dictates how members should think, act and feel. This may include employment, who to marry, what to wear, where to live, how to raise or even whether to have children.
- Exploitation of group members by the leaders, including economic and sexual abuse. Members may be coerced into participating in behaviors that would have seemed unacceptable or immoral before joining the group.
- The group feels persecuted, has an unreasonable fear of the outside world, an elitist view of themselves, or an us-versus-them mentality. This may cause conflict with the larger society and demand that members cut ties with former friends and family.
- The leadership uses feelings of guilt or shame to control followers, who feel they can never be good enough.
- The group is preoccupied with making money and bringing in new members.
- There is no tolerance for questioning, doubt, or critical inquiry and no legitimate reason to leave.
- Members are required to contribute inordinate amounts of time and money to the group. Property may be held in common and controlled by the leader.
- Former members report the same patterns of manipulation and abuse by the leadership.
While I don’t mind embracing the dictionary definition, I have a hard time agreeing that these descriptions fit my religion. Still, I can see elements of truth in many of these statements and I can understand how those with limited knowledge of our faith or disaffected former members could argue that most of these points are fitting and prove that Mormonism is, in fact, a destructive cult.
Those who condemn the church as a cult are especially fond of pointing to early LDS history as proof of their argument. They often ignore statements and actions of current leaders in favor of relying on those of past leaders. Honestly, I can even look back to the church of my childhood and see more of these traits than I see in today’s church. I have seen a huge shift in openness and transparency, in collaborating with other churches and civic organizations, and in reaching out those with doubts or differing opinions. I’m not certain whether there is a greater focus on encouraging members to seek for personal revelation, develop individual relationships with God and their own testimonies, or whether I am just more aware now of this emphasis.
We could debate the ten cult characteristics above—honestly, at this point, I could easily argue both sides of each of the descriptors— but I doubt it would change anyone’s mind. (Note to self and other members: consider the above list and try harder not to act like a member of a dangerous cult.) There is in fact a rather fine line between a devoted religious group and an overly zealous one.
Instead, I would like to offer a couple of personal insights.
Recently, I have thought a lot about charismatic leaders. I can study church history and make a good case for Joseph Smith being one. Brigham Young certainly must have had a forceful personality to compel such a large group of new members from so many different backgrounds to follow him across the plains. I have the sense, however, that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young had very different leadership styles and types of charisma. Both were long dead before I was born and I never felt the force of their personalities compelling me to do anything. I don’t have much of a sense of what it was like living in the days of the prophets from John Taylor to George Albert Smith, but I have clear memories of the presidencies of the last nine men to lead the church. I wouldn’t call any of them charismatic leaders in the cult sense. They were good, kind men. I admired them and was inspired by their words and examples, but never saw them as more than men, and never felt coerced or controlled by them. To be honest, I’ve had my favorites, felt more drawn to and influenced by some, while others had almost no direct impact on my life.
We just witnessed a change in church leadership. I enjoyed the increased media coverage of President Monson’s life and accomplishments, and I appreciated learning more about President Nelson, but my testimony and devotion to the gospel are completely unaffected by the change, just as has been the case with all the previous changes in leadership. When someone claims that Mormonism is a cult based on charismatic leadership, it simply doesn’t fit with my personal experience of following a prophet.
I was thinking about this question last week while walking into the temple, trying to make the six a.m. session. I noticed a couple of groups of teenagers leaving after having finished doing baptisms—the temple here opens at 4:30 to meet the large demand of young people wanting to go before school. You have to admit that outside Mormonism that would appear to be really bizarre behavior for teenagers, who are known to value their morning sleep. You could say they were pressured into it by their leaders and I don’t doubt that leaders encourage them to go or organize temple trips, but I personally know of young men and women who are going completely on their own or inviting their friends to join them. That appeared to be the case with the groups I saw on this day, since they weren’t with any adults. I understand their motivation and wasn’t surprised to see them there. Aside from the fact that they were wearing dresses and ties, they were talking and laughing and looked like they could have been heading to a game or a movie. Still, I can understand why others would question the level of devotion that gets kids out of bed that early, dressed up, and out on a cold January day doing church service.
I had a few minutes to look around the full chapel before the session started. The crowd at six is a little different than the one I’m used to later in the day—a lot more men, old, young and in-between. I wondered why they felt compelled to get up early and visit the temple before going to work, school or other commitments of the day. I felt confident that what compelled them wasn’t pressure from church leaders, family, or their social group. I’ve never been asked about my temple attendance, even though there were years when visits to the temple where extremely infrequent. No one is encouraging me to go now, unless you count promptings of the spirit. I go because I want to learn, to feel closer to God, to do service, or to seek divine help or answers to prayer. I go when I’m worried, discouraged, or confused and find a level of peace and comfort there. I would imagine that if you were to question any of the other patrons you would find that their reasons for being there mirrored mine. I love, respect and admire the leaders of the church, but no one in the offices in Salt Lake or in my local ward or stake pressures me to go. As I’m sitting pondering on why I, the people in the chapel, and the teens in the parking lot are here, I realize that in some sense we do follow, worship and obey an all-knowing, all-powerful “charismatic” leader. I go because I truly believe in Jesus Christ and that belief in God motivates me to do things I would never otherwise do— things I can’t adequately explain to anyone who doesn’t share my faith.
So there you have it, David. I hope I’m becoming a nice person, I’m trying to learn and deeply understand all I can about my religion, and I’m okay if you want to call it a cult. I don’t need to be set straight, rescued or deprogrammed. I’m incredibly grateful for my “cult” every day.
