Mormonism and Cults: Part 1

If you're LDS, you've heard "They're a cult!" followed by "blah blah blah" and if you're interested in the topic, you get sucked into the "rhetoric" or get led on a wild goose chase or you just let it go in one ear and out another.

In my undergraduate studies, I did some research and discovered that the one thing the LDS religion is NOT is a cult.

In fact, strictly academically speaking, Protestant Christianity is closer to being a cult than the LDS religion.

Off the top of my head I thought I'd address a couple issues of the LDS religion and cults here.

My research into definitions and operational terms was drawn from the American Sociological Association's classifications of a harmful cult while working on my undergraduate degrees of the social sciences and learning about other methodologies of study. 

Now this is not typical of all cults, but these are a few criteria that are present in many harmful cults:

The cults discourage questioning the teachings of the cult.

Education is frowned upon because it interferes with the teachings of the cults.

Also the leaders define reality.

Why does this not apply to the LDS religion?

Because the the first thing people learning about the church are told to do is study for themselves.  

Ask questions.  

Ask God.  

Study it out.  

YOU decide.  

Its up to you.  

You have to choose. 

We read in the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple in D&C 109: 14 And do thou grant, Holy Father, that all those who shall worship in this house may be taught words of wisdom out of the best ^abooks, and that they may seek learning even by study, and also by faith, as thou hast said;

The  religion, in terms of being free to think and embracing secular as well as spiritual knowledge by self directed study makes the LDS religion less like many denominations and branches of Christianity already - and definitely not a cult in this regards.