Which religion is more cult-like?

At least Mormons are allowed to have a life, away from their Church, including having non-Mormon friendships. Jehovah's Witness are supposed to spend all their free time with other witnesses doing JW work and they are not supposed to associate with non witnesses. Also, they are not supposed to be involved in any other organizations, whereas you find Mormons in various organizations and political groups.

Don't Jehovah's Witnesses discourage higher education too r1?

R2 I believe so, also they can't celebrate holidays or birthdays. I wouldn't want to be a member of either group, but if I was forced to choose it would the Mormons by a mile.

I've known several former Jehovah's Witnesses who were excommunicated for various reasons, and it has very seriously fucked them up psychologically. My friend had a roommate who was an ex-JW and he claimed that the church elders stalked him at one point. The entire church seems very Scientology-esque to me. Their literature is published by the church's "The Watchtower Society," which in and of itself is terrifying to me.

Mormonism is odd and slightly cultish, but I've known many Mormons throughout my life (I have some Mormon family as well) and have always found them to be universally agreeable people. They're typically prudish, socially conservative, and very involved in LDS activities (the boys all go on their missions, if they're good Mormons), but they've always been very pleasant to me. They seem to be very into family gatherings, group activities, trading recipes, etc.--very innocent stuff. It's unfortunate that such a large faction of them are not gay-friendly, because I truly like all of the Mormons I've known, though I do have to temper myself around them, as I tend to have the mouth of a sailor, at least in certain company.

On the other hand, the Mormon Church in some areas sanctions tweens marrying old men and the casting out of young males.

r4 thanks for your perspective. Very insightful

R5 I think those are splinter groups, not the actual Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or the LDS, which is the ones with the big temples. It would be like comparing Westboro Baptist Church or other independent fundamentalist Baptist churches and your local Southern Baptist Church or American Baptist Church, they share a history and some theology but they are very, very different.

Both are cults.

JWs even have mistranslated the Bible to create their own “bible”. They don’t believe in the Trinity and that Jesus is God.

Mormons have the Book of Mormon which was written by Joseph Smith. They consider it equal to the Christian Bible and worship Smith as god.

While there are good people in both of these, they are not Christian and are considered cults by many of the main stream denominations.

I'm not a defender of JW, but the Trinity itself isn't in the Bible, r8. It was added later by early Christians

R9 Not to get into a theological argument, but there is verses in the New Testament that allude to the Trinity, without actually using the term. There is a reason it is referred to as the mystery of the Trinity.

The Kingdom Hall (Jehovah's Witness church) has always seemed very odd to me. Mormons also have an odd belief system, but it doesn't strike me as being necessarily sinister like Jehovah's Witnesses do.

Also, let's not forget the the Jehovah's Witness got their own episode of Leah Remini's show Scientology and the Aftermath , exploring how much they are like Scientology. The only other group they have explored is the Nation of Islam, but that was more because they are actually partnering with Scientology.

I would give the nod to the Mormons. They follow like sheep all the rules of their church and when their leaders speak. I think that there are more Mormons so therefore they are more of a danger as a cult than the JW's.

Mitt Romney, a Mormon, ran as a Presidential candidate but thank God he didn't win. His religion would have crept into his job somehow.

R13 Harry Reid was also a Mormon

I find Jehovah's Witness to be one of the weirdest "denominations" of Christianity, if you want to call it that. Pentecostalism also seems really toxic to me, although not cultish per se--just fanatical. Of all the denominations, I've found that Catholics tend to be the most "normal" and down-to-earth, probably because most of them are what people like to call "cafeteria Catholics."

I find The Watchtower VERY cult-like. It's basically propaganda. It reminds me of stuff put our during the Cultural Revolution.

Mormons send their gay kids to “re-education” camps. They are beyond creepy and hellbent on acquiring power.

People who “trade recipes” with them are selling their souls to the devil.

[quote]they are not Christian and are considered cults by many of the main stream denominations.

And humanists and secular people consider all organized religions to be cults, so your arbitrary distinction about who is and is not “Christian” or which denominations are “main stream” (sic) are quite laughable.

If you look at the history of Christianity, it took a weird bend in the 19th Century, ironically because increased literacy made people more susceptible to handbills and tracts. So, after Methodism took off, there were a series of new movements, often with Millennial "Christ is Coming!" messages. The Seventh Day Adventists, various Churches of God, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Universalism (probably the most palatable offshoot), Assemblies of God, Pentecostalism, including Foursquare Gospel , and then into the 20th century Church of Christ, Scientist, and the Fundamentalist movement among some Baptists and other Evangelical Protestants. Worldwide, the fastest growing faith is Pentecostalism, which is very emotion-driven, and often has little coherence in theology or practice, with many embracing elements of Catholicism combined with the fire-and-brimstone preaching style of Fundamentalist Protestants.

It is likely that religion will change once again with the introduction of the Internet as a mass communication medium. So if you think what we have now is crazy, you ain't seen nothing yet.

No, there are no verses in the Bible that allude to Trinity and it was not Christian doctrine until the 4th century.

r19 great insight.

R20 Isaiah 48:16, Matthew 3:16, Matthew 28:19, Luke 3:22, John 14:26, John 15:26, Acts 2:33, Romans 1:4, 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:13-14, Ephesians 1:17, Ephesians 2:18, Ephesians 4:4-6, Hebrews 9:14, 1 Peter 1:2

Jehovah Witnesses believe that only 144,000 will get into heaven. If this is to be true, why do they try to recruit new members? Wouldn't their odds improve with fewer people competing for the same slots?

Mormons believe Mormon men who die in good standing will become the god of their own planet (or something along those lines).

Equally absurd.

None of this is any weirder than virgin births or burning bushes that talk to you.

R22, you can point to as many verses as you want in the Bible, but not a one of them says anything about three persons being one substance. And that's what Trinity is.

Arius pointed to the same passages and many others and said the Son is a lesser created being. And he was just as correct as you.

R26 I didn't say they proved the Trinity. You said there were no verses that alluded to it. Allude is defined as suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.

The JW, as is their Norm, do their frequent door-knocking routing in my neighborhood, and I was tolerant for a while, just politely telling them , " No thank- you we're not interested." But last time they came ( two ladies in hats) I absolutely LOST MY SHIT! I just let go with the swear words and told them to Fuck Off with their crazy bull-shit Cult indoctrination and if they EVER showed up on my propert again, I'd call the police. I turned around and my kids were bug-eyed- they'd never heard me curse anyone out except maybe their dad.

As an aside: anyone grow up in the metro-DC area and see the Mormon Temple on the Beltway and think it was Disneyland as a kid? " Surrender Dorthy", LOL!

The JWs. Discouraging education helps keep the indoctrinated in the fold and isolated.

I worked for the DOJ. Two of the other lawyers in our regional office were Mormons. That's 2 out of 15 lawyers. At any rate, they were very easy to work with and did not proselytize on the job. If you work in federal law enforcement, you're bound to work with Mormons. One of ours was a Democrat, I don't know about the other. I think it's a particularly nutty belief system, but it does seem to allow for a bit of individualism. And I'd rather work with them than Southern Baptists any day.

I live in a kind of small town and was rather *perturbed* to find out that the JW's could set up a rathet large display ( Sun tent, racks with many brochures, table with clipboards) right on the sidewalk in front of our town library to schuck their religion. It so upset me, that when I left, I called Town hall to ask how this was possible, since I assumed this was part of civic property and paid for with community taxes. Not so, the town clerk informed me- technically the sidewalkwas public and therefore anyone was free to express their "First Ammendment rights". I honestly am still discomfited that this cult continues to tale advantage of this site-especially as it is frequented by the young in the community, and more often than not the, the feeble minded.

Serena Williams is JW.

R31 So was Prince and Michael Jackson.

I always forget about that r31

I did not know that r32

Fascinating

[quote] You said there were no verses that alluded to it. Allude is defined as suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.

That was my point. They don't indirectly point at trinity...any more than the letters N T and Y do. Bricks don't "allude" to a house. Ink, paint, and glue don't "allude" to a book.

Jehovah's Witnesses are far worse.

Gay face for days!

(This is from the "How do I become one of Jehovah's Witnesses?" page, which I can't link for some reason)

It’s a close race - but the Mormons have a slight more preposterous set of beliefs

The JW's understanding of Christianity is actually pretty close to what a lot of scholars think early Christianity is like, with the emphasis on the coming judgment and the lack of divinity in Jesus.

Mormons are kookoo-pants.

Mormon tend to have hotter guys, many of whom are closeted... so I give them a 👍

Hospitals have had to develop whole departments to deal with Jehovahs and their refusal of blood transfusion.

All religions are cults. If you are a Christian then you follow the same bizarre belief system they both do, just one that is warped in a slightly different way. If you're a garden variety Christian, don't kid yourself that because you celebrate Christmas or you drink coffee that you don't belong to a cult too.

I'd say Mormons because they started with a charismatic cult leader type (Joseph Smith) and have become extremely rich because of the donations of their followers.

R42 read accounts from cult infiltrator David Sullivan and you'll soon see what a *real* cult looks like.

Trust me. It's different.

r40, r37 is pretty hot!

the answer is Scientology

When the JW come knocking they're humorless pricks, but the Mormon kids are usually kinda cool. The last two stopped by while I was working in the garage, and I got them to hang around and help me lift stuff for a while. They didn't seem terribly motivated to convert me, they were far more interested in looking at my 1967 Jeep than anything else.

Did you then have a threesome r47?

"Dear Penthouse Forum ..."

Nah, the closest I came to leading them down the path was asking if they wanted a beer or a Coke. They didn't recoil as much as I hoped they would, not at all in fact. I suspect I wasn't dealing with the Mormon's A-Team.

Christianity is the worst of the cults. It has the the most amoral and low IQ adherents and is responsible for nearly every human rights atrocity, from war to the subjugation of women, in the last 2k years of recorded history. We should go back to feeding Christians to lions.

r50 is not very smart.

R50. You are mentally ill not the Christians you hate so much. Maybe we should feed you to the lions.

r23

According to JWs only 144,000 are going to heaven and most all those slots are already filled. The rest will be resurrected here on earth. They are big on resurrection. The last will be first and and the first will be last as far as resurrection order goes.

Had an Aunt who became one. Big scandal in my Italian, Catholic, Immigrant family.

Mormons are weirdly nationalistic.

Bishop Thomas Tobin ‏

@ThomasJTobin1

A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ “Pride Month” events held in June. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.

@APEastRegion

A bishop tweeted that Catholics shouldn't support LGBTQ Pride Month events, prompting swift backlash on social media from thousands of people including actress Mia Farrow.

R44, great article, thanks!

I know Islam is a political ideology. Out of those two, neither bother me, nor their devotees, so carry on.

Prop 8 in California which caused the collapse of same-sex marriage was propelled right down to a "T" by the Mormons who instructed their sheep congregations to vote against gay marriage. They did great harm in California and the gay community and some others really went after them and deservedly so. Even so called liberal Mormons involved in show business voted against gay marriage and lost their jobs or resigned during the hue and cry afterwards. Mormons are among the most homophobic religions put there.

Mormons they act saintly with no drinking or smoking crap but they are all sexual deviants!

The Jeffs Cult (FLDS) is now oozing into Minnesota.

Tough call, OP. They're both cults.

Do JWs vote?

No. Nor do they salute the flag or serve in the military.

They don't do Christmas, either.

European BUMP

JWs may be more cult-like, but Mormons have greater opportunity to influence politics.

R44, Too funny. I posted that identical article a few years ago on DL for a thread on cults and how they operate.

r67 it's a great article.

As an aside, I've always liked Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love." Now when I hear it, it's bittersweet.

R44, Memorial piece to the author.

I don't see either of those as true cults. Now, Scientology on the other hand...

..............

All non-Jewish religions need to be outlawed with the punishment of death

They’re ALL cult-like, if not outright cults.

They all believe in non-scientific, paranormal magic. They all hinge on the supernatural. And they all require a bunch of lonely, morally bereft people who need to be told what to do, and who need constant threats of damnation to hell, in order to do the right thing. And those are the decent ones.

The truly screwed up followers live double lives, & pretend to be pious, for whatever reasons.

I thought they were the same thing.

R68, I don’t understand the Elvin Bishop reference.

Are you referring to his ex (who he allegedly wrote the song for) & their daughter being murdered by the two hot Mormons linked below?

The one on the right was finally successful in one of his multiple suicide attempts. He hanged himself several years ago, in his cell.