1. In Temple recommend interviews, members are told that the interviewer represents Jesus and should answer all questions as if they were talking to Jesus. This is a break down of barriers designed to condition the member to completely submit to church’s authority

2. Naked touching in the temple washing and anointing ritual also breaks down barriers, creates submission to church authority [This eternal ordinance was changed in Jan 2005 see mormon366.htm ]

3. New name, suggests reassignment of identity

4. Temple endowment experience is hypnotic, produces a relaxed, even sleepy alpha like state for receptivity to church indoctrination, oaths, instruction, commitment. Similar to Moonie repetitive indoctrination sessions where chanting, singing, and long periods of lecturing happen.

5. Secret signs, tokens, passwords to get into Mormon heaven. If one does not have this exclusive information, they will be denied access past certain angels along the way back to God's presence. This is an element of control designed to produce exclusivity

6. Requirement to wear church approved underwear night and day, conditioned to believe they possess special protections. Another design to control via exclusivity

7. Strict tithing requirements. Yearly face to face confrontation with a high church authority to declare to him (as the lord’s representative) how much money the member was able to give to the church. Encouraged to give everything that the lord blesses you with even ones time, talents to the building up of the LDS church. In addition to tithes, generous fast offerings are encouraged. Giving to other charities or worthy causes outside the church is heavily discouraged. The member intuitively knows that the tithing, fast offering, missionary funds and perpetual education funds must be donated to first... and only THEN should outside charities be considered. This cult characteristic, to me, falls under extreme duress to give only to the church organization. The member is even told that if the tithing is not "honest" they will literally burn up at the Lord's 2nd coming.

8. Outsiders not permitted to enter the temple. Exclusivity.

9. Members believe Jesus literally walks the halls of the temples and no other buildings on earth receive this privilege. There is only Faith promoting rumors to back this up of course. Yet it is a very strong and widely held belief in the church that this is so.

10. There is a blatant Us vs. Them mentality. The LDS testimony conditions members to “know” based on feelings that they are the only ones on earth with the Truth or approved plan of God. Everyone else is wrong and must be saved or baptized into the LDS church. This doctrine goes as far as to maintain that every living human who has ever lived in this earth must be baptized. While logically impossible, the doctrine is widely believed. God will figure it out. This rationality is supposed to support this impossibility

11. LDS church has more evidence to prove it false than it does to prove it true, yet members see this as a test of faith and God’s way of strengthening his "Elect". Or members have been conditioned to never look at this material. Very similar to the Moonie approach that outside information was evil and falls under satanic origins. Anything that could potentially deprogram a Moonie was satanic. Family members, spouses, newspaper articles, radio... you get the idea.

12. Members are encouraged strongly to never look at “anti” literature. Yet early apostles encouraged the discovery of truth and preached openly that truth would stand up to highest degree of scrutiny. This was before damning evidences to the church's platform of ideology was widely known or even challenged. During this era, the church had a sense of infallibility as the saints were securely sequestered in the desert of Utah. Completely isolated from the outside world.

13. Bishop interviews are obsessed with sexual purity for youth & missionaries. Adults have been told which sexual acts are permissible and which are not. Though, this is not consistent throughout the church. Young people must disclose any sexual acts, even minor ones. This young person (male or female) believes they are talking to Jesus Christ's representative in these interviews. Lying to the bishop is equated to lying to Jesus.

14. Missions are extreme examples of Cult experience.

A. 80 hrs a week free labor (Missionary makes no money) in fact the missionary pays largely for his own meals, lodging, transportation and clothing out of his own pocket. The missionary is told that the 2 years in service is a "tithing" of the first 19 years of his life that God gave him/her.
B. When not working in field one is encouraged to read scripture & pray constantly
C. High amounts of self-indoctrination and mass indoctrination at zone, district meetings. Guilt tactics are used. If low recruit numbers are happening, the missionary is frequently blamed. Reasons for low recruit numbers are tied to unlikely reasons such as a lack of dedication or commitment to mission rules or even a suggestion that too many missionaries were masturbating too frequently in the past month. This is a gross abuse of mind control.
D. Encouraged to frequently recite scripture and hymns, carry a prayer in ones heart at all times so as to fortify ones efforts to keep rules, remain "sanctified to the cause" and not have impure thoughts or masturbate.
E. No outside influences, no TV, no radio
F. Must always be with companion except for showers and toilet
G. Confined to one area, not permitted to go outside geographic boundaries
H. Extreme limited contact with family, letters once a week, no phone call home but twice a year
I. Primary job is to recruit new members, give the prospect milk and NO meat doctrine. Deception (by only telling the rewritten version of the church's history and doctrine) is encouraged most often without the missionary NOT knowing he is testifying to untruths.
J. Every person met is sized up as potential recruit,
K. Current members are badgered for referrals for new recruits, friends and neighbors
L. Loaded language, acronyms. Outsiders cannot follow many regular LDS conversations

. If one ever leaves the church, they are told and conditioned to think they will be sent to outer darkness in the afterlife. There is a fear of imminent damnation if they leave the group.

16. One man (the prophet figure) speaks for God. Members see this as extremely positive as they believe the prophet will never lead them astray. When confronted that prior prophets in history have been wrong or even preached harmful doctrine that was widely held up as God's word (racial discrimination) the member quickly dismisses this. This is supported by the perceived good works the church produces and the notion that Mormonism produces good people and strong families.

Well, there is my list. I was hoping to come up with 17 items as an attempt to parallel the faith promoting rumor about the 17 points of the true church. I am one short... mainly because I am out of time

Inlightening, Thank You
PEACE,Kree

The mormons are probally a cult.. but the right wing cristians that follow Bush is the cult you should worrie about.. all the war, genoicide, death, and hate that is caused by this group who has forgot the teaching of Jesus, its alot more scarry then a group that follows a man who listended to a pet rock. the right wing cristians new messiah has the nukes in his hands..
Phill (if you dont like what I siad bite me)lol

ALL religions are cults. Look it up in a dictionary.

its true... I looked it up lol... well but the church I go to occurse thats a joke

For your convenience:

Mirrium Websters:
cult
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate — more at wheel
Date: 1617
1: formal religious veneration : worship
2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents
4: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator <health cults>
5 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b: the object of such devotion c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

To me, because I feel none of us "knows" with absolute certainty what God is like, I personally feel it would be arrogent to me for me to comment on anothers religion as a whole.

Nevertheless, I question parts and practices of many religions. And one thing about Mormans has always puzzled me (well more than one actually but I'll stick with one). About what actually occurs in temple I'll have to take your word Bidright because my understanding has always been that only church members were allowed inside.

However, the question I have relates to acknowledged public practices of Mormans. I wonder how one can say something is "sinful" and yet participate in the manufacture of that product. e.g. My understanding is that Mormans are not allowed to drink alcohol and yet Mormans own breweries. Same with soda pop.

I just wondered if anyone knows how Mormans justify facilitating "sin" and one assumes therefore helping send others to "hell"?

same questions i have when they knock on my door

Well I never want to ask too many questions when they come to my door because I don't want to encourage them to stay...

i do then i drill them with facts then they leave

just draw a chalk outline of a body and scatter some of their literature around it. they won't bother you

lol good 1 robert

umm I'm Mormon.. Have any questions, ask me! The importance of the temple is the same importance a cathedral or sinigauge(sp?) is to catholics or Jewish people.. Dont talk crap about a religion until you really know what it's about.. Haha, you talking about Mormons being a cult? We may or may not be, we're not being brainwashed to staying in the church.. The thing I love about it is the enphasis on family.. The divorce rate is lower in the LDS church, and people live longer because we dont believe in drinking or smoking.. The church has it's own welfare program,which helps the members actually find jobs instead of letting them freeload.. Not that all people on welfare do, but i know some that do.. We have our own adoption agency too.. We take care of our members, and even people who arent our members..

AND I JUST READ ALL OF THOSE THINGS YOU POSTED! Those are full of crap, we dont walk around naked and touch eachother, the people who do the interveiws do not claim to be Jesus...Satanic rituals? Where did you get this crao from!? Those are all lies, I should know.. It's ignorance and intolerance like this that ticks people off. And we believe that ALL sex is a sin before marriage.. Material to prove it wrong? There's no such thing, and I'm a truthful person..And as far as the charity work, I've worked for the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and we raised money for ALL Huricane Katrina victims.. Do some actual research and get some real information

Robert- I'll have to try that...

Sunshine-

I can certainly see being upset by some of the opinions/beliefs some of the people here hold about your religion. You have every right to be upset when you see that others believe something you care about is not at all what you believe it to be...

I would just suggest to you that because organized religions are just a bunch of people, some of those people will always be extreme or deviant.... perhaps this is where Bidright got his opinions/information- it could have been based on things that were done by only a small portion of the whole?

Perhaps you might (when you are not so newly hurt) continue to address the opinions that do not correspond to the religion you know by telling us about your experiences?