Defending Mormonism?!?

I was on the Mormon.org website reading some rather bland but somewhat interesting articles and came across this defense of Mormonism not being a cult. I thought I would share it here since my responses will never see the light of day on their site. My responses will be in bold italics  inside their responses.

First here is their defense/ statement regarding being labeled a cult:

One definition listed for ‘cult’ in Webster’s Dictionary is “a religion regarded as unorthodox.” Since the roots of Mormonism are not a break off from the Catholic or Protestant churches, it is seen by some as “unorthodox.” No, it is seen as unorthodox because it was made up out of thin air by Joseph Smith. For example, the LDS definition of the Godhead differs from the Nicene Creed accepted by most Catholic or Protestant churches. The “cult” label is usually applied by Church opponents attempting to criticize or discredit the Church. Again, incorrect. The cult label is applied to the LDS Church because it behaves like a cult. (see my previous post on this for more evidence)However, sometimes it’s simply a matter of characterization that has grown up over time by the lack of understanding. Such misunderstandings often vanish when people begin to realize the commonality of what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really teaches and believes. That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world whom we love and worship. Along with Joseph Smith right? When people begin to see and recognize these things about Mormons, then their opinion of the Church usually changes, and old beliefs are replaced with new understanding.

What I really see when I read this is the following: LDS inc. does NOT address any of the issues behind WHY people label them as a cult. They don't deal with the facts that their BOM was plagiarized from the bible, that the Book of Abraham was a complete FRAUD. Nor, do they address any of the charges surrounding their being a cult and false doctrine to say the least.

Here are some of the comments defending Mormonism on the site:

Mormon's are viewed as a cult by some because we do not adhere to the fundamental creeds established by the other Christian churches, such as the Nicene or Athenian Creeds, and their view of the Godhead. Latter-day Saints are viewed by other Christians just like the early Christians were viewed by the Jews and Romans of the time, which was as a cult, because they strayed from what seemed to them orthodox Judaism. AND much like the early Christians and any other religion on the planet, IT IS A CULT. Much like the Pharisees and Sadducee's, who viewed orthodoxy through the lens of the rules laid out in the rabbinical law and their interpretation of the Law of Moses, the Christians of today view orthodoxy through the lens of the creeds that were established hundreds of years after the death of Christ under the opinion and counsels of men. Oh, and Mormons don't? Really? What about the "earring revelation" at General Conference a few years ago? What about all the ramblings of Brigham Young? What about the B.S that Joseph Smith spouted? All the "counsels of men" right?

I think some call Mormonism a cult mainly because they don't understand what it's about. Before I was a Mormon, I used to believe that Mormons did not believe in the Bible, in Jesus Christ and a good deal of other things. I didn't realize how incorrect I was. There have been some pretty amazing things that have happened in conjunction with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and if you don't get the whole picture, then some of the stuff can sound pretty odd, and I think that's where I was before. Some of the stuff can sound ODD? No, it is WEIRD to the maximum degree. Let me guess, you think all the throat cutting motions and talking to the 'devil' in the temple is normal right?

An example I sometimes use is: if someone told you that he had cut a man with a knife, from that limited piece of information, you'd probably report him for stabbing someone. But if you found out that this someone was a Doctor, and that he was preforming a surgery to save a man's life, having the full story completely changes your perspective on the situation. In that analogy possibly. What doctor in his right mind would just say "I cut someone with a knife"? NONE! Doctors wouldn't say that, only someone uneducated and not a doctor would say that. It's a ridiculous position.

In regards to the church I belong to, once I did have the whole story,  You don't have the whole story. If you did, you would leave. Much like the 70% of converts do. I could see that Mormons were not cultish, but that they really are in fact Christians. Which by the way are a cult too. I've even found that I have a stronger love of the the core things I believed before I was a Mormon, like the Bible and Jesus Christ Good for you! You love your imaginary friends and fictional novels. Good for you.

To sum things up:

Mormonism like all religion is a cult. A cult designed to take your money, your time and your energy and in return give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. Not much of a trade off.

I cannot think of a single religion that doesn't display cultic behavior. If you can, please let me know.

Quotes from LDS General Conference

Yes, I know I'm a bit late on this. It's mostly due to me NOT watching General Conference but waiting for it to be done so I can go over some of the 'nitty gritty'.

These are quotes that were posted at http://www.graceforgrace.com/ . She is a Mormon apologetic and posts her thoughts etc. I wanted to go over her 'favorite quotes' and give my feedback...

I am only going to go over the quotes she posted that I found either humor or reprehension in:

Russel Nelson, an apostle, discussed in part the absurdity of the Big Bang Theory and made a great comparison.  He said “Could an explosion in a book factory create a dictionary?” A ridiculous comparison. It's much like the "Watch in a bag" argument. If you can prove that the universe was created through intelligent design, PROVE IT. Don't give me stupid arguments because YOU don't understand it, PROVE your argument. Making blatant anti-science comments like this from the pulpit is just plain ridiculous! I wonder, does he even understand science? Has he opened a book since the 1960's? I doubt it.

Todd Christofferson, and apostle said something that I’ve said a few times on this site that we’ve had discussions on regarding when a prophet is speaking as a prophet vs. as a man.  He discussed an example of how Brigham Young one morning said a lot of opinionated things to a group of LDS Saints and later in a church meeting he got up and said “this morning you heard what Brigham Young had to say…now you will hear what the Lord has to say”.  The quote I liked from Christofferson was “Not necessarily every statement by a prophet is revelation.” Ahh yes, the standard 'mormon disclaimer'. They TALK to god and purport to bring messages FROM god, but ONLY when it suits them and you cannot refute what they are saying.

President Thomas Monson discussed how most of the things we worry about in life are of little importance compared to the big questions we ask during trials in our lives.  He also discussed making the most of our lives and not aimlessly going through life.  The quote I like from him was something to this effect: “we enter mortality not to drift through the waters of life.  We have the power to reason, think and achieve…” So WHY do you as an institution dissuade your members from THINKING when it involves the absolute FRAUD that Mormonism is? Why do you do that? Because you Don't want them thinking you want them donating and working.....

L Tom Perry gave a talk on the Book of Mormon.  The quote I thought was great was this “Are you a Mormon?  If not, you should be!” Need more 'revenue generators' do you?