Are Protestants a Cult? - Sept 29, 2018

Happy Birthday to Drew! He already looks so much taller in all of the pictures I see!

Thanks for the fun videos and pictures from the week! It looks like we're about ready to start a family band when I come home! (Mom's got the 4 chords down and dad looks more confident on the kit than I am ;). I showed some of the pictures to Elder Raab and he said "you're family is so cool! mine just does nothing." hahahaha

Last Pday we went to a hike down near Mittagong (bush area) It was by far one of my favorite district activities. It had just rained and there was still some fog in the air, so it made for perfect hiking conditions and really cool views. It was good for the missionaries too because the mission is struggling right now (President Runia is THE MAN. He's handling everything so well) and a long, peaceful walk through the woods really helped to calm some nerves.

The Saints book that the church put out this week was really good. It really helped to strengthen my testimony when I started to realize just how much Joseph Smith had to deal with. A common argument that I hear in Australia is that "the Mormon church is a typical American cult." I find this offensive on two different accounts, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on the incorrect assumption that the church is merely a "cult". This false ideology springs from a lack of clarity on the definition of "a cult". My dictionary defines a cult as having a few important aspects, which are;

1. a)Unorthodox, b)extreme, or c)false religion or sect

2. Live or practice outside conventional society
3. Usually under the direction of a charismatic leader

(1) a) just look at the way we baptize, administer the sacrament, and do missionary work and you can see that it is all scripturally founded. Especially compared to early christian practices, we are very orthodox. b) just attend a sunday service and you will find a very conservative meeting built on very conservative beliefs. c) the test is open for anyone, just read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.

(2) "but don't you mormons have your own city in Utah?" Yes, because of mob violence and misguided governmental authorities, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints fled the states of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois to settle in an unclaimed "land of inheritance", but this does not mean we are reclusive and closed off from society

(3) This one was put to the test in the months following the assassination of the Prophet Joseph Smith. If the church fell apart and broke into different factions (generally disbanded), then it would have been classified as a cult. But this wasn't Joseph Smith's church. The organization that had been established by Jesus Christ was able to successfully appoint a new Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to guide the church. Because the Church outlived Joseph Smith, it cannot be classified as a cult

The second argument that I hear repeated a lot is that we are a polytheistic religion. If Heavenly Father is God, and Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament, then how can we defend the thesis that we are monotheistic? 

For those associated with the Church, I like to use the analogy of the First Presidency. In the First Presidency, we (currently) have President Nelson, President Oaks, and President Eyring. One might ask "is President Nelson a president?" Yes. "Is President Oaks a president?" Yes. "Is President Eyring a president?" Yes. "Then how can you say that there is only ever one person called to lead the church at a time?"

The fault is not in the doctrines of the church, but rather our understanding of the way the priesthood and the priesthood keys operate. I would encourage everyone to go and study how authority is delegated in the Kingdom of God on earth, and I can promise that you will have insights on how the priesthood authority is delegated in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thanks for the weekly update from home! Have a good week!

Elder Nelson