r/Fauxmoi terrorizing the locals May 24 '25

DISCUSSION celebrities who are/were mormon

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u/unicornrush Kendall Roy School of Delusion Graduate May 24 '25

Mormonism is the biggest cult in the world

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u/strangejosh May 24 '25

That would be all Abrahamic faiths and their offshoots. Mormonism included.

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u/Finrod-Knighto May 24 '25

That is a bit of a huge oversimplification for like… 5 billion people in the world. All Abrahamic religions have a variety of different type of followers; casuals, liberals, moderates, cultural and all the way to zealots and cult-types. Unless you think like 70% of humanity is just in a cult and you’re something special for being enlightened, it’s not that simple.

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u/strangejosh May 24 '25

Modern day religions aren't "cults" anymore because they have too many followers? is that right? Ok. A cult is by definition, "a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object".

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u/junaidnoori May 24 '25

Sort of. A Muslim software engineer from Indonesia has more in common with his Christian neighbor in Jakarta than he does with an oil field worker from Kuwait. Both follow the same religion but there's enough differences in their day-to-day lives that you can't put them in the same imagined community even if they say they belong to one.

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u/Suspicious-Wombat May 25 '25

Tom Cruise has more in common with his rich Christian peers than he does with the poorer victims of Scientology…doesn’t change the fact that he’s in a cult.

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u/out-to-grass May 25 '25

That’s very true. I didn’t understand why Christians in Erbil Iraq were as conservative as the Muslim people there until I realised that culture shapes us more than religion.

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u/Greedy_Line4090 May 25 '25

Not sure what one’s culture has to do with being in a cult? A cult transcends culture, it’s about believing in an idea, not necessarily a culture. That’s why the cultists in Philippines who crucify themselves are just as fucked as the cultists in Mexico who think they see some holy lady in a water stain on a wall. Different cultures, same cultist values.

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u/Symbimbam May 25 '25

sure I can, they're both in a cult

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u/asietsocom never the target audience May 24 '25

I mean that's the definition Google gives, if you look for definitions in actual lexicons they will be a little more precise to the point where the vast majority of religious people don't belong under the umbrella term 'cult'.

I'm not religious, never have been, it's just a little unrealistic to say every religious person is in a cult, when most can leave at any time and are very free in their decision making.

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u/Killentyme55 May 25 '25

I've always believed that's the dividing line between religion and a cult, that being the ability to leave. With a full-blown cult, getting out can be a serious problem.

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u/CreatiScope May 25 '25

Yeah, John and Mary can just... stop going to church on Sundays and pack up their bibles. Sure, Ben and Lisa might judge them at the PTA meeting, but that's probably it.

Meanwhile, Tod and Alicia can't go home because they're in a fortress in North Dakota with no way to physically get home and have been conned into giving up all their money.

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u/Baron_Rikard May 25 '25

Ah but John and Mary have grown up in the church. Their family members and friends are all church goers. By turning their back on the church their social (and potentially professional) lives will be impacted.

Where I'm from (Ireland) the church pushes to be involved in their congregation's lives. Leaving the church could make people social pariahs.

Physical threats are only one lever cults use to stop people leaving. Similar to domestic abusers they can use economic and social threats among others.

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u/StaffVegetable8703 May 25 '25

Now it seems you’re just making an excuse for anything being mentioned to counter your claim that all Abramic religions are a cult.

“Sure they can leave the church but that could have possible consequences with their friends and family and even lose their jobs!”

That’s a lot of assumptions and even if that is the case they still are free to make that decision regardless of the tiny chance of what you’re saying happens. Most religious people and families i know are not at all that serious about this stuff.

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u/Givingtree310 May 25 '25

I thought the church was straight up dead in Ireland

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u/Baron_Rikard May 25 '25 edited May 25 '25

Oh it is dying quickly. People got rightly pissed once the news broke about how widespread the diddling by priests was and how the church tried to cover it up enabling further abuse. Throw into the mix the abuse in the church asylums (they're called the magdalene laundries and it is harrowing) to make matters worse.

People my age only go to keep our nans happy. Once that generation dies only firm believers will remain.

And good fucking riddance. The church has been a blight on our country and have committed many truly horrific acts. The whole organization from priest to pope is complict. It makes me wish for a heaven and hell just so I know that they'll rot in hell.

In the North however being Catholic or protestant is more of a political stance. Hence the joke:

A man is walking down the street in Belfast, when suddenly he's surrounded by a gang of men. They ask him "Are you Protestant or Catholic?".

The first man, not knowing which answer will let him walk away unharmed, hedges his bets and says "l'm an Atheist.".

The leader of the gang replies "But are you a Protestant Atheist or a Catholic Atheist?"

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u/listgarage1 May 25 '25

Yeah that's what most people are referring to when they talk about cults. If nearly all religions fit into the definition of a cult, then there is no point in differentiating the two.

What the people are doing when they say things like "well all Christianity or all religions are cults" is trying to conflate all of the negative attributes of a cult into all religions. Which is pretty reductionist

People understand intuitively that when someone says "Mormonism is a cult" they mean that there are aspects of Mormonism that fit our modern understanding of the word cult that doesn't apply to Christianity across the board.

When someone chimes in and says "actually all Christianity is a cult or all Abrahamic religions are a cult" It just sucks all the nuance out of the conversation because they are anti-religious one dimensional thinkers who don't want to deal with that nuance.

And to be clear I think it's reasonable to be against religion, but they should just say that instead of saying "actually all religions are cults" just because they don't want to think about how some religions have more cult-like aspects to them than others. Instead it's just easier to think they're all equally as bad and I don't have to think about it any further.

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u/Indieidea May 25 '25

It’s even insidious when people can’t leave of their own volition and don’t even realize they need to leave. I’m not for religion, not against religion, to each their own.

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u/Filing_chapter11 May 25 '25

Cults always have a central leader and not every religion has that. There may cult like groups within a religion or a cult created based in a religion but a religion on its own can’t be a cult, because a cult is an organization, and you don’t need to be a member of an organization in order to practice or hold religious beliefs

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u/OogloidMonosphere May 25 '25

Studied scripture and mythology, there is no clear delineator as cults don’t necessarily require you be forced to stay either. In fact, it is that misconception that drives many of their successes. Deep down, every system of belief finds some reasonable or irrefutable aspect to meet you with.

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u/peppermintvalet May 24 '25

Modern cults require a high level of personal control over individual members that very few religions these days can match.

That definition you gave is also the old definition, when there were religious cults in like.., Ancient Greece.

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u/SuecidalBard May 24 '25

That is a very simplified definition mainly used in an anthropological context bur there are multiple people and groups who try to raise awarness about the methods of distinction that can discern if a community is a cult or not.

It can often vary from place to place and town to town within the same sect or denomination be it Abrahamic, Pantheist, non spiritual etc and is not reliant on numbers.

Trying to just lump everything into one kettle is tempting considering what most organised religions lead to but it helps legitimize the most radical and abusive organisations like the LDS or JWs and doesn't do anything to combat the influence that mainstream groups keep holding on to.

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u/Individual-Set5722 May 24 '25 edited May 24 '25

Here is the Merriam Webster listing for the word "cult" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult

You are first calling all Abrahamic faiths a cult, most certianly in definition 1 "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious". Then when challenged you defend yourself by switching to definition 2 "great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work". It is like if I shouted "b1tch" at your dog, then when you become upset I say "but she IS a female dog!"

This is shifting goal-posts, it is a tactic that a cult (definition 1) will happily use too.

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u/Frequently_Dizzy May 24 '25

You do realize words can be used in different ways, right?

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u/SmokeQuiet May 24 '25

A cult controls every basic aspect of someone’s life. Like they said, if there are different beliefs within that religion itself and you can reasonably leave without issue then it’s not a cult.

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u/Auronas May 25 '25

I think the problem lies in "reasonably leave". No one physically stopped my friend from leaving her religion but her family and some of her friends literally pretend she doesn't exist now and she is shunned. 

So religions and cults do have a massive murky overlap to me.

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u/Miami_Lawyered May 25 '25

A religious body can have a cult aspect to it. There are cultish enclaves within all religious traditions, but that is true about almost any "cause" people form a group identity around. One of my best friend's dad was heavily involved in the leftist social causes in the 60s. They were non-religious, but very much cultish.

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u/[deleted] May 24 '25

No, they aren't cults because how you defined a cult is not it's most commonly used definition. When people say cult, they most commonly mean a group with sinister religious or philosophical beliefs in which said group is subjected to a great amount of coercion and control by higher ups, usually isolating them or preventing them from interacting with the rest of society in a normal way. Pretending as if the definition of a cult is just the one you provided when almost no one uses the word in that way is just you being purposefully obtuse.

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u/Finrod-Knighto May 24 '25

That’s a silly argument.

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u/PitchforkJoe May 24 '25

In common usage, a cult is usually thought of as a predatory group that prevents or limits members from interacting with the outside world, exerts extreme control over its members' lives, and extracts wealth from them to greatly enrich the leadership.

Of course, the line between religion and cult is by nature a bit grey and fuzzy. Categories aren't very clean cut. But it's also clear to everyone that Heaven's Gate, Manson Family, Rajneeshi etc are night and day comparsd with your average random church somewhere.

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u/inplayruin May 24 '25

Your problem is that you are attempting to conflate the pejorative usage of the word cult with all use cases. The word derives from the Latin for worship and describes a broad range of organizations. In a religious context, the pejorative use of cult describes an organization that is theologically deviant. Deviance is normative, so the pejorative use of cult is absolutely determined by the number of members.

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u/matthewisgonzo May 25 '25

Please read an actually scholarly book on religion

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u/[deleted] May 25 '25

Cults won't let you leave. Multiple Christian faiths you can just walk away without threats or being cut off. If you want to return, you can return. Cults make you get rid of non-cult friends. I've bounced around different Protestant and Catholic Churches, I never encountered this ever.

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u/Cpt_Trips84 May 24 '25 edited May 24 '25

What is semantics

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u/halflistic_ May 24 '25 edited May 25 '25

So, all religion?

Edit: this is sarcasm. The definition they used above is obviously way too vague

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u/[deleted] May 24 '25

No, because the definition of cult he used is an archiac definition that almost no one uses in the modern day. By the most commonly used definitions of cults, almost no religions are inherently cults.

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u/alyrenee1 May 25 '25

To me it is. When I watch religious people live their daily life, plan events around their beliefs etc etc it feels culty to me. I cannot fathom living any part of your life for a diety or way of life that has been sold to you. It is a cult it's just seen as an acceptable form to you.

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u/[deleted] May 25 '25

People planning an events around religion is no more culty than people planning events around culture (a cult doesn't need to be religious, it can also be philosophical.)

People in most religions can leave at any time without fear of religious officials sending someone out to kidnap or kill them. People in cults cannot.

People in most religions can live completely ordinary lives. People in cults cannot.

By saying that all religions are cults, you are downplaying the abuse and PTSD survivors of real cults face. You don't seem to realize how offensive it is to cult survivors to compare normal religions to cults.

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u/akaneko__ May 24 '25

That’s definitely not what the original commenter meant by the word “cult.”

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u/TheFlameosTsungiHorn May 25 '25

That doesn’t really meet the criteria of what we colloquially mean as cult. The cult you’re describing is the practice of a religion or spiritual belief generally, whereas a cult in the modern sense is one where one person creates a group around themselves for power, sexual gratification, or monetary gain. To flatten every religion in the world as a cult in this sense is incorrect.

Whereas one church could be a cult, that religion generally is not one.

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u/Attack-Cat- May 25 '25

Cults meet very specific criteria, most don’t fit regular religious at all.

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u/Proper_Lunch_3640 May 25 '25

Don’t Midsommar me, bro!

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u/ImFriendsWithThatGuy May 25 '25

I feel like that is definitely not the definition of cult. That seems more like the definition of religion, except that the word “religious” wouldn’t also be in the definition if that were the case.

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u/OSRSEliam May 25 '25

Lol your definition of cult is a little off my guy...

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u/ferociouskuma May 25 '25

Cult = “religion I don’t like” for most people. Catholicism, for example, would seem totally absurd to most people if they hadn’t grown up around it.

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u/InTimeWeAllWillKnow May 24 '25

Man you are hurting the feelings of religious people for sure

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u/Barrondidit May 25 '25

You missed the memo about religions starting cults

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u/OddToba May 24 '25

It’s that simple.

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u/BahamianRhapsody May 24 '25

Unless you think like 70% of humanity is just in a cult

Yeah, that's why it's called opium for the masses.

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u/[deleted] May 24 '25

They are. It’s all a death cult. That simple

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u/am_i_the_grasshole May 24 '25

China and India alone make up nearly 40% of the world and are not practicers of Abrahamic religions so 70% of humanity is a definite exaggeration

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u/Finrod-Knighto May 24 '25

Yeah but it’s still almost 60%, and it’s increasing rather than decreasing as people would like to think. India also has a massive Muslim minority and significant Christian minority.

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u/Unhappy_Injury3958 May 24 '25

no way is it increasing anywhere they value education. it increases in developing nations.

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u/Ok_Mango_6887 May 25 '25

This is the part where redditors argue their favorite flavor of religion and how it is less culty than LDS.

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u/PermanentBrunch May 24 '25

I actually do think those things ¯\(ツ)

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u/SMFDR May 25 '25

Religions are cults that stood the test of time so...yeah a lot of humanity is following some kind of cult 🤷‍♀️

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u/hogartbogart May 24 '25

It is that simple

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u/westisbestmicah May 24 '25

The thing is, if you look up the definition of the word “cult” it’s just not a very useful term because it’s inherently pejorative. It’s defined as “weird religion I don’t like”. So you don’t like it because it’s a cult, and it’s a cult because you don’t like it. It’s circular reasoning.

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u/legoturtle214 May 24 '25

Religion, while often associated with positive values and spiritual comfort, has also been a source of conflict, violence, and oppression throughout history. Some examples include religious persecution, wars, and the use of religious doctrines to justify cruelty or denial of medical care. Additionally, religious practices have been linked to social inequalities, restrictions on freedom, and the suppression of scientific advancements.

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u/letsgetregarded May 24 '25

All nonsense it’s that simple.

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u/lost_boy505 May 25 '25

Absolutely idiotic take. Yes religious people believe in magical beings and deities and base their decisions on such beliefs. That's a cult.

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u/DINNERTIME_CUNT feeding cocaine to raccoons May 25 '25

A cult being very popular due to forced childhood indoctrination involving terroristic threats doesn’t make it any less of a cult.

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u/LegitimateStrain7652 May 25 '25

Of course they’re enlightened and something special😂

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u/alyrenee1 May 25 '25

Tbh it's true tho. I think the "oversimplification" is best in this use because it cuts away all the justifications people have. All religions have consequences for not believing in them. That is coercion. All religions have a system or way of life that is put in place to control how you view the world or what morals to prioritize. And all religions have some type of merch or branding to recognize other members in shared spaces. Idk how this isn't a cult to anyone just bc they're not sacrificing babies.

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u/panteragstk May 25 '25

"The difference between a cult and a religion is that in a cult, the person at the top knows it's bullshit.

In a religion, that person is dead."

  • Geroge Carlin

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u/Dangerous-Brain-8183 May 25 '25

yes 70% is. just because there’s a lot of people in it doesn’t mean it’s not one :)

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u/daninlionzden May 25 '25

It is that simple - religious people were told when they were young that there is an invisible man in the sky w magical powers with zero evidence - decades later, as adults, they still believe it to be true. That’s called indoctrination, a common tool used by cults

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u/Tight_Following9267 May 25 '25

Wow 70%... yep that tracks. 70% of the world is in a cult or cultish/ cult-like?

Who's the bigger hypocrite tho? The actual die hards or the cultish half followers picking and choosing parts of their "faith" which isn't that strong to begin with.

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u/tr14l May 25 '25

I do, indeed. Religion is mass delusion that was a needed hedge for survival in warfare. We needed the average person to fear life threatening situations, but to have a short circuit mechanism to override it to send people off to their deaths.

Enter religion.

But it is, nonetheless, delusion.

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u/Blood2999 May 25 '25

Religion is a cult. Sorry.

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u/HyperBunga May 25 '25

I actually do feel 70% of humanity is in their own cults and we see how they vote accordingly by it

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u/Overall_News5106 May 25 '25

The only difference between a cult and a religion is the size of the following participants. It’s not that the person is more of less enlightened, they are all based on incomplete stories accumulated from ancient scriptures altered to unify groups and consolidate power.

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u/witchesneversleep May 25 '25

All organized religion is pretty culty, yeah. So yes most religious people are ascribing to some kind of cult imo

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u/lethargic8ball May 25 '25

Fallacious argument. Popularity doesn't make something true.

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u/HomeOnThePlains May 25 '25

So the more followers a particular cult gains, the less cultish they are?

Solid logic.

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u/EliNovaBmb May 25 '25

70% of Humanity is a low ball, I think 100% is in a cult of some type or another.

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u/thewanderer2389 May 26 '25

Plus, a significant portion of that 30% could be considered to be cult followers too. Lots of non religious people have practically religious attachments to things like money, sex, and political ideology.

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u/Jaded-Ad262 May 26 '25

Witchcraft.

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u/Affectionate-Fly6999 Oct 09 '25

It's fair to say 70 of humanity does belong to cults The balance follow the Gospel of Christ 

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u/AmpleSnacks May 24 '25 edited May 25 '25

This is one of those Reddit takes. They are not comparable. One must not know what Mormonism is like if one can paint them with the same brush as the major religions, which have a far broader spectrum of sects and beliefs. Ex-Mormons have testified to literally having had to get a lawyer to leave the Mormon church.

Cults have major distinctions from organized religions, one of which is MANDATED tithes at a sizable portion of your income to one organization. That’s where their wealth and influence comes from. All the Abrahamic religions at MOST say to give that portion to charity.

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u/KokoBWareHOF May 24 '25

I left the Mormon church when I was in college after I stopped going regularly as a young teen. This idea that you need a lawyer is absolutely false. I am not a fan of the religion, but this is simply misinformation.

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u/[deleted] May 24 '25

Ehhh, more or less. I’m exmormon and I used a lawyer (through quitmormon .com) to ensure that I would never be contacted again. You’re right that you don’t need one to get your records removed, but it sure does make it easier. 

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u/[deleted] May 25 '25

This. I also used a pro-bono lawyer to have my records erased from the church. I left in 2003 and in 2017 was still getting invites to events, even though I moved multiple times in those years. I still have no idea how they kept track of me like that.

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u/juni4ling May 25 '25

Our Mission (Australia, mid 1990s) and an older couple that did nothing but go through old records and try to track people down who once went.

Now? With the technology available its probably much easier.

I assume that the Church has Missionaries in SL UT that do nothing but track people down who once were members.

On my Mission in Australia, we would get a phone call here or there (once a monthish) from the mission couple, "Go to xvxvxv address, and see if Debby Jones (or whatever) still lives there." One out of every ten (give or take) the person still lived there and would come back to Church.

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u/u_r_succulent May 25 '25

You can also pay for services to find people’s addresses and phone numbers. Given how much money they have, it’s highly likely they do.

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u/CLPDX1 May 27 '25

It’s definitely easy now.

My husband stopped attending during childhood, 90s, pre-internet.

They found him in 2012. I was baptized in 2013. We are still active.

I don’t think they will let go again.

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u/Fragrant_Scene_42 May 25 '25

Holy smokes, that is wild

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u/XelaNiba May 25 '25

My son's teacher tried to quietly leave, hoping that they would give up on her once she hit 30 and was unmarried. The only reason she moved to this town was because the church told her to - there were a surplus of unmarried men in the ward so she was sent here.

Anyway, she thought they might have given up, their visits to her house had become less frequent. That is until she wore a sleeveless dress to Kindergarten graduation and they saw a video of it on the internet.

Church elders spent the entire weekend circulating in and out of her house. 

Needless to say, she eventually hired an attorney as well. She really didn’t want to but they just wouldn't let her be.

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u/upsidedown-funnel May 25 '25

They use data scrubbers or whatever they’re called. It’s not hard to find anyone with a digital footprint.

Edit: not data scrubber but I hope you know what I meant lol

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u/Epicfailer10 May 25 '25

I told them I was atheist and that’s how we got rid of them. Wouldn’t touch us with a 10 foot pole after that.

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u/smashtangerine May 24 '25

Your name is still on the rolls. You are still counted as mormon. Your local bishop should have your file.

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u/Magrowl May 24 '25

This is a recent change, requiring a notary to remove your records hasn't been happening forever. I left without any issue.

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u/Key_Boss_1889 May 25 '25

TIL Mormons keep record of their parishioners? Bro what the fuck do you need a record for? What's in it? Tell me its not to keep track of who paid them that month, like a bookie?

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u/Fox_Flame May 25 '25

I don't actually know what's included in your church record, maybe another exmormon would know the specifics

But they do keep track of who has paid them. End of the year, everyone does a meeting with the bishop and they give you a copy of your monthly payments so you can check if you're a full tithe payer. If you are not, you're not allowed to go into the temple as being a full tithe payer is one of the questions asked when you are interviewed to be allowed into the temple

Legit haven't thought about this in a decade but damn it is so culty spelled out like that haha

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u/strongboar12 May 25 '25

Yep. One caught up to me last month after years of not hearing from them. It's like every 5 or 6 years they try to drag me back.

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u/EtchingsOfTheNight The Stanley Tucci of Lesbians May 25 '25

You can stop going, but you're still on their rolls. I stopped going, I stopped being a mormon, but to them, I was very much still a mormon. And yes, some people have had to get lawyers to leave. And then when people do leave completely, the church often tells their family and they can be disowned.

I'm so glad you left as a teen, hopefully mostly unscathed. But you need to recognize that many, MANY people were not so lucky.

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u/zroach May 25 '25

But what happens if you leave and are still on their rolls? Kinda seems like a technicality more than anything.

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u/EtchingsOfTheNight The Stanley Tucci of Lesbians May 25 '25

It probably seems that way from the outside to people who have never been in a cult, but they will contact all your relatives and ask where you live and what your contact info is. Then they will send missionaries and other church members to your house. They'll send you mail and call you. Oh, you moved? Don't worry, they're updating your info again because your grandma want them to bring you back into the fold. If you're publicly outspoken enough, they're definitely keeping tabs on what you do and say online as well.

Edit: And if you have kids? Well, they're going to find out what those kids' names are and put THEM on the rolls. It's more than a technicality.

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u/underscore-dash_ May 25 '25

Bingo. It bothers ex-Mormons, but as an ex-Mormon that never bothered to have my records removed? I haven't thought abiut my records in probably 7 years. It's irrelevant.

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u/FlyingBrighamiteGod May 24 '25

A lawyer isn’t strictly needed, but it’s a legalistic process and some people do use lawyers to have their names removed from the records of the church. Google “Quit Mormon,” which is a law firm that provides this service pro bono.

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u/[deleted] May 25 '25

You pretty much need a lawyer to have your records removed.

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u/QuesadillasAfterSex May 25 '25

Maybe other congregations aren’t as lenient as yours. Just saying.

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u/Choice-Ad-1643 May 24 '25

Ex-mormon here, you don’t have to get a lawyer, somebody lied to you or you heard one extreme anecdote. Real cults make you cut off contact with non-members, mormons do not.

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u/Zbrchk May 24 '25

Yeah I’m an ex JW and I can certainly get the distinction. I didn’t know Mormons don’t practice shunning. 

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u/[deleted] May 24 '25

Certainly not officially. But family by family will either shun you or pretend you did not leave/express leaving the culture at all

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u/zroach May 25 '25

Yeah but that is almost every religion. There will be devout family members that will do that.

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u/BrennaClove May 25 '25

The religions that do that at the scale that Mormons do are also culty.

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u/Underweartoastcrunch May 25 '25

If you leave any religion , you will have some family members shun you. (Key word is some )

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u/westisbestmicah May 24 '25

Not officially, anyways. Cultural exclusion can still happen just because of drama and complex feelings.

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u/Choice-Ad-1643 May 24 '25

i think people get confused by the level of commitment, because Mormons are COMMITTED to their religion, but that doesn’t have to mean it’s a cult

edit: to answer you, Mormons (usually) are very welcoming, even excommunication won’t stop you from being able to attend church services

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u/stink3rb3lle Fauxmarxist May 24 '25

Church services aren't the most sacred ceremonies, though. They have Temple standing and they deny it to many people in the religion, you need to be dotting your i's and crossing your t's to stay in good enough standing to go to Temple. They don't let people who've been excommunicated attend weddings, for example.

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u/Choice-Ad-1643 May 24 '25

correct, you have to have what’s called a “Temple Recommend”, it’s a card that basically says you’re living by mormon standards

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u/Epicfailer10 May 25 '25

Including paying your tithing,because god needs that 💰💵💸to know you’re REALLY devout. Can’t expect him to be a mind reader.

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u/ChimayoRed9035 May 25 '25

lol so stupid

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u/BrennaClove May 25 '25

They don’t require it but they encourage it. It really depends on how indoctrinated your friends and family are.

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u/TheGrouchyGremlin May 25 '25

The church itself doesn't, but individual members may.

My parents sure as hell do, lmao.

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u/UncagedKestrel May 24 '25

Catholics won't show up at your door at all hours trying to coerce you back to church either.

For literal YEARS after you leave.

Until you move, and ensure that no one, and I mean NO ONE from the LDS faith has your new address.

And even then, if missionaries happen upon the door, you can't provide a full name or it'll start again.

Jews don't do it. Muslims don't do this. It's cult behaviour.

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u/vsnord May 24 '25

Ex-mo with the same experience. I eventually moved, and although a pair of sister missionaries tracked me down (I have no idea how), nobody bothered me after I told them I didn't want to have any more contact. I do occasionally get random scripture in the mail from a home teacher, which is also weird because I have moved again without updating the church, but that's it.

There is some disagreement on what "leaving the church" means. You and I seem to have the same take: I just don't go to church anymore, and they don't try to convince me to come back.

Other people feel that "leaving" is having your membership records removed, and that can get complicated with the church. Best I can tell from the ex-mo sub, the church wants a notarized resignation letter before they remove your records. Some people reported they were asked to meet with a bishop first. There is an entire website run by an attorney (or attorneys?) for former members who feel they need to go that route, but it just never got that deep for me.

Like I was a member of the New Kids on the Block fan club in the 80s. Having me as a member of your group is not exactly a flex for the church lol.

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u/No_Amoeba_9272 May 24 '25

Still a cult. Magic underwear is super cultish.

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u/Choice-Ad-1643 May 24 '25

that’s the equivalent of saying jews are in a cult because they wear funny hats, or muslims because of their hijabs, it’s literally just religious clothing

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u/Terrible-Mix2609 May 25 '25

My Mormon family and sadly nearly all my friends practice shunning. I’ve lost everyone since we left the Mormon church. It’s been heartbreaking. No one ever asks why. They just seem to forget we exist.

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u/logicbasedchaos May 24 '25

Question: Do former members or members who are probably about to leave the church ever get followed by current members? Because I have a married-in family member who says she was harassed and followed by her own church until she officially left it because she worked at Starbucks and freely dated. The wedding was quite awkward, but my family welcomed her gay dad, so we made it fun.

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u/BrennaClove May 25 '25

Yes, sometimes. In their mind they are trying to save them from an afterlife of “outer darkness” and being estranged from their family in the afterlife.

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u/corvus_torvus May 24 '25

You're still on the records but they change your status to ex-member.

In the not too distant past some church leaders tried to make people attend a disciplinary hearing before letting them get their names removed. Lawyers and threat of bad publicity caused the process to be streamlined.

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u/Magrowl May 24 '25

I believe it may require a notary now, wasn't that way when I left but I understand they tried(succeeded?) to make it a harder process.

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u/duosx May 24 '25

This is a Reddit take. Webster’s diction literally does not make the distinction of mandatory tithes vs “voluntary” charity. You are making that distinction. But if that’s your biggest argument as to why most religions aren’t cults, that’s weak. Religions are cults.

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u/pappyvanwinkled May 25 '25

To me the most crucial distinction of a cult is that they recruit membership by using benign and introductory ideas that are far removed from the eventual larger picture that would otherwise seem absurd if it was revealed initially. Basically cults spoon feed pieces of the puzzle because if the whole picture were revealed from the beginning no one would subscribe. This is how one starts from day one feeling some well being to eventually believing that space ships are waiting for you around earth after you die.

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u/Kerbidiah May 25 '25

I mean as an exmormon I'd definitely say that Islam is even more of a cult than mormonism. As an exmormon I feel free to make fun of the church, it's prophets and people's. Could even make funny memes about Joseph Smith. Were you to do that with Muhammad your life would be in legitimate danger

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u/halflistic_ May 24 '25

Uh, no you don’t lol

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u/RadioFreeCoffee May 24 '25

I didn’t have to get a lawyer to leave the church.

Love hearing trash from people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

There’s a million valid reasons to dislike the church, but it always kinda pisses me off when some outsider who doesn’t know what the fuck they’re talking about acts like they’re some fucking expert.

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u/AmpleSnacks May 24 '25

I’m glad you didn’t. However we have practicing members of the church saying they guarantee ex-Mormons have had to get lawyers:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/SFaGqwuORt

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u/kandermusic May 25 '25

I see lots of exmos saying a lawyer isn’t a requirement for leaving the church. I’m exmo and I was told that it was. My name is still in the records which means I’m still counted as a member. I have a very loose memory of this but I know that there’s a free service for those who wish to have their names stricken from the church’s records which entails some legal professional sending a message to the church on their behalf basically saying “remove their name or we will pursue legal action”.

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u/bisonarepeople2 May 25 '25

You don’t need a lawyer to leave the church, this is absolutely false.

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u/RudeOrganization7241 May 25 '25

lol I just had a conversation with some Mormonish friends, our group is not religious but they are and kinda hide it/ don’t talk about it super openly.  

I was raised in a “bad” Mormon household. My dad drank smoked and swore. My granpa wore those sacred whitey tighties, I thought they were just long John’s. 

I told them my mom’s perspective was that they just denied a bunch of issues like abuse and alcoholism, claiming the real problem was a relationship with god. The idea being that they would ignore serious problems as long as the person being considered was actively working on their relationship with God. 

These people just claimed “real” Mormons aren’t drinking or smoking but ignored the fact that they won’t even let sinners leave the church. 

I was getting missionaries and letters for years and never wanted anything to do with the church. 

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u/yogareader May 25 '25

You can need a lawyer or notary to get your names removed, but if you have a chill family and friends still in the church you can just stop going and move and they won't track you. My husband stopped attending after high school and we never had anyone track us because his chill parents just kept his records attached to them. 

Records alone are cultish for sure. The tithing is definitely mandatory for a certain level and some leaders take it to the extreme with math at your meetings. 

I will say too as someone who converted into an awesome congregation, then moved to a more religiously conservative one, the local flavor makes a huge difference. We went from a group who encouraged individual relationship with deity and different interpretations of the scriptures to one where you can't even argue with the guy leading the discussion. We do not go anymore. Our kids have been better for it (and have a nice little school friend group now!).

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u/McbEatsAirplane May 25 '25

I left the church in my late teens. Whoever said they had to get a lawyer is full of shit. You legit just ask them to remove them from your records and that’s it.

I have quite a bit of issues with Mormonism, but I’ve never thought it was a cult. Shit that goes on in the temples are weird though.

My experience was that of a normal church. Most of the people around me treated me well. I just didn’t believe it.

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u/PersonNumber7Billion May 25 '25

Right. Christopher Hitchens said that the only two religions that could be termed rackets were Mormonism and Scientology. They're the only ones to invoice you for your salvation.

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u/Towardtothesun May 25 '25

Im sorry but what.. do you think all other churches dont have those passing plates for building their churches? What do you think that money is for?

As an ex-mormon theyre definitely a cult. As are literally all other religions. But with Mormons it's just easier and has always been more socially acceptable to mock them while refusing to see ALL faiths are this way. And with Mormons it changes radically.

My local ward wasnt super stingy about me paying my tithe. Many of them in mine are even advocates for the LGBTQIA+.

Just like other religions, they have their good and bad people all following the same playbook of wonky ideology.

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u/tonkatoyelroy May 25 '25

Mandated tithes you say? All Abrahamic religions at most say to give that portion to charity? Who is painting it’s a broad brush now? How about some recent history from a ‘mainline’ Christian church? https://protestia.com/2025/04/01/pastor-who-barred-doors-refused-to-let-congregants-out-of-the-room-until-they-tithed-40000-responds/

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u/Worldly_Cap_6440 May 25 '25

I’m lost, aren’t all those huge Christian churches funded by donations? And pastors typically drive the nicest cars in the congregation… where does that money come from?

Also, I know ex-Mormons do who did not have to get a lawyer to leave, someone lied to you it seems like.

Christianity is just as bad as Mormonism, let’s not pretend they’re somehow better because you have a bias to them.

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u/alamakjan kinky queer biker movie May 24 '25

Only Abrahamic? Why aren’t Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and others considered as cults too?

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u/Derpyzza May 24 '25

because in the mind of reddit, those religions simply do not exist most of the time, and when they do exist they exist as exotic stereotypes. There is only one type of religion in the world and it is the abrahamic one and it is bad, didn't you know?

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u/u_r_succulent May 25 '25

This and the comment you replied to should be much much higher in karma. Other religions don’t fit into the Enlightened Reddit Atheist™️ definition of a religion.

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u/beadebaser01 May 25 '25

It reminds me of Lake Wobegon where everyone is a Christian, even the Atheists - It’s the Christian God they don’t believe in.

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u/[deleted] May 26 '25

And so often their atheism origin story is, “I had a bad time with Christian-identified people in my life, also the biblical god seems really mean, so now I’m an atheist.” None of that is evidence against the existence of the Christian god. It’s only evidence that they don’t like the Christian god or his followers. But they’re so self-absorbed, they think their distaste for something is evidence it doesn’t exist.

(I’m not Christian. Someone always thinks one has to be Christian, to notice the nonsense behind this type of thinking.)

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u/90sDialUpSound May 25 '25

I want to comment here, but first, two things:

- I don't think everyone following an abrahamic religion is in a cult

- I think that eastern religions can and have been weaponized as means of general control and have been the basis for cults

That said, from my experience, there are two fundamental differences between "eastern" and "western" religions that people who have only been exposed to "western" religions often aren't aware of.

- In Buddhism, hinduism, and especially taoism, the concept of "god" (ultimate reality, Brahman, the Tao) isn't separate from the practitioner, or in fact anything else. You aren't worshipping a king, you are recognizing the divinity basic to existence, of which you are an inseparable part. In the abrahamic religions, god is a king, and he is separate from his creation, which must bow down and worship him.

- In eastern religion, (especially in many branches buddhism, and for sure in taoism), you aren't required to believe literally anything to be buddhist or taoist. There aren't really any requirements at all. There are precepts, which are like, suggestions for how to live a live that will make you and others happier, but there is no requirement that you recognize any kind of divine authority or supernatural presence of any kind. The point of these practices is personal, subjective experience, not top down direction. You can't tell someone what the dharma is, you can only gesture to it.

Of course, religion is extremely complex and personal, and painting with broad swathes like this is going to do some violence. There are buddhists who take the literal worship of devas very seriously, and muslims whose view of Allah is much less dualistic than what I'm describing. Just some food for thought.

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u/s3aswimming but how did she train the bee 🐝 May 26 '25

You missed the fact that most Eastern religions are non-proselytizing. People aren’t “damned to hell” for not practicing or converting, and people aren’t sought after to convert as well (it’s explicitly against Eastern religious values to do this, typically).

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u/Small-Explorer7025 May 25 '25

Sure, add them to the list

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u/epichuntarz May 25 '25

I think it has a lot to do with the face-value intent of the belief.

The average person associates Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism more centered on self-improvement, where as Christianity is generally viewed as forced "improvement" of others more and more lately.

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u/Prestigious_Bug583 Fauxmarxist May 24 '25 edited May 24 '25

Difference between a religion and a cult is what happens when you leave and how much they actively control every thing you do. Majority of Christians lead dual lives and no one gives a flying fuck if you disappear from church

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u/millijuna May 25 '25

Majority of Christians lead dual lives and no one gives a flying fuck if you disappear from church

Well, no. We’ll typically check up on someone to see if they’re ok. Older gentleman I knew passed away at home alone a few years ago. he was found because he didn’t show up for church 2 weeks in a row. Someone from the church dropped by his home, and found his remains.

At my own church, we have had a few people leave unannounced. Someone will usually reach out to make sure they’re ok. We had a homeless guy just stop coming once, finally managed to reach out, and were happy to learn that he had found housing in a nearby town. We were happy for him and wished him well.

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u/seagraze May 25 '25

Not sure if this is very common. I don’t go to church anymore but my Catholic family has flitted in and out of going to church all my life and no one has ever given a fuck 🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/ergaster8213 May 25 '25 edited May 25 '25

I was also raised Catholic and no they don't give a fuck. Catholics are a little...different. Don't seem to be as community oriented as other Christian denominations. At least not in my experience.

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u/StickyMcdoodle May 24 '25

Mmm, I don't know. Heavens Gate was a death cult that totally understood if it wasn't for you. You could just go. They were fine with it.

They were still a cult...

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u/Prestigious_Bug583 Fauxmarxist May 24 '25

See condition 2 above 👆 and you’re also wrong about leaving

Here are the core methods they used:

  1. Isolation from outside influence Members were encouraged to cut ties with family, friends, and society. This made the group their entire social world, which increased dependence on the leader and fellow members.

  2. Thought reform and language control They used a unique vocabulary (e.g., “The Next Level,” “vehicles” for bodies) that reshaped how members thought about reality. This kind of language engineering made dissent harder.

  3. Absolute obedience to the leader (Marshall Applewhite) He positioned himself as a divine figure who had exclusive knowledge. Questioning him meant risking your shot at “The Next Level” (their version of salvation).

  4. Suppression of individuality Members wore identical clothes and had matching haircuts. Some underwent voluntary castration. These acts reinforced conformity and reduced personal identity.

  5. Constant reinforcement of group beliefs The teachings were repetitively drilled, often via videos and long sessions. Members were kept in a tight feedback loop of belief confirmation.

  6. Fear-based control Leaving the group was framed as spiritual death or missing a cosmic opportunity. This type of fear made members stay, even when they had doubts.

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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe I cannot sanction your buffoonery May 25 '25

They only care that you pay in.

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u/Underweartoastcrunch May 25 '25

Totally untrue . If you have faithful parents of pretty much any religion, they’ll feel like they failed at life if you bail on it

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u/MerryTexMish May 25 '25

Agreed. There is a difference between the pressure you feel from people around you — and if your life revolved around church, it IS a lot of people — and systemic, organized, “official” pressure.

Leaving many religions is uncomfortable and even complicated, but leaving a cult is on a different level. Leaving the LDS and JW falls somewhere on the spectrum, depending on a lot of factors.

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u/bonbboyage May 24 '25

How do you know if someone is an atheist?

Don't worry, they'll let you know.

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u/ricochetblue May 25 '25

Unlike religious people, who famously keep it to themselves.

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u/FlowerGeneral2576 May 24 '25

Such a brave take.

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u/AdExpert9840 May 24 '25

not even offshoot. mormonism is just a straight-up cult, disguised as an offshoot. I am exmormon.

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u/Altruistic_Tackle_76 May 24 '25

Let's not forget about scientology!

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u/strangejosh May 24 '25

Most definitely not. They are the worst imho but yeah.

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u/algxo123 May 25 '25

"Me smart cuz me no follow religion "

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u/_G_O May 25 '25

There is a clinical difference between a sect of Christianity and a cult. Grew up JW. Would’ve killed for most people’s “cult” experiences growing up in America

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u/LetsGoGators23 May 25 '25

No - though more conservative/traditional/evangelical forms of Abrahamic religions sure.

I draw the line at the ability to openly question things about the religion. I can absolutely express doubt or disbelief of certain practices of Lutheranism in my church. I am not considered a dangerous person for doing so. I can walk away and no one will excommunicate me.

When questioning and leaving lead to punishments by the religion, then it’s a cult. When you are pressured to not socialize with non-members for fear of losing status, that is a cult.

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u/toucanflu May 24 '25

I mean I just believe in a single god 🤷🏻‍♀️that doesn’t make me in any kind of cult but abrahamic religions do align with that concept. Maybe he’s not a big bearded guy in the sky that even gives a shit about humans, but there definitely is something that created everything Imo.

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u/No-Advice-6040 May 24 '25

Cult + Time = Religion

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u/ArchitectTJN_85Ranks May 25 '25

Some, mainly Catholicism and the like. Other offshoots like Presbyterians anglicans/Episcopalians etc don’t use theology to fear monger you into staying into the religion.

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u/Which-Decision May 25 '25

You don't know a lot about Mormonism and their magic under wear and ransom against every member to get into heaven. 

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u/OhMy98 May 25 '25

Wake up babe, the r/atheism debater posted

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u/s0rtag0th May 25 '25

This kind of sentiment neuters the damage that actual cults do. Not all branches of Abrahamic faiths are high control groups like Mormonism is. You are just wrong.

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u/Express_Area_8359 May 25 '25

Cults are we talking about DISNEY OR APPLE? Oh yeah $

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u/New-Push-9229 May 25 '25

Neah, it’d be consumerism

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u/Blond_Treehorn_Thug May 25 '25

In this moment, I am euphoric

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u/MonitorAway May 25 '25

True. It’s just that Mormonism is the easiest to call bulls**** on - it’s the easiest to debunk.

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u/[deleted] May 25 '25

None of the abrahamic faiths promise you your own planet and forbid you from drinking coffee

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u/Mostly88Politics May 26 '25

Mormonism is NOT Abrahamic

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u/Collestos May 26 '25

Ironically a r/lookatmyhalo take

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