Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle on Monday disavowed a claim by her former pastor that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a cult, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.
Angle’s former pastor, John Reed of Sonrise Church in Reno, last week called the Mormon Church a cult. But the term cult has different meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. For instance, while the Mormon Church has some cult-like elements, it generally is not considered to be a cult in the sociological sense of the term.
However, theologically the LDS Church is a cult of Christianity. That is, while it claims to be Christian in nature, its doctrines and practices violate the essential doctrines of the historic Christian faith.
In its defence the LDS Church often points out that its full name includes the words ‘Jesus Christ.’ Which is almost as clever as insisting that you can buy a $20 ‘Rolex’ in Tijuana…