Monday, October 30, 2006
Mormons And The Word "Cult" - An Introduction
It is not uncommon for words in our language to have mutiple meanings, some more than others. But when it comes to relgions, there is one that I think has so many meanings that it borders on not being useful anymore. That is the word "cult."
Definition 6 on the other hand is specific, about something that is wrong, and potentially evil.
Such a breadth of meaning in a word that gets tossed around a lot can create an enormous amount of misunderstanding. When you then take a word like "cult" that is often used as a pejorative its use can create hurt feelings, offer insult, and most importanly erect barriers where they should not exist.
My concerns about this word arise from my fascination with the potential presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, a Mormon. "Cult" is a word often applied to the Mormons, sometimes meaningfully, sometimes pejoratively, and and almost always misunderstood by someone in the conversation. It is the last clause of that previous sentence that makes me wonder about the utility of the word. It just does not seem to aid communicaiton because whenever it comes up, the discussion has to stop down and the user has to identify which meaning and sense he is applying to the term. Words are supposed to make communication easier, not harder.
The heart of the problem lies in the fact that it can be used in exactly the same context and grammatically and be intended either descriptively or pejoratively. Consider this sentence:
Over the next couple of days I want to look at the question of whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a cult or not. The answer, predictably after this set-up, will be "yes" and "no." To make matters clear, I don't agree with much of the Mormon belief structure, although I have a great deal of sympathy for the impressions of the creedal Christian institutions that fostered Joseph Smith and his followers. In my opinion Smith saw the problems pretty clearly, he just did not find the right solution.
But back to the question at hand. Since we will find the CJCLDS to be a cult in one sense and not in another, I wonder if it is a useful designation? You can be pretty well assured that someone you are talking to will take it the wrong way when you say it, so it serves as a barrier to communication, not an aid. I, for one, don't have time for words that make communication harder, not simpler.
Part II of this series is here
Part III of this series is here.
Part IV of this seris is here.
Related Tags: Mormon, cult, CJCLDS, definitions
Just look at Dictionary.com on the word. The top entry alone contains 10 different defintions, not all of which are even religious in nature.
- a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
- an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
- the object of such devotion.
- a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
- Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
- a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
- the members of such a religion or sect.
- any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
- adjective
- of or pertaining to a cult
- of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.
Definition 6 on the other hand is specific, about something that is wrong, and potentially evil.
Such a breadth of meaning in a word that gets tossed around a lot can create an enormous amount of misunderstanding. When you then take a word like "cult" that is often used as a pejorative its use can create hurt feelings, offer insult, and most importanly erect barriers where they should not exist.
My concerns about this word arise from my fascination with the potential presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, a Mormon. "Cult" is a word often applied to the Mormons, sometimes meaningfully, sometimes pejoratively, and and almost always misunderstood by someone in the conversation. It is the last clause of that previous sentence that makes me wonder about the utility of the word. It just does not seem to aid communicaiton because whenever it comes up, the discussion has to stop down and the user has to identify which meaning and sense he is applying to the term. Words are supposed to make communication easier, not harder.
The heart of the problem lies in the fact that it can be used in exactly the same context and grammatically and be intended either descriptively or pejoratively. Consider this sentence:
Amy Semple MacPherson started and ran a cult.Now, if you apply either meanings 1 or 4 from above a member of "The Four Square Gospel Association" will agree with that sentence. If; however, you apply meaning 6, you are likely to have a fight on your hands, maybe even a really ugly one.
Over the next couple of days I want to look at the question of whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a cult or not. The answer, predictably after this set-up, will be "yes" and "no." To make matters clear, I don't agree with much of the Mormon belief structure, although I have a great deal of sympathy for the impressions of the creedal Christian institutions that fostered Joseph Smith and his followers. In my opinion Smith saw the problems pretty clearly, he just did not find the right solution.
But back to the question at hand. Since we will find the CJCLDS to be a cult in one sense and not in another, I wonder if it is a useful designation? You can be pretty well assured that someone you are talking to will take it the wrong way when you say it, so it serves as a barrier to communication, not an aid. I, for one, don't have time for words that make communication harder, not simpler.
Part II of this series is here
Part III of this series is here.
Part IV of this seris is here.
Related Tags: Mormon, cult, CJCLDS, definitions
