Recently, the word “cult” has been much in the news related to Mormonism. Is Mormonism a cult? Is describing Mormonism as a “cult” bigotry? Is the word “cult” still useful or has it degenerated in common usage to mere insult?
As any quick trip to Google (or to the dictionary for the old fashioned) will show, “cult” has a variety of meetings. When I use it in writing about ancient philosophy, it generally describes the religious practices of a particular group. It carries no judgment morally or in terms of truth. One can write equally about the “cult of Artemis,” the “cult of the Christ,” or the “cult of Mithras.”
I think the worship of the Christ good and the worship of Artemis bad, but an ancient philosopher would not know it from my use of “cult” to describe either. Professionally, my use of the term “cult” merely signals I am going to describe the “system of religious veneration or devotion” in both. (Oxford American Dictionary)
Obviously this use of “cult” does not make one a bigot . . . Mormons have a cult and so do traditional Christians.
In traditional Christian circles the term is often used in another way. In my Bible college people used “cult” to refer to groups that claimed to be Christian (in some way), but who denied enough (or such important) orthodox doctrine that they ceased to be Christian. Of course in such a context “cult” was a useful term only in the context of a shared agreement of what constitutes central Christian claims.
Many traditional Christians would agree that the acceptance of the ideas in the Nicene Creed would be one test of orthodoxy. In this sense a non-Nicene “Christian” is in a cult.
This use of the term “cult” does carry a value judgment. If Mormonism claims to be Christian, but is non-Nicene then it is a “cult” in this sense of the term.
In the context of a traditional Christian theological education, such a use of “cult” is not bigotry. It is a short-hand for a group that is a “spin off” of Christianity, but is not viewed as “really Christian.” Theological disagreement, even strong theological disagreement, is no more bigotry than philosophical disagreement.
However, public, political discussion of Mormonism does not take place in ancient philosophy papers and in seminaries. There nuanced disagreement is possible and academic charity is the rule. In popular culture and in politics, I fear a misunderstanding with cover for real bigots is a danger if the word “cult” is used.
When most Americans hear “cult” applied to Mormonism, I believe they hear the term with roughly the following (Oxford American) definition: “a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
I think Mormonism is false, but I do not find it useful or charitable to describe it as “strange” or “sinister.” My own traditional Christian beliefs are often described by secularists in this way and I have never found that description advanced our discussion in any way.
In popular usage such terms quickly get applied to flesh and blood and not just to “principalities and powers.” This is hurtful and not at all helpful.
My Mormon friends are (I think) wrong, but they are not strange or sinister. (I apologize for even having to point this out. Of course anyone is right who thinks me eccentric!)
This use of the term “cult” when applied to Mormonism or any other religious group is nothing more than an insult in the popular or political context. Religious insults are particularly ill suited for political discourse in a religiously diverse culture. Even if a traditional Christian explains what they mean, this takes time and still leaves them open to misunderstanding.
Better to simply say, “I don’t think Mormons are traditional Christians and are wrong, but . . . ” than to label them a “cult” and then try to explain what you mean.
I think most Christians who describe Mormonism as a “cult” are making a mistake in moving a technical theological term to the public square where it will surely be heard in the wrong way and abused.
This is especially the case in terms of Mormons who have been unjustly and historically discriminated against in the public square. As a result, I think everyone, especially Christians called to love their neighbor, should avoid moving appropriate professional or theological use of a term to the public square where it is likely to be heard only as an insult.
Such sloppy talk will surely come back to bite traditional Christians. It makes us look distinctly uncharitable to those who do not know what we mean. Using it also provides room for real bigots (especially radical secularists) to use it in the “only an insult” sense.
Words change or have different meanings in different contexts. Pity the poor poet who decades ago decided May was a gay month . . . and meant flowers and things. Just as one cannot pretend that the useful word “gay” still means “cheerful” to most folk, so traditional Christians cannot throw out a (non-bigoted) use of “cult” and expect anything but misunderstanding.
If someone says that a particular religion is a “gay cult” in public, political speech, then I doubt a single listener will think first of a group of cheerful liturgists.
There is of course one other possibility . . .
“Cult” is used in pop culture to refer to a rabid following for any television show. I must confess in the pre-video tape days to making audio recordings of Star Trek re-runs so I could listen to them whenever I wanted . . . how cool was that? My wife had a big enough crush on Davy Jones (the singer not the pirate) crush that she might have been part of his cult following.
Kathryn Jean Lopez of NRO, Blog-Father Hugh Hewitt, or Dean Barnett write enough about Romney to (perhaps) use the term “cult” in writing about him without bigotry, though perhaps (he intoned dryly) “groupie” might be more appropriate in this context. Many more appearances like that on Leno or in last weeks debate and my family may get there too. . .
Perhaps Mitt Romney is gaining the same cachet with the mainstream media that Firefly has for many of my students (and for me), but I doubt it.
All kidding aside, I fear the term is usually used to merely abuse by the left (soft-bigotry) and is confusing when used by traditional Christians on the right.
Traditional Christians should avoid using the word “cult” in public speech, especially as a description of large, older, stable religious groups such as Mormonism.