Dear Mr. Jeffress, I do not, in fact, belong to a cult...

You may have heard about Pastor (although, I use that term loosely after his comments) Robert Jeffress calling the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (he said the 'Mormon' Church. It's not the Mormon Church, sir) a "cult". 

At first, I laughed. I'm used to hearing people question, criticize, and misunderstand my faith. But then I got to thinking...what gives this guy the right to go out on a national stage, where there are millions of people watching and listening to his every word, and call a religion a cult without a single legitimate reason?

People fear what they do not understand. The comments of this man are a sign that he does not understand our faith. And by him expounding on his fear by taking the national stage and calling a church beloved by millions a 'cult' he is creating more fear and more misunderstanding. 

When I think of a cult, I invision a charismatic leader that requires his (or her) followers to worship him (or her) alone. I invision vulnerable people being isolated and alienated from their families for the benefit of the cult's leader. I invision dangerous and disturbing acts done for the betterment of the 'group' all in the name of the leader of the cult. 

When I think of a cult, I do not see a Church that is centered around being more Christ-like. I do not see a Church that is so family focused. I do not see a Church that is dedicated to service of fellow man, no matter their faith. I do not see a Church like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

He aslo made the comment that Mitt Romeny is not a Christian. According to the Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the term 'Christian' is defined as "a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ." If you've read my blog for a while, you'll remember the series of posts I did detailing my conversion story (you can read all of the parts here). I was raised in a Christian home and have always desired a relationship with Christ and my Heavenly Father. I have also struggled so much through my life with my faith. It was not until I found my way to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that I truly found my faith and was able to feel a true and deep connection with Heavenly Father, Christ, and the Holy Ghost. 

I understand that not everyone is going to agree with me or share my faith. I understand that there are people that have had negative experiences with the Church. I bet there are people that had negative experiences at the church that Mr. Jeffress preaches at as well. I think that the comments he made were hurtful, hateful, baseless, and completely unfounded. They were also inappropriate. To bring religion into the political arena is not acceptable. We have the first amendment for a reason after all. 

I do not expect everyone to agree with my religion or faith. I do expect common courtesy and respect, especially from someone is a position of power such as Mr. Jefress.

(image source)