Wow! How controlling. (I hope those weren't the actions of some misguided souls from my church!)

Oversharing Alert Ahead!

I had a selfish reason for asking. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which, at times, has been labeled as a cult. The name-calling doesn't bother me like it used to, since I know the difference between a cult and a church that encourages belief in, and reliance on, the Savior. Basically, a cult tends to coerce and demand and compel, while God directs his church leaders and rank-and-file members to invite and encourage, while also emphasizing the importance of a person using their moral agency. (Force and control are the tools of the devil.)

Through my experiences as a missionary in Argentina (back in the day), and subsequent encounters with members of other denominations, I no longer view them as opponents. I've come to appreciate the Baptists, Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, the Hebrew faith, Sikhs, Muslims, Catholics, and any others who are sincere in their pursuit of a closer relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son.

Yes, members of different churches sometimes do boneheaded things, but we're all fallible humans, and such is our lot. Thank goodness we have daily opportunities to repent. I look upon all of us believers as workers in the Field: we're just laboring in different parts of it, and doing the best we can, based on the amount of spiritual knowledge we've been blessed with. It's the corrupt leaders in the various denominations that I have a problem with; they'll one day be held accountable for the way they knowingly led astray members of their flock.

My hope is that I'll one day be a better example than I am now, what with my whining and thin skin and occasional threats to quit WDC. (I believe I'm over and done with the "quitting" talk.) It's a brand of jackassery that I'll only be able to rid myself of by serving others. Thanks for your candid words and example.