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m keeping the word of wisdom is not necessarily a "moral" standard |
m it's difficult to argue absolutely no "punishment" results--e.g. the person could be denied a temple recommend, which could be a form of "punishment" |
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<blockquote>"As a church we have critics--many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. Our faith, our knowledge, is not based on ancient tradition, the creeds which came of a finite understanding and out of the almost infinite discussions of men trying to arrive at a definition of the risen Christ. Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.<br><i>(Gordon B. Hinckley, “We Look to Christ,” Ensign, May 2002, 90)</i></blockquote>
A common question is whether the Mormon Church is a "[[Cult#The cult debate|cult]]". The Mormon Church does not fit within the popular conception of a "cult", which suggests the infliction of some degree of harm or abuse to the members. Many people may be confused by the high standards of Mormons and believe that they are forced to conform. For example, Mormons are [[Word of Wisdom|discouraged]] from using [[tobacco]] and from drinking [[coffee]], [[tea]], and [[Alcoholic beverage|alcohol]], but if a Mormon chooses to use these items, he or she is not physically punished by the church. The Mormon Church places great emphasis on the principle of [[Agency (Mormonism)|individual agency]]. Thus, all members of the church are free to make their own decisions and are not subject to any physical consequences for breaking the standards of the church.
==Basic beliefs (Articles of Faith)==
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