Latayne C. Scott: The Marks of a Cult: Lessons to Remember on the Anniversary of the Jonestown Suicide-Massacre

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MP3 Available here This mp3 is a back up copy of the show before Internet recording became availabe. Our apologies for the sound quality

Latayne C. Scott, a Mormon convert to Evangelical Christianity, author of 13 published books, Chair of the Department of Biblical Representational Research and Author in Residence at Trinity Southwest University in Albuquerque, NM and the recipient of the Distinguished Christian Service Award by Pepperdine University for "Creative Christian Writing", will address the theme: "The Marks of a Cult: Lessons to Remember on the Anniversary of the Jonestown Suicide-Massacre".

Today, Wednesday, November 18, 2009, marks the 31st anniversary of the "Jonestown Suicide-Massacre" in a remote jungle settlement in Guyana, South America. 918 United States citizens died that day. It was the largest number of American civilian lives lost in a single event before September 11, 2001. It is very fitting that we address the marks of a cult on this infamous date, in hopes that those listening will be prevented from joining a cult, and that those who are already in a cult may recognize it, and flee from it, after hearing this broadcast. Latayne will also distinguish between those groups which are cults by virtue of their heretical teaching and practice, and those which are "cultic" or "cult-like" by virtue of their oppressive, dictatorial leadership (in spite of the fact they may be doctrinally orthodox).

Latayne is most well known for her classic work THE MORMON MIRAGE: A Former Member Looks at the Church Today now in its Third Edition. In the first edition of The Mormon Mirage, Latayne C. Scott shared her remarkable journey out of Mormonism as she uncovered shocking inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and contradictions in the faith she had loved and lived. Thirty years later, Mormonism and Mormon scholarship have evolved with the times. In her third, revised and updated edition of her well-known book, Scott keeps pace with changes and advances in Mormonism, and reveals formidable new challenges to its claims and teachings. The Mormon Mirage provides fascinating, carefully documented insights into • DNA research’s withering implications for the Book of Mormon • the impact of new “revelations” on Latter-day Saint (LDS) race relations • new findings about Mormon history • increasing publicity about LDS splinter groups, particularly polygamous ones • recent disavowals of long-held doctrines by church leadership • the rise of Mormon apologetics on the Internet.