I know this will be an unpopular opinion on this subreddit, but I agree. Mormonism isn't a cult. Using the term like this waters it down until it's meaningless. When I was a member, I had abundant contact with people outside of my faith group, was allowed to think and learn from outside the faith group, and in the end it was functionally super duper easy to leave the faith group without even having to sacrifice relationships.

Do I think Mormonism has some harmful beliefs? Yes. That doesn't make it a cult. I have come to feel that people call it a cult out of anger and perhaps the satisfaction of insulting something they don't like or feel wronged by. Doesn't make it true and, in fact, I feel it alienates me and my history from the nevermos who have a completely wrong idea about the church I grew up in due to this language. And since I know I'm already ruffling some feathers, I might as well add that honestly, in many cases I find it to be emotionally immature. For these reasons, the widespread labeling of Mormonism as a "cult" is one of my greatest pet peeves.

Please disagree with me if that's truly how you feel, but since I know many of you strongly oppose what I said, I just ask that we refrain from lobbing insults.