In light of the candidates running for President, I give you this outline sent to me by someone who attended a talk about Islam and Mormonism. Are both candidates on a path to the same destination? Something to consider and to ask the Lord about.
Islam and
Mormonism: Two Branches of the Same Tree
1. Why Study A Cult Alongside Islam?
a. Origins of Islam: Judaism, paganism, Christianity, and
especially Christian heresies
Muhammad took these, along with his
own “revelations” to create his own brand of religion. What he produced is…
b. Islam
= an overblown cult
c. Islam
and LDS
1)
Many have noted similarities
[1]
a)
Contemporary newspapers of Smith’s day
counted Joseph Smith as a false prophet, usually mentioning Muhammad as one
previous example to be compared with.
This was true of the
Palmyra
Freeman and the
Palmyra Reflection[2]
writing c. 1829-30.
b)
In 1842 Smith was again enflaming the
populace, this time in
Illinois.
The editor of the
Sangano Journal likened Smith’s aggressive stance to his “taking
Mahomet’s part.”
[3]
b)
In August of
1843 a convention was
convened in
Carthage, IL to deal with what the local residents saw
as the growing threat of Mormonism.
They
felt their rights were being threatened, and that the Mormons wanted to take over.
They were afraid of what they called this
“latter-day would be Mahomet.”
[4]
This is such a common comparison
that there is even a Wikipedia article entitled “Mormonism and Islam.”
2) Joseph Smith himself referenced Islam
a) Joseph Smith was aware of Islam, and
must have been at least somewhat familiar with it.
b) Joseph Smith compared himself to
Muhammad on at least one occasion. This
occurred in 1838, during a time of unrest with the people of Missouri.
Smith, speaking at a Mormon gathering at Adam-ondi-ahman, declared:
“If the people will let us alone, we
will preach the gospel in peace.
But if
they come on us to molest us, we will establish our religion by the sword.
We will trample down our enemies and make it
one gore of blood from the Rocky Mountains to the
Atlantic
Ocean.
I will be to this
generation a second Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was ‘the
Alcoran or the Sword.’
So shall it
eventually be with us—‘Joseph Smith or the Sword!’”
[5]
c) We
do know that in Nauvoo the religion of Islam was listed as a
protected belief system, whose
followers were allowed “freedom of religion” in the Mormon city.
[6]
d)
One writer notes that Smith’s views of
both polygamy and sensual joys of heaven as being very similar to the views of
Islam and Muhammad.
[7]
3) Other LDS leaders have referenced Islam
We also know that some Mormon
leaders looked on Islam with favor.
For
instance, in 1855 LDS Apostles George A. Smith and Parley Pratt delivered
speeches in which they asserted that Islam had been raised up by God to
“scourge” apostate Christianity and to aid in stopping the spread of idolatry.
[8]
Note these further words from
Apostles Smith and Pratt:
“As early as 1855, at a time when
Christian literature generally ridiculed Muhammad as the Antichrist and the
archenemy of Western civilization, Elders George A. Smith (1817–75) and Parley
P. Pratt (1807–57) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivered lengthy
sermons demonstrating an accurate and balanced understanding of Islamic history
and speaking highly of Muhammad’s leadership. Elder Smith observed that
Muhammad was ‘descended from Abraham and was no doubt raised up by God on
purpose’ to preach against idolatry. He sympathized with the plight of Muslims,
who, like Latter-day Saints, found it difficult ‘to get an honest history’
written about them. Speaking next, Elder Pratt went on to express his
admiration for Muhammad’s teachings, asserting that ‘upon the whole, …
[Muslims] have better morals and better institutions than many Christian nations.’”
[9]
The official LDS website has an
article dealing with the issue of Mormonism and Mormonism. Essentially, the LDS position is that Islam
has some light and truth to offer to the Christian/LDS believer.
Listen to a few excerpts from the
article:
How, then, might Latter-day Saints
regard the Muslim community? The most helpful approach is to recognize the
truths and values we share with our Muslim brothers and sisters, even while
politely acknowledging that theological differences exist. Certainly Latter-day
Saints do not agree with Islamic teachings that deny the divinity of Jesus
Christ, the need for modern prophets, or the principle of eternal progression.
But by being humble and open to spiritual light wherever it may be found, we
benefit from the religious insights of Muslims and affirm similarities in
belief such as faith, prayer, fasting, repentance, compassion, modesty, and
strong families as cornerstones of individual spirituality and community life.
In a recent meeting
with Muslim dignitaries, Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles focused on the common spiritual heritage of Mormons and Muslims. After
quoting a verse from the Qur’an, he observed:
“God is the source of
light in heaven and on earth. We share the belief with you. We resist the
secular world. We believe with you that life has meaning and purpose. … We
revere the institution of the family. … We salute you for your concern for the
institution of the family. … Mutual respect, friendship, and love are precious
things in today’s world. We feel those emotions for our Islamic brothers and
sisters. Love never needs a visa. It crosses over all borders and links
generations and cultures.”
[10]
2. Some Background Material
A little Islamic history
A little Mormon history
Terms: Mormon,
Latter-Day Saints, Saints, LDS
3. The Parallels
a. As noted above, many have noted parallels.
The
first, and probably most obvious, is polygamy.
The
second most obvious is the person and character of Joseph Smith himself.
b. An overview of many parallels
4. Why Is Such A Comparison Important to Consider?
a. The
Common Source of both Religions
1) Idols = demons
False
religions originate in the spiritual realm
2) Satan’s kingdom is organized
a) Biblical allusions
b) Satan’s
realm is a “kingdom,” suggesting rulership, hierarchy,
authoritarian
structure
c) What happens to demons who were once
assigned to certain regions, religions or peoples?
1> What about Thor? Rock
and roll?
2> Islam… could it be the same spiritual influence?
** Is it not likely that two group
with so much in common, though seemingly with nothing in common as to their
human beginnings, must indeed have common spiritual origin?
3) Lesson
for us: The battle is spiritual!
a) We are engaged in a well-planned,
strategically detailed SPIRITUAL WAR.
b) The forces arrayed against us are not
primarily political, military, social, or even religious… they are spirits of
great power and cunning.
c) We
must remember Ephesians 6:12
b. We learn the lesson of the dangers of
spiritual experience and mystical revelations apart from the grounding source
of God’s Word.
1) Note
the power of the Prophet.
a) Examples
We see the power
of the prophetic role in…
Muhammad
Joseph Smith
David Koresh
Jim Jones
Etc.
b) The
commitment of the “true believer”
c) The
influence of hearing the current, living “voice of God”
1> Muhammad as an exemplar of the perfect
life. Do what Muhammad said and did.
2> The concept of the living prophet in LDS
theology. Doctrine can be fluid and
transitory—what matters is what the living prophet declares.
2) The
Word must always be our standard and our guide
§ Judge
prophecy: 1 Cor. 14:29
§ Prove
all things: 1 Thess. 5:21
§ To
the word: Isaiah 8:20
§ Only
one Gospel: Gal. 1:8
c. Developing
Workable Methodologies for Evangelism
Understanding the essentially
cultic nature of Islam gives us a clue to evangelism.
There are obviously certain
cultural, social and religious distinctives to be considered in Muslim evangelism.
However, alongside of these, we
can take what the church has learned about witnessing to cultists, and apply
this to Muslim evangelism.
For example, consider some of the
practical advice Walter Martin offers about witnessing to someone in a cult… and
notice how applicable these are to Muslim evangelism:
1. Understand that you are dealing with
someone who has been psychologically and socially conditioned.
a. Their
entire worldview is codified in their faith.
b. They
will believe even if presented with contradictions and
anomalies.
2. It
is important to define terms.
a. They
will use our terms with their meanings.
b. Develop a grasp of their basic terms.
3. Maintain
the initiative in a conversation.
4. Use
Scripture.
a. Use it in context.
b. Show them the written word.
c. Depend on the intrinsic power of the
Word of God.
5. Be
persistent.
Most
cultists are not won in a single encounter.
6. Be
sure you are prayed up.
Never
forget, we are in a spiritual WAR. We
are not really battling flesh
and
blood, but spiritual forces.
7. Always
show love.
5. Conclusion
Islam is attempting to present itself in the West, and in America
in particular, as a basically peaceful, benevolent religion. Even as radical Islamists have terrorized our
world, the propaganda machines of so-called moderate Islam has been promoting
this view of the Islamic faith.
Does Mormonism have a role to play in this. Could Mormonism be a bridge between Islam and
“Christianity”?
It is interesting to note that in recent years the LDS
church has sometimes a number of conferences with Muslim leaders and
clerics. As noted earlier, in these
times of dialogue, the LDS church as gone to great lengths to emphasize the
similarities between the two faiths.
As one Mormon writer has observed:
In recent years, respect for the
spiritual legacy of Muhammad and for the religious values of the Islamic
community has led to increasing contact and cooperation between Latter-day
Saints and Muslims around the world… The Church has sought to respect Islamic
laws and traditions that prohibit conversion of Muslims to other faiths by
adopting a policy of nonproselyting in Islamic countries of the Middle East. Yet examples of dialogue and cooperation
abound, including visits of Muslim dignitaries at Church headquarters in Salt
Lake City; Muslim use of Church canning facilities to produce halal (ritually clean) food products;
Church humanitarian aid and disaster relief sent to predominantly Muslim
areas… academic agreements between Brigham
Young University and various educational and governmental institutions in the
Islamic world; the existence of the Muslim Student Association at BYU; and
expanding collaboration between the Church and Islamic organizations to
safeguard traditional family values worldwide….
The examples of Latter-day Saint–Muslim interaction mentioned above,
together with the Church’s establishment in 1989 of two major centers for
educational and cultural exchange in the Middle East (Jerusalem
and Amman),
reflect the traditional attitude of respect for Islam that Church leaders have
exhibited from earliest times. These activities represent tangible evidence of
Latter-day Saint commitment to promote greater understanding of the Muslim
world and witness an emerging role for the Church in helping to bridge the gap
that has existed historically between Muslims and Christians.
…[He continues by saying, I am]
grateful to state that we belong to a church that affirms the truths taught by
Muhammad and other great teachers, reformers, and religious founders. We
recognize the goodness reflected in the lives of those in other religious
communities. While we do not compromise revealed eternal truths of the restored
gospel, we never espouse an adversarial relationship with other faiths. Rather,
in accordance with modern prophetic counsel, we seek to treasure up that which
is virtuous and praiseworthy in other faiths and to cultivate an attitude of
“affirmative gratitude” toward them. As Latter-day Saints, we believe that it
is vital to respect and benefit from the spiritual light found in other
religions, while seeking humbly to share the additional measure of eternal
truth provided by latter-day revelation.
[11]
In conclusion, note the following quote from the LDS
website:
“A cabinet minister in
Egypt, aware of the common ground
shared by Muslims and Latter-day Saints, once remarked to Elder Howard W.
Hunter of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles that ‘if a bridge is ever built
between Christianity and Islam it must be built by the Mormon Church.’”
[12]
[1] Cf.
Richard Lyman Bush in Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New
York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 2006, pp. xxi-xxii.
Also, opinions of sociologist
Rodney Stark in Richard N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostling. Mormon America. San
Francisco:
Harper Collins Publishers, Inc., 1999, p. 162
James Bennet compared Smith to
both Muhammad and Odin. See Brodie, p.
284.
[2] Richard
Lyman Bush in Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New
York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 2006, p. 88.
[3] Fawn M.
Brodie. No Man Knows My History. New York: Vintage House, 1995, p. 286.
[4] Richard
Lyman Bush in Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New
York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 2006, p. 510.
[5] Fawn M.
Brodie. No Man Knows My History. New York: Vintage House, 1995, p. 230-231.
[6] Richard
N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostling. Mormon America. San
Francisco:
Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.,
1999, p. 67.
[7] Ray B.
West. Kingdom of the Saints. New York: Viking Press, 1957, p. 113.
[8]
Article: “World Religions
(Non-Christian) and Mormonism:
Islam.” Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
Daniel H.
Ludlow, ed. NY:
Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992, p. 1592.
[9] This is
from the official LDS website lds.org:
[10] This is
from the official LDS website lds.org:
[12] Howard
W. Hunter, “All Are Alike Unto God,” Speeches of the Year (1979), p. 36; quoted
on the above
mentioned lds.org page.
