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MormonTimes.com: A Mormon looks at the Quran
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I think it's happened, there are over 1 billion Muslims in the world. LDS will never catch that number of members.
And none of it has any value, and is a waste
of time.
The Qur'an is a book written by Muhammad as a book of "guidance". It would be more comparable to the LDS Doctrine & Covenants than the Book of Mormon. Although Muhammad claims he visited with heavenly beings, he had no evidence to support that claim.
The Book of Mormon is far more remarkable because it was claimed to have been written by ancient prophets on gold plates and translated by a 19th century farm boy. There were many witnesses and there are many other evidences that the BoM is exactly what Smith claimed it to be.
Spiritual experience = emotional experience.
Islam has many more converts than Mormonism and Muslims don't have full time missionaries. Makes you wonder.
Both the Koran AND the Book of Mormon can make people better by reading and living by their precepts.
Sad thing is I've heard a few fellow Mormons say that the US needs to nuke the middle east.
"By their fruits ye shall know them"
Indeed!
Care to elaborate on why Dr. Peterson's discussion of Muhammed has no value and is a waste of time?
Since all religions on the planet are originally derived from some spiritual experience with God, it should certainly be easy to "draw comparisons with almost any religion".
But sometimes this truism needs to be pointed out, since many of us are too parochial to notice.
WASP
So where is this physical evidence you speak of. Were you actually referring to the Gold Plates? Which no one alive has ever seen?
People are different, they are at different levels in their spiritual maturity, cultures are different.
Should it be surprising that God reserves the right to taylor messages?
Do you treat all your kids the same? Give them the same set of rules, the same advice?
That's the best I am able to answer your question. My answer makes sense to me, if it does to you great, if not then ... what can I say?
I believe that God loves all his children and, as a loving Father, he has communicated with his children in different nations both anciently and, up to and including, our day. That does not mean that all communications have lead to TRUE AUTHORITY being given to all of these individuals or groups. But, many true principles have been given through inspiration which God's children all need in order to conduct their lives.
I have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ, as the the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, Joseph Smith, as the prophet of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon, as a TRUE work of scripture revealed by God. I received this testimony through an undeniable witness from the Holy Ghost.
However, at the time Muhammed lived, Christianity had become very corrupt and was in a terrible state of apostasy--especially in the Middle East. I see no conflict with the notion that God has given inspiration to good men throughout time for the benefit of His children. Muhammed may well be one of those men.
If a religion teaches truth, then this is Christ. If a religion teaches the way this is Christ, If a religion teaches actions condusive to life, this is Christ.
Christ is many things, A person who live 2000 years ago, "the word", the "way the truth and the life".
Don't suppose that just because a religion doesn't teach just one version or aspect of Christ, that the religion isn't teaching Christ.
"
So where is this physical evidence you speak of. Were you actually referring to the Gold Plates? Which no one alive has ever seen?"
At least 11 other people claimed to have seen the gold plates. Your denying 11 witnesses doesn't change that fact.
By your argument, the Bible is false as well since "no one alive has seen them".
The reality is, nobody actually saw the plates. Even during translation, the plates weren't in the same room. A rock in a hat was the proven method.
Yep, makes me wonder how many Mormons there will be 1200 years from now, when the Church has been around as long as Islam has been now.
"So where is this physical evidence you speak of. Were you actually referring to the Gold Plates? Which no one alive has ever seen?"
The testimony of those who saw the gold plates are evidence and would hold up in a court of law in a criminal trial. They say they saw the gold plates.
Could they have been liars? Yes! Could Joseph Smith have been a liar? Yes! A liar who would die for his lie is either a fool or insane.
Now if he's insane and didn't obtain the plates that would also likely mean that the witnesses were also insane or using Joseph Smith's insanity to their advantage but at some point they would have ceased to gain any real advantage from not denying seeing the plates.
After Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed it would make sense for liars to deny seeing the plates. Why risk being killed yourself?
Joseph Smith was imprisoned, tarred and feathered, beaten, saw his child die from becoming ill as a result of a mob storming into his home. Why not just say you lied or made it up? The answer is obvious because he was an Apostle!
David Whitmer, who was Mayor of Richmond, Mo, and a very respect man, even printed a newspaper ad to refute stories that were circulating that he had recanted his story. This was all after he left the Church. In addition, he insisted on putting his testimony on his headstone. I have seen this headstone and it proclaims the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
Martin Harris raised his arm to the square on his deathbed to proclaim his testimony of the Gold Plates. He insisted that he saw them and the angel as surely as "you see my hand in front of your face."
Space does not permit more, but many witnesses to the Gold Plates proclaimed their testimonies until their DYING DAY.
"Interesting article, but it left my wondering. Is Muhammed a prophet of God the same as Joseph Smith and is the Quran the word of God the same as the BOM and D and C."
Muhammad was a prophet in the sense that God chose to reveal his word to him to help bring the people of his time and region closer to the truth and to combat the influence of apostate Christianity.
"That was the conclusion I got from the article. The one thing that seems strange to me is the implied notion that God has nationality: the Quran for the middle east, the OT for Isreal, BOM for america, etc."
That's exactly what God has done. He loves all of his children including Muslims in the Middle East, Jews in Israel and the Native Americans in America. He's revealed line up line and precept upon precept eternal truths.
"Why is God not universal to planet earth if it is His creation and all men are his children."
Because not all of us have the same level of maturity, knowledge, or experience and some need more or less of his help to understand his nature and gospel.
An important LDS doctrine regarding Satan's "plan" and Jesus's "plan" specifically contrasts "freedom to act" with "being forced to act." In the mormon faith, we emphasize the "freedom" plan.
Within are commandments to kill the infidel, all those who do not accept Islam !?
Also, literally all of the wars and contentions in the world involve them.
What does that tell us ?!
Satan is their God.
I sincerely hope this Professor acknowledges that the majority of Islam is not the political peaceable group individuals such as George Bush attempted to convey to us.
Assalam Alaikum
Good question, Jake. One would think that, if God were the least bit interested he would come down and straighten things out. Now rather than later.
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago,
(whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out
of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an
one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew
such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the
body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) (2 Cor. 12:2-
3.)"
If he was not in his body, that means that he used his spirit, so it's obvious that he had to use his spiritual eyes. (Note the reference to the "third heaven. The degrees of heaven were known to ancient Saints as well.)
David Whitmer explains how it happened:
"Of course we were in the spirit when we had the
view, for no man can behold the face of an angel,
except in a spiritual view, but we were in the body
also, and everything was as natural to us, as it is at any time".
To call Martin Harris a fraud, is to call St. Paul a fraud as well. Furthermore, Martin Harris claims to have held the plates on his knee for an hour.
Soon thereafter, a drunk man ended up in my apartment. He wasn't dangerous, but he needed to leave, and I was having a hard time convincing him. He wanted to be taught about religion, but he certainly wasn't in any shape for that. He spotted my Koran, and expressed interest in learning about Islam. He asked to borrow the book. Wanting him to leave, I agreed, and he promised to return the book later in the week. Needless to say, I never it again, and in doing so perhaps became the first Mormon/Muslim missionary.
I have dozens of Muslim friends who are wonderful people who want nothing but peace in this world. If we judge them by our interpretation of their ancient texts, or by small extremists groups within their religion, we are doing Islam a great disservice. After all, don't many do the same to Mormons?
However, there is plenty of physical evidence you just choose to ignore them. Here is a tiny list:
# Bountiful and Nahom
# The Valley of Lemuel
# Writing on Metal Plates
# The Buried Plates
# Eurasians and Native Americans Genes
# The Use of Cement in Ancient America
# Chiasmus
# Olive Culture
# Mesoamerican Fortifications
# Hebraic Language Structures
# Names in the Book of Mormon
# Volcanism
# Gardens, Towers, and Multiple Markets
# Mesoamerican Temples
# Weights as BoM currency
It's like if a prosecutor brought in a bloody knife found at the scene of a stabbing crime and you claimed it was completely unrelated.
Just because you deny it is evidence is your own opinion. The above list are verified facts from neutral science.
I would love to know the names of the neutral scientists.
How about Woody Allen, Walt Disney, and Elmer Fudd?
Am I close?
I have read the Koran but never thought of it being like the Doctrine and Covenants or the Book of Mormon. Some of it seems closer to Gnostic scriptures actually.
Interesting article!
"How about Woody Allen, Walt Disney, and Elmer Fudd?
Am I close?"
Um, you believe those guys are real scientists? I knew anti-mormons were not very smart, but wow...just wow!
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Both Religions, LDS and Moslem, have it seems an over concern with modesty, the Moslems more so than the LDS.