Did you know, that though Mormonism
and Islam claim to have a book given to them by God (Book of Mormon and the
Qur’an), little of what these religions believe, teach and practice derive from
these books?
This is in complete contrast with
Christianity, which also claims to have a book given by God (the Bible), but for
Christians, pretty much everything that they believe, teach and practice comes
from this book.
So, if not from their primary
sacred texts, where do Mormons and Muslims get their doctrine?
Thus, Saith the Prophet –
Doctrine and Covenants
Mormons claim four sacred texts
namely, The Holy Bible (King James Version); The Book of Mormon; Doctrine and
Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. Of these, it is Doctrine and Covenants
that provides the Mormons with most of their doctrine.
The LDS website says:
The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of divine revelations and inspired declarations given for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last days. Although most of the sections are directed to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the messages, warnings, and exhortations are for the benefit of all mankind and contain an invitation to all people everywhere to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking to them for their temporal well-being and their everlasting salvation. Most of the revelations in this compilation were received through Joseph Smith Jr., the first prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1]
Conveniently, the Doctrine and
Covenants record that the Lord said to the
Prophet Joseph Smith, “This generation shall have my word through you”[2]
Now,
honest Mormons will acknowledge that though they believe the Bible and the Book
of Mormon to be of divine origin, nearly all their unique beliefs find their basis
in what the Lord told Joseph Smith, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants.
The
Doctrine and Covenants is the binding link between the Book of Mormon and the
continuing work of the Restoration through the Prophet Jospeh Smith and his
successors. In the Doctrine and Covenants we learn of temple work, eternal
families, the degrees of glory, Church organisation, and many other great
truths of the Restoration.”[3]
Therefore, it is to the words Joseph
Smith, found in Doctrine and Covenants, that faithful Mormons look to discover
what the ‘Lord’ would have them to do. You cannot be a devoted Latter-day Saint
and not have a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. To be acceptable to the
God of Mormonism one must believe and practice that which was taught by the founding
Prophet.
Thus, Saith the Prophet – The Hadith
In like manner, faithful Muslims
must have a testimony of the Prophet Muhammad. That is that they must
acknowledge that Muhammad was a prophet sent by Allah.
And, just as Mormons look to a
source other than their primary text to discover how they can live a life
pleasing to God, so do Muslims. In fact, for Muslims, how a person lives is far
more important than doctrine.
When Muslims ask; ‘What can I do or
not do?’ the Muslim does not turn to the Qur’an, but to the Hadith. What is the
Hadith?
Hadith means tradition and it
refers to what most Muslims believe
to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Prophet Muhammad.
In other words, the Hadith are reports about what Muhammad said and did.
To the majority of Muslims, the most reliable Hadith is
Sahih-al-Bhukari:
Sahih al-Bukhari is a
collection of hadith compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH/870 AD).
His collection is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world
to be the most authentic collection of reports of the Sunnah of the
Prophet Muhammad. It contains over 7500 hadith (with repetitions) in 97 books.[4]
Just
as Mormons cannot have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, without a testimony
of the life and teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith, so Muslims cannot say
that they have a belief in the Qur’an, whilst refusing to follow the teachings
of the prophet Muhammad.
Muslim scholars are in total agreement that if a
person refuses to accept the Sunnah (the complete trustworthy rites and
teachings) of the Prophet
Imam Ibn Hazm
Thus, Saith the Prophet - Jesus
As we have seen, Mormons and Muslims are similar in
that they look to their respective prophets to guide them and lead them to
salvation. The teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Prophet Muhammad
are to be heeded if a person is to please, and reach, God.
Now both religions acknowledge Jesus as a Prophet, in
the sense that they believe Jesus to have been sent by God, but neither group look
to Him alone for forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
You can listen here to a Mormon Missionary who found the Jesus he never knew.
In my next article I will consider how these groups view Jesus in the way the see salvation.
Comments
What does your cult believe in that is unbiblical?