Over
the years I have heard countless Christian testimonies. The person sharing
their testimony (sometimes called a conversion story) talk about how they became
a Christian. Their testimony will usually involve a before, an after and how Jesus
has changed their life.
Testimonies
also play an important role in both Mormonism and Islam; but unlike the
Christian testimony of conversion, their testimonies serve a very different
purpose.
The
Mormon Testimony
I
have discovered that Mormon Missionaries like to bear their testimony. They
usually do so in response to a challenge from a Bible believing Christian. But
what is the Mormon testimony?
A testimony is a
spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the
knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ
lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite
Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore
the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the
Savior’s true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living
prophet today. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all
principles of the gospel.[1]
Notice how it begins with things that Bible believing
Christians would affirm. God loves us, Jesus is alive, He is the Son of God and
He atoned for our sins. Then we find the uniquely Mormon part of the testimony.
To be Mormon is to affirm that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, that God
called him to restore true Christianity, that the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is the true church and that there is a living prophet today.
To sustain these things is to declare yourself to be
Mormon, whereas to deny any of these things will put you, not only outside of
their church but also outside of Christ.
In his book, Passport to Heaven (which I can highly
recommend), the former Mormon Missionary Micah Wilder recalls when he bore his
testimony before his peers. He was nearing the end of his two-year missionary
stint and he, along with the other missionaries were given the opportunity to
bear their testimony. One by one each missionary stood and affirmed that Joseph
Smith was the prophet of God who restored the gospel, that the LDS church was
the one true church, and that they sustain the current Mormon prophet.
When it was Micah’s turn, he stood to his feet and
said the following words:
‘For so long I was in
darkness and now I have found the light of the world, Jesus Christ. My life
will never be the same.’[2]
Now if Micah had vocalised this in a Bible believing
Church there may have been rapturous applause, but not in a Mormon
gathering. To his leaders, what Micah
said was nowhere near enough, indeed it was a denial of his Mormon beliefs.
You
see in Mormonism, the testimony is not a sharing of what Jesus has done in your
life, but rather an affirmation of their prophet Joseph Smith. Mormons believe
that there is an inherent power in bearing this testimony about their prophet.
‘Feel free, when prompted, my brothers and
sisters, to bear your testimony of those principles that you know to be true.
Sincere feelings conveyed from heart to heart by means of testimony convert
people to the truth where weak, wishy-washy, argumentative statements will
not.’[3]
The Muslim Testimony
Just as the Mormon testimony must
include a belief in the prophet of God, so the Muslim testimony must also
acknowledge the belief that God has sent a prophet to restore truth. In Islam
this testimony is called the Shahada.
The
Shahada is the Arabic term for the declaration of faith in one God (Allah)
and His messenger (the prophet Muhammad). Why is the Shahada important?
The belief in one Allah is the central tenet of the
Islamic faith, around which all else revolves. Muslims are continuously
reminded of this foundational belief, in the recital of the Shahada during
each of the five daily prayers, as well as many more pivotal moments of a
Muslim’s life. The second part of the Shahada requires Muslims to
acknowledge and testify to the belief in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) as Allah’s messenger. This serves as a reminder to Muslims of the
importance of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but also as a reminder
to never associate partners with Allah, for He is just a messenger, and Allah
remains one God alone.[4]
Therefore, to be Muslim is to affirm that Muhammad is a prophet of God, and that Allah called him to restore true religion. In fact, to recite the Shahada marks an entrance into Islam.
A person whose heart opens up to the ideals and
teachings of Islam and whose spirit is filled with the faith in the One God may
become a Muslim. Accepting the teachings of Islam, as was taught by the Prophet
Muhammad, places a person amongst those who call themselves Muslim. Thus, the
essence of Islam is based on two factors: First, belief that there is
only one God; and second, accepting Muhammad as a true Prophet and Messenger of
God, which means that the person accepts and submits to all of Muhammad’s
religious teachings as God’s true guidance to humanity. By accepting and
submitting to these two points, a person becomes a Muslim.[5]
Just
as accepting the teachings of Islam, as taught by the Prophet Muhammad, places
a person amongst those who call themselves Muslim, so accepting the teachings
of Mormonism, as taught by the Prophet Joseph, places a person amongst those
who call themselves Mormon. Both the Mormon and the Muslim must bear testimony of
their respective Prophets to be in relationship with God.
The
Christian also bears a testimony, but not that of a mediatorial human prophet,
but of the one who was truly man and truly God. It is this one, namely the Lord
Jesus Christ, who truly is our mediator. He alone can forgive sin and give life
in all fulness. It is this one who changes lives and gives the assurance of
eternal life. Ours is a testimony of God’s grace through His Son.
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:11)
[1] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/testimony?lang=eng
[2] Micah Wilder, Passport to
Heaven (Harvest House) p.261
[3] Gene R. Cook, ‘Are You a
Member Missionary?’ Ensign – Conference Edition, May 1976 p.103
[4] https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/islamic-resources/5-pillars-of-islam/shahada/
[5] https://www.understanding-islam.com/how-does-a-person-become-a-muslim/
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