Do Mormons need an Anti-Defamation League?

Mormon Times ^ | March 31, 2010 | Joel Campbell

[Colofornian]

Jews have one. Catholics have one. Do Mormons need an independent anti-defamation group...

-- I suppose Latter-day Saints shouldn't be too surprised the latest put-down from Chuck Colson, leader of the Prison Fellowship. Ironically, it was as he and leaders of Christian groups announced a new "civility covenant."

When a reporter asked if the covenant should include Glenn Beck, CNN reported Colson saying that the document:

"Wouldn't apply to Glenn Beck because we're talking about the conversation in the family of believers ... Glenn Beck is a Mormon." CNN continues: "Many Christians don't consider Mormons -- members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- to be Christians, though Mormons consider themselves Christian."

Colson's statements follow a long line of less-than-civil evangelical exclusionary actions including keeping Mormons out of National Day of Prayer services to a Christian student press group excluding BYU journalism students from its competition.

SNIP

Here's another example from friends at the ADL during the campaign entitled "Judge Romney by his platform, not his Mormonism":

"But two recent polls found that at least one quarter of Americans said they would not vote for a Mormon for president. These findings are troubling and disappointing, but so is the fact that some religious conservatives have compared the Mormon religion to a 'cult' and its doctrines to paganism. The Web site of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, for example, says the religious beliefs of Mormons 'are simply wrong,' and 'when it comes to spiritual matters, the Mormons are far from the truth.' While doctrinal differences and debates among Christian groups are their own theological business, such assertions are surely painful and disturbing."

[SZonian]

Post pictures on FR html

place side carrot here then img src="WEB URL GOES HERE" and place opposite side carrot here

[mrreaganaut]

BG, TNG, heck, throw the Cybermen and Daleks from Dr. Who and the Tin Man from Oz in there, too - when the machines rise up, you’re not gonna ask your toaster for credentials! You obviously have a spirit of contention ... just repent and follow the steps in post 87...

[SZonian]

Is this the one?

[mrreaganaut]

That’s it! That’s the light!

You now have a testimony!

[reaganaut]

I have faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible. The only things I should have faith in.

- - - - - -
Amen, dear brother in Christ, Amen!

[reaganaut]

You sure you don’t have your tv series’ mixed up? ;^)

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated = Borg = STNG
- - - - - - -
He knows, he is a real SciFi geek, but I love him anyway.

And there is quite a bit of SciFi in Mormonism.

[reaganaut]

You forgot the /sarcam tag, dear.

Don’t worry, SZ, he really isn’t this weird, IRL.

[CommerceComet]

Unlike some of them it would seem, I can’t spend all day long here correcting them.

Fair enough. Wait until you have time and just respond to one blantant misrepresentation. If the errors are so obvious, it shouldn't be hard to disprove.

[Vendome]

Attacking Mormonism? We are asking questions about the conflicts of your religion and your scriptures.

We seek understanding and clarification and rarely receive anything other than feigned indignation when we point out your tenets.

The funny thing is, a week ago I had a friend attempt to tell me that there was a historical LDS and then a modern doctrine. We were discussing a specific subject in which the modern doctrine coincides with the historical doctrine.

The reply? “There is a historical LDS and there is a modern doctrine”.

To which I only said “Oh?”.

In the back of mind I was trying to understand the statement in the context of the current student manuals, words and revelation of the prophets, etc. and just stood there in stunned blankness.

This person was a missionary at one point so the answer could have only been one thing but perhaps that is not the case if one is not “truthfully and heartfelt in seeking the spirit and word of the truth of LDS”(paraphrased)

[Vendome]

Well you are in cahoots then...

[Vendome]

I am under that impression and that you will have a passport that Joseph Smith will inspect to determine if you are worthy to enter heaven.

[reaganaut]

LOL. I will tell her you said that.

[Elsie]

Do Mormons need an Anti-Defamation League?

Heck YES!!

ANYTHING to stop those HAteful, bigotted ANTI's from posting official MORMON writings!

[reaganaut]

I am under that impression and that you will have a passport that Joseph Smith will inspect to determine if you are worthy to enter heaven.

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That is correct, I can post sources if needed. Or do you want to respond PD?

[Elsie]

Does LOGIC really work in these threads?

[Elsie]

...Mormons feel defamed by Christian leaders who claim that they do not qualify as Christian because of their definition of God, ...

Boo Hoo HOO!!!

Those HYPOCRITS ought to be DEFAMED!!!

THEY do NOT follow their own god's law found in D&C 132 and the Flds folks do!

The Salt Lake City based MORMONs are a bunch of COWARDS!

[Vendome]

;-)

[Vendome]

I am being polite and have almost anything I post about detailed. I am sure you have seen some of my rather lengthy posts discussing in detail and quoting directly their leaders and writings.

I am attempting to reach out and gain understanding through exchange with the other poster.

LOL, like that will ever happen.

[Vendome]

Hasn’t yet.

[Elsie]

And who compared Mormons to Muslims? More to that than meets the eye, JMHO.

 

 

 

 

“I Will Be a Second Mohammed”

In the heat of the Missouri “Mormon War” of 1838, Joseph Smith made the following claim, “I will be to this generation a second Mohammed, whose motto in treating for peace was ‘the Alcoran [Koran] or the Sword.’ So shall it eventually be with us—‘Joseph Smith or the Sword!’ ”[1] 

It is most interesting that a self-proclaimed Christian prophet would liken himself to Mohammed, the founder of Islam. His own comparison invites us to take a closer look as well. And when we do, we find some striking—and troubling—parallels. Consider the following.

• Mohammed and Joseph Smith both had humble beginnings. Neither had formal religious connections or upbringing, and both were relatively uneducated. Both founded new religions by creating their own scriptures. In fact, followers of both prophets claim these scriptures are miracles since their authors were the most simple and uneducated of men.[2]

• Both prophets claim of having angel visitations, and of receiving divine revelation to restore pure religion to the earth again. Mohammed was told that both Jews and Christians had long since corrupted their scriptures and religion. In like manner, Joseph Smith was told that all of Christianity had become corrupt, and that consequently the Bible itself was no longer reliable. In both cases, this corruption required a complete restoration of both scripture and religion. Nothing which preceded either prophet could be relied upon any longer. Both prophets claim they were used of God to restore eternal truths which once existed on earth, but had been lost due to human corruption.

• Both prophets created new scripture which borrowed heavily from the Bible, but with a substantially new “spin.” In his Koran, Mohammed appropriates a number of Biblical themes and characters—but he changes the complete sense of many passages, claiming to “correct” the Bible. In so doing he changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place. In like manner, Joseph Smith created the Book of Mormon, much of which is plagiarized directly from the King James Bible. Interestingly, the Book of Mormon claims that this same Bible has been substantially corrupted and is therefore unreliable. In addition, Joseph Smith went so far as to actually create his own version of the Bible itself, the “Inspired Version,” in which he both adds and deletes significant portions of text, claiming he is “correcting” it. In so doing he also changes many doctrines, introducing his own in their place.

• As a part of their new scriptural “spin,” both prophets saw themselves as prophesied in scripture, and both saw themselves as a continuation of a long line of Biblical prophets. Mohammed saw himself as a continuation of the ministry of Moses and Jesus. Joseph Smith saw himself as a successor to Enoch, Melchizedek, Joseph and Moses. Joseph Smith actually wrote himself into his own version of the Bible—by name.

• Both prophets held up their own scripture as superior to the Bible. Mohammed claimed that the Koran was a perfect copy of the original which was in heaven. The Koran is therefore held to be absolutely perfect, far superior to the Bible and superceding it. In like manner, Joseph Smith also made the following claim. “I told the Brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts, than by any other book.”[3]

• Despite their claim that the Bible was corrupt, both prophets admonished their followers to adhere to its teachings. An obvious contradiction, this led to selective acceptance of some portions and wholesale rejection of others. As a result, the Bible is accepted by both groups of followers only to the extent that it agrees with their prophet’s own superior revelation.

• Both Mohammed and Joseph Smith taught that true salvation was to be found only in their respective religions. Those who would not accept their message were considered “infidels,” pagans or Gentiles. In so doing, both prophets became the enemy of genuine Christianity, and have led many people away from the Christ of the Bible.

• Both prophets encountered fierce opposition to their new religions and had to flee from town to town because of threats on their lives. Both retaliated to this opposition by forming their own militias. Both ultimately set up their own towns as model societies.

• Both Mohammed and Joseph Smith left unclear instructions about their successors. The majority of Mohammed’s followers, Sunni Muslims, believe they were to elect their new leader, whereas the minority, Shiite Muslims, believe Mohammed’s son was to be their next leader. Similarly, the majority of Joseph Smith’s followers, Mormons, believed their next prophet should have been the existing leader of their quorum of twelve apostles, whereas the minority, RLDS, believed Joseph Smith’s own son should have been their next prophet. Differences on this issue, and many others, have created substantial tension between these rival groups of each prophet.

• Mohammed taught that Jesus was just another of a long line of human prophets, of which he was the last. He taught that he was superior to Christ and superceded Him. In comparison, Joseph Smith also made the following claim.

“I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him, but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.”[4] In light of these parallels, perhaps Joseph Smith’s claim to be a second Mohammed unwittingly became his most genuine prophecy of all.

---

[1] Joseph Smith made this statement at the conclusion of a speech in the public square at Far West, Missouri on October 14, 1838. This particular quote is documented in Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History, second edition, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1971), p. 230–231. Fawn Brodie’s footnote regarding this speech contains valuable information, and follows. “Except where noted, all the details of this chapter [16] are taken from the History of the [Mormon] Church. This speech, however, was not recorded there, and the report given here is based upon the accounts of seven men. See the affidavits of T.B. Marsh, Orson Hyde, George M. Hinkle, John Corrill, W.W. Phelps, Samson Avard, and Reed Peck in Correspondence, Orders, etc., pp. 57–9, 97–129. The Marsh and Hyde account, which was made on October 24, is particularly important. Part of it was reproduced in History of the [Mormon] Church, Vol. III, p. 167. See also the Peck manuscript, p. 80. Joseph himself barely mentioned the speech in his history; see Vol. III, p. 162.”

[2] John Ankerberg & John Weldon, The Facts on Islam, (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1998), pp.8–9. Eric Johnson, Joseph Smith  & Muhammed, (El Cajon, CA: Mormonism Research Ministry, 1998), pp. 6–7.

[3] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.4, pp.461.

[4] Documentary History of the [Mormon] Church, vol.6, pp.408–409.