Posted on 08/15/2010 2:44:17 PM PDT by greyfoxx39
One of the noteworthy examples of the Latter-day Saint commitment to treasure up true principles and cultivate affirmative gratitude is the admiration that Church leaders have expressed over the years for the spiritual contributions of Muhammad.
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
Latter-day Saint appreciation of Muhammad’s role in history can also be found in the 1978 First Presidency statement regarding God’s love for all mankind. This declaration specifically mentions Muhammad as one of “the great religious leaders of the world” who received “a portion of God’s light” and affirms that “moral truths were given to [these leaders] by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.” 10
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. This is due in part to the presence of Latter-day Saint congregations in areas such as the Levant, North Africa, the Persian Gulf, and Southeast Asia. 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 including Jordan, Kosovo, and Turkey; 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. 11 The recent initiation of the Islamic Translation Series, cosponsored by BYU and the Church, has resulted in several significant exchanges between Muslim officials and Latter-day Saint Church leaders. A Muslim ambassador to the United Nations predicted that this translation series “will play a positive role in the West’s quest for a better understanding of Islam.” 12
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.” 13 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.
Ok, I give I am anti-margritte the mormon.
Hope springs eternal...
“The balls in your court.”
Speaking of which...
You NEVER specifically answered...
How Many Gods do You Think There Are, Bluemoose?
Is it an issue of shame that you believe in trillions of gods? Or shame that others might see you admit it?
ampu
It just dawned on me.
Since the mormons are using the “joint heirs” (Romans) scripture to justify godhood, and the scripture is talking about glorification [like Christ], this presents a problem for the females in mormonism. Especially since only mormon men can become gods.
The scripture is saying that as heirs we all get to be glorified like Christ, yet, the mormons have now inadvertently(?) excluded their women from glorification in order to use it to justify becoming a god.
So the mormon women take another one in the shorts to satisfy the chauvinistic and selfish nature of the mormon god.
Bingo! Just like muslims, in lds women have no standing.
I had a hard time trying to put that in writing because of the twisted logic used by the LdS.
You guys are. Read your own caucus.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2571312/posts
Ya did good...
It is like hearding cats...
Norm, what happens to the mormon women as a result of “interpreting” that scripture the way you are?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2571152/posts?page=109#109
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2571152/posts?page=124#124
Why don’t they merit glorification?
Birds of a feather...
All well and good -except that by definition smith is a false prophet
It concerned your so-called 'prophet' norm, in fact he called the knowledge of the origin of God the 'first principle of the Gospel' norm. Your whole evolution to godhood depends upon that foundation.
I find the Bible to be in harmony with the additional scriptures we have. I know that you interpret parts of the Bible differently from Latter-day Saints, so your ideas of contradictions might just be differing opinions about what is meant by various Bible passages.
The bible is very clear - there is only one God in all of existance. pogp/boa declares the mormon doctrine of polytheism. Just ONE of the many places the bible contradicts mormon 'revelation' norm. The passages are very clear and leave no room for 'opinions' - especially within context and origional greek/hebrew.
You've hit a key point, and one of the many logical/theological flaws in mormonism. Paul writes
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Temple ceremonies - it is the husband who calls the wife to godhood - he is her only way to the third kingdom.
Women are also Kings and Priests in Christ (Rev 1:6). Since it is a man-made religion, it is flawed and judging from its period of polygamy doubly so.
Temple ceremonies - it is the husband who calls the wife to godhood - he is her only way to the third kingdom.
____________________________________________________
And the husband who calls the wife out of the grave...or not...
Heber C Kimball, a member of the First Presidency, had forty-five wives, but he claimed that in the resurrection he would be able to have thousands:
Supposing that I have a wife or a dozen of them, and she should say, “You cannot be exalted without me,” and suppose they all should say so, what of that? ... Suppose that I lose the whole of them before I go into the spirit world, but that I have been a good, faithful man ... do you think
I will be destitute there. No, the Lord says there are more there than there are here ... there are millions of them, ... we will go to brother Joseph and say, “Here we are brother Joseph; we are here ourselves are we not, with none of the property we possessed in our probationary state, not even the rings on our fingers?” He will say to us, “Come along, my boys, we will give you a good suit of clothes. Where are your wives?” “They are back yonder; they would not follow us.” “Never mind,” says Joseph, “Here are thousands, have all you want” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p.209).
After 40 years of writing this way, tis’ unlikely I’ll change my writing style...or I can dumb it down for you if you need it...magritte
” anti-magritte mormon”... excellent rejoinder and much appreciated... !!!! I would truly love it if I was a Mormon myself, but it’s the thought that counts ! ... magritte
Wow and the poor Muslims boys only get 72 virgins, not thousands...
I would complain to the union...
It just doesn't get any better than this...
Fish in a barrel...
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