That sounds a lot like the god of Islam. One cannot know what Allah really wants, except what the Imam tells you Allah wants and Allah is not bound by law either and could change his mind at a moment’s notice.
That sounds a lot like Romney's ideas of Constitutionalism. One cannot know what the Constitution really says, except what judges tell you the Constitution says and the judges are not bound by law either and could change their minds at a moment’s notice.
With only small changes you get Romney's core notion of government as "whatever I saw".
” That sounds a lot like the god of Islam. One cannot know what Allah really wants, except what the Imam tells you Allah wants and Allah is not bound by law either and could change his mind at a moment’s notice. “
Islam vs Mormonism
by Kirk Grim
The Islamic faith is centered on the belief in one God and in Arabic he is called Allah. The Muslims, followers of Islam, believe that Muhammad was visited by an angel of light from whom he received God’s final revelation. Muhammad claimed that this angel of light was Gabriel, the same Gabriel as the one from the Old Testament of the Bible. It was several years before these visions were recorded in what is called the Quran, the sacred scripture of Islam. Some believe that the delay in recording the revelations was due to Muhammad’s illiteracy. Muhammad taught that some of the figures of the Bible, such as Moses and Jesus, were prophets but that Jesus was not the Son of God, crucified, or resurrected. And Muhammad’s revelations superceded previous revelations that were not in agreement with his. “God has revealed His will through the medium of the prophets, that Muhammad is the last of the line of prophets, that the message revealed through Muhammad, the Koran, is the literal word of God, containing the expression of His will for man”.
The Mormon faith is centered on the belief in one God (of this world). Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was visited by an angel of light from whom he received God’s revelation. The Prophet continued to pursue his common vocations until September 21, 1823, while “suffering severe persecution at the hands of all classes of men,” in part as a result of his claims concerning his first vision. As he prayed that evening that he might know his standing before God, an angel appeared at his bedside, saying that he had been sent from the presence of God and that his name was Moroni. He explained “that God had a work for [Joseph] to do; and that [his] name should be had for good and evil among all nations”. He instructed Joseph concerning a book that was written on gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of the continent. The fullness of the everlasting gospel was contained in the record as delivered by the Savior to these people. Joseph was also shown a vision of a nearby hill and the place where the plates containing this record were deposited. Several years later he would translate these plates into what is known as the Book of Mormon. Joseph taught that the Bible was correct as much as it is translated correctly, but his revelations superceded previous revelations that were not in agreement with his. He also taught that Jesus Christ was the Son of God through physical relations between God and Mary, but that Jesus is not God and did not pay for our sins on the cross. Along with the Book of Mormon and the Bible, Joseph received revelations that later became the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The four books are considered the standard works of Mormonism.
It is clear that both religions must change the nature of God and/or Jesus to allow for the new revelations. Muslims claim that Allah is the same God that Jews and Christians worship. But the history of the name is quite different. The term Allah is a purely Arabic term used in reference to an Arabic deity. The tribe into which Mohammad was born was devoted to their Allah, which was the moon god. It was represented by the black stone they believed had come down from heaven. “In Arabia, the sun god was viewed as female and the moon was viewed as the male god. In pre-Islamic times Allah was married to the sun god and together they produced three goddesses called The Daughters of Allah”. In Mormonism, they profess that there is only one God but explain that it means one God of this world meaning that there are more. They teach that God ascended to his holy place and use the phrase, “As man is, god once was, as god is, man may become”. It is interesting what the Bible says about this, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (II Corinthians 11:13-15).
Islam imposed its seventh century culture in its political expression, family affairs, dietary laws, clothing, and religious rites. Likewise, Mormonism imposes a set of laws about ones life that must be adhered to, it is known as The Word of Wisdom. “The Word of Wisdom put restrictions on members of the Church. To this day those regulations apply to every member and to everyone who seeks to join the Church. They are so compelling that no one is to be baptized into the Church without first agreeing to live by them. No one will be called to teach or to lead unless they accept them. When you want to go to the temple, you will be asked if you keep the Word of Wisdom. If you do not, you cannot go to the house of the Lord until you are fully worthy”. Some of the restrictions include, wine or strong drink, “tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill, hot drinks, Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine”. Other restrictions are applied to dress and particularly the dress of women. In Islam they are covered from head to toe and in Mormonism they are supposed to wear clothing the covers their arms and legs. Men and women are both to wear protecting under clothing known as garments.
Both religions have demeaning practices regarding the treatment of women. In the fundamental sects of Islam, women are considered to be property and Muslim men still have the right to have up to 4 wives. In Mormonism the man holds the keys to exaltation for the woman. The subservient role of women in the Mormon temple ceremony is evident when they come to the veil in the temple. A man representing Elohim (God the Father) brings the men through the veil into the Celestial Kingdom. The women, on the other hand, are brought through by their husbands. This part of the ceremony seems to be an attempt to demonstrate that man is the head and God of the woman. The official who performs the wedding ceremony tells the man that he must look to God but the woman must look to her husband as her God. It is not possible for a woman to go to Christ, except through her husband. Mormonism also taught polygamy as an acceptable practice until after they were forced to abandon it early in the twentieth century by the Edmonds-Tucker act. Although the physical marriage has been abandoned except for some isolated areas around the country, they still practice polygamy through spiritual marriage. In this practice, leaders of the church are often “sealed” to widowed or unmarried women of the church.
After the Koran, Muhammad continued to receive revelation. He received revelations that he was to loot and steal from caravans that were going through. There were many cases where Muhammad and his followers would loot and rob caravans and would kill the men. In one of his revelations, he was told to kill and drive out all of the Jews. On one occasion he had one thousand Jewish men brought together and beheaded. Islam became known as the religion of the sword. After being forced out of Kirtland, Ohio for money laundering, polygamy and various other crimes, Joseph Smith and the Mormons moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. At Nauvoo, the Mormons organized the Nauvoo Legion. Robert Bruce Flanders explains: “The crowning provision of the charter gave the city its own little army, the famous Nauvoo Legion....The Legion was therefore independent of and not subject to the military laws of Illinois. At that time the titles Colonel, Captain or General came to replace Brother, Elder, or President in the address of the Saints. Military spoils were for them a particular symbol of status, prestige, and reassurance. Joseph Smith preferred the full title of Lieutenant General. As the city grew, so did the Legion, causing apprehension among locals concerning the nature and intent of the Mormon kingdom. Mormon writer Hyrum L. Andrus recorded: Of the Prophet’s appearance as a Lieutenant General at the head of the Nauvoo Legion, Lyman L. Woods recalled, I have seen him on a white horse wearing the uniform of a general....He was leading a parade of the Legion and looked like a god. Joseph Smith seems to have desired to lead a large army, for he prepared a Petition to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States, dated 26th March, asking the privilege of raising 100,000 men to extend protection to persons wishing to settle Oregon and other portions of the territory of the United States, and extend protection to the people in Texas.”
Joseph Smith’s military plans and maneuvers were very disturbing to the non-Mormons who lived around Nauvoo. On July 21, 1841, the anti-Mormon paper, Warsaw Signal reported: “How military these people are becoming! Everything they say or do seems to breathe the spirit of military tactics. Their prophet appears, on all occasions, in his splendid regimental dress signs his name Lieut. General, and more titles are to be found in the Nauvoo Legion, than any one book on military tactics can produce; ... Truly fighting must, be a part of the creed of these Saints!”. In 1853 it was revealed by William Marks, a member of the Council of Fifty, that Joseph ordained himself as king to reign over the house of Israel forever. Joseph Smith was eventually arrested in Carthage, Illinois for burning down the printing office of the Nauvoo Expositor for publishing articles that he found offensive. It was from this jail that Smith killed 2 individuals while trying to escape, before he himself was shot and killed. To this day the Mormons claim this act of violence made him a martyr.
Now these similarities may be mere coincidence if there is not a link that in some way ties them together. That link exists, and it is Freemasonry. Freemasonry or the Masonic Lodge is a secret society that goes back several centuries. Freemasonry derives many of its symbols and mysticism from Arabia and Islam. They also profess belief in a God that they call the great architect of the universe. There symbols include the Arabic sword and crescent moon. The Shriners come from the thirty third degree of Freemasonry and are known to dress in ancient Arabic attire including the Fez and swords. Folklore says that the hat known as the Fez was named for the city of Fez, Morocco, where thousands of Christians were slain at the sword of Islam. As a sign of honor, the Muslims dipped the top of their hats in the blood that flowed through the streets. Mormonism is also filled with secret rituals and ceremonies that have been derived from Joseph’s family’s membership in the Masonic Lodge. One example of this is the oath given by Mormons in a temple ceremony, “We, and each of us, covenant and promise that we will not reveal any of the secrets of this, the first token of the Aaronic priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Should we do so; we agree that our throats be cut from ear to ear and our tongues torn out by their roots”. This is strikingly similar to the oath of the First Degree of Freemasonry, “... I will ... never reveal any part or parts, art or arts, point or points of the secret arts and mysteries of ancient Freemasonry ... binding myself under no less penalty than to have my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by the roots....”. In both ceremonies the thumb is drawn across the throat to show the penalty. In Utah, Mormons cannot join their fraternity because of the things that happened in Nauvoo and they believe that Smith stole the Masonic rituals.