Here is the latest news from the Vatican. Muslims have now outranked Roman Catholics in numbers of people.
I am curious.
As a Latter-day Saint, would you find more affinity in your religious perspectives with a Muslim than a Roman Catholic?
HT: Joe Roof
Jesus in Idaho Falls 
Sigh.
They cheated.
Hard to say.
I like the Muslim emphasis on family and their “Five Pillars of Wisdom.” Their emphasis on right living rather than right abstract philosophical bent is refreshing and resonant with Mormon outlook. Very high demands on moral conduct which I find necessary in religion. They have a satisfying ritual component to their worship that I find appealing (free-form undisciplined worship never attracted me much). Their declaration of new revelation from God is neat, but their subsequent denial of continuing revelation – not so much (but that’s an issue that Mormons are going to have with all other monotheistic religions). I like the fluid and open interpretive tradition of scripture (the Koran and Hadith), but at the same time, things are really a mess organizationally in the Muslim world with all sorts of crackpots pushing their own agendas with no sort of centralized regulation at all.
I’d be open to the idea that Mohommed was a bona fide prophet of God the Father. That would fit rather easily into my world view (perhaps not my fellow LDS however). But it would present difficulties in dealing with the Koran – what to accept and what to reject, and what grounds for doing so…
The strict monotheism of Islam is, of course as unacceptable to LDS as it is to any Christian. I’m unwilling to abandon the idea of Jesus. I also find the general monotheism of Islam and Judaism (and the strange and schizophrenic version advocated by traditional Christianity) to be quite unsatisfying. I don’t like the way other monotheistic faiths distance God from His children and alienate Him from us. That is, of course just as much a problem with Catholicism and Protestantism as it is with Islam.
As for Catholicism, I love the rich symbolic and ritual component of the faith. I also feel very much at home with the idea of an established ecclesiarchy. I don’t like how Priesthood authority is distanced from the masses and cordoned-off in a professional clergy class though. I actually like the idea of Catholic saints as an attempt to provide a more human intermediary face between humanity and God. But really, I’d just prefer to have a human face on my God and skip the middle-man.
I like the family and community focus and richness of tradition in Catholic communities. The weight of thousands of years of devout Christian song, chant, architecture must be very satisfying for Catholics. Mormons can boast little of the same (the closest thing we’ve got is Temple Square in Salt Lake City – but I think few Mormons would be unwilling to concede that Notre Dame Cathedral probably has us licked there).
That said, I find the philosophical basis of Catholicism cold and alien. Protestantism has pretty-much inherited the same philosophical tradition, so the same criticisms apply there. I do not accept God as ontologically different from us. We are His children, and I object to church taking my Father away from me.
Protestantism’s advantage is that is adds a huge degree of flexibility into the worship experience. That’s probably a big draw for some, but not for me. In my mind, Protestantism inherits all the wrong-headed philosophies of Catholicism, but removes the satisfying ritual and traditional elements (unless you’re an Anglican). It has all the drawbacks of Catholicism and none of the advantages for me.
I’d prefer Catholicism or Orthodoxy over Protestantism in any variety (except maybe Anglicanism). But honestly, I’d probably prefer Islam or Judaism over Catholicism if I weren’t Mormon. While they too believe God to be “other” than humanity, they don’t go so far as to enshrine the fact in complex philosophical constructs. And their emphasis on right and ethical living actually creates a warmer God who is more present in day-to-day living.
That said, there is so much to admire in other faiths. I hope that future interaction between them and Mormonism can help to mature Mormonism and perhaps curb some of its excesses – and help it to grow up a little.
Hi Brad. I’ve missed your blog. I wish there was more interaction between Mormons and Catholics. As much as I appreciate our Evangelical friends keeping us on our toes, it would be nice if Mormonism had chances to grow vis a vis more religions than just Evangelism.
Catholics. Obviously. (Latter-day Saints view themselves as Christians, Todd. In truth, considering them anything else is ludicrous.)
This is a very interesting question. Unfortuantely, my thoughts right at the moment are not in direct response to it, but allow me to sidetrack the convo briefly.
I’ve recently decided to study the Middle East, as much as one can not being enrolled at University, in preparation for actually studying it at University soon… At any rate, I figured a good starting point to take is a topic that relates more directly to myself as an America, and that is to study 9-11. I’ve been viewing a LOT of movies lately, both Hollywood and otherwise, and the overwhelming conclusion I keep coming to is that I am so glad I am NOT God. Perhaps the most moving moment I’ve had so far was watching the Hollywood version of United 93. Toward the climax of the movie, when the passengers are preparing to raid the cockpit, they show the hijackers in the cockpit praying to Allah, and the passengers in the cabin reciting the Lord’s Prayer and offering other prayers to God. What a situation! Words cannot quite express the profound emotions that accompany such a situation. My brain cannot rationalize the situation… All of these faiths that dot this earth, and one God, and one Plan… I am overwhelmed to the point of tears.
It is a moving, emotional movie. I was in tears.
Hey, I caught these words: “one God, and one Plan.”
A loving, interpersonal God unlike any other.
And the story is not over.
Read what Phil opens up with on February 1, 2008:
http://philgons.com/2008/02/the-triune-god-a-non-triune-god/
Todd, we have a movie at Hastings for rent called 9’11″01, it’s in the cataloged drama section (well, actually right now it’s at my house, but it will be there in a day or two)… It’s 11 stories filmed in 11 different countries all relating in very different ways to September 11. The first sketch is from Iran and features children discussing God. You need to rent this movie. If you come by Wednesday night, I’d personally hand it to you.
Scratch that, I work Thursday, not Wed. My bad.
Most Mormons know nothing about Islam and, given that about half of them are American, probably as scared of Islam due to the way the War on Terror is reported. So I can’t see most seeing affinities.
I’d say I don’t know much about Islam but various people have pointed out numerous parallels between Mormonism and certain subsets of Islam that are quite fascinating.
Tate, I will look for you Thursday night. Thinking of Muslims, I would go back to Turkey in a heartbeat.
Clark, I am sure Dan P. is an expert in this category. Isn’t he involved in an upcoming debate with another Muslim expert (whose life has been threatened by radical Muslims)? Or maybe it has already taken place.