By Dean Maurice Helland
PREFACE
The writing of this paper is the fulfillment of a desire the author
has had ever since he studied his way out of the Book of Mormon over 20
years ago. Many of the things which appear here in documented form he already
had discovered on his own.
The Mormon religion was founded by Joseph Smith around 1830 in the United States of America. It is a fast growing religious movement which claims more than 12 million adherents worldwide as of 2006 (1). Mormonism teaches that historical Christianity is totally apostate, and God raised up Joseph Smith as a prophet to restore it. In addition to using the Bible (which they believe is totally inadequate by itself to tell us what we need to know), mormons believe that the “revelations” “discovered” by Joseph Smith which came to be written down as the “Book of Mormon” are Scripture.
The world’s religions have different ideas of divinity, different answers to the what, why and hows of human existence and salvation, and exhort people to believe different things. It has been popular amongst some to claim that there are many ways to God. But even that statement has no meaning if we don’t know what we mean by “God”.
The world’s religions and mystical philosophies constantly contradict one another on every important point. For example:
The Bible says that Jesus died for our Sins….
Isaiah 53:5 But He (Christ) was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by
his wounds we are healed.,…
The Bible tells us Christ was put to death for our mistakes
and for our sins. By this sacrifice of pure and sinless blood
we are made righteous with a Holy and Perfect God.
Matthew 27:35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided
up His garments among themselves, casting lots;…….
Again the Bible confirms that Jesus was put to Death.
For muslims, the Qu’ran is the Word of God. It is considered to be a miracle
of inspiration such as only God could produce. For muslims, the Qu’ran
is so holy that it cannot be truly translated. Only the original in arabic
is considered to be truly the Qu’ran. When an arabic scholar does his very
best to “translate” the Qu’ran, what he actually produces, in the minds
of muslim scholars, is an “interpretation”.
I really don’t suppose that this will convince any muslim that the Quran is flawed, but one never knows. I believe that man’s intellect is fallen, and has the capacity for infinite rationalisation and self-deception. Religion blinds the best of us. It can stare you in the face but if you believe something enough, the facts won’t make a dent in it.
There are a number of apparent contradictions in the Quran. Whether they can be resolved is a matter for clever philosophers, the kind who can use a globe to prove that the earth is flat.
In reading the best English interpretations of the Qu’ran I see many
surahs honoring the Tawrat and the Injil, which Christians refer to as
the Old Testament and the New Testament. For example:
If you are a muslim, let me begin by saying that I would like to be
your friend. We may not agree about everything but we have a lot of points
in common. I myself spent time reading a large portion of an English language
interpretation of the Qu’ran when I was in Turkey. I admire the zeal of
many muslims, and wish that Christians in general were as serious about
following Jesus as many Muslims are about following the teachings of Muhammed,
the founder of Islam.
I encourage you to read the Bible. But first read my short article
“Do not go by reasoning, nor by inferring, nor by argument” –
the Buddha.
“When you do not understand, then you will know“. – Zen student
“Mind always protects what is false. Mind is a black light”
– Guru Maharaji Ji
“He who knows, doesn’t speak; he who speaks, doesn’t know” –
Lao-Tse
“To the law and the testimony!
“Do not go by reasoning, nor by inferring, nor by argument” –
the Buddha.
“When you do not understand, then you will know“. – Zen student
“Mind always protects what is false. Mind is a black light”
– Guru Maharaji Ji
“He who knows, doesn’t speak; he who speaks, doesn’t know” –
Lao-Tse
“To the law and the testimony!
Hi my name is Michael Fackerell, founder of this site. It is created to help you know Jesus and get a great eternal reward from God Almighty. Learn More This site has become a Member’s Only Site. Some content is restricted. Visit this link to register.
Visit credtec.co for all products and games, like this RPG, Overcome the Darkness.
Get our Free Bible Meditate app. You can search themes, play verses repetitively, shuffle, build custom playlists. For Android and iOS. Learn more.
Get our Free Christian-Faith.com app. For Android and iOS. Have easy access on your phone to this content. Learn more.
Copyright (C) 2000-2023 Michael Fackerell. Use of Site Subject to your agreement to our Privacy Policy. See also Disclaimer.