format_quote Originally Posted by
MustafaMc
One thing about Christianity that stands out to me is the requirement for one to either live a perfect life (that no one can do) or to accept the only possible means for reconciliation with God which is the sacrifice that they believe Jesus (as God Incarnate) made on the cross. This negates God's ability to forgive sin straight away merely through the repentance of the sinner. The parables of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple and the Prodigal Son come to mind as contradicting this concept. Looking backwards, Christians place their trust with absolute confidence in the Atoning Sacrifice for their salvation while Muslims hope and pray for the forgiveness of God and His mercy on Judgment Day with some degree of uncertainty. The reason for this uncertainty is that we realize our imperfection, inability to judge the purity of our own heart and do not know the state of our faith upon our death.
That's interesting, I'll definitely have to reread those parables.
It's really fascinating to me that Muslims (and, correct me if I'm wrong, Jews) don't believe that it's necessary for God to have incarnated as a man and suffered and died for our sins so that we can be forgiven of our sins and receive eternal life, while Christians believe that it was indeed necessary. I really need to read more on the Christian reasoning as to why. It's one of those things, at least for me, that you just accept, "makes sense", and you say you're grateful for. Yes, you still have to repent, make restitution, etc (at least in Mormonism), but the actual forgiveness and becoming clean is made possible only through Christ.
I assume the same conclusions about Christianity can be drawn from the Mormon beliefs. Other than the lack of Original Sin, do you see any similarities with Islam?
Well Mormons tend to agree with Catholics on the point that, while it's "known" that only through Christ's atoning sacrifice can one receive salvation, there is no "once saved always saved". Mormons very fervently believe in "enduring to the end", with continuous repentance.
As for other similarities with Islam (not sure if that's what you were asking), hmm, I don't really think so (though I'm still learning about Islam!). Well, from what I understand, Islam purports a sort of "Apostasy" of the Truth, right? If so, Mormons hold to the same belief (the "Great Apostasy"), which necessitated God calling a prophet, Joseph Smith, to "restore" the Truth and Christ's Church. Mormons believe that part of this Restoration was the translating of the Book of Mormon. So, at least on the surface, there is a similarity of having a prophet who restores the truth and gives new scripture. On the other hand, Mormons believe in "continuing revelation", so theoretically, there could be more scripture revealed. Also, Mormons believe in prophets after Joseph Smith. The President of the LDS Church is regarded as a "Prophet, Seer, and Revelator", as are his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Whether they actually function as prophets is another question, which indeed has led me, among many other reasons, to look elsewhere.