What are they thinking???

[_DrW]

Probably the single biggest difference between Islam and LDS is that Muslims worship the One True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, while Mormons worship Hermes-Thoth.

This statement may require some additional explanation / clarification for some. (Better you than me.)

And thanks for your post, DrW.

Any time.

[_palerobber]

It seems like you are trying to make them out to be all good, however.

please point out where i said anything remotely like that on this thread.

i merely mentioned, anecdotally, that i'd met a few Mulims in my life and thought well of them -- thought that, you know, they weren't the sort of people who would, for example, copy-paste ugly conspiratorial chain emails onto message boards and, to make matters worse, try to pass them off as their own personal observations.

if someone reads that as a blanket endorsement of all Muslim everywhere, or of Islam in general, then that's on them not me.

Welcome to the board, by the way. We don't know you yet. Would you like to enlarge a little on your views?

thanks, what exactly would you like to know?

[_palerobber]

But they will not speak out against the radical militants.

sorry, but you're lying, egregiously, and the flavor of your lie suggests worse things about you.

(disclaimer: calling out liars is not a defense of Islam)

[Guest]

Dr W thank you for that information. I hope you are proved right but as I see it, the power and the influence is held in the hands of the Wahhabi's and the Iranian Fanatics who's goal is to bring to pass the return of the 12 Imam. Glenn Beck has documented their aspiration to bring the world under the complete control Islamic cleric's and force Sharia Law on the world.

Since Mormon general authorities seem to think the Islamics and their goals are just fine. Are they in favor of Sharia Law?

I suppose that if they could work out a deal with the Wahhabi's so that they get to wheeled the sword in Utah then they would be fine with it.

You know... Ever knee shall bend and every tongue confess...

I just don't understand how the LDS Church can see that they have anything in common the the goals of Islam. What do they think they have to gain by getting in bed with Islamics?

[_palerobber]

Okay, but I'm not sure that's really a very good comparison. Sounds something like BC would say in defense of Mormonism.

ouch, that's pretty harsh to roll out BC.

i have to agree that clown killers is not a perfect analogy, but it is sufficient to counter Nomomo's lazy point of saying Islam and Islamism "go hand in hand", which is not saying anything more than the tautology "Islamic fundamentalism is Islamic."

religious fundamentalism is the threat we face.

because this country is majority Christian it's not surprising that the largest internal fundamentalist threat here comes from Christians. i could respond by saying Christianity and Christianism go hand in hand, but that's unhelpful because the real threat is fundamentalism, not Christianity per se.

i realize that there is an argument people have been having since at least 9/11 about whether the foundational texts of Islam make it uniquely more prone to fundamentalism than other traditions. i don't much have an opinion on that question -- most discussions i've read about it boil down to cherry picking Koran verses on both sides. but what i do know from my own experience as a one time liberal Mormon is that people can make of scripture whatever the hell they want. there is no scriptural tale so awful that it can't be recast to serve a fully enlightened and progressive mindset.

[_Lucretia MacEvil]

It seems like you are trying to make them out to be all good, however.

please point out where i said anything remotely like that on this thread.

i merely mentioned, anecdotally, that i'd met a few Mulims in my life and thought well of them -- thought that, you know, they weren't the sort of people who would, for example, copy-paste ugly conspiratorial chain emails onto message boards and, to make matters worse, try to pass them off as their own personal observations.

if someone reads that as a blanket endorsement of all Muslim everywhere, or of Islam in general, then that's on them not me.

Fine. It was a perception on my part; felt like an attack on the original poster, for the sake of defense and not adding any real information to the discussion. I didn't know this OP was a cut and paste from email forwards. The ugly conspiritorial emails I get are generally anti-Obama/immigration, etc., and I'd probably be much likelier to react negatively if I recognized one of those in a thread here.

Welcome to the board, by the way. We don't know you yet. Would you like to enlarge a little on your views?

thanks, what exactly would you like to know?

Well, just wondering if you have ties to Islam that make it a sensitive topic for you. Which sounds pretty nosey, and admittedly I am pretty nosey. Sometimes just want to know what someone's motivation is; but you are under no obligation to answer.

[_palerobber]

Well, just wondering if you have ties to Islam that make it a sensitive topic for you. Which sounds pretty nosey, and admittedly I am pretty nosey. Sometimes just want to know what someone's motivation is; but you are under no obligation to answer.

i'm an atheist, was raised Mormon, with deep pioneer roots.

Islam is not a sensative topic for me -- but intellectual laziness and casual bigotry are.

[_DrW]

Dr W thank you for that information. I hope you are proved right but as I see it, the power and the influence is held in the hands of the Wahhabi's and the Iranian Fanatics who's goal is to bring to pass the return of the 12 Imam. Glenn Beck has documented their aspiration to bring the world under the complete control Islamic cleric's and force Sharia Law on the world.

Since Mormon general authorities seem to think the Islamics and their goals are just fine. Are they in favor of Sharia Law?

I suppose that if they could work out a deal with the Wahhabi's so that they get to wheeled the sword in Utah then they would be fine with it.

You know... Ever knee shall bend and every tongue confess...

I just don't understand how the LDS Church can see that they have anything in common the the goals of Islam. What do they think they have to gain by getting in bed with Islamics?

First of all, and I mean this with all due respect (which isn't much, unfortunately): Glenn Beck is not interested in useful commentary or reasonable discussion, much less in the facts or in any semblance of truth. Glenn Beck is the worst kind of intentionally ignorant, make it up as you go along, true believer. In short, as he has demonstrated beyond any doubt, Beck is a public idiot. So, please forgive me if I don't put much credence in his view of the world.

As to the Wahhabi sect of Islam: It is true that they serve (have traditionally served) as a more militant faction in defense of Islam (sort of the "doctrinal Danites" of Islam). They were allies with the House of Saud in the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and wield great influence in that country.

By virtue of the roll of the Saudi King as the one responsible for the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, they are granted respect within the rest of Islam that (IMHO) is far in excess of their value (and some would say real influence) to Islam or its people at large. I believe that their influence in Islam is waning. The Wahhabi's I have known have mainly been older men who were extremely religious, set in their ways (would not speak English in public, for example), enjoyed the respect they were accorded by others, and certainly not in any position to lead a Jihad to anywhere or against anyone.

As to your comments regarding the reason why Mormon leaders are saying nice things publicly about Muslims and Islam, I think they simply wish to appear as ecumenical. And they have nothing to lose by such comments. TBMs tend to consider everything they say as the will of God. As to folks like you and I who are dubious of such overtures, they could not care less.

I don't think they want Shari'ah Law. In fact, I doubt that many (if not most) of them could even give an accurate description or definition of Shari'ah Law.

Although I view your comments on this thread as a bit "Beckish" in general, I do appreciate the discussion.