Reader Jen left a detailed comment today on my post entitled "Man on a mission," explaining the position of the Mormon Church on a number of issues — including the Israel-Palestine conflict. She also mentioned something I was completely unaware of. In her comment, she stated that Jordan actually recognizes the Mormon Church:
I do commend the state of Jordan for being the only Muslim country to officially recognize the Mormon church and to allow people in Jordan to worship in the open.
This was news to me. I had always thought that the Mormon Church had not been allowed to set up shop in the Kingdom. After doing some Googling, I found this:
In 1989, Jordan became the first Arab country to grant formal recognition to the [Mormon] Church, allowing it to establish the Center for Cultural and Educational Affairs in Amman.
To make my position clear, I do not agree with many of the teachings of the Mormon Church but I am all for facilitating the freedom of religion in Jordan and elsewhere.
Read Jen’s full comment here.
“The traditional, true, church in Jordan, the church of Christ himself, should be ashamed at how it has failed its people to the point that they get no spiritual or material help from their church, so that now they have to turn to a bunch of wacko cultists from Utah.”
Are you out of your mind???? The people in Jordan have not gotten any help from the church. Where the hell do you get this? You need to learn and see what churches in Jordan are doing before you make such a stupid statement.
One non-Arab Muslim, Keith Ellison, is a member of U.S. Congress, the esteemed body that also unfortunately employs this guy.
In addition to following the Bible, the Mormons have an additional source of scripture: The Book of Mormon. The Mormons claim Jesus Christ appeared in the New World (a New World very different from the one known to science, BTW) and the Book of Mormon details that World and Jesus Christ’s history there.
Needless to say, the entire idea is heretical in the minds of most other Christian groups.
Here are a few articles from Wikipedia if you care to learn a little more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith%2C_Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_young
I believe that the Mormons are just an evolution of the Protestant Christianity with conventional innovation for the white settlers of the United States.
No, there’s quite a lot more to it than that 🙂
They have their own scripture, and their own prophet(s) – at least I’m pretty sure. When I was a kid I had Mormon friends and I went to tehir services a few times. I felt like I was in an alternate reality. Especially when I’d say something like “What is that!? Where is that coming from!?” and the answer was “From the Bible” and I’d say “That’s not in the Bible!!” – answer “It’s in OUR Bible” – sorry, supporters of Mormons – theer is a reason why other Christians don’t think the Mormon Church is a Christian one. I have nothing against Mormons – to me they are the same as any other non-Christian religion, no better and no worse. But they aren’t Christians. That’s my only beef with Mormons. I don’t like them lumping themselves in with other Christian denominations, when they are so obviously different in their fundamental beliefs.
Non-Arab Moslems make 80% of Moslems,Hareega.
Are there non-Arab Muslims?
I agree with Hareega, many LDS missionaries have been working in the Middle East, but it seems that they didn’t success to convert numerous people.
http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/history/middle_east.html
I can mention two small LDS churches in Rawda-Damascus and Mkallis-Beirut with very few adherents.
I believe that the Mormons are just an evolution of the Protestant Christianity with conventional innovation for the white settlers of the United States.
It’s all about the money, baby. You flash enough money in a desperate person’s face, and the chance of possibly getting a green card, and they will convert to devil worship, not just Mormonisim.
These so-called former Christians in Jordan and Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East look at their mother church and ask: “What have you done for me lately?” When they get no reply, the Mormons are there with their U.S. money bags. The traditional, true, church in Jordan, the church of Christ himself, should be ashamed at how it has failed its people to the point that they get no spiritual or material help from their church, so that now they have to turn to a bunch of wacko cultists from Utah.
Hareega ya qaraba,
What comment is that? It sounds like “there are non-Arab Muslims?!” The LDS church sends thousands and thousands of missionaries all over the world. They have a strong presence in the Polynesian Islands, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In total, there are about 10m Mormons world wide and it is considered one the fastest-growing religions. But in essence, I partly-agree with you is that it is an “American” or “Americanized” religion.
The Mormon Church has always known who to hook up with. That’s how they gained recognition in Jordan. Any problems they face there stems from the refusal of other Christian sects to recognize them as “Christians”, something that is not particular to Jordan. Otherwise, they have their center around the 4th circle plus a considerable presence in Huson with a number of converts (from other Christian sects) from Jordan and Iraq.
Interesting! I wonder if there are non-American Mormons?