The Urim and Thummim

THE
DOCUMENT AND COMMANDMENTS

______________

SECTION 1

Instruction given to Brent Strong, the professor, at Provo, Utah, in the fall of 1999 by Jamie Cozza, a student in MFG 201.  Herein, Brent is informed of the manner in which the prescribed document should be translated.  He is given a commandment to exercise the powers of the Urim and Thummim, which have been trusted unto him based on his good report.

Mormons and Muslims

By some, the Mormons have been designated as the Mohammedans of the New World according to their origins and their manner of thinking (Mormons 72). Although my aim is to focus primarily upon the formation and splintering of the Islamic faith, I find the comparisons to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be very interesting. Despite obvious contradictions in their doctrine, the Mormons and the Muslims have strikingly similar histories.  Not only are there significant similarities between their founders, they also have parallels in the way they were organized and in some of the obstacles they faced during the early formation.  The founding of the Mormons will be used primarily as a standard to compare the Muslims to, and eventually it will be obvious that when these initially similar organizations faced obstacles, it was the doctrinal differences that led to diverse outcomes.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began in 1820 when 14 year old Joseph Smith, of Palmyra, New York, began receiving revelation.  Joseph was of humble birth and displayed a predisposition to spirituality.  He initially had a vision of heavenly messengers who conveyed to him his mission of restoring a primeval religion.  Joseph never took credit for the great work that he did, but instead declared the Lord had revealed all things to him.  Through his divine authority, the church was organized and truths were taught.  Joseph fulfilled the role of a religious leader, yet he did not become an object of worship. 

Muhammad lived in the city of Medina during his middle aged years.  Like Joseph, he was of humble birth and claimed a heavenly messenger had given him the authority to be the next prophet. According to accounts of Muhammad's life, as recorded in the Sunna, Muhammad was a spiritual man who gave God credit for all things.  He accepted his mission to teach and organize the people and he, too, fulfilled the role of a religious leader without becoming an object of worship.  Both of these prophets extended their prophetic authority into the political realm.

Throughout his ministry, Joseph received many revelations which he kept a careful record of.  In November 1831, there was a conference held to determine ways and means of publishing the revelations.  The first edition of these modern-day revelations was entitled, "The Doctrine and Covenants," and was distributed in 1835.  Later, several other editions were printed which included additional revelations and revisions to make the book easier to use.  The Doctrine and Covenants was a compilation of many revelations that had come in parts.  It was considered by the people to be the word of God.

During the course of 23 years, Muhammad received revelation, which was dictated to his scribe, Zayd.  The Caliph Uthman determined the final form of the Qur’an about 20 years after the death of Muhammad.  Uthman pronounced in favor of Zayd's collection and ordered all others to be destroyed.  This compilation of revelations contained direct doctrine and historical accounts that had been received at different times throughout the later part of the prophet's life.  Like the Doctrine and Covenants, the Qur’an calls for faith in Allah (God in D & C), warns of the consequence that result from unbelief, outlines specific moral duties, encourages followers to recognize their nothingness and dependence on Allah, and explains that human life is a test and that there are rewards and punishments for our actions.  According to Muhammad, the series of revelations that made up the Qur'an were the first true outline of the divine plan that had been revealed in it’s entirety for the use of mankind.  

Although many followers would like to believe that Joseph and Muhammad were infallible, the more accurate accounts of their lives show that each of these men were subject to temptation and error (Islam 89). This misconception that the prophets were infallible hindered the establishment and unification of the people.  Some of the things they did and decisions they made did not win the approval of the followers, especially when they did not go hand in hand with the laws and customs of the people at the time. Each of the prophets had to learn precept upon precept when mistakes were made and God chastised them just as he would chastise any sinner.

The official organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occurred in 1836.  Some of Joseph's closest friends and family, the first converts to the church, were placed directly underneath him as leaders in the different branches.  Not only had Joseph Smith established new rituals under the direction of inspiration, but he also directed this community of believers under continual revelation.  Missionaries were sent to different regions throughout the US and abroad to spread the word of God.  These men preached the Plan of Happiness, which outlines the past, present and future of mankind as we know it. 

Muhammad's closest followers and those who were converted in the first wave were known as the Companions.  They helped to create a strong founding for the work which Muhammad directed.  The spreading of Islam was a bit more aggressive in its nature, but it was similar to Mormonism in that Muhammad pushed missionary work.  It was mentioned earlier that the prophet extended his prophetic authority into political realms, and this was used to his advantage as he attempted to convert people by the nations.  Muslims considered Islam to be the only true faith of mankind, which purpose was communication of a divine plan for humanity and its implementation on earth.  According to them, this same plan was made to Adam, Abraham, Moses, Christ and finally Muhammad.  Joseph Smith had a similar idea about Mormonism.  Each of them claimed that their revelations contributed to the gospel in the fullness of times. 

Muhammad accepted the inhabitants of Medina in 622 AD and then an Islamic state was established to implement that divine plan.  Converts had to repeat the formula, "There is no deity but God (Allah) and Muhammad is his Messenger."  This confirmed their belief in Islamic interpretation of history, which said life is an unending endeavor to establish an ideal society based on the divine plan.  A convert was committing himself to a community of believers that were dedicated to observing that plan. 

The resistance to Muhammad’s mission was not only a resistance to a new religion, but it was also driven by political and economic interests.  Some of the Islamic disputes were struggles for political authority that had been disguised as doctrinal conflicts.

Although both Joseph and Muhammad began to gain followers, they were each forced to flee because of persecutions in the city.  In the Joseph’s case, the church grew at a fairly rapid pace, but not without adversity.  As the Mormons became more familiar to the world, outsiders, especially in regions where the members congregated, became less and less enthusiastic with this newly revealed gospel.  Joseph’s house was attacked by mobs on multiple occasions, several times he was shot at, and every device was made use of to persecute him and his followers.  They were ridiculed, their houses were burned and many were tarred, feathered and whipped.  In 1838 there was an extermination order issued by Governor Boggs which forced the Saints out of their communities.  Multiple times during their founding years, they were forced to flee.  

In September 622 a similar even happened to the growing Muslim community in Medina.  Now referred to as the Hegira, Muhammad and his followers engaged in an emigration where they fled to Medina because of intense persecution.  Incidentally, this monumental event marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.  Later, in 630, Muhammad returned to Mecca, purged it of polytheism and established the city as the center of new religious movement.

At this point, a crucial event took place in each community.  In the Mormon church, year 1844, Joseph Smith was martyred.  In 632 A.D., three months after leading a pilgrimage to the Kaba, Muhammad died of an illness.  A similar problem was posed for both the Latter-day Saints and the Muslims when their prophet and founder was no longer the spiritual and political leader.

The death of the prophet Joseph Smith caused shock and grief among many of the unsuspecting Saints.  Without Joseph, some wondered if the keys of the kingdom still remained because he had almost become a symbol of divine leadership.  The prime question concerned who should succeed him and by what manner the authority was to be passed down.  As many of Joseph’s revelations were studied and analyzed by thousands of people who heard the message, factions began to form.  Sidney Rigdon appeared after being estranged from the Saints for some time and stood in a meeting solemnly declaring that he was to act as guardian to the church - to build it to Joseph.  Brigham Young, the president of the quorum of the twelve apostles and one of Joseph's closest followers, also stood among the people.  He proclaimed, "All that want to draw a party from the church after them, let them do it if they can, but they will not prosper (Church 550)."

The gathered Saints voted to sustain the apostles and so the majority of the people remained under the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Brigham later taking the official role of President.  Sidney Rigdon, James J. Strong, William Smith and many others attempted to draw parties away - and true to Brigham's words, none of them prospered (Church 550).

The Reorganized Church is second to the LDS Church by way of membership.  This faction began about 16 years after the prophet died and it was largely made up of confused members of earlier apostate groups which had failed.  These people claimed that God had called upon the seed of Joseph to preside over the church.  Joseph Smith III was convinced by these people to take up the role of prophet, basing his authority on "lineal descent."

By the time Muhammad died, Muslim armies extended the borders of the Islamic State and into Spain in the West and Central Asia in the East. Many Arabs had come to associate the new religion with Muhammad personally.  Like Joseph Smith, he had become a symbol of the religion and because of this, upon his death a number of tribes renounced their allegiance.  The Bedouin tribes, for example, had not yet been consolidated into a nation and so their loyalties were divided on tribal lines.  Muhammad had tried to establish new communities on the basis of religion instead of tribal kinship - but those ideas had not been deeply rooted within the people so many, like the Bedouin, reverted back to nomadic instincts.

Abu Bakr might be compared to Brigham Young in that he was one of the prophet's closest friends and he was nominated to lead the prayers.  He was later elected to be Caliph - the head of the state and temporal successor of Muhammad who was responsible for protecting the domain of the believers and ensuring the divine law was kept.  The Caliph's position was to be a guardian of Islam. 

Bakr was handed a challenging problem: the threat of all that Muhammad had achieved being destroyed.  In his early reign he spent much of his time administrating in the newborn Muslim State and taking care of revolts against Medina's rule.  He was ultimately supported by a group of people that would later be known as the Sunnis.  But there was some opposition to him succeeding the Prophet Muhammad. 

In particular, a group later known as the Shiites made themselves distinct from the Sunnis in that they protested against choosing Muhammad's successor by elective methods. They originated as a political faction and they supported Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, as the successor.  They believed that the authority was in his descendents, the Alids, and this thought helped the formation and consolidation of the doctrine of the imamate.  They opposed the central government under the rule of the first three caliphs because they were not selected according to this "lineal descent."  During this time, the Shiite aspirations went dormant, but they were again revived during the rule of Uthman, the third caliph, when grievances led to open rebellion and his murder.  Eventually, Ali was put into the position as fourth caliph, but upon his death the succession did not go to his son, the rightful heir.  Instead an aggressive Sunni leader took control and began the Umayyad Dynasty.

In the midst of the Sunnis and Shiites competing for allegiance of the majority of the Muslim community, there were uprisings known as the "wars of apostasy" led by false prophets.  Just as we witnessed in Joseph’s circumstances, Muhammad's success inspired many others to claim a divine mission of their own.  This becomes interesting in the Islamic community since Muhammad specifically outlined that revelation would come to a halt after his death.  Musailima was one of the more prominent followers who fell away because of his claiming to see a vision.  Although he took many with him, he was not successful in maintaining his support. 

The Kharajis were one of the other major factions that arose in opposition to the caliphs that had succeeded Muhammad.  They became restless at what they perceived as disarray on the part of the third caliph.  They had a strict belief in Islamic egalitarianism which allowed any meritous Muslim the possibility of being chosen through popular election as the legitimate leader or imam of the community. 

Each of the factions mentioned posed many questions and contributed significantly to doctrinal disputes.  Even among themselves, though, most of the members did not agree on a number of doctrines.  As a result, there were many subgroups within each community.  This contradicts one of the most important sayings attributed to Muhammad: "My community will never agree on an error."  Sunnism and Shiism were the most distinct communities that evolved, with the Sunnis overcoming most of the rival teachings and proving to be the dominant force within Islam.  Most of the other movements or schools of thought that appeared were short-lived, but the influences they left were lasting (Almanac 47). 

The histories of Mormonism and Islam have many parallels that make these diverse religions seem initially similar.  Examining both dominant communities in each religion, there is, however, an astounding difference in how unified the people are in their beliefs and traditions today.  The Mormons have a central governing power and appear to be ultimately unified across the globe.  This can partly be attributed to the fact that they claim the power of the priesthood, which has proved to be a great strength in unifying the Saints and clarifying the lines of authority.  This same unifying tie cannot be traced in Sunnism. 

In addition, the environments in which the prophets preached probably had far-reaching effects upon the success of the religions.  While Joseph Smith preached a restoration of Christian ideals to a predominantly Christian community, Muhammad was preaching monotheism to a community who was primarily polytheistic and pagan.  Joseph was credited as the first prophet in this new dispensation, which allowed his successors to be prophets, seers and revelators as well. The Muslims believe that Muhammed was the last prophet on earth, which means that revelation would inherently come to a halt upon his death.  This fanned the fire of dispute as to how they should continue as a religion and a community upon his death and on how they should settle disputes that were not specifically outlined in the Qur'an.  Unlike the Mormons, who solve disputes by searching modern day revelation first and then work their way back to ancient scripture, the Muslims first look to the Qur'an for an answer and then proceed to the Hadith, writings of his life, and finally to modern jurists who come to a common consensus.  It was the effects of these types doctrinal differences that caused diverse outcomes from the initially similar organizations.  The similarities between the founders and the parallels in the organization and obstacles of the early religious communities are interesting, but it appears that the doctrinal differences have led to diverse organizations at the present day.

Bibliography

Carter, Denominations that Base their Beliefs on the Teachings of Joseph Smith.  Writers of Utah Pioneers, 1969.

Cheney, Silas L. & Welker, Roy A. & Wood, J. Karl, The Church: It's History and Mission.  Utah Printing, Salt Lake City, 1952.

Cooper, John & Nettler, Ronald & Mahmoud, Mohamed, Islam and Modernity, I.B. Tauris, New York 1998.

Nanji, Azim A. The Muslim Almanac; A Reference Work on History, Faith, Culture and Peoples of Islam.  Gale Research Inc, New York 1996.

Palmer, Spencer J. Mormons and Muslims, Publishers Press, Salt Lake City, 1983.

Rahman, H.U. A Chronology of Islamic History; 570-1000 C.E.  G.K. Hall & Co., Boston, 1989.

Renard, John.  Responses to 101 Questions on Islam, Panlist Press, New York 1998.

Torapov, Brandon & Bukles, Father Luke, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the World Religions.  Alpha Books, New York 1997.