Why Do Mormons Baptize The Dead?

Jul/20/2014 07:02 PM Filed in: World Religions

Maybe you have seen the commercials for Ancestry.com. It is the largest for-profit genealogy company in the world. As of December 2013, it held records on 12.7 billion people. It is headquartered in Provo, Utah and was begun by two Mormon graduates of Bringham Young University. Why are the Mormons interested in your dead relatives?
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Why Do Mormons Practice Polygamy?

Jul/20/2014 06:57 PM Filed in: World Religions

Mormons are famous for polygamy. Joseph Smith had 49 wives, including some he took from other men. Bringham Young had 25 wives. It was Joseph Smith’s adulterous advances that led four disillusioned converts to start the Nauvoo Expositor, the newspaper that led to Smith’s downfall. Bringham Young stated the Mormon position on polygamy plainly.
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Is Speaking In Tongues Evidence For Having The Holy Spirit?

Jul/13/2014 10:34 PM Filed in: Christian Faith

There are three occasions in the book of Acts where speaking in tongues accompanied the receiving of the Holy Spirit—Acts 2:4, 10:44–46, and 19:6. However, these three occasions are the only places in the Bible where speaking in tongues is an evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. Throughout the book of Acts, thousands of people believe in Jesus and nothing is said about them speaking in tongues (Acts 2:41, 8:5–25, 16:31–34, 21:20). Nowhere in the New Testament is it taught that speaking in tongues is the only evidence a person has received the Holy Spirit. In fact, the New Testament teaches the opposite.
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How Do The Contradictions In The Bible Compare To The Contradictions In The Quran?

Jul/11/2014 01:18 PM Filed in: World Religions

What contradictions are you referring to in the Bible? We believe the Bible is God’s Word and is flawless in the original writings. Archaeology has only served to prove the Bible right, not demonstrate the Bible in wrong. From textual criticism we know the copy of the Bible we hold in our hands is 99.9% accurate to what was originally written down. There is no doctrinal question that is debatable because of textual ambiguity.

The Quran is a completely different type of book. Rather than being written by multiple authors in multiple languages and fitting together in agreement, it was written by one author and written down hundreds of years after his life. It is filled with contradictions. One resource I ran across pointed out over 100 internal contradictions in the Quran. Here are a few. Remember the Quran claims in Surah 39:23, 28 to be free from all contradictions.
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Do Muslims Believe They Don't Have Free Will Or That Everything They Do Has Been Predicted?

Jul/11/2014 01:17 PM Filed in: World Religions

Muslims believe that Allah’s moral character is ultimately unknowable and his ways beyond understanding. They have know idea about God’s feelings towards them. Practically this means Muslims lack assurance of Allah’s forgiveness simply because they are not sure of Allah’s attitude towards them. Spend any time around Muslims and you will hear them use the phrase “In Sha Allah”, which means “if God wills.” In practice this means whatever happens is God’s will.

Muslims affirm that Allah leads astray whom he wills and he guides whom he wills (Surah 35:8). While the Quran lays great important on moral conduct, popular thinking is fatalistic.
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What Is The Connection Between Muslim Faith And Culture?

Jul/11/2014 01:16 PM Filed in: World Religions

Islam is a form of cultural imperialism in which the religion and culture of the seventh-century Arabia are raised to the status of divine law. In the West, there is a wall of separation between church and state. For instance, religious organizations can not set speed limits or determine public taxes. In Islam, this divide between sacred and secular doesn’t exist. This is why when you visit an American who converts to Islam they are wearing Arab clothing, listening to Arab music and eating Arab food. They will even say meal prayers in Arabic although they do not know the language. Read More...

How Many Muslims Live In The Lakes Area?

Jul/11/2014 01:15 PM Filed in: World Religions

I was not able to find statistics on Muslims in the Lakes Area. I did find eight mosques in Iowa. Three are in Des Moines and two in Cedar Rapids. While the Muslim population in Iowa is small, Islam is rapidly growing. There are over 500 mosques in the United States. There are more Muslims than Episcopalians. In North American there are now more Muslims than Jews. In England there are more Muslims than Christians. Read More...

Why Is It Commonly Said Islam Is A Religion Of Peace When There Is So Much In The Quran That Says Otherwise?

Jul/11/2014 01:13 PM Filed in: World Religions

Abdurrahman Wahid, the former president of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, in an essay titled “Right Islam, Wrong Islam,” agrees that a literal reading of the Quran leads to what is popularly called Muslim extremism.

History speaks for itself. Islam is not a religion of peace. The Quran commands conquering by the sword. Mohammed’s followers conquered by the sword. When Islam takes over a country the people are given three options. Convert to Islam, die or become a dhimmi and be enslaved into starvation. If Muslims were given the freedom to choose their religion, Islam would not survive.

Why do we hear that Islam is a religion of peace? Thankfully many Muslims do not read their Quran. If they did, they do not follow Mohammed and his practices literally. They are like many Christians who know a little of their faith and do not open their Bible.
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How Does Ishmael Relate To Islam?

Jul/11/2014 01:02 PM Filed in: World Religions

Mohammed claimed the Arabs are descendants of Ishmael and are the legitimate descendants of Abraham and children of God. Is it true?

In Genesis 12, when Abraham left Ur, he went West to what is now called Israel. It was in Israel that God made a covenant with him, he fathered Isaac, Ishmael and many other sons and daughters.

The Quran contradicts the Bible at nearly every point. According to Surah 2:119-121, Abraham and Ishmael did not dwell in tents in Israel but in the city of Mecca in Arabia. Together they rebuilt the Kabah and placed the black stone in the wall. It was Abraham who started the tradition of an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, throwing stones at the devil, etc. Abraham took Ishmael (not Isaac) to nearby Mount Mina to offer as a sacrifice to God.
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What Does The Quran Say About The Role Of Women?

Jul/11/2014 12:57 PM Filed in: World Religions

A woman’s role is primarily the birthing of children. Men are allowed to beat their wives.

Men are the managers of the affairs of women … those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them. (Surah 4:34)