One Response to “Do Mormons believe that Mohamed was a prophet?”
Leonardo Castro
2007-11-09 19:01:23
There is no doubt that Mormons believe that Mohamed was inspired of God. In a statement made by the first presidency in 1978, the Church proclaimed: "The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohamed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God's light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals."
There is a difference, however, between being inspired of God and being a prophet of God, with the authority to act in God's name. Regarding whether or not Mohamed was a true prophet, the Mormons Church has no official position, so you'll find varying opinions:
1. The vast majority have never given the question any thought and have no opinion one way or the other.
2. Of the remaining minority, most would say Mohamed was inspired of God but not a prophet. They believe the last prophets were the apostles of the New Testament.
3. A small minority would be open to the idea that Mohamed was a true prophet, but that his teachings have since been corrupted. These would speculate that Mohamed did originally teach Christ's divinity and position as Savior of the world, but that his subsequent followers modified/abandoned those teachings. I seem to recall reading once that this opinion was had among a few church leaders in the early 20th century, but that it was never taught as doctrine or accepted as "official" by the Mormon community.
There is a difference, however, between being inspired of God and being a prophet of God, with the authority to act in God's name. Regarding whether or not Mohamed was a true prophet, the Mormons Church has no official position, so you'll find varying opinions:
1. The vast majority have never given the question any thought and have no opinion one way or the other.
2. Of the remaining minority, most would say Mohamed was inspired of God but not a prophet. They believe the last prophets were the apostles of the New Testament.
3. A small minority would be open to the idea that Mohamed was a true prophet, but that his teachings have since been corrupted. These would speculate that Mohamed did originally teach Christ's divinity and position as Savior of the world, but that his subsequent followers modified/abandoned those teachings. I seem to recall reading once that this opinion was had among a few church leaders in the early 20th century, but that it was never taught as doctrine or accepted as "official" by the Mormon community.