2- Sufism and Mormonism

Yesterday evening I met a Sufi Muslim man named Massy Khoshbin. Having transcribed a comparison between Islam and Mormonism I have decided that I am going to expand that to other religions as well. Sufi is described as the mystical dimension of Islam. Knowing this we can assume that the Sufi branch will coincide with the former blog post on Muslims and Mormons called Mormons and Muslims Working Together found at this URL-
http://mussocman.blogspot.com/2012/11/mormons-and-muslims-working-together.html
In this blog post I will concentrate on the Sufi branch of Islam.

RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
Both religions believe they practice the pure form of their respective traditions, Christianity or Islam.
Sufi- "Worship and serve Allah as you are seeing Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you."
LDS- "The Only true and living Church with which I, the Lord, am Pleased." 
Both religions are set on turning their whole heart, soul, and mind to God.
Both religions believe in turning from worldly pleasures in order to come closer to God, or putting off the Natural Man (Mosiah 3:19).
Both believe that those who teach and lead need to be called by God.
Both teach lessons before somebody joins the religion.
Leaders of both use stories and parables in their teachings.
Converts to both religions purify themselves before they join.
Sufi- Repentance and recognition of God's higher law.
LDS- Faith, Repentance of sin, And Baptism by Immersion, and The Laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. (Article of Faith 4)
One goal of both religions is to have the name of God figuratively written on their hearts and countenances. 
Both concentrate on God through prayer, pondering, and meditation.



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Both religions believe they can come close to the Divine in this life, as well as the next.
Both religions believe they can trace their beliefs back to God through a prophet.
Both believe humans are infused with divine light, fitra, or the Light of Christ.
Both believe in following "the spirit of the law."
Both believe in repentance of sins, abandoning of bad characteristics, and acquisition of good qualities.
The adherants do more than READ their scriptures. They STUDY and LIVE the doctrine therein.
Both believe in revelation from God.
Both believe in the Love of God as an essential doctrine. Adherents to the two religions try to live with this love.
The seekers often feel called to join to the religion i.e. Feel the Spirit.


SOCIETAL COMMENTARY
Both religions have their critics within the wider scope of their traditions. Some mainstream Muslims claim Sufism is not Islam, while many Protestant sects deny that Latter-day Saints are Christian.

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

I spent yesterday evening (Tuesday, November 20, 2012) at Temple Menorah, a Jewish Synagogue, for the 2012 Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. It was the 40 year anniversary of the South Bay Interfaith Service. I love going to these sorts of things. From both a curiosity and spiritual point of view I find it refreshing.
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been for almost 20 years and will be for the rest of my life continuing on through Eternity. But that won't lessen my respect and love for people of other faiths, or no faith for that matter. Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the Restored Gospel, said, "We welcome the truth that all religions and philosophies have." In Nauvoo, Illinois, a city started by Mormon settlers, all religions were afforded religious freedom. A Catholic priest was able to use part of the Nauvoo Temple for Sunday Mass before it was dedicated.
Early history is interesting, but what about today? At the Thanksgiving Service and at the get together 'Cookies and Conversation' afterwards there was no partisan bickering. As each faith got up and shared some of their scriptures, a song, or some other part of their faith I was impressed. Most of what the various individuals said I believed. And even that which I didn't have an immediate connection to, after thinking it over I could come up with a relating belief, even if it was not exactly analogous.
Some things that I was connected to included:
Imam Ashraf Carrim quoting Prophet Muhammad, "You cannot go to Heaven without Faith, and you can't have Faith with out Love."
Rabbi Steven Silver, "As this service is going on Jews in Israel and Muslims in Palestine are shooting at each other. Many people have died. This is not going to come to anything good. We all come from the same God above."
I'll freely admit that I have further to go in my understanding of others. The service was in a Jewish synagogue. Given the current clash between Jews and Muslims in the Holy Land, and the supposed bad feelings between the two groups in the Middle East in general I didn't expect any Muslims to be in attendance. As it happened I was sitting behind a group of Sunni Muslims during the service, I met a Nigerian Muslim named DJ, and two Muslim clergymen later- Imam Carrim from the International Institute of Tolerance (Sunni) and a Sufi Muslim, Cleric Massy Khoshbin. Not only were they there, but they were friends with the Jewish Rabbi. Immam Carrim and his wife were joking with Rabbi Silver about something during the get together on the patio. When I was done talking to Massy Khoshbin he, "Must go and say goodbye to Father." meaning a Catholic Priest in attendance. Apparently they were acquainted, and even friends. Later I saw the two of them deep in a conversation.
I was sort of afraid of the Sikh lady. She was tall, in a flowing white robe and head covering, and the first thing that crossed my mind was "Hippie." I think that what bothered me was that I've met Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists all my life, but this was the first Sikh I have ever consciously come in contact with. And she was white aka of European descent like me. If she had been Indian, Sri Lank-an or looked east Asian I wouldn't have been quite a shock. Looking back on last night I wish I could have gone up and talked to her. I have no idea what Sikhs believe in. Maybe I should try and find some and talk to them.
Something I have learned is how close the entire human family is. Being a Latter-day Saint, I want to be married in an LDS Temple and raise my children in the LDS faith. But I realize that most of the understanding I have of other religions was either through necessity or coincidence. My biological parents families are various sects of Protestants, my step-mom's family is Catholic. Through my mission to South Carolina I was introduced to more Protestant and Evangelical denominations of Christianity. At school I knew more Christians as well as Jews, Muslims, some Buddhists, and those who described themselves as "Spiritual." I also know atheists and agnostics who have widened my view and understanding of scientific theories. I often wonder if there isn't a way to introduce my future children to other belief systems so that they won't be afraid or prejudiced when they hear talks about international or domestic issues involving people in other faiths. When they meet them I want them to meet them as friends and fellow children of God. At the same time I believe that the LDS Church encompasses all of the great truths in the world and I do hope that they will identify and continue in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mormons and Muslims working together

A few weeks ago my YSA (Young Single Adult) congregation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints got together with a group of Muslim young adults for a service project. We made Thanksgiving gift bags of food for an elementary school in South Central L.A. The children at the school are all impoverished and so they would not have had a Thanksgiving dinner without the bags. We were told that many of the children were fed at school and possibly that was all the food they had for the day. I wonder what they have to eat on weekends?
During the event I became friends with the Muslim young people. There are many similarities between the Muslim and Latter-day Saint religions. We got a list of similarities from Brother Steve Gilliland, the LDS liaison to Muslims in the Los Angeles area.

RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
Both religions are a way of life and not just a way of believing.
They are family oriented in their religious practices.
They worship privately, in their families and their religious community.
They believe in being modest in their dress and behavior.
They believe in pre-marital chastity and fidelity in marriage.
They each have a dietary/health code:
LDS- Word of Wisdom (D&C 89)- Alcohol, Tea, Coffee, Tobacco prohibited, Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Meat eaten.
Muslim- Halal- Alcohol, Pork, Gelatin, prohibited, Grains, Fruits, Vegetables eaten. Meat is eaten when it is killed in an acceptable manner.
They Pray many times a day.
They have regular scripture study.
They have formal times for fasting from food and drink as well as individual periods of fasting.
Muslim-Month of Ramadan (When Muhammad received the Koran from God)
LDS-Fast Sunday (First Sunday of the month)
They give generously to the poor and needy.
LDS- Tithing, Fast Offering, Service
Muslims- One of the Pillars of Islam, Service
They give generously of their time in service to their congregation, masjid, ward/branch.
They occasionally ritually worship in a sacred place ehere simple, white clothing is worn by all.
Muslims- Mecca
LDS- Temples
They strongly encourage their children to receive a good education.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
They believe in one divine power source- God, Allah, Heavenly Father.
They believe in Him as a merciful, compassionate and all powerful God.
They believe that life has meaning and purpose and that diversity and the challenges of life can be for our good. (D&C 121:7-8)
They believe in periods of religious apostasy in history and in prophets called to restore the truth.
LDS-Joseph Smith restored the Church, Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today.
Muslims- Mohammed received the Koran.
They believe that prophets are ordinary people with extraordinary guidance for us from God.
They believe in an unlettered prophet who brought forth a remarkable book of God's teachings.
Muslims- Muhammad received the Koran from God.
LDS- Joseph Smith received and translated The Book of Mormon from God.
They believe in following the Bible's teachings as well as their unique books of scripture.
They believe in the Old Testament prophets such as Adam, Abraham, Noah, and Moses.
They believe that in the beginning Satan rejected God's plan, was cast out, and now tempts us to reject God's teachings.
They believe that all will be accountable in the afterlife for their mortal choices.
They believe God will forgive those who honestly repent and do righteous deeds.
They believe in freedom of religion, civil liberties, and human rights for all with accompanying responsibilities.
They believe in the sanctity of human life and oppose the killing or harming of any innocent human being.
They believe in repelling evil with goodness.
They believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus and honor and respect Mary.
Muslims believe Jesus was a great prophet. Latter-day Saints believe He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
They believe in the Resurrection, Day of Judgement, and Second Coming of Jesus.
They believe that heavenly rewards can come also to people not of their faith who live according to God's teachings.
They believe that some people and cultures have distorted their faith to promote

Talk on unity in the Church

Unity in the Gospel For the last several months, our country has been overrun with commercials, phone calls, radio spots, and even whole television programs dedicated to the latest Presidential Election. I know people of all political stripes and opinions who are members of the Church. Most of them were supporters of Mitt Romney, to varying degrees of dedication. Then I know Rob Tabor, a friend who I met as a fellow missionary in South Carolina. With others he started the groups Mormons for Obama and Mormon Democratic Alliance. Then I know several members who decided that even though Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were the only candidates who would get any airtime they were going to vote Third Party. Through the amazing social science observation tool called Facebook, I was able to observe their arguments, sometimes rather heated, about politics. Now that the elections are thankfully over I felt impressed to talk about unity in the Gospel. In October 2008 General Conference, President Henry B. Eyring suggests some ways that we can be united as members of the Church. The ‘Proclamation to the World on the Family’ states that family is essential to the Plan. Doctrine and Covenants 131: 1-2 says, “In the Celestial Glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood (meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage) . . . “ Having not reached that particular checkpoint, I don’t have much to say about it. But having watched various members of this ward in their marriages has given me some ideas in how to proceed once I get there. For example, putting Christ first is an essential part of marriage. When King Benjamin called together his people in Mosiah chapter 2, it was noted that each family set up their tent with the door towards the temple. Logistically this was so they could hear and see King Benjamin when he was speaking. Beyond that there was spiritual symbolism. On every temple in use the words ‘The House of the Lord’ are inscribed above the door. The temple is Christ’s house, and in a special way it represents the Savior. When a couple bases their marriage on the Savior then anything that comes up can be overcome. I’ve never met any two people who agree on every single detail of life, but if a couple continually strives to follow the commandments they can be successful. I remember President Hinckley talking about Sister Hinckley after she died. He said, “In school she was the girl of my dreams, we spent our married life walking side by side, neither one or the other ahead or behind. Now, she has again become the girl of my dreams.” It is the middle of that sentence that really caught my attention. Even though some claims have been made about radical patriarchy in the Church, our prophet said that he and his wife were equal partners in their marriage. In the last General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was giving a talk about repentance. He had not mentioned marriage at all when he all of the sudden said, “I love you Jeannine!” He then went on to the rest of his talk about repentance. I have never heard a General Authority talk bad about his wife, and on the flip side I have never heard a wife of one speak ill of him. The start of practicing unity in the home is the best way to be able to extend it outside to the rest of the world. Several places in the scriptures command the church to get together to fast and pray often. The Savior gave this command when he visited the Nephites in the Book of Mormon. 3 Nephi 18:22 And behold, ye shall meet together oft; and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not; Jesus tells the Nephite Twelve Apostles that they should not have contention in relation to the name of the Church or the doctrine. Since Christ and His prophets and apostles are our leaders, we need to resist the temptation to be prideful towards others. Alma the Elder mentioned the command. “And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church. … “And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets. “Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people. “And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another. “And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God.” (Mosiah 18:17-22) We can become more unified by doing service to others, both in and out of the Church. In his talk, President Eyring mentions world leaders who have praised the Church for their humanitarian efforts. Recently, several newspapers ran stories about the Church’s response after Hurricane Sandy. But large-scale service, although good to do, is not necessary. We need not wait for a hurricane, the Big Earthquake, or some other horrible calamity to occur before we do service. Little jobs and opportunities are continually surrounding us with opportunities to serve. During the best Sacrament meeting of the year the Primary gave us examples of service they have done, such as cleaning their room, the house, helping with a baby brother or sister, or being nice. As a start everyone can be nice to others. To our brothers and sisters not of our faith we can extend the service of inviting them to hear about the Gospel. I’ll admit I am not the best member missionary. Since I got home from serving full time I have found it hard to talk to nonmembers. I was always nervous even with the suit and nametag, when the person I was talking to knew what I wanted. But we can all start somewhere by praying and asking the Lord to put missionary situations in our path. It worked in South Carolina, why not in the South Bay? It all depends on a testimony of the Gospel and of Christ’s Atonement. “The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose, I will not, I will not, desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”the last verse of “How Firm A Foundation” Hymn 85. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.