that's just where joseph smith was

I’m often asked, “I understand the Muslim’s believe that Mohammed was a prophet. Could that be true?” Well, let me ask you a question from your understanding of church history and the life and mission of Joseph Smith. Let’s go back to the early spring of 1829 when Joseph Smith had just completed his translation of the Book of Mormon. It was being published and ready to start being distributed, missionaries were ready to go forth with it. He of course had had great visions. He had had an angelic messenger, Moroni, that had visited him for four years in succession. Would you consider him to be a prophet at that time? If so, you might give serious consideration as to how you might define Mohammed as a prophet. He claimed to have had visions. He claimed that he had an angelic messenger – Gabriel was his name, and we understand Gabriel to be the premortal name of the great patriarch and prophet Noah. And he brought forth a work of scripture much smaller than the Book of Mormon and about the size of the New Testament called the Koran. Although during his lifetime it wasn’t really prepared and written - it was presented and passed-on orally. So again; visions, angelic messenger, inspired writings or words that came forth. That’s just where Joseph Smith was say in April, 1829. Now Mohammed never claimed to have received priesthood. That didn’t happen to the prophet Joseph until May 1829, and then later as he received the Aaronic and Melchezdik priesthood, and then most importantly after the completion of the Kirkland temple he received important keys from Moses and Elijah and Elias and others that really established his authority and his power as a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Well Mohammed never had priesthood, he never tried to establish a church or religion, but it followed him – much like later the Lutheran church would follow Martin Luther, he never wanted to establish a church, he just wanted to reform the mother church, but this often happens when you get great, inspired charismatic leaders, that their followers want to identify together as a religious community.


Latter-Day Insights: The Middle East by Victor L. Ludlow. Covenant Communications.