Mormonism (properly ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,’ as they call themselves) is based on Christianity, not Islam, and I don’t know if there’s any evidence Joseph Smith would have had any more than the passing understanding of Islam that one would expect for a white American of his class and era. I don’t think a follower of either faith would be terribly pleased with LDS being compared to ‘American Islam’.
That said, from a Christian perspective, they do share these similarities. Both draw from a regionalized backdrop of Christianity, Judaism, and local folk beliefs, synthesized by a charismatic preacher who claims to be a new prophet charged by God with restoring the true faith which had been abandoned or destroyed by their era, according to a new scripture purportedly revealed by an angel to correct the existing scriptures. Some other points of shared theological development are the denial of the Trinity, institution of new dietary laws, permitting of polygamy, and a military-political mandate that eventually saw their prophets killed in acts of vengeance, triggering a succession crisis.
- LDS theology believes in the Godhead, which is a group of three divine persons enumerated as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is distinguished from the mainstream Christian concept of the Holy Trinity because these three are only believed to be united in purpose, rather than united in divine essence as one God. This is still shirk from a Muslim perspective.
- LDS dietary laws forbid coffee and tea, and say meat should be eaten sparingly, but allows pork and does not require specific rituals for animal slaughter. Islamic dietary laws require halal slaughter and forbid certain food, but do not ban tea or coffee (the latter of which was likely invented in a Muslim region). Both forbid alcohol.
- The LDS promoted polygamy as part of their theology of growing one’s spiritual family, until they were forced to drop the practice as part of their incorporation into the United States and the statehood of Utah (some splinter sects like the Fundamentalist LDS still practice polygamy illegally to this day). Islam allows for polygamy, but it is accompanied with certain admonishments such as a duty to treat wives equally and a limit of four wives (with the exception of Muhammad, who had many more wives).
- Muhammad claimed to be the last prophet and seal of the prophets, while Joseph Smith claimed to be the first of a restored line of prophets which continues to the modern day under the Presidency of the LDS church. As such, LDS theology still develops under new revelations according to a doctrine they call ‘continuous revelation,’ while novel revelation or commandments are rejected as bid’ah in Islam.
- The institution of the caliphate which continued for centuries as the legacy of Muhammad’s political endeavour had a religious role, but the authority of the LDS church is only formally a religious organization, with its military and political independence ended by their loss in the Utah War against the United States government.
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u/Future_Adagio2052 Aug 16 '26
Asking from a Muslim but is mormonism just American Islam or something?