WVC Mosque

There is a growing number of Mosques and Islamic Centers in Salt Lake City. The picture above is a mosque in West Valley City.

Salt Lake City is the home of the LDS Church. The Mosques in Utah bring up the interesting question about how these two religions will get along. Right now they are co-existing.

Islam and Mormonism have interesting parallels. Both started with a person who declared himself a prophet and a receiver of visions. Both prophets engaged in polygamy. Both prophets went after young girls.

There are big differences. Islam is monotheistic. Mormonism is polytheistic. Islam claims there is One God and Muhammad is his prophet. Mormons claim that there is an infinite number of gods in a political hierarchy of gods. Mormons claim that anyone could become a god if they joined the church, paid a 10% tithe and did Masonic rituals in LDS Temples.

If Mormonism is correct; then Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are now both gods in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Mormonism and Islam appear to be co-existing at the moment. But I suspect that the profound theological differences will lead to conflict.

There is a huge amount of evidence that Joseph Smith was a conman. Islam did a better job shrouding its foundation behind a veil.

So, I think Islam has a stronger argument than Mormonism.

Mainstream Mormonism currently has a more unified political structure than Islam.

Personally, I think Mormon political unity is temporary.

I mentioned that Mormons believe that they are gods in training.

Well, Joseph Smith prophecized that a person must have at least three wives to become a god.

If polygamy were legalized; one would start seeing powerful members of the church going after the girls in seminary to get the required number of wives. The kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart was a guy who thought he needed seven wives to become a god.

Many Mormons like monogamy. So, legalization of polygamy is bound to create a schism between LDS fundamentalists who promote polygamy and liberal Mormons who like monogamy.

There is that ugly word "liberal" again.

Polygamists with huge families develop into clans ... like the Kingston Clan.

The huge clans have a tendency to start clashing.

Legalizing polygamy will cause another LDS Schism and an ideal opportunity for Islam to step in.

I suspect that if history boiled down to a clash between Islam and Mormonism; Islam would win.

A much more interesting question is if Christianity can survive Islam?

Islam is a much more conservative religion than Christianity.

As Islam becomes established in the west, I suspect that we will start seeing conservatives converting to Islam en masse.

Conservatives, as everyone knows, is defined by a deep, deep hatred of liberalism.

Conservatives hate liberals and everything to do with liberalism. Conservatives want to see liberalism vanquished from the planet and a strict social order imposed.

Lets consider Christianity for a moment. The two greatest figures in the Christian tradition are Moses and Jesus.

Moses freed the Jews from bondage in Egypt. Christ died on the cross to free us of our sins.

These were acts of liberation.

Moses and Jesus were liberals.

Even worse Jesus gave the world a message of forgiveness and said that we should love our neighbors.

These are liberal ideas.

Conservatives hate the word liberal. Conservatives despise liberalism in its every form.

To make matters worse. The US Founders fought a revolution to liberate the colonies. The US Founders were also liberal.

Conservatives are defined by a deep loathing of liberalism in all its forms.

At some point, Conservatives will wake up and realize that Moses and Christ were liberals and that Christianity is a liberal religion.

By fighting for liberty, the US Founders were liberals.

Whoa to the closed minded conservative. There is evil liberalism all around.

The vaunted Constitution has a bill of rights. The concepts of legal equality and inalienable rights are liberal.

I suspect that, once Islam is established, conservatives will flock to Islam as it provides the strict discipline and social order that conservatives desire.

Islam is a conservative revolution.

Utah boasts that Utah is the most conservative state West of Iran.

Were Mormonism to implode, I would not be surprised in the least to see ex-Mormons flocking to Islam as Islam justifies the social intolerance that beats in the heart of all conservatives.

These mosques popping up in town could well be the future of the Beehive State.