One Abrahamic faith per continent?

Mormonism doesn't count as an Abrahamic religion as all Abrahamic religions must be monotheistic.

I disagree. An Abrahamic religion is one that acknowledges Abraham as an early patriarch. Monotheism is a common attribute, but not essential to the definition. The early Hebrew faith was far from monotheistic, it only became so after the Babylonian Captivity. Was the religion of Judea and Samaria therefore non-Abrahamic?
 
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The problem with this is that Judaism isn't a proselytising religion, which is one of the main reasons why they are by far the smallest of the three Abrahamic faiths today.

Modern Judaism isn't a proselytizing religion. Historical Judaism very frequently was. There were clear efforts to expand Judaism into Arabia and spread throughout the Roman Empire. One of the biggest challenges was that most would-be converts (especially Greeks/Romans) said "wait, you want to cut off what?", which hindered the spread. Even then, there seem to have been significant populations of "we find your religion interesting, but don't want to undergo circumcision" Greeks. We also can't forget the Khazars. It's certainly possible to imagine a world where the dominant strain of Judaism remains actively missionary.

It's only really with rise of other monotheistic religions that Judaism as a non-proselytizing religion comes from; attempting to convert the local Christian village was likely to get your entire community in trouble if the king was Christian.
 
And people being naked in some neolithic version of Utopia, spending all day consuming milk and honey is more logical?

When it comes right down to it Mormons are Christians as they accept the New Testament, consider Jesus to be the Savor and all the other related stuff about him while the only real difference is their adding an additional book (which does'nt change or oppose key theological teachings) and their belief in what happens in Heaven; incidentally, while I'm obviously not up on scriputre, I'm pretty sure Mormonism does'nt teach that Humans 'become gods' but rather that they will 'become like gods' in that they're given dominion over a place as their own.
Hmmm.... Christians added a book, are they still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Islam added a book, are THEY still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Mormonism added a book, are they still Christian? No, not by any reasonable definition.

Is how I look at it. YMMV. In particular, of course, THEY call themselves Christian.
 
Hmmm.... Christians added a book, are they still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Islam added a book, are THEY still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Mormonism added a book, are they still Christian? No, not by any reasonable definition.

Is how I look at it. YMMV. In particular, of course, THEY call themselves Christian.

To be fully accurate, they teach they are the only true Christians, if I'm not mistaken.
 
Hmmm.... Christians added a book, are they still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.

Because of various substantial differences between Christianity and Judaism. Not just additions, differences.

Islam added a book, are THEY still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
As with Christianity.

Mormonism added a book, are they still Christian? No, not by any reasonable definition.
What "reasonable definition" of Christianity excludes Mormonism?
 
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Hmmm.... Christians added a book, are they still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Islam added a book, are THEY still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Mormonism added a book, are they still Christian? No, not by any reasonable definition.

Is how I look at it. YMMV. In particular, of course, THEY call themselves Christian.

Exactly. The fact that Mormons consider themselves to be Christians trumps the very real differences between Mormonisms and 'normative' Christianity. If you looked only at Scripture, the progression is clear:

Samaritans accept only the Pentateuch, and the Prophet Moses.

Jews add the rest of the Torah, and many minor Prophets. It's considered a different religion from Samaritanism.

Christians add the New Testament, and Jesus. It's considered a different religion from Judaism.

Moslems add the Qur'an, and the Prophet Mohammad. It's also considered a different religion from Judaism.

Mormons add the Book of Mormon, and the Prophet Joseph Smith. It would surely be considered a different religion from Christianity, if its adherents themselves considered Mormonism to be a different religion. But they don't, so it isn't.
 
Hmmm.... Christians added a book, are they still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Islam added a book, are THEY still Jews? No, not by any reasonable definition.
Mormonism added a book, are they still Christian? No, not by any reasonable definition.

Is how I look at it. YMMV. In particular, of course, THEY call themselves Christian.

The big difference though is that the Book of Mormon does not change or add major and/or conflicting theological things like the above examples, it does add stuff, but the differences are no greater than the differences between the various denominational groups elsewhere in Christianity.
 
The big difference though is that the Book of Mormon does not change or add major and/or conflicting theological things like the above examples, it does add stuff, but the differences are no greater than the differences between the various denominational groups elsewhere in Christianity.

I think that bit about God being originally a limited Being much like current humans, and that present-day humans will eventually become gods themselves, would count as a major theological change. Not to mention the coming of a new Prophet in the person of Joseph Smith.
 
I think that bit about God being originally a limited Being much like current humans, and that present-day humans will eventually become gods themselves, would count as a major theological change. Not to mention the coming of a new Prophet in the person of Joseph Smith.

The whole gods related stuff is I think a misunderstanding by non-Mormons, which is'nt that surprising given Mormonism can be a bit odd and throughout time secretive and theological language in all the abrahamic religions tends to be confusing.

In regards to Joseph Smith, from what I understand he's not a Prophet in the sense of Jesus or Mohammed, but an ordinary man who was chosen by god to 're-discover' lost information pertaining to the Americas, which would'nt really go against Christianity since the Bible does contain cases of people being blessed by god or tasked to carry out his bidding while not being Prophets themselves or of a divine nature like Jesus is supposed to be.
 
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Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.1, p.69 - p.70:

THE STRAITNESS OF THE WAY. Mortality is the testing or proving ground for exaltation to find out who among the children of God are worthy to become Gods themselves, and the Lord has informed us that "few there be that find it."

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.1, p.97 - p.98:

ALL EXALTED MEN BECOME GODS. To believe that Adam is a god should not be strange to any person who accepts the Bible. When Jesus was accused of blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God, he answered the Jews: "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"

Joseph Smith taught a plurality of gods, and that man by obeying the commandments of God and keeping the whole law will eventually reach the power and exaltation by which he also will become a god.

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.39:

SONS OF GOD BECOME GODS. If the faithful, who keep the commandments of the Father, are his sons, then they are heirs of the kingdom and shall receive of the fulness of the Father's glory, even until they become like the Father. And how can they be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect if they are not like him? . . . And if they receive his fulness and his glory, and if "all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs," how can they receive these blessings and not become gods? They cannot.

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.48:

The Father has promised us that through our faithfulness we shall be blessed with the fulness of his kingdom. In other words we will have the privilege of becoming like him. To become like him we must have all the powers of godhood; thus a man and his wife when glorified will have spirit children who eventually will go on an earth like this one we are on and pass through the same kind of experiences, being subject to mortal conditions, and if faithful, then they also will receive the fulness of exaltation and partake of the same blessings. There is no end to this development; it will go on forever. We will become gods and have jurisdiction over worlds, and these worlds will be peopled by our own offspring. We will have an endless eternity for this.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2:

GODHOOD

Logically and naturally, the ultimate desire of a loving Supreme Being is to help his children enjoy all that he enjoys. For Latter-day Saints, the term "godhood" denotes the attainment of such a state—one of having all divine attributes and doing as God does and being as God is. Such a state is to be enjoyed by all exalted, embodied, intelligent beings (see Deification; Eternal Progression; Exaltation; God; Perfection). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all resurrected and perfected mortals become gods (cf. Gen. 3:22; Matt. 5:48). They will dwell again with God the Father, and live and act like him in endless worlds of happiness, power, love, glory, and knowledge; above all, they will have the power of procreating endless lives. Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ attained godhood (see Christology) and that he marked the path and led the way for others likewise to become exalted divine beings by following him (cf. John 14:3).
 
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The big difference though is that the Book of Mormon does not change or add major and/or conflicting theological things like the above examples, it does add stuff, but the differences are no greater than the differences between the various denominational groups elsewhere in Christianity.

Perhaps you are unaware, but in addition to the Bible and the Book of Mormon, the LDS church also considers 'Doctrine & Covenants' and 'The Pearl of Great Price' to be scripture.

In regards to Adam Smith, from what I understand he's not a Prophet in the sense of Jesus or Mohammed, but an ordinary man who was chosen by god

Woah, I largely agree with classical liberalism, but I think that's going a bit far.
 
Perhaps you are unaware, but in addition to the Bible and the Book of Mormon, the LDS church also considers 'Doctrine & Covenants' and 'The Pearl of Great Price' to be scripture.

I can't really comment much more on it, my paternal family may be Mormon, so I know a little about it, but as I am not nor ever have been (and was never around them that much) I'm far from an expert.

That said we should perhaps get one of our boards resident Mormons into the discussion to more clearly define things and the Churches current stances and beliefs*.


Woah, I largely agree with classical liberalism, but I think that's going a bit far.

Religions don't tend to be very libertine or egalitarian in spiritual matters; the Old and New Testament have various characters that fit this description of being ordinary men who were chosen by god to do some specific thing but are otherwise not special.



*I know they've over time dropped some relatively major beliefs in terms of both theological matters as well as spiritual law (like dropping polygamy).
 
Religions don't tend to be very libertine or egalitarian in spiritual matters; the Old and New Testament have various characters that fit this description of being ordinary men who were chosen by god to do some specific thing but are otherwise not special.

That was a joke. You said Adam Smith instead of Joseph Smith...
 
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