The name Mormons refers to the adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The name Muslims refers to adherents of Islam. As I have learned more about both religions, I have noticed some striking similarities. One is that both of the Prophets which began their religions were uneducated men and the followers of the respective religion account this as a reason for why people should believe in the message that these Prophets have tried to convey. The Prophet of Islam, Mohammed (peace be upon him; this is what Muslims write when they are speaking of him, and other Prophets) received his message from Allah (God) in the sixth century in Saudi Arabia. Joseph Smith, the Prophet for Mormons, received his message from God in Palmyra, New York in the early 19th century. A similarity between the two events is that both Prophets received their messages in places of nature. Perhaps the beauty of what surrounded them helped make it easier for them to understand the divine message that was being imparted to them.
Another similarity is that both men preached the value of multiple marriages for men. The difference, however, between the two religions is that in the case of the Mormons, this practice stopped in the 1890s because the Prophet at the time received relevation that it was no longer appropriate. Another similarity is the reason why multiple marriages were allowed in the first place. In both cases, the rationale behind the edict was that there were widows and other women in unfortunate circumstances who needed the protection of a man. It was not meant to help men give in to their lustful desires; it was to help build up a community so that the religious groups could have strength in numbers.
Yet another point of commonality between the two religions is that unlike the situation with the Bible, both Prophets received their messages directly from God. Therefore, the word of the Quran (the scripture for Muslims) and the Book of Mormon (the scripture for Mormons) hold a lot of value for members of these groups since they represent the undiluted word of God, uncontaminated by intermediaries with their own agendas.
