What did LDS NOT borrow from other belief traditions/lit?

[_moksha]

While there are steak centers, there are no steak presidents.

The Church takes the concept that the Gospel of Jesus was not reserved for the Jews and expands on it like no other religious tradition.

[_Drifting]

This is a rather uninteresting game. If your rules are loose enough, you can postulate almost every name, place, concept, and so on came from somewhere else or was derived from something else. After all, we all know Joseph Smith had the internet too.

Is it uninteresting because you cannot think of a single Mormon doctrinal teaching that wasn't already available to Joseph Smith before the First Vision?

[_Tobin]

This is a rather uninteresting game. If your rules are loose enough, you can postulate almost every name, place, concept, and so on came from somewhere else or was derived from something else. After all, we all know Joseph Smith had the internet too.

Is it uninteresting because you cannot think of a single Mormon doctrinal teaching that wasn't already available to Joseph Smith before the First Vision?

In the known possible universe? Not really. If it were so unique and compelling a story, then why would so many people express doubt? Given what I've read about similar events and ideas expressed I don't find it that particularly unique. There simply is no fact about Mormonism that is that compelling and some facts about Mormonism that are rather distressing. I certainly wouldn't pick it as a good religion to claim as uniquely true or particularly good at what their goals are. I understand that and think probably the only saving grace of Mormonism is if you ask God and God tells you to follow it - then go for it. Otherwise, find something that rings true for you because I don't think any amount of arguing will ever convince you that it is true.

[_Franktalk]

A very interesting topic but you are only hitting the surface. By limiting your evidence to what you find in the world you form an incomplete picture. When ideas come from God and delivered to a prophet then the whole spirit world gets that message. It can come to many at the same time. Some may not even know it is a message from God. They none the less become a tool of God in that they do their part in getting ground work laid out. It would not surprise me at all that the world was flooded with the same ideas that were delivered to Joseph Smith. But it was his job to organize the ideas into scripture form. Anyone who studies Moses and the scripture of the Torah could argue that all of the ideas were borrowed as well. This is not new and it is a method of Satan to obscure the truth of God's message. I am not saying that any of you are doing the work of Satan I am just saying that there is more rather than less going on. You must realize that the plan of salvation and the details are not a secret in heaven. We are dealing with beings that have been around before the creation. Just open your eyes to a much larger picture. In this view we are but pawns but we do have our own will. It is only by faith that we can navigate through this sea of conflicting information. I have opened the door but that picture has no data trail to follow. Just be aware that the world does not offer the complete picture.

[_Drifting]

When ideas come from God and delivered to a prophet then the whole spirit world gets that message. It can come to many at the same time.

Frank,

CFR

[_Franktalk]

When ideas come from God and delivered to a prophet then the whole spirit world gets that message. It can come to many at the same time.

Frank,

CFR

Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

God has said that He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. It is no accident that the Mormon church in its name uses latter day. It is no accident that the church stresses a personal witness to the Holy Ghost.

[_subgenius]

This came up on another thread, and deserves one of its own.

These were borrowed
polygamy and multiple wives in the afterlife came from Islam

"Temple" came from Judaism and Masonry
What was not?

The LDS church has always maintained the notion of "Restoration", correct?
I do not recall having come across a teaching that proposes it "created" a new church or a new gospel per se.

Exactly what is the purpose of this thread?

[_Drifting]

This came up on another thread, and deserves one of its own.

These were borrowed
polygamy and multiple wives in the afterlife came from Islam

"Temple" came from Judaism and Masonry
What was not?

The LDS church has always maintained the notion of "Restoration", correct?
I do not recall having come across a teaching that proposes it "created" a new church or a new gospel per se.

Exactly what is the purpose of this thread?

Why the need for a Restoration if the truths and doctrines already existed?

[_Molok]

Why the need for a Restoration if the truths and doctrines already existed?

Because all of the doctrines and practices were not being done by one church, obviously!

[_Equality]

It is no accident that the Mormon church in its name uses latter day.

You'd think God and Joseph Smith could have got that right in the first place, then. But, hey, I do like the name. It has a nice ring to it. After all, "tomorrow is a latter day!"