Basic Islamic Questions

"No, it was recorded, not created by Man, according to Allah."

Am I correct in my understanding that according to Islamic beliefs:

God told the Angel who told Muhammad who told his companions who wrote it down.

However, God, the all powerful spoke DIRECTLY to Moses (Exodus 20 and others).  And Moses gave the Word of God DIRECTLY to the people.  And the Toran (Old Testament) did not needed "clarification" by a committee.

So why did Muhammad and Smith need transcripters?

StephenC wrote: "No, it was recorded, not created by Man, according to Allah." Am I correct in my understanding that according to Islamic beliefs: God told the Angel who told Muhammad who told his companions who wrote it down.

Semantics.

Gabriel delivered the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (saw). If I go to Pizza Hut and order a Pizza, or if I use the phone (an intermediary), it is still me who is ordering the pizza.

However, God, the all powerful spoke DIRECTLY to Moses (Exodus 20 and others).  And Moses gave the Word of God DIRECTLY to the people.  And the Toran (Old Testament) did not needed "clarification" by a committee.

1) The Masoretic is not a stone tablet. Neither is the LXX. Both show that at least two tradtions exist, giving us to schools of though that wrote and transcribed for the sake of preservation. (the last I looked, I did not find stone tablets in the local Christian store).

2) Whether or not the revelation was placed on stone by Gd or in the heart by Gd, is irrelevant, as in both cases, the next step in transmission is both memory and written. In the case of the Quran, it was placed in memory, which is why to this day it has remained true, unlike other religous texts.

3) Actually the Jews did use committed to determine what was to be included in the Hebrew Bible and what wasn't. The Sanhedrin never left a record as to their criteria. Not only was the bible formed by committe, but one finds at least two different written traditions.

4) Committe was used to insure as much accuracy as possible, due to the fear of Allah of the first generation. Unlike other groups.

5) Your comment on committe was a red herring. I fear that your small attempts to obfuscate reveal an an evangelical.  

So why did Muhammad and Smith need transcripters?

That's a complex question. 

Why did Moses need transcribers?

"But it looks bad when one throws out the skeptic card when it is convenient. "

So I should not question anyone who claims to have a message from God or an angel?

The fact that one God exists and is the creator is a given.

Who was God's messager or prophet is based solely on faith.  You can not prove that Muhammad was visited by God's Angel and I can not prove that he was not visited by God's angel.  The same goes for other prophets.

I believe God does speak to mankind and uses Angels.  However, if I compare undisputed encounters between mankind and God and/or his Angels with that of Muhammad (and Smith, Kresh, etc.) I find significant differences.

I do not mean any offense.  I am attempting solely to learn the truth.

Muhammad lived in a cave for approximately two years.  Having been in caves before I know that the environment is different than the outside.  For example, in caves with bats, there is bat gano dust, which if inhaled can get into the blood stream.  There are also molds and mushroom type organisms.  I don't know the characteristics of the particular cave, but during the tour of Mammonth Cave in Kentucky, the tour guide told of the psycological effects of being in total darkness.

I am NOT saying Muhammad's vision (or Smith's) was the result of environmental aspects.  I leave that up to the reader to make their own decision.

My opinion is that there is absolutely NO proof that Muhammad's revelation came from God.  If you have anything remotely proving it or even an indication that it is true please let me know as I truly am seeking the truth!