Ok, so do mormons think there is only one God, or many? And Is Jesus that God, or is he not? And why does the BOM say things totally opposited the DC? Is it possible that the Church of LDS is a corrupted church?
From a reading of the following, it appears as though Jesus is the One God, part of a trinity with father and Holy spirit:
1 Neph 13:41, 2 Neph 31:21, Mos 15:4-5, 16:15, Alma 11:28-39, 14:5, Mor 7:7
2006-11-09 16:22:30 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.
We believe all 3 are separate beings, the Father and Son both have perfected bodies of flesh and bone, the Holy Ghost is a personage spirit.
We believe God the Father is the father and god of our spirits. Christ, with direction of the Father, created our world and our bodies and everything else on, in, around the earth.
BUT, we do believe there are more gods "out there", but we do not worship any others than our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We believe all three of them are "one" in the sense that they are one in purpose, will, and love.
I am wondering what you are referring to in the BOM that contradicts the D&C???
2006-11-10 05:37:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's quite simple. We worship God the Father, but through the Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost, the third Holy Entity of the Godhead, manifests the truth and light of Jesus Christ to mankind.
Jesus Christ is the God of this earth and the Jehovah of the Old Testament. As He has told us in the Bible, we go through him to reach the Father in all that we do. It is through Jesus Christ that man may be saved, exalted, and attain that level of heaven that righteous people want more than anything.
The Doctrine and Covenants do not contradict the Book of Mormon, but are more recent revelations given the prophets of the Church. I'm unsure where you get the notion that the D & C contradicts the Book of Mormon unless you believe every tidbit you hear or read on the Internet.
The Church and its organization is perfect, but we who operate it are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. The Church is for the gathering of the Saints to perfect themselves, not sit in judgment of others.
It is every worthy Mormon's goal to perfect himself as much as humanly possible in this life. Although we know it's impossible, that doesn't stop the intent and purpose of following Jesus' commandment of seeking first the Kingdom of God and then attain perfection.
I trust this helps explain what you seek.
2006-11-09 16:50:03 · answer #2 · answered by Guitarpicker 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I think you can find an LDS group near you so why not join them as a visitor and learn about their beliefs and ways.
Thatss what I did many years ago and found they are in general more honest and true than the average.
No I am not a member of the LDS church. I could never be a member of any religious group. I do have a lot of respect for the Mormons and do wish them all well.
If you want to know then go to the source.
2006-11-09 18:34:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I am a Latter-day Saint. Jesus is God manifested in the flesh. The Book of Mormon does not contradict the Doctrine and Covenants. The Book of Mormon is a collective recount of the testimonies of the so titled books contained within. Things do change, as time changes and the laws of the land change and in Exodus, God commanded us to follow the laws of the land. Mormons can not be classed with all Mormons as some are from a reformed church and those that reformed the "Mormon" church do not always feel that the laws of the land apply to them, ie. multiple wives. Maybe you should pray humbly and with great reverence before reading the scriptures. You will most likely find that your confusion will not be present when you pray for His guidance and his truths. Pray with truth in your heart and ask him to reveal the truth or not truth of the scriptures that you are going to read. "Ask and ye shall receive"
2006-11-09 16:34:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hard to explain in a few words over the internet. I suggest you invite a pair of missionaries in and have a little discussion.
Unlike the Catholic Church that believe God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are three manifestations of the same being, Mormons believe they are three distinct physical beings, but one in spirit.
In the New Testament we are all asked to be one with Christ. Does that mean we all get physically glued together? No, it means we unite our hearts.
God, Jesus and the HG form a presiding body called the Godhead. This makes them one. The U.S. has one government, but has three divisions. Does that mean we have three governments? No, it doesn't. Sometimes the Godhead is referred to as just God; this is what leads to the confusion. Also, we were all spirits before birth and before the earth was even created. God the Father, allowed Jesus to create the earth from material already present in the universe that God created. So, Jesus is the creator of the earth, and thus he is devine and he is the member of the Godhead that breathed life into Adam, and thus in a physical sense, he is our father. So sometimes, Jesus is referred to as the creator and the father and sometimes God is, both are correct.
Have you ever looked at one of the pictures that has a three-dimensional object in it? At first, you just stare at it and disbelieve others that keep coaxing you on about seeing a 3-dimensional object. Then, bingo, it pops into focus. Well, this is how I felt about this concept. Seems that after the apostacy, most christians just gave up trying to see it, and accepted the trinity concept--strange as it is to me. Muslims on the otherhand, threw Jesus right out of the Godhead and demoted him to just another pre-Mohammed prophet with lots of wisdom, but no divinity.
I hope you will believe that Jesus is the Christ and become one with him in the body of Christ. For that is the one and only path back to God, the Father of Jesus.
So do we believe in just one God, yes.
Do we believe in three Gods in one Godhead, yes.
Do we believe that we can all be one in Jesus, yes.
Again, ask the missionaries for more details.
2006-11-09 16:51:21 · answer #5 · answered by asimplegmr 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Too many questions. You need to break this down into smaller questions. One Supreme Eternal God the Father. Then take a look around you and see how family units work. Would it be so bad if other members of His family had also progressed? Besides, we are all children of God and still learning and growing. Have a happy day.
2006-11-09 16:49:24 · answer #6 · answered by Cookie777 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Like all man-made religions Mormonism has many many problems with both it's doctrine and history.
They believe quite literally in Gods without number since they believe as man is God once was, as God is man may become. In others words, everyone has the potential to become a God. I noticed, however, in an interview with Larry King the Mormon leader said the Church is getting away from that teaching - I think to try and become more mainstream.
As for gods in this life, I know they worship God the Father and Jesus Christ. It's a misconception that they worship prophets mentioned in their Book of Mormon.
2006-11-09 16:29:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Many Christians begin to learn about the Trinity through knowledge of Baptism. This is also a starting point for others in comprehending why the doctrine matters to so many Christians, even though the doctrine itself teaches that the being of God is beyond complete comprehension. The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are structured around profession of the Trinity, and are solemnly professed by converts to Christianity when they receive baptism, and in the Church's liturgy, particularly when celebrating the Eucharist. One or both of these creeds are often used as brief summations of Christian faith by mainstream denominations.
One God
God is one, and the Godhead a single being: The Hebrew Scriptures lift this one article of faith above others, and surround it with stern warnings against departure from this central issue of faith, and of faithfulness to the covenant God had made with them. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4) (the Shema), "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Deuteronomy 5:7) and, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel and his redeemer the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6). Any formulation of an article of faith which does not insist that God is solitary, that divides worship between God and any other, or that imagines God coming into existence rather than being God eternally, is not capable of directing people toward the knowledge of God, according to the trinitarian understanding of the Old Testament. The same insistence is found in the New Testament: "...there is none other God but one" (1 Corinthians 8:4). The "other gods" warned against are therefore not gods at all, but substitutes for God, and so are, according to St. Paul, simply mythological or are demons.
So, in the trinitarian view, the common conception which thinks of the Father and Christ as two separate beings, is incorrect. The central, and crucial affirmation of Christian faith is that there is one savior, God, and one salvation, manifest in Jesus Christ, to which there is access only because of the Holy Spirit. The God of the Old is still the same as the God of the New. In Christianity, it is understood that statements about a solitary god are intended to distinguish the Hebraic understanding from the polytheistic view, which see divine power as shared by several separate beings, beings which can, and do, disagree and have conflicts with each other. The concept of Many comprising One is quite visible in the Gospel of John, chapter 17, verses 20 through 23.
God exists in three persons
The "Shield of the Trinity" or "Scutum Fidei" diagram of traditional Western Christian symbolism.This one God however exists in three persons, or in the Greek hypostases. God has but a single divine nature. Chalcedonians — Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants — hold that, in addition, the Second Person of the Trinity — God the Son, Jesus — assumed human nature, so that he has two natures (and hence two wills), and is really and fully both true God and true human.
The singleness of God's being and the multiplicity of the Divine Persons together account for the nature of Christian salvation, and disclose the gift of eternal life. "Through the Son we have access to the Father in one Spirit" (Ephesians 2:18). Communion with the Father is the goal of the Christian faith and is eternal life. It is given to humans through the Divine union with humanity in Jesus Christ who, although fully God, died for sinners "in the flesh" to accomplish their redemption, and this forgiveness, restoration, and friendship with God is made accessible through the gift to the Church of the Holy Spirit, who, being God, knows the Divine Essence intimately and leads and empowers the Christian to fulfill the will of God. Thus, this doctrine touches on every aspect of the trinitarian Christian's faith and life; and this explains why it has been so earnestly contended for, throughout Christian history.
2006-11-11 10:19:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
This explains it much better than I can:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/gs/g/22
If you have the time, follow the links to "Father in Heaven", "Holy Ghost", "Jesus Christ", and "Lord". I also encourage you to read each of the scriptural references cited to gain a more complete understanding of this frequently misunderstood doctrine.
The following article is also helpful:
http://www.fairlds.org/Bible/Jesus_is_Lord_of_the_Old_Testament.html
2006-11-09 18:47:09 · answer #9 · answered by hmmm... 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋