If Mormons believe God has a physical body...?

Question

my own personal view is that God is not confined to a body & that He is omnipotent (all powerful) & omniscient (all knowing). many Christians would agree with me. however, Mormons believe that God is confined to a physical body such as when he appeared to Joseph Smith as a bearded, gray haired man dressed in white. If this is true, doesn't this defeat the idea that God is the most supreme being in all of the universe? Being confined to a body would not allow Him to be all powerful. can someone clarify this Mormon belief?

Answer 1

You're making some assumptions that you don't know to be correct.

You're assuming that a physical body is confining and limiting.

Mormons believe that God has a "perfect body". What are all the differences??? We know some, but not all of them.

Why could he not have a perfect body and not be all powerful???

So your all powerful god would cease to be all powerful if he chose to inhabit a body??? If he's all powerful, couldn't he do that?

This and many Mormon beliefs come down to one thing:

Was Joseph Smith God's prophet???

If he was, then his teachings are God, and are true. Whether he was or wasn't, wouldn't God know either way???

The Bible says over and over "Ask and ye shall receive". Millions of people world wide have approached god with this sincere question......and God has answered them.

......And he'll answer you too.....if you ask humbly, sincerely, and with faith.

Answer 2

God is a spirit being. He does not have a physical body like humans do. The Bible describes God as existing in 3 persons, yet this is one God, not three. The word "trinity" is derived from two words meaning "tri-unity". One God, three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is a spirit being as well, but for a little over 30 years, He lived on earth and inhabited a human body. This was the only way He could offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He was a totally unique individual, both human, and God, while walking this earth. The Trinity is a very difficult concept to completely understand, and it has been debated for hundreds of years. An analogy that some people use (although it is not perfect) is to consider ice, water, and steam. All 3 are composed of H20, yet they exist in 3 different forms. You ask a good question that is hard to answer because it stretches the limits of human understanding. I deal with it by simply accepting the fact that God is far beyond what our limited human minds are able to grasp completely, and that our understanding of Him, to some extent, will always be shrouded in mystery. A spirit being that has no beginning, has no end, is all-knowing and all-powerful is beyond what the human brain can fully comprehend. But the evidence for His existence is something He has allowed us to comprehend, in spite of all this. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

The fact that He has a glorified body of flesh and bone, similar to our own, we are in His likeness, does not dimenish His power or influence. The workings of the spirit are marvelous to ponder. All things were created spiritually before they were created physically. Spirit is matter, more refined than we can perceive with our mortal senses but it is nevertheless matter. That spirit is in and through all things. It permeates the universe going out from the presence of God to fill all space. When the authority of God commands something to be done, the spirit responds and the physical has to go along. Likewise, in some way that we don't comprehend, communication runs through that spirit matter, sometimes called light and intelligence, to convey our desires and His answers. We are able now to communicate around the globe instantaneously via sattellite transmissions. God can communicate throughout the universe via spiritual transmissions. He is able to make His influence and presence known in an instant by using natural means unknown and undiscovered by mankind. Thus, to us, it is all powerful, all knowing and ever present. However, when we return to His presence, we will see and understand how it is done. We will learn the true nature and character of Deity.
I'm sorry for such a sketchy answer. It would take a much longer time and space to do this subject justice.

Answer 4

God IS omnipotent, omniscient, etc., but having a corporeal body does not limit Him in any way. If God, the Heavenly Father, is only a spirit, then what in the world does He need the Holy Spirit for?

Having a perfected, exalted body does not limit God in any way. How would it keep Him from being all powerful?

Answer 5

Paul wrote that the Jesus was the express image of the Father. This means they look alike. Jesus asked the apostles to touch him, that he was not a ghost. He ate with them to show his nature as a physical being. So if He and the Father look alike, then logically they would have similar glorified bodies.

The reason the Bible goes to such lengths to show how the resurrection works if so that we will understand how we will appear and that the spirit that dwells in our hearts is the Holy Ghost, not the Father or the Son. Since they have physical bodies, and the Holy Ghost does not.

Answer 6

I think you're confusing terms and consequences a bit.

Omnipotent (having all power) and omniscient (having all knowledge) have nothing to do with whether a being is a personage of spirit or physical matter.

We believe that God has a physical immortal body of flesh and bones (he doesn't have blood). One of the purposes of our sojourn on earth is to gain a physical body so we can be more like our Father. In the Resurrection we, too, will receive immortal physical bodies.

Answer 7

We believe that God has a body of flesh and bone, and that we are made in His image, but His body is glorified, and so He is also omnipotent and omniscient. If God is a glorified being that is everywhere and knows everything, why then can't he also have a physical body?
The Mormon belief makes more sense to me.

Answer 8

God has a body of flesh and bone. A physical body is one of flesh and blood. God can be all powerful and omnipotent as you say while being "confined to a physical body." He is God so he can do whatever he wants. You believe in this, so why can't he be in a body and still be all powerful?

Answer 9

Mormons take this a bit farther: not only is god the father a resurrected and 'exalted' being, he was once an ordinary Joe and lived in another galaxy, far, far away a long time ago. He also has many wives who perpetually bear spirit children (apparently the old fashioned way), and they have physical bodies also. So does god the grandfather, great grandfather, god the brothers'-in-law, god the second cousin, ad infinatum.

But our god just hang wit us in da hood, yo. But he's really caucasian-looking and drives a really big SUV.

Answer 10

Go to the CARM website to learn more about this Cult. I wouldn't worry to much about what these loons believe. They think the American Indians are the lost tribes of Israel and that when they die they will get a planet to be Gods over.