LDS View of God Contradicts the Bible
LDS Prophet Joseph Smith taught that God was once a mortal man:
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. ...I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil,...
It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, ...and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; ...you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another,... from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings. and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power" (History of the Church, Vol.6, Ch.14, p.305-6).
LDS President Brigham Young declared that God was once a finite being:
"It appears ridiculous to the world, under their darkened and erroneous traditions, that God has once been a finite being" (Deseret News, Nov.16, 1859, p.290).
LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith said that God had a father, a grandfather, etc.:
"Our father in heaven, according to the Prophet, had a father, and since there has been a condition of this kind through all eternity, each Father had a Father" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:47).
LDS President Joseph F. Smith taught that God was born as a mortal on some other earth:
"I know that God is a being with body, parts and passions...Man was born of woman; Christ, the Savior, was born of woman; and God, the Father was born of woman" (Deseret News, Church News, Sept.19, 1936, p.2).
LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie taught:
"The Father is a glorified, perfected, resurrected, exalted man who worked out his salvation by obedience to the same laws he has given to us so that we may do the same" (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.64)
LDS Apostle Melvin Ballard explained that God has a wife:
"For as we have a Father in heaven, so also we have a Mother there, a glorified, exalted, ennobled Mother" (As quoted in Achieving a Celestial Marriage, LDS Church manual, 1976, p.129).
LDS Doctrine and Covenants promises the faithful LDS couple that they can achieve godhood in the same manner as God the Father:
"...if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity,... they shall [have]...a continuation of the seeds [children] forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting,... Then shall they be gods, because they have all power,... and continuation of the lives,... [endless procreation of spirit children]" (Doctrine and Covenants Section 132:18-22)
LDS President Brigham Young taught that faithful Mormons can achieve godhood:
"Intelligent beings are organized to become Gods, even the Sons of God, to dwell in the presence of the Gods, and become associated with the highest intelligences that dwell in eternity. We are now in the school, and must practice upon what we receive" (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.245).
LDS President Joseph F. Smith said:
"We are precisely in the same condition and under the same circumstances that God our heavenly Father was when he was passing through this, or a similar ordeal" (Gospel Doctrine, p.54).
LDS Apostle James E. Talmage taught that God progressed from a mortal to a god:
"We believe in a God who is Himself progressive, whose majesty is intelligence; whose perfection consists in eternal advancement -- a Being who has attained His exalted state by a path which now His children are permitted to follow, whose glory it is their heritage to share. In spite of the opposition of the sects, in the face of direct charges of blasphemy, the Church proclaims the eternal truth: 'As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be'" (Articles of Faith, Ch.24, p.430 - p.431).
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What the Bible Says About God
1. ALWAYS GOD - in the past as well as in the future.
"Art thou not from ever-lasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One?" Hab. 1:12
"For I am the Lord, I change not." Mal. 3:6
"...from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Psa. 90:2
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent." Num. 23:19
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,...who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever." Rom. 1:22-25
The LDS god started as a finite man and progressed to godhood.
2. ALWAYS HOLY - Both in the past and future.
"...a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." Deut. 32:4
"I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee." Hos. 11:9
"The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works." Psa. 145:17
"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5
"Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness." Psa. 119:142
The LDS god achieved holiness.
3. ALL KNOWING - Both in the past and in the future.
"Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? ... There is no searching of his understanding." Isa. 40:13,14,28
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." Psa. 147:5
The LDS god had to learn everything.
4. ALL POWERFUL
"The Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Rev. 19:6
"...his eternal power and Godhead." Rom. 1:20
The LDS god attained his power.
5. OMNIPRESENT
"The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; where is the house that ye build unto me: and where is the place of my rest?" Isa. 66:1
"Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord." Jer. 23:23-24
The LDS god can be in only one place at a time.
6. ACTED ALONE IN CREATION
"I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself." Isa. 44:24
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." Psa. 33:6
"Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all." Neh. 9:6
The LDS god cooperated with the Council of Gods to create.
7. NO OTHER GODS
"I am he; before me there was no God formed neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour." Isa. 43:10-11
"I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God....is there a God beside me; yea, there is no God; I know not any." Isa. 44:6&8
"To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?...for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." Isa. 46:5&9
"I am the Lord; that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another." Isa. 42:8
The LDS God has a father and mother, grandparents, brothers and sisters, etc.
2007-09-22 18:09:31 · 28 answers · asked by Joe D 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Don't feel superior, both ideas are equally stupid
2007-09-22 18:14:45 · answer #1 · answered by Nemesis 7 · 6⤊ 6⤋
I am sure there will be some who will tell you Mormons are Christians. And I am also sure there will be plenty of Christians who will tell you mormons are not Christians, because of our beliefs. But the fact is, in a sense, they are both right! Now how can that be? Simply because we are talking about two different kinds of Christians. Let me explain. The largest and oldest group are "Orthodox Protestant Christians". We Mormons do not fit their description of whom they consider a Christian. And that is ok with us, we do not want to be considered Christian by their definition. So how do the Mormons come to the conclusion we are actually true Christians? Very simple. While the large group are Orthodox Christians, Mormons are Bible Christians. Now I know that should bring up a shout or two, but it is a fact, as I shall explain, and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. After Jesus ascended into heaven the Apostles went back to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Ghost. And on the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost came and settled on all of the Apostles. And shortly after they had been endowed from on high, they were all outside teaching the multitudes. And the message they taught is recorded in Acts2;37,38.."Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." This was the first sermon preached by the Apostles after they received the Holy Ghost. Peter lists 4 steps to become a member of Christs Church. Which makes one a "True Bible Christian." 1. Faith in Jesus Christ. 2. Repent of all your sins. 3. Be Baptized for the remission of sins. 4. Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Now let's look at this scripture. The first two steps, most all Christians today could qualify. But the people then were not only Baptized in water, but baptized by immersion, by one holding the Priesthood from God. And they also received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the Apostles hands. And those last two steps are what separate the Orthodox Christians from the Mormon Christians. Not to mention our doctrines. The same Priesthood which the Apostles held, has been restored to Joseph Smith and is had in our Church today. The Orthodox Protestant Christians do not have, nor do they they claim this Priesthood today. Therefore they cannot baptize, nor bestow the Gift of the Holy Ghost as was done in the bible. Yes indeed, Mormons really are Christians. We are not Protestant Christians, but we are the same as Bible Christians. And now you know the rest of the story. whew6
2016-05-21 04:28:55 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This response is meant for "Sinned".
In your free time you may want to read the book or at least see the movie, "The Case for Christ". The author, Lee Strobel, proves that the readings in the bible weren't "screwed up" by humans as you so wonderfully put it. The readings and scripture were memorized word for word to the point of perfection as there wasn't ANY room for error! This isn't a case of the "Telephone Game". This is The Bible...the word of God. Jesus is the son of God and the one true Prophet...not a living mortal human named, President Hinckley.
The point of this question was to ask if the explanation above was clear enough to explain the difference between what Christians and Mormons believe in...nothing more, nothing less.
2007-09-22 18:50:18 · answer #3 · answered by Perplexed? 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I'm an atheist and I just don't understand the fascination that Christians have with Mormons believing they can become Gods. Why the Hell not!
Let's suppose we all believe in Santa Claus. If you had an ETERNITY to practice...don't you think that you could become as jolly as the Top Elf?!? Hell, after about a million years of evolution you could probably come up with reindeer that fly! You can't believe this but you believe that some wrinkled old white dude lives in outer space and cares what you eat for breakfast!?! Crazy!
2007-09-25 16:59:53 · answer #4 · answered by jungle84025 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You have trouble that the LDS God has a father and mother. Do you also have a problem that He has a Son?
I think you should start over. If you are going to quote scripture, start at the begining.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
I am satisfied that God created us to be like him. Just as any child may be like their parent. Today he gives us a little knowledge and a little power, when we are prepared, he will make us joint heirs with Christ.
2007-09-25 04:00:45 · answer #5 · answered by Isolde 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes this partly answers the question of the difference between "Christians" and Mormons, but it does not answer the question which one is correct.
For me the Mormon idea seems more likely than your idea.
God created man in His image. God said to become like Him. Most Fathers want their children to become like them.
Why would God not want us to eventually become like Him?
When a child grows up and becomes a father it does not diminish his father. It actually exalts his father to a higher status, a grandfather.
If we can progress to become a God it would not diminish God, it would would exalt Him even higher.
2007-09-22 18:34:57 · answer #6 · answered by J T 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
We ARE Christians. We believe in Christ, we teach of Christ and we even call our Church "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". So how do you get off saying we are not Christians? The Church IS true whether you like it or not.
P.S. The Bible has been translated over 1,000 times. Do you not think it just a little possible that some plain and precious truths may have gotten slightly warped due to a human or 2 screwing it up? LDS do believe the Bible to be the word of God but only as long as it has been translated correctly. Man is notorious for changing things and confusing things and definitely translating things a bit out of context. We rely on modern day revelation from a living Prophet. Thank God for him. President Hinckley is the world's living prophet. pity more people don't wake up and realize that!
2007-09-22 18:24:08 · answer #7 · answered by sinned 4 · 7⤊ 5⤋
This is for Perplexed?:
Are you saying that since Jesus is God and also a prophet that no mortal man can be a prophet? Well gee, I guess that leaves out Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Samuel, Jacob, Joshua, Elisha, Malachi, just to name a few since they were also mortal men.
I like your selection of scripture, even from Isaiah. There is no one like God. Hmmm.... I believe that Isaiah is a very difficult book to decipher since he actually wrote metaphorically through most of his book. Yes, we worship God or Father in Heaven. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Just because we believe in certain things you don't, does not equate to us being non-Christian. We all who profess to be Jesus followers have the same basic beliefs of his divinity.
2007-09-22 19:42:22 · answer #8 · answered by LDS of Three and Loving It 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
For every one of your points, I could come up with a few Biblical scriptures that support the LDS doctrine. Don't you think that all those issues have come up already and have been addressed? You haven't said anything new. I have my beliefs and you have yours.
Enjoy life and build faith.
2007-09-25 05:12:50 · answer #9 · answered by Senator John McClain 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Um... This is a Q&A forum. Not a "Let's go spout accusations against them Mormons" forum.
You know, if you Christian guys put as much effort in learning about your own faith as you do in trashing our's, we might actually all be friends here.
So we're not Chrisitans in your eyes. Big deal. Did you really think what you believe about us matters? And don't go telling me that's what God would say. What God says to me about my beliefs and faith in Christ is of no concern to you.
2007-09-22 18:30:07 · answer #10 · answered by Lex 7 · 6⤊ 1⤋
What we believe is VERY Biblical, in fact, the LDS church is, IMHO, the MOST Biblical church.
Our teachings are not against the Bible, just against your interpretation of the Bible.
2007-09-23 23:05:43 · answer #11 · answered by mormon_4_jesus 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋