False or True? The Mormon view of God: God the Father is an exalted man from another planet like earth.?

Question

Please explain if you may

Answer 1

I can't tell if all these people who are saying that this is false are uninformed Latter-day Saints who erroneously believe that this isn't a doctrine of the faith, or if these are non-Mormons who are claiming that this is matter-of-fact false.

Either way, this IS a belief of the LDS faith but it isn't exactly defined, set-in-stone doctrine (kind of like when the Pope or a council of Bishops declare a "Fallable doctrine". The adherants can accept it or deny it and still be Catholics in full communion). It is NOT a requirement that a Latter-day Saint to believe this for them to be a "True Believing Mormon".

As Jacob above me pointed out, there's a little Mormon addage (independently coined by certain early LDS authorities) that goes along the lines of "As man is, God once was, as God is man may become".

This belief may seem extra-biblical, however there are quite a few indirect references to this where we are referred to "as gods", or that we inherit "all that the father has".

Catholics & Orthodox Christians have similar "sayings" however they mean something different. In Catechism classes as a kid, you are taught "God became man that man could become God". This differs from LDS belief in a few respects, namely:
-"God" [becoming man] is in referrence to God the Son (Jesus) not God the Father.
-God "became man" in every sense of the word EXCEPT being born in "original sin", so it follows that man may become God in every sense of the word EXCEPT in his divinity. Essentially "theosis" in Catholicism & Orthodoxy isn't a literal theosis of humans becoming creators, rather humans (if permitted into heaven after death) will share in God's perfection.

In contemporary Mormonism, this doctrine isn't spoken of much (in fact it may be that it isn't actual doctrine, but instead just speculation). For this reason I've heard many different takes on this from many different Mormons. I've met some that believe that this is in referrence to God the Father and is very literal (that we can become creators of universes or planets, which is likely what some notable Mormons like Brigham Young and John Taylor believed) and I've met some, notably my Bishop, who believes this is more figurative than literal.

Since the scriptures (Bible & Book of Mormon both) state emphatically over and over again that "God" is eternal, and changeless, I personally read this as the Church father's did. I believe that "God becoming Man" is in referrence to Jesus Christ (who obviously became man) so that us mortals can join in God's glory & perfection (but not his divinity). God the Father however has been God forever and never was man.

Answer 2

The idea that "God was once a man" is not well established in Mormonism. Mormons, like many other Christian denominations (specifically the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic branches of Christianity), do believe in "theosis," the idea that man can progress to become more like God. Historically, this concept (which was had among the earliest Christians) has led some Mormons to speculate that if man can become like God, perhaps God was once a man.

While this idea is interesting, it is not well-established in Mormon theology. I would classify it as "a theological question," not an official "Mormon doctrine." Gordon B. Hinckley, the current president of the LDS Church, has been asked this very question on several occasions. Here are some of his responses (verbatim or reported):

"There was a little couplet coined, 'As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.' Now that's more of a couplet than anything else. That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don't know very much about...Well, as God is, man may become. We believe in eternal progression. Very strongly. We believe that the glory of God is intelligence and whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the Resurrection."

"President Gordon Hinckley says the concept of God having been a man is not stressed any longer, but he does believe that human beings can become [more like God] in the afterlife."

"On whether his church still holds that God the Father was once a man, he sounded uncertain. ‘I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it...I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don't know a lot about it, and I don't think others know a lot about it."

That having been said, I'm sure you can find Mormons who do believe God was once a man. I personally am skeptical. It's not something that is often spoken of in Church; I think I've only heard the concept mentioned a few times in Church during the entire 27 years I've been a member.

To hear two Mormon theologians with differing opinions debate this topic, visit http://mormonmisc.podbean.com/2007/08/27/theology-with-blake-ostler/

To learn more about Mormonism, visit my site at http://www.allaboutmormons.com

Answer 3

All publications are made by a G.A. or any LDS author, Educator or theologian is the sole responsibility for that book or publication. LDS scriptures and any new revelation or anything on Morals and Ethics made by the First Presidency and sustained by the General Assembly at General Conference is true Mormon Doctrine.

Yes we believe God the Father is an exalted man.
No he doesn't live on a planet he is omnipresent.
we are created in his image the bible says.

Jesus and Lucifer aren't brothers. Lucifer will never have a physical body. We all are spirit children of our heavenly father and no he didn't have sex to create us, we have immortal souls and we were intelligences before we were spirits and we weren't created. What intelligences means etc. We don't know.

We will someday be joint heirs with Jesus and live in the Celestial Kingdom with our Heavenly father and our families.

If you don't want to believe it, so don't. You're not going to hell because you don't believe me.

Answer 4

The Mormon church teaches that "God is only one of many gods", because human beings can progress to become gods and godesses in the celestial kingdom.

Mormon Prophet Brigham Young wrote: "How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods"

Answer 5

I can't speak for all Mormons.

God hasn't said anything about this subject, from what I understand. Anything said by any leader of our church is pretty much theory baed on what little we DO know.

Answer 6

I am not a Mormon. I do, however, believe that the entity thought to be god is an advanced being from another planet, dimension, or reality.This was just a case of mistaken identity by uneducated savages that existed in the previous centuries

Answer 7

As man is God once was, as God is man may become.

Thats what mormons are taught and believe.

Answer 8

True.

There is written in Mormon Doctrine, that like man is, Father God once was, and Like Father God is, man can become.

Also, the Mormons believe Jesus & Lucifer are first born spirit children of Father God. So? This teaching contradicts the bible. And the 'Morning Stars' are the 'Sons of God' in the Bible, But they are really winged Cherebims. Lucifer also. Jesus is the Word of God. Who in the beginning was with God & Is God with the Father & the Holy Spirit. Mankind is made in Gods image & we don't have wings. (Though Gods Holy Spirit does have wings.) We were in Gods mind when He created us.

Answer 9

Milton R. Hunter, a member of Mormonism's First Council of the Seventy, wrote:

"We accept the fact that God is the Supreme Intelligent Being in the universe. He has the greatest knowledge, the most perfect will, and the most infinite power of any person within the realm of our understanding." "Then how did He become glorified and exalted and attain His present status of Godhood? In the first place, aeons ago God undoubtedly took advantage of every opportunity to learn the laws of truth and as He became acquainted with each new verity He righteously obeyed it. From day to day He exerted His will vigorously, and as a result became thoroughly acquainted with the forces lying about Him. As he gained more knowledge through persistent effort and continuous industry, as well as through absolute obedience, His understanding of the universal laws continued to become more complete. Thus He grew in experience and continued to grow until He attained the status of Godhood. In other words, He became God by absolute obedience to all the eternal laws of the Gospel by conforming His actions to all truth, and thereby became the author of eternal truth. Therefore, the road that the Eternal Father followed to Godhood was one of living at all times a dynamic, industrious, and completely righteous life. There is no other way to exaltation."



An official publication of the LDS Church states:

As shown in this chapter, our Father in heaven was once a man as we are now, capable of physical death. By obedience to eternal gospel principles, he progressed from one stage of life to another until he attained the state that we call exaltation or godhood. In such a condition, he and our mother in heaven were empowered to give birth to spirit children whose potential was equal to that of their heavenly parents. We are those spirit children. (Achieving a Celestial Marriage p 132)

Answer 10

True.

This falls under "The Law of Eternal Progression."