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God: Mormonism vs. Christianity
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This file is designed to show the comparisons and contrasts existing
between the teachings of the person of God as defined in the Bible and in
the teachings put forth by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints or Mormons (hereafter referred to as 'LDS'). The differences
between the two are quite startling although the LDS purport to teach the
same doctrines the Bible does. I'll let you, the reader, judge the
accuracy of those claims. Note that in scriptural references where a
person is speaking (thus saith, I said, he said, etc.), I have put the
words in single quotes (') for the sake of CLARITY ONLY. They do not
appear in the texts used. Also, this is not a complete and exhaustive
study as there are so many related branches to the Biblical study of God
that things would only get confusing. Therefore, I have limited myself
to just the main doctrines of God as the LDS and the Bible teach them.
LDS Teachings: Joseph Smith, Jr.
--------------------------------
The roots of the LDS doctrines lie in their founding prophet Joseph
Smith, Jr. to whom the LDS hold a deep loyalty. Here are some of the
proclamations put forth by their "prophet":
"First, God himself, who sits enthroned in yonder heavens, is a
man like unto one of yourselves, that is the great secret.... I
am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined
that God was God from all eternity.... God himself; the Father of
us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did,...
You all have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves;... No man
can learn you more than what I have told you."
"Times and Seasons"
Vol. 5, pp. 613-614
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and
sits enthroned in yonder heavens!... 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, so that you may see.... It is the first principle of the
gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know
that we may converse with him as one man converses with another,
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; and I will show it from the Bible....
"Here, then, is eternal life to know the only wise and true God,
the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from
one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great
one; from grace to grace, 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...."
Joseph Smith, Jr.,
"History of the Church"
Vol.6, pp.305-306
"I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this
text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always
and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of
the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been
preached by the Elders for fifteen years.
"I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus
Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and
that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and
these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods.
If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold!
we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can
contradict it?"
Joseph Smith, Jr.,
"History of the Church"
Vol.6, p.474
"The head God organized the heavens and the earth. I defy all
the world to refute me. In the beginning the heads of the Gods
organized the heavens and the earth....
"The heads of the Gods appointed one God for us; and when you
take [that] view on the subject, it sets one free to see all the
beauty, holiness and perfection of all the Gods. All I want is
to get the simple, naked truth, and the whole truth.
"Many men say that there is only one God; the Father, the Son and
the Holy Ghost are only one God! I say, that is a strange God
anyhow - three in one, and one in three! It is a curious
organization.... All are to be crammed into one God, according to
sectarianism. It would make the biggest God in all the world.
He would be a wonderfully big God - he would be a giant or a
monster."
Joseph Smith, Jr.,
"History of the Church"
Vol.6, pp.475-476
"Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days: he
means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael, he will call his
children together and hold a council with them to prepare them
for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the
human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all
that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand
council. This may take place before some of us leave the stage
of action. The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given
him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to
Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys to
the universe, but retains his standing as the head of the human
family."
Joseph Smith, Jr.,
"History of the Church"
Vol.3, pp.386-387
"The Father has a body of flesh and bone as tangible as man's;
the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and
bones, but is a personage of spirit..."
"Doctrine and Covenants" 130:22
Smith himself was sure of his teachings and he tolerated no
dissent as the following quote shows:
"God made Aaron to be the mouth piece to the children of Israel,
and He will make me be God to you in His stead, and the Elders to
be mouth to me; and if you don't like it, you must lump it."
"History of the Church"
Vol.5, pp.319-320
You can see he had a big ego!
LDS Teachings: Brigham Young
----------------------------
Brigham Young not only continued the work of Smith, but also added
his own "brand" of God in his teachings; especially in his doctrine of
Adam (of the Garden of Eden fame) being the "God and Father of the human
family":
"How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there was never a
time when there were no Gods and worlds..."
Brigham Young
"Journal of Discourses"
Vol.7, p.333
"My next sermon will be to both Saint and sinner.... Our God and
Father in heaven, is a being of tabernacle, or, in other words,
He has a body, with parts the same as you and I have;... I will
tell you how it is. Our Father in heaven begat all the spirits
there ever were, or ever will be, upon this earth; and they were
born spirits in the eternal world."
"Journal of Discourses"
Vol.1, p.50
"Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint
and sinner! When our Father Adam came into the Garden of Eden,
he came into it with a celestial body and brought Eve, one of his
wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He
is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! about whom holy
men have written and spoken - HE is our FATHER and our GOD, and
the only God with whom WE have to do. Every man upon this earth,
professing Christians or non-professing, must hear it, and will
know it sooner or later.
"...Now, let all who may hear these doctrines, pause before they
make light of them, or treat them with indifference, for they
will prove their salvation or damnation.
"...In the Bible, you have read things I have told you tonight;
but you have not known what you did read. I have told you no
more than you are conversant with; but what do the people know in
Christendom, with their Bible in their hands, know about this
subject? Comparatively nothing."
"Journal of Discourses"
Vol.1, p. 50-51
"ADAM, THE FATHER AND GOD OF THE HUMAN FAMILY"
"The above sentiment appeared in Star No.48, a little to the
surprise to some of its readers: and while the sentiment may have
appeared blasphemous to the ignorant; it has no doubt given rise
to some serious reflections with the more candid and
comprehensive mind... Adam is really God! and why not?"
"Millennial Star"
Vol.15, p.801
"It has been said that Adam is the God and Father of the human
family, and persons are perhaps in fear and great trouble of
mind, lest they have to acknowledge him as such in some future
day. For our part we would much rather acknowledge Adam to be
our Father, than hunt for another, and take up with the Devil."
"Millennial Star"
Vol.15, p.825
"...every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he is the
God of the whole earth. Then will the words of Prophet Brigham,
when speaking of Adam, be fully realized - 'He is our Father and
our God, and the only God with whom we have to do.'"
"Millennial Star"
Vol.17, p.195
Of note is the following statement of then Elder James A. Little
(a contemporary of Brigham Young):
"I believe in the principle of obedience; and if I am told that
Adam is our Father and our God, I just believe it."
"Millennial Star"
Vol.16, p.530
A few years before his death, Young preached the following:
"How much unbelief exists in the minds of the Latter-day Saints
in regard to one particular doctrine which I revealed to them,
and which God revealed to me - namely that Adam is our Father and
God... Our Father Adam helped to make this earth, it was created
expressly for him... He brought one of his wives with him... We
say that Father Adam came here and helped make the earth. Who is
he? He is Michael,... He was the first man on earth, and its
framer and maker. He with the help of his brethren brought it
into existence. Then he said, 'I want my children in the spirit
world to come and live here. I once dwelt upon an earth
something like this, in a mortal state. I was faithful, I
received my crown and exaltation. I have the privilege of
extending my work, and to its increase there will be no end. I
want my children that were born to me in the spirit world to come
here and take tabernacles of flesh that their spirits may have a
house, a tabernacle, or a dwelling place as mine has' and where
is the mystery?"
"Desert News"
June 14, 1873
As an aside, lest it be claimed that Young was misquoted in his
preaching, the following should dispel that thought:
"This book was made possible because Brigham Young secured
stenographic reports of his addresses. As he traveled among the
people, reporters accompanied him. All that he said was
recorded. Practically all of these discourses (from December 16,
1851 to August 19, 1877) were published in the 'Journal of
Discourses', which was widely distributed. The public utterances
of few great historical figures have been so faithfully
preserved."
John A. Widtsoe, Preface of the
"Discourses of Brigham Young"
"We do not wish incorrect and unsound doctrines to be handed down
to posterity under the sanction of great names, to be received
and valued by future generations as authentic and reliable,
creating labor and difficulties for our successors to perform and
contend with, which we ought not to transmit to them. The
interests of posterity are, to a certain extent in our hands.
Errors in history and in doctrine, if left uncorrected by us who
are conversant with the events, and who are in a position to
judge of the truth or falsity of the doctrines, would go to our
children as though we sanctioned and endorsed them. Such a
construction could be very easily be put upon our silence
respecting them, and would tend to perplex and mislead posterity,
and make the labor of correction an exceedingly difficult one for
them. We know what sanctity there is always attached to the
writing of men who have passed away, especially to the writings
of the Apostles, when none of their contemporaries are left, and
we, therefore, feel the necessity of being watchful upon these
points. Personal feelings and friendships and associations ought
to sink into comparative insignificance, and have no weight in
view of consequences so momentous to the people and kingdom of
God as these."
Brigham Young
"Millennial Star"
Vol.27, p.659
Well said, Brigham Young! The following should seal the issue
concerning what he preached and whether it was "correct":
"In printing my remarks, I often omit the sharp words, though
they are perfectly understood and applicable here; for I do not
wish to spoil the good I desire to do. Let my remarks go to the
world in a way the prejudices of the people can bear, that they
may read them, and ponder them, and ask God whether they are
true."
"Journal of Discourses"
Vol.5, pp.99,100
As you can see, Young took great pains to make sure his meaning was
CRYSTAL CLEAR in his preaching. To be fair, though, the LDS no longer
teach the Adam-God doctrines of Young. They disavow that his
"Discourses" belong to the "standard works" of the church, even though
he is claimed to be a "prophet". In fact, so sure was Young in his
proclamations, and so sure was his belief in their "agreement" with the
other "scriptures" that he made this public statement:
"In my doctrinal teachings I have taught many things not written
in any book, ancient or modern, and yet notwithstanding the many
things I have told the people, I have never looked into the
Bible, the Book of Mormon or the Doctrine and Covenants or any of
our church works to see whether they agreed with them or not.
When I have spoken by the power of God and the Holy Ghost it is
the truth, it is Scripture and I have no fears but that it will
agree with all that has been revealed in every particular."
"Desert Weekly News"
Vol. 26, p.274
It's a shame he felt that way because none of his teachings agreed
with the Bible, and very few of his teachings agreed with what Smith
taught or other works released at that time. His attitude was like other
cult leaders, namely, "What I say is the truth and if it doesn't agree
with other scripture, tough!"
Teachings of other LDS authorities
----------------------------------
Heber C. Kimball, a member of the First Presidency with Young made
these statements:
"...then shall we go back to our Father and our God, who is
connected with one who is still farther back; and so on..."
"Journal of Discourses"
Vol.7, p.19
"...for our God is a natural man... the first of all mechanics.
Where did he get his knowledge from? From his Father, just as we
get knowledge from our earthly parents."
"Journal of Discourses"
Vol.8, p.211
Apostle Orson Pratt, a contemporary of Smith and Young had this to
say:
"The Gods who dwell in the Heaven... have been redeemed from the
grave in a world which existed before the foundations of this
earth were laid. They and all the Heavenly body which they now
inhabit were once in a fallen state... they were exalted also,
from fallen men to Celestial Gods to inhabit their Heaven forever
and ever."
"The Seer"
Page 23
"We were begotten by our Father in Heaven; the person of our
Father in Heaven was begotten on a previous heavenly world by His
Father; and again, He was begotted by a still more ancient
Father; and so on, from generation to generation, from one
heavenly world to another still more ancient, until our minds are
wearied and lost in the multiplicity of generations and
successive worlds, and as a last resort, we wonder in our minds,
how far back the genealogy extends, and how the first world was
formed and the First Father was begotten."
"The Seer"
Page 132
Bruce R. McConkie, a member of the present First Council of the
Seventy says this:
"...God... is a personal being, a holy and exalted man, a
glorified, resurrected Personage having a tangible body of flesh
and bones, an anthropomorphic Entity,..."
"Mormon Doctrine"
Salt Lake City, 1966
Page 250
"...as the Prophet also taught, there is 'a God above the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ....'"
"Mormon Doctrine"
Salt Lake City, 1966
Page 322
"Those who 'are raised to become gods' (Teachings, p.312) will
progress... until they are 'glorified in truth' and know 'all
things.'... God himself, the Father of us all, is a glorified,
exalted, immortal, resurrected man!"
"Mormon Doctrine"
Salt Lake City, 1966
Page 642-643
The words of 10th president, Joseph Fielding Smith, are worth
noting:
"God is an exalted man. Some people are troubled over the
statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith... The matter that seems
such a mystery is the statement that our Father in heaven at one
time passed through a school of life and death and is an exalted
man. This is one of the mysteries,... The Prophet taught that
our Father had a Father and so on. Is not this a reasonable
thought, especially when we remember that the promises are made
to us so that we may become like him?"
"Doctrines of Salvation"
Vol.1, pp.10,12
Apostle LeGrand Richards had this to say:
"There is a statement often repeated in the Church, and while it
is not in one of the Standard Church Works, it is accepted as
church doctrine, and this is: 'As man is, God once was; and as
God is, man may become.'"
Letter from LeGrand Richards to
Morris L. Reynolds
July 14, 1966
The "Nauvoo Expositor", an anti-Mormon publication in Smith's time
had this to say concerning Smith's doctrines of God:
"Resolved 2nd, Inasmuch as... Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and many
other official characters... have introduced false and damnable
doctrine into the Church, such as a plurality of Gods above the
God of this universe, and his (i.e. God's, note mine!) liability
to fall with all his creations;... we therefore are constrained
to denounce them as apostates from the pure and holy doctrines of
Jesus Christ."
"Nauvoo expositor"
June 7, 1844
The following from Sarah Scott, an early Mormon disciple, in a
letter written June 16, 1844 from the "Vicinity of Nauvoo" is revealing:
"Joseph says there are Gods above the God of this universe as far
as he is above us, and if He should transgress the laws given to
Him by those above Him, He would be hurled from His throne to
Hell, as was Lucifer and all his creations with him."
"Among the Mormons"
Page 44
In summary, the following are or were key points of Mormon theology:
1) A plurality of Gods in the heavens
2) God was once a mortal man like us
3) God was "appointed" by a "council of Gods"
4) God is a separate being from Jesus and the Holy Ghost
5) God had to keep climbing to further Godhood after becoming a
"God"
6) His name was/is "Adam, Michael"
7) He is the literal "father" (as in sexually) of humanity
8) God and Jesus have mortal bodies of flesh and bone, but the Holy
Ghost hasn't one
9) God will turn over his authority to Jesus at the resurrection.
10) God can, at any time, lose his place in heaven and be cast into
Hell, as well as His creation (i.e. His "children")
11) He has a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc. ad
infinitum
12) He didn't create the universe from scratch (i.e. with nothing),
he merely "organized" the matter that was in existence into what
we know today as the universe.
13) As such, there is no knowledge of the "first God" or how the
universe came to be
I'm sure there are more conclusions, but this should give one the
gist of the Mormon "God".
God: As the Bible teaches
-------------------------
Now, it is time to give the Bible its due:
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Genesis 1:1
"And God said, 'Let there be light':and there was light"
Genesis 1:3
"And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were
under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament: and it was so."
Genesis 1:7
"And God said, 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered
together unto one place, and let the dry land appear': and it was
so."
Genesis 1:9
"And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind,
whose seed is in itself, upon the earth': and it was so."
Genesis 1:11
"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the
heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for
signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be
for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the
earth': and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater
light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he
made the stars too. And God set them in the firmament of the
heaven to give light upon the earth,..."
Genesis 1:14-17
"And God said, 'Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving
creature that hath life, and the fowl that may fly above the
earth in the open firmament of heaven.' And God created great
whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters
brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl
after his kind:..."
Genesis 1:20-21
"And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature
after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and the beast of the
earth after his kind': and it was so. And God made the beast of
the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every
thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind:..."
Genesis 1:24-25
"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.' So God
made man in his own image, and in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them."
Genesis 1:26-27
An interesting note: the words translated 'us' and 'our' are
additions from the Greek to denote the position that royalty takes in
relation to the first person. The best example is Queen Victoria (I
think) who was remarked to say "We are not amused!" when she wasn't
pleased. When put with the singular pronoun of God it denotes a singular
person speaking (as in "me, myself and I, we'll do the job", or such to
the effect.). Again, the context of first person, singular in the above
verses denotes one person.
"These are the generations of the heavens and the earth that the
Lord God (note: the Hebrew words "Jehovah elohim") made the earth
and the heavens,..."
Genesis 2:4
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul"
Genesis 2:7
"And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone;
I will make a help meet for him.'"
Genesis 2:21
"...and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from the man, made
he a woman, and brought her unto the man."
Genesis 2:22
As we can see from these passages: God is a singular being,
he created the universe, stars, earth, etc. from nothing with just
his word. He created man to be the image (i.e. reflection, manner, etc.)
of God, then He created a man from dirt, breathed life into the man, and
created a woman from a bone (i.e. rib) of the man created from dirt.
These two would be later known as Adam and Eve. So much for the LDS
doctrine of Adam and Eve "coming from heaven in Celestial bodies". Let
us continue:
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord:..." Hebrew:
"Jehovah" our "elohim" is one "Jehovah"
Deut. 6:4
"For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy
Savior:..." Hebrew: "Jehovah" thy "elohim", the "Sacred One" or
"sanctuary" of Israel, thy "redeemer, freedom, safety, etc."
Isaiah 43:3
"Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have
chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that 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
savior. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed,
when there was no strange (i.e. foreign, profane, other,
different, etc.) god among you: therefore you are my witnesses,
saith the Lord, that I am God." Hebrew: saith "Jehovah",...
there was no "elohim" formed,... I, even I, am "Jehovah":
...there is no "redeemer, freedom, safety, etc." ....saith
"Jehovah", I am "elohim".
Isaiah 43:10-12
"I am the Lord, your Holy one, the creator of Israel, your King."
Hebrew: I am "Jehovah", your "Sacred One" or "sanctuary", the
"creator"..., your "royal King".
Isaiah 43:15
"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.'" Hebrew: ..saith "Jehovah" the "royal
King",... his "deliverer" "Jehovah of the armies": I am the
"beginning", and I am the "end";... beside me there is no
"elohim".
Isaiah 44:6
"Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that
time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there
a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any." Hebrew:
is there a "elohim" beside me?... there is no "elohim";...
Isaiah 44:8
"I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside
me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may
know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is
none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form
the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I
the Lord do all these things." Hebrew: I am "Jehovah", and there
is none else, there is no "elohim" beside me: ...I am "Jehovah",
and there is none else,... I "Jehovah" do all these things.
Isaiah 45:5-7
"Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel
together: who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath
told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there is no
God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside
me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:
for I am God, and there is none else." Hebrew: ...have not I
"Jehovah"? And there is no "elohim" else beside me: a just
"elohim" and "redeemer" ...I am "elohim", and there is none else.
Isaiah 45:21-22
Here we have demonstrated that the Hebrews had/have one God, He
was/is referred to as God (Hebrew "elohim"), Lord (Hebrew "Jehovah"), or
Lord God (Hebrew "Jehovah elohim"). There are no other "Gods" to the
Hebrews to be worshipped, and He is a creator, not an "organizer" which
denotes a lot of power. He is also known as "the first and the last" and
"beside me there is no God" meaning he is alone in His position and
power. Of note, the Hebrew word "elohim" can be translated "God" or
"gods". The difference between translations is dependent upon the
context of the passage it appears. "Elohim" is always translated "God"
when the context denotes "first-person, singular" with regard to Jehovah,
"god" when the context is "first-person, singular" with regard to satan
or a heathen god (i.e. Baal. One exception is when "god" was used by
Jehovah regarding the "perceived appearance" of Moses to Pharaoh (Exodus
7:1)), and "gods" when the context refers to plurality, as in the
pagan/heathen gods of the Egyptians or Philistines. "Gods" is NEVER
associated with the singular Jehovah, as the LDS would have the world
believe, because the Hebrew grammar and language constructs don't allow
it. It (elohim) can be roughly compared to the english words "sheep" and
"deer" which can be both singular or plural nouns depending on context
and usage (i.e. one sheep, two sheep, one deer, many deer, etc.).
Continuing on:
"God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man,
that he should repent:..."
Numbers 23:19a
Context: singular
"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he
is not a man, that he should repent."
1 Samuel 15:29
Context: singular
Here we have testimony that God isn't a man, as the LDS teaches.
Therefore, let's see what he is, according to the Bible. Continuing on:
"God is a spirit: and all who worship him must worship him in
spirit and truth."
John 4:24
"Now, the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord
is, then there is liberty."
2 Corinthians 3:17
See also the complete 3rd chapter, the context of Jesus, God, and
the Holy Spirit/Ghost being one individual.
Here, we have God described as a spirit. Even Jesus in Luke 24:39
described a spirit's attributes: "...for a spirit hath not flesh and
bones,..." because the disciples thought He was a spirit when He appeared
to them after His resurrection. All throughout the Old Testament, the
Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord,
Spirit of the Lord God; the logical conclusion being that the Holy Spirit
is God also, as man has a spirit and that spirit is part of him and is
referred to as being man (at times). The New Testament also refers to
the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost being the same person.
"But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to
lie to the Holy Ghost,...thou hast not lied unto men, but unto
God"
Acts 5:3,4
Here we have God and the Holy Spirit being equated as one person.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father (God), and of the Son (Jesus), and of the Holy
Ghost:..."
Matthew 28:19
Note the context of "the name" being applied to all three persons of
God inferring that they are the same person.
"(Jeremiah praying) Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the
heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm,
and there is nothing too hard for thee:... (God replying)
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing
too hard for me?"
Jeremiah 32:17,27
"An the angel answered and said unto her, 'The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God.'"
Luke 1:35
Here we have omnipotence (all-powerfulness) being attributed to God
and the Holy Ghost.
"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee
from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the
wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the
sea; even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall
hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the
night shall be light about me.' Yea, the darkness hideth not
from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the
light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins:
thou hast covered me in my mother's womb."
Psalm 139:7-13
Here David, talking to God, expresses His omnipresence and that the
Spirit is God's and is also omnipresent, making it a logical conclusion
that the two are the same person.
"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and
knoweth all things."
1 John 3:20
"But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in
him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit
of God."
1 Corinthians 2:10,11
Here, God and the Holy Spirit are described as omniscient. Note
especially that the Spirit is described as "knowing the things of God".
Only His Spirit has that kind of power, and as such is God.
These are some examples; there are more but this should give one the
idea that God and the Holy Spirit/Ghost are the same person.
The Bible also teaches that Jesus Christ was/is God also, and since
we've seen that God and the Spirit are the same, logically Christ is the
same as the Spirit also. Examples:
"In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same (the Word) was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by him (the Word); and
without him (the Word) was not any thing made that was made."
John 1:1-3
Here Jesus (the Word) is declared to be God, was with God in "the
beginning", and created the universe (See Genesis 1). The logical
conclusion: Jesus is the same God that is referred to in the Old
Testament.
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full
of grace and truth."
John 1:14
Here, God was incarnated in the person of Jesus and lived with men.
"For in him (Jesus) dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
Colossians 2:9
Paul describing Jesus as being the Godhead manifest in flesh.
"This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not
by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that
beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (Jesus),
and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (i.e. the same
person). And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in
one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is
greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified
of his Son."
1 John 5:6-9
Another testimony that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the same
person.
"(Jesus speaking) 'I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end', saith the lord, which is, and which was, and which is
to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:8
"(Jesus speaking) 'I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last.'"
Revelation 22:13
Here Jesus is stating to John that He is the Alpha and the Omega.
See Isaiah 44:6 where God is quoted as saying "I am the first and the
last". This makes Jesus Jehovah God because there cannot be more than
one "first and the last" type individual.
There are many more examples of Jesus, God, and the Spirit being the
same person, but that would require the re-typing of a vast majority of
the Bible; this file is big enough as it is!
The LDS teaches that God has a body because of the bodily parts
listed as being used by God (right arm, eyes, ears, footsteps, hind
parts, etc.). If those examples are to be taken literally, then God
(using LDS logic) must also be part bird (Psalm 17:8, 36:7, 57:1, 61:4,
63:7, 91:4) have detachable eyes, like grapes, with legs on them
(2 Chronicles 16:9). Likewise, if LDS logic pertaining to God is to be
accepted, then Jesus was a freak-of freaks because he would be part plant
(vine, specifically: John 15:1,5), have a door in him (John 10:9), have a
roadway issuing from him (John 14:6), be part bread (as in Langendorf, or
Wonder bread: John 6:51). Even the disciples must have been plant-beings
(John 15:5). There are many more such absurdities because such
comparisons are just that: comparisons. They are used to illustrate
concepts using reference points that humans can identify with, and are
not to be taken literally, only figuratively.
The LDS tries to make the Bible appear to teach their doctrines of
God. One such example is 1 Corinthians 8:5b which states: "(as there are
gods many, and lords many,). On the surface, it would indicate the Bible
teaches a plurality of gods. However, when we look at the full context,
the meaning is quite different:
"As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are
sacrificed unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in this
world, and that there is none other God but one. For though
there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as
there are gods many, and lords many,) but there is to us but one
God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."
1 Corinthians 8:4-6
An explanation that although there are many "lords and gods", they
are nothing (zilch, zip, nada, zero, etc.) but imaginary. There is only
one God (Jehovah) and Jesus (whom as previously demonstrated is Jehovah
God).
As you can see, what the LDS teach about God is not what the Bible
teaches of God. This automatically disqualifies them as a "christian"
denomination since the teachings of their "prophets" (i.e. mere men), not
the Bible determines their theology.
God: As taught in the Book of Mormon
------------------------------------
It's interesting to note that the LDS' own "Bible," the Book of
Mormon, agrees with the Bible in the teachings of God and Jesus:
"...And also to convincing of the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus
is the Christ, the Eternal God,..."
Title page, Book of Mormon.
A declaration that Jesus and God are one and the same person.
"For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable
being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity."
Moroni 8:18
Here God is declared to be an unchangeable being.
"And Zeezrom said unto him: 'Thou sayest there is a true and
living God?' And Amulek said: 'Yea, there is a true and a living
God.' Now Zeezrom said: 'Is there more than one God?' And he
answered, 'No.'"
Alma 11:26-29
A declaration of the non-existence of the plurality of gods.
"And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold,
verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and
the Father and I are one.... And thus the Father bear record of
me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father
and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one."
3 Nephi 11:27,36
A declaration that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are the same
person (i.e. the Trinity)
"O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things,
and there is not anything save he knows it."
2 Nephi 9:20
A declaration of the omniscience of God. As you see in these
examples, the Book of Mormon is at variance with the primary teachings
of God as taught by the LDS. Strange, since they claim that the BOM is
their Bible and it supposedly "agrees" with their teachings. It seems
that the BOM has more in common with Christianity than Mormonism. One
must not forget that Brigham Young declared that he never checked the
Bible, BOM, or any other works for agreement with his teachings; it seems
that neither Smith nor any other LDS teacher after Young has done their
homework on the LDS teachings since they are at variance with the BOM and
the Bible. So much for the LDS claim to "christianity".
As an aside, the documents that relate to the Bible (ancient scrolls
and such) date back to about 250 BC for the Old Testament (the "Dead Sea
Scrolls"), and to about 150 AD for the New Testament (Rylands Papyrus
#457: Book of John fragments) whereas the BOM documents only date back
to about 1850 (2 BOM manuscripts in Smith's hand and the 1830 edition of
the BOM). There is NO EVIDENCE of BOM documentation prior to 1828 (or
so) when the "plates" were supposedly being "translated". What a shame
that the Bible has more documentation backing it up than the BOM which
only has Joseph Smith's "blessing" to its authenticity. Since the
"plates" are non-existent on this earth, there is no concrete proof of
the BOM being anything other than the product of Smith's imagination.
Ken Simmons
For more information see below:
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