Tough Questions

[hobbes]

hello all. i've been reading a lot about the mormon faith and i can get no one to answer me directly on some topics. the questions are really pretty straight forward.

1. do mormons believe they will be gods someday?

2. do moromons believe that the God of earth was a sinful man on another planet?

3. how does that fit with God saying He is eternal, unchanging?

4. it seems that the mormon Jesus is way different than the typical evangelical description of Jesus. can you explain if you think Jesus' brother was satan?

thanks to whomever can answer these.... :)

[jwhitlock]

hello all. i've been reading a lot about the mormon faith and i can get no one to answer me directly on some topics. the questions are really pretty straight forward.

I'll give it a shot.

1. do mormons believe they will be gods someday?

We believe that we are the same species as God the Father, that He is our Parent, and that we are commanded to become like Him (Matt 5:48).

2. do moromons believe that the God of earth was a sinful man on another planet?

No.

3. how does that fit with God saying He is eternal, unchanging?

In the same manner that Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus was unchanging, even though in Luke 2:52, He does change.

God is unchanging in relationship to His dealings with us.

4. it seems that the mormon Jesus is way different than the typical evangelical description of Jesus. can you explain if you think Jesus' brother was satan?

We believe that salvation only comes through Jesus, and that through His atonement, we can be resurrected and receive eternal life. Do evangelicals believe differently than that?

We believe, as is inferred from the New Testament, and confirmed by revelation in our day, that we, along with Satan, existed before this mortal life as children of our Heavenly Father. Satan rebelled and so was cast out and became the devil. Jesus is the Son of God; we are also sons and daughters of God, and so Satan is related to us all, in that respect.

Hope this helps.

[Daniel]

1. do mormons believe they will be gods someday?

We believe we will inherit all that God has, What that means exactly would be all speculation.

2. do moromons believe that the God of earth was a sinful man on another planet?

We do not know much on the subject. Everything that has been said is also just speculation. There is no official position on it.

3. how does that fit with God saying He is eternal, unchanging?

His nature is unchanging. He is our Father and we are his children He loves us so much he sent his only begotten son to die for us.

4. it seems that the mormon Jesus is way different than the typical evangelical description of Jesus. can you explain if you think Jesus' brother was satan?

We are all children of God. If the implications of that mean that Satan is Jesus's brother, I don't see it as a problem. How would it have any effect on God's or Jesus's divinity? There is opposition in all things even Abel had an evil brother Cain. Why would anyone see this as controversial?

My answers are underlined. I hope that was straight forward enough.

[blackcat]

You had asked something about satan and Christ being brothers. Here's my take on it just think of it this way if God is the Father of all; such as Human and Heavenly and so forth. Satan is a Fallen angel then that would make what? I know it might sound weird but if you put logic to it. I believe that knowing this logic it hasn't made me lose my faith in God, Christ and the Holy Ghost.

[HiJolly]

You had asked something about satan and Christ being brothers. Here's my take on it just think of it this way if God is the Father of all; such as Human and Heavenly and so forth. Satan is a Fallen angel then that would make what? I know it might sound weird but if you put logic to it. I believe that knowing this logic it hasn't made me lose my faith in God, Christ and the Holy Ghost.

blackcat,

That's a good answer from an LDS perspective, because of our belief that angels are pre-mortal or post-mortal people. Problem is, most creedal Christians don't believe that -- they believe that angels are not 'creatures' as we are, but are a different order or type of being. I suppose that's why its easier for them to picture angels with wings... Just FYI.

HiJolly

[Dale]

1.The only thing that prevents becomes becoming God's if there is only one God. The difficulty for Trinitarian mono-theism is the latin word persona. To avoid confessing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were three Gods they had to say the person's were like the three roles of an actor. So as an actor in a play could via face masks represent different person's so could God. The difficulty with the word is the creed's do not say God pretends to have distinct person's within his nature, but they are aware of eachother. Any confession they are aware of the other distinctions within God fit's the definition associated with three person's. But the creed's are not teaching tri-theism, but without the dodge word fitting the Trinity, or Godhead the New Testament contain's blatant tri-theism.

I call the latin word persona a dodge word because Jews and Moslem's consider the Trinity poly-theistic. So the ancient latin word was adopted as a way to define the person's in a way that perfectly fit mono-theism. But it compares the person's of God to the dumb person's of an actor that hardly fits the aware of each other distinction's within God.

But if God consists of three Gods defineable as modern persons nothing is left to prevent man from becoming gods. Isa.43:10 would contradict the N.T. idea of the persons of God as much as it can be read to contradict the idea of becoming Gods.

2.Jesus was a man on this planet, but he wasn't sinful. Why would the Father have to be sinful if he lived on another earth? But to me it wouldn't make God any less glorious to me if he had sucessfully over-come the sinful nature of being a fallen man.

3.I understand LDS belief as saying God's intelligence is uncreated. I assume that mean's God's personality has alway's been eternally around. It is my understanding that LDS belief only teaches that God the Father took upon himself a body at some point. The man part of Jesus and God underwent changes. But does that mean the God part of God became changeable? Or does it mean God can temporarily his consciousness of his un-changeable nature so he could experience an changeable state?

Psalm 90:2 is used to say God could not have a beginning when he became in the role of God. Psalm 103:17 uses the words "from everlasting to everlasting" in application to us. To enjoy something that come's from God "from everlasting to everlasting" we have to become "from everlasting to everlasting" ourselve's. I don't see Psalm 90:2 as preventing God from becoming God.

4.Collossians 1:15 is read by Evangelical's as meaning Jesus is Firstborn in the sense of pre-eminence only. I have seen word studies that refute the EV word study and Firstborn does mean born first. That would make Jesus, and the angel's including Lucifer indeed spirit brothers. But since Jesus intelligence is uncreated they would have had if i understand LDS belief right only their spirit bodies created. Even with the creedal idea of God it would not destroy the Trinity to have a pre-incarnate spirit body for Jesus being created. Thus i have never found the Jesus and Lucifer objection of LDS critic's as an objection i could ever agree with.

I am not actually LDS. I am a member Community of Christ/RLDS which has struggled with some of these LDS ideas ourselve's. We split from the LDS after about 15 year's, so have been on much different historical and doctrinal tracks. Our member's and leaders today officially favor the doctrine of the Trinity. But i have pondered the question's and these are the answer's i use when the question's come up.

[avatar4321]

1. Christ told the Pharisees that those who recieved the word would be gods. He was almost stoned for saying that. (John 10)

2. No. However, Christ did say that He does nothing except He sees the Father do it first. This implies that the Father too lived a mortal, yet perfect, life and rose from the grave. (John 5)

3. His character and attributes are eternal and unchangng.

4. Christ, along with all the rest of us are children of God. Job states that Satan was among the sons of God. But he rebelled and was cast out.

[MorningStar]

We should have a gallery containing posts where people come on here to ask these same questions they supposedly haven't had answered.

[DrewM]

1. do mormons believe they will be gods someday?

Yes. This is thoroughly a Biblical doctrine that was also affirmed by early Christians. See here: http://en.fairmormon.org/Deification_of_man

2. do moromons believe that the God of earth was a sinful man on another planet?

Strictly speaking, no. There is no official doctrine concerning what God was like prior to being God other than he was also once a man like Jesus was. So, what the nature of that existence was is unrevealed and therefore is not part of Mormon teaching at this time.

3. how does that fit with God saying He is eternal, unchanging?

"Eternal" probably doesn't have the same meaning as "for ever and ever." Psalm 90:2 says God is from "everlasting to everlasting." LDS scriptures say that those who become deified (made gods), will become "from everlasting to everlasting" as well. This implies that "everlasting to everlasting" means something other than "forever and ever." The scripture says "then shall they [those who are exalted] be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting" (D&C 132:20)

4. it seems that the mormon Jesus is way different than the typical evangelical description of Jesus.

How so?

can you explain if you think Jesus' brother was satan?

In a sense, yes. This is a Biblical doctrine that was also affirmed by early Christians. Please see http://en.fairmormon.org/Jesus_Christ_is_t...rother_of_Satan

[jadams_4040]

hello all. i've been reading a lot about the mormon faith and i can get no one to answer me directly on some topics. the questions are really pretty straight forward.

1. do mormons believe they will be gods someday?

2. do moromons believe that the God of earth was a sinful man on another planet?

3. how does that fit with God saying He is eternal, unchanging?

4. it seems that the mormon Jesus is way different than the typical evangelical description of Jesus. can you explain if you think Jesus' brother was satan?

thanks to whomever can answer these.... :)

#1 pretty much tells of this in your bible.

#2..No.

#3.. Hes not?

#4..There is only one Jesus, one God, one Holy Ghost. And Because you do not beleive we were all spirit brothers and sisters in heaven before we came hear, you will not accept that satan was one of us. But anyway the Holy bible is repleat with scripture that speaks of these things. if only one would acknowledge what it says?

[NeuroTypical]

I'd just like to say thank you to whomever designed this forum. You made it so easy to find all posts a person has made! This is a great tool!

Oh, and thanks to the mods for banning the latest wolf in wolf's clothing.

LM

[Dale]

What's the prevent becoming gods if the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three gods? Without the dodge word persona they are defineable as three Gods. I have looked high and low for workable alternative to persona that fits absolute mono-theism, but never have found it. The creed's do not teach the person's of the Trinity are like the three mere role's of an actor. But that's what they had to say at the same time to avoid just honestly admitting the Father, and son were person's. Without the dodge word fitting the person's of God the creedal writer's had no valid defense against Jewish and Moslem charges Christians were poly-theists.

The only response i got to my objection to the idea that they are person's has been they arn't seperate, so they arn't God's. But even as the same being it's like having different beings sharing the same body. To be conscious of another person you have to be somewhat a person yourself.

To become a God like the father he would of course have to have a physical body. If he has one either he created it himself, or got it on another planet. Jesus seem's to have thought he was a personage of spirit inbetween his death and resurrection. (Luke 24:39) He certainly has a body now and is not merely spirit. I see John 4:24 as being a lumping word that say's the entire Godhead is spirit. But if one of the Godhead is a personage of spirit and tabernacle John 4:24 is not a solid verse against the Father having a body. What was Jesus spirit body like? should be the question.

[fish4kitty]

This topic is basically closed people. Hobbes got himself BANNED.....

[Dale]

This topic is basically closed people. Hobbes got himself BANNED.....

The answers might help others though and it should be a discussion left open for their benifit. I am enjoying the exploration of the question's with those who remain able to participate in the discussion. I gave up on Hobbes when i read his original post. Witnessing question's are not raised to get answers, but to try and stump you.