MANY GODS, MANY SAVIORS?

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The following was published in the Mormon Church magazine New Era April 1971: 

 

"Long before our God began his creations, he dwelt on a mortal world like ours, one of the creations that his Father had created for him and his brethren. He, with many of his brethren, were obedient to the principles of the eternal gospel. One among these, it is presumed, was a savior for them, and through him they obtained a resurrection and an exaltation on an eternal, celestial world. Then they gained the power and godhood of their Father and were made heirs of all that he had, continuing his works and creating worlds of their own for their own posterity—the same as their Father had done before, and his Father, and his Father, and on and on. With these things in mind, W. W. Phelps, in a hymn, asks the question:

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The Mormon View of the Godhead:

THE FATHER

Heavenly Father

• One of many gods (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 4:1; the rest of the chapter & chapter 5; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Joseph F. Smith, p. 370-371).

• Progressive-has not always been a god (Articles of Faith by J. Talmage p. 430; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Joseph F. Smith, p. 347-348).

• An exalted man (The Life of Lorenzo Snow by Dr. Thomas C. Romney p. 46; Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie pp. 321; 589).

• Has a flesh & bone body (Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie p. 589; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Joseph F. Smith, p. 181; 312).

 

THE SON

Jesus Christ

• One of many gods (Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie, pp. 576-577).

• Progressive, Jesus has not always been a god (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Joseph F. Smith, p. 347-348).

• Spirit-brother of Lucifer (Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie pp. 92, 164, 193, 590; Gospel Through the Ages, by Milton R. Hunter p.15).

• Not born of a virgin birth (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 546-547; 742; Doctrines of Salvation Vol. 1 p. 18).

• Cannot atone for all sins (Journal of Discourses Vol. 3 p. 247 Vol. 4 p. 50, 54).

 

THE SPIRIT

Holy Ghost

• The Holy Ghost to Mormons is "a personage of Spirit" but not the same as the "Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is "likened to electricity...which fills the earth and air..." emanating from Heavenly Father (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., pp. 61-62; Mormon Doctrine, p. 752-753).

• A separate god from the Father and the Son (Mormon Doctrine, p. 358, 753).

• The Holy Ghost has no physical body. Strangely, it "has not been revealed" to the LDS Church why this god did not have to have a physical body to advance into a god even though this is said to be a requirement for "exaltation."

 

 

Our Response

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If there are indeed more than one God, as Mormonism teaches, which one is "the living God?" Psalm 42:2 reads "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." Likewise, which one is the "wise" God? The Apostle Paul declared in I Timothy 1:17...

 

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 

 

Is the Mormon Jesus "unwise?" The Holy Ghost? Only the doctrine of the Trinity could enable Paul to make this declaration without insulting the other members of the Godhead! The Trinity can be explained as the following:

 

There is only one God, and this one God exists as one essence in three Persons. The three Persons are God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost).

 

The three are called "Persons" because they relate to each other in personal ways. Each member is self-aware, can speak, can love, hate, can say "you" "yours" "me" and "mine." The Trinity is NOT 1 God in 3 Gods, or 3 Persons in 1 Person, or 3 Persons in 3 Gods, or 1 Person in 3 Gods...instead, the Trinity is 1 God in 3 Persons.

 

God is not 1+1+1 = 3 (Mormonism)

God is 1X1X1 = 1 (Christianity)

 

The Illustration of time: 

There is time past, present & future. There are not three times, only one!

 

Note: The word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible, but it is used to express the teaching about God that is found in the Bible. The term "Trinity" was first used in A.D. 168 by Theophilus, sixth Bishop of Antioch Syria, in his work Refutation of Autolycus. In a similar way, the term "Incarnation" is not found in the Bible, but Christians use it as a one-word summary of a Biblical teaching - that Jesus was God in the flesh. 

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The Bible teaches the following about God...

 

There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 8; 45:5).

 

"I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me" (Isaiah 45:5).

 

The Father is God  (I Corinthians 1:3; 8:6; Ephesians 4:4-6).

The Son is God  (John 1:1-5, 14; John 10:30-33; John 20:28).

The Spirit is God  (Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:16-17).

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Does Heavenly Father have a body of flesh and bones? After Peter declared that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, Christ said "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven"

(Matthew 16:17). Jesus doesn't consider the Father to be a being of flesh! In fact He declared to the Samaritan woman: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

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Another Jesus

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The Jesus of the Bible is and always has been God. The LDS Jesus became a God over time. 

The Jesus of the Bible is unique (He is the only begotten of the Father I John 4:9; John 1:14, 18; John 3:16) The Mormon Jesus is common. He is one of billions of sons of the LDS Heavenly Father, and one of countless "saviors" as each inhabited planet would have its own savior.

The Jesus of the Bible was single... the Mormon Jesus was a polygamist (The Seer, p. 172; Journal of Discourses 2:82, 210; 4:259).

The Jesus of the Bible did not need salvation... the Mormon Jesus did!

The Jesus of the Bible atoned for sins on the Cross... the Mormon Jesus made atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

The Jesus of the Bible completely saves us-- bringing us into the presence of our Heavenly Father after we leave this earthly life (John 14:6). The Mormon Jesus only provides for a resurrection. Faithful obedience to LDS commandments are necessary to "return to Heavenly Father." (Gospel Principles Ch. 47) 

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The Apostle Paul lamented how false teachers would promote "another Jesus" that would be a counterfeit of our Savior   (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). The following report regarding a speech given by the Mormon prophet, Gordan B. Hinckley, was published in the LDS Church News, June 20, 1998: 

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"President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints "do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. He, together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages (Paris, France member meeting). 

 

It is our concern that Mormonism does indeed have a different Jesus than the One who has been revealed within God's original revelation - the Holy Bible.

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Is there a Heavenly Mother?

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One of the most surprising aspects of Mormon belief is that the LDS Church teaches that their "Heavenly Father" is a glorified, married man! It has been said that the subject is so sacred that it should not be discussed publicly, perhaps this is why few outside of the Mormon faith have heard of this unique teaching.  Even though the idea of a Heavenly Mother is kept quiet, it can be found on the Mormon Church's website:   

 

"We know that we have both a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. This knowledge appears to have originated with Joseph Smith and has been repeatedly reinforced by inspired teachings of Church leaders over the years. However, beyond the existence of a Heavenly Mother and the role of our heavenly parents in working together for the salvation and exaltation of their children, no further details about Heavenly Mother have been revealed. For now, we know enough to understand that we are children of heavenly parents, who want us to become like them. This understanding helps us see who we are and what we can become. It shows us that gender is part of our eternal identity and that men and women cannot be exalted without each other. And those are rare and precious truths in themselves." (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2017/03/youth/to-the-point/why-dont-we-know-much-about-our-heavenly-mother?lang=eng)

 

Also, the official LDS Church hymnal features a song entitled "O My Father" that includes the following lyrics:

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In the heav'ns are parents single?

No, the thought makes reason stare!

Truth is reason; truth eternal

Tells me I've a mother there.

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Now, beyond the idea that God is married, the LDS Heavenly Father also is believed to be a polygamist -- he has a countless number of wives! Brigham Young explained in an 1866 sermon, "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy" (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 269).

 

The LDS believe that Heavenly Father and his goddess-wives have procreated billions of children who are appointed lives upon the earth! No where in the Bible (or even the Book of Mormon) does it teach that God is married. Instead, Christ clearly states that marriage is NOT in the future of the resurrected: "Jesus answered, You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:29-30; Mark 12:24-25)

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