God

Simply put, the Mormon view of God (also called the Godhead) is complicated. Past and current LDS teach that there are three gods. Because Mormonism affirms polytheism (i.e., more than one God), it is clear that it rejects the biblical and historic doctrine of the Trinity, claiming that each person of the Godhead is a seperate being, or in other words, a separate God. In an official publication from the Mormon church, it clearly states that "From [Joseph Smith's] account of the First Vision and from his other teachings, we know that the members of the Godhead are three separate beings... the members of the Godhead are distinct beings," (True to the Faith, p. 73).

Multimedia Non-Mormon What is the doctrine of the Trinity? (MP3), by John Piper - read associated text

Contents 1 Deity is humanity in fulness, humanity is deity in seed form 1.1 A body of flesh and bones 2 The Godhead 2.1 Heavenly Father 2.2 Jesus Christ 3 Other gods 4 References 5 Quotes 6 Notes 7 See also 8 External links 8.1 Non-Mormon 8.2 Mormon

[edit] Deity is humanity in fulness, humanity is deity in seed form

[edit] A body of flesh and bones

"[I]f God has a body of flesh and bones resembling the human body, the most obvious conclusion is that God also has useful inward organs and outward anatomy that is comparable to humans. God would have eyes that see, lungs that breathe, a heart that beats, and a mind that thinks... If God has a mind that can comprehend the universe, and the human brain has more possible neurotransmitting patterns than all the atoms in the known universe, then man can also one day comprehend all things and become like God... When Joseph Smith first introduced the idea that man can become as God, many traditional Christians decried the doctrine as blasphemous. It was seen as lowering God to the groveling level of man and placing man in a league where he just did not belong. But now we have biological evidence that man does indeed belong in that league; the miraculous human mind is a potential passport to the spheres of the Gods... This is not possible in our brains today, but the brain’s infinite network is already in place, awaiting the day when circumstances are more auspicious. Just as our bodies are the temple of God, our brains are the blueprint of a godlike potential." [1]

[edit] The Godhead

Because of Joseph Smith's first vision, Mormonism has from the beginning taught that there are three Gods. While some academic Mormons play with the idea of Social Trinitarianism (i.e. Blake Ostler, the official teaching is that each person of the Godhead is a separate being. Thus, Mormonism clearly denies monotheism and affirms a kind of polytheism. They explain that the persons in the Godhead are "three in one" in that they are three beings who are one in purpose, power, mind, and strength (among other adjectives). No matter how much LDS emphasize that the beings of the Godhead are one, they have never subscribed to the idea that they are ontologically one, that is, one in their being. If Mormons were ever to believe in monotheism it would destroy the testimony of Joseph Smith's first vision.

Lastly, contemporary Mormon Robert Millet defines the LDS view of the Godhead this way:

"Latter-day Saints do not accept the traditional doctrine of the Trinity. We do, however, believe there are three persons in the Godhead; that these three persons possess all of the attributes of godliness in perfection; and that their unity and love are so perfect and infinite that they constitute a divine community which is sometimes called ‘God’ in the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants. In short, while Latter-day Saints do not believe in the ontological oneness of the members of the Godhead, we believe they are infinitely more one than they are separate" [2]

When Millet says that LDS "do not believe in the ontological oneness of the members of the Godhead" he is simply saying that he does not affirm monotheism. That is, the members of the Godhead are not one in their being (ontology). Thus, they must be separate, or in other words separate and distinct gods (polytheism).

[edit] Heavenly Father

See main page: Heavenly Father

[edit] Jesus Christ

See main page: Jesus Christ

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[edit] Other gods

Although Mormonism believes that the Godhead consists of three gods, they also believe in the existence of multiple gods outside of these three. This is rooted in the denial that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit share the same being and/or substance. The baptism of Jesus, for example, is seen as an interaction between three god-beings, not just three persons (cf. Smith, The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 346-7; Abraham 4:1, Pearl of Great Price; and Gospel Principles, 290).

[edit] References

• True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City, UT) 2004.
• Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., by Bruce McConkie. Bookcraft (Salt Lake City, UT) 1966.

[edit] Quotes

• "I am not opposed to the idea of intercourse between HF and HM as the method or creating a spirit body. It does seem that that is exactly what BY and JFS taught. It also seems consistent with the common Mormon ideas of what our exaltation will consist of." - Eric Nielson^[1]

[edit] Notes

1. ↑ http://smallsimple.wordpress.com/2007/02/21/i-am-a-child-of-god-and-nobody-else/#comment-766

[edit] See also

• Trinity
• Divine investiture
• Doctrine

[edit] External links

[edit] Non-Mormon

• Philosophical Problems with the Mormon Concept of God, by Francis Beckwith
• A Closer Look at the Mormon Concept of God, by Francis Beckwith
• Mormon Theism, the Traditional Christian Concept of God, and Greek Philosophy: A Critical Analysis (pdf), by Frank Beckwith (JETS)
• Mormon Doctrine of God, by Pat Zukeran
• The Mormon God: Just One of the Guys, by Isaiah Bennett (Catholic)
• Mormons and the Trinity, by David E Lister and Jason Catizone
• How do I explain the Trinity to my Mormon friend?
• A Brief Definition of the Trinity, by James White
• Do Mormons Worship the God of the Bible?, by Marvin Cowan
• You've Seen One Elohim, You've Seen Them All? A Critique of Mormonism's Use of Psalm 82, by Michael S. Heiser

[edit] Mormon

• Teachings About the Godhead
• The Godhead, by Paul E. Dahl
• God, by David H. Yarn, Jr.
• What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About God?, by FARMS
• Mormonism and Early Christianity: The Nature of God and the Origin and Destiny of Man, by Barry Bickmore
• The King Follett Discourse, by Joseph Smith - "This sermon, important for its startling new doctrine regarding the nature of God, was reported by Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, Thomas Bullock, and William Clayton and was first published in the Times and Seasons, 5 (15 August 1844): 612-17. Obvious errors in punctuation and sentence structure have been edited."
• The Cosmic Mind - The Blueprint of Our Potential, by James T. Summerhays
• "Ye Are Gods": Psalm 82 and John 10 as Witnesses to the Divine Nature of Humankind, by Daniel Peterson