Does God have a father?
Are Jesus and Satan brothers?
Was the Garden of Eden in Missouri?
Fair's fair. Will you answer my questions now?
Sure. I’ll give you the short answers and you can study up on why I believe thusly by examining my writings where I explain why I believe as I do. Deal?
1. Does God have a father?
Yup. An aseitically static deity cannot suddenly change into a dynamic God. http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/bicycleroad/21/id76.htm
2. Are Jesus and Satan brothers?
Yup. So are we. We are all God’s spirit offspring with Christ as the Firstborn (prototokos). http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/bicycleroad/21/id154.htm
3. Was the Garden of Eden in Missouri?
Don’t know. Mormons have very different beliefs on the literalness of the first chapters of the Bible (I certainly don’t - I think the entire Garden of Eden and global deluge are myths designed to teach important spiritual messages). Many early Mormons and leaders believed it was in Missouri despite the lack of a specific revelation explicitly stating such.
All we have are the “Adam-ondi-Ahman” passages in Daviess County Missouri and the future placement of New Jerusalem in the area.
The ONLY revelation linking the place to the Garden of Eden is D&C 116:1:
Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
The issue is, what does “it” refer to? Does it refer to Spring Hill or to Adam-ondi-Ahman, the land where the Garden of Eden was located (D&C 107:53)?
Spring Hill (Missouri) was named “Adam-ondi-Ahman” AFTER the valley where Adam dwelt where he is supposed to return in the future. Kinda like Toledo Ohio is named after Toledo Spain or London Ohio is named after London England. Thus, “it” more than likely refers to the original Adam-ondi-Ahman and not to Spring Hill (IMO).
The early Mormon leaders ASSUMED the original Adam-ondi-Ahman was in Missouri but the revelation doesn’t really say that. (Kinda like the Word of Wisdom’s “hot drinks” which was interpreted to mean coffee and tea whereas that’s not what the revelation says. I happen to think “hot drinks” is in reference to the temperature of the beverages - which HAVE been proven to be very harmful to the linings of the stomach and throat. Despite this personal belief - I still don’t drink coffee or tea).
Still, if there really was a global flood (despite the lack of any physical evidence), there’s no way the ark would’ve stayed in the same region of the world, given global currents and wind patterns. Where did the ark ORIGINATE? We know it landed in the Near East, and the survivors named the region after places they knew. Isn’t it then possible they could’ve originated in ancient America?
Like I said, I do not believe in a literal Garden of Eden or global flood, but it certainly is possible for the Garden of Eden to be located in Missouri where it floated to the Near East during the Great Flood.
Fair’s fair. Will you answer my questions now?