Digest this book (one of many), from the impeccable Old Testament scholar, Margeret Barker. She’s has written several books on the era of 2nd Temple Judaism. The theological construct sounds strikingly like Mormonism, it ain’t funny.
http://www.margaretbarker.com/Publications/GreatAngel.htm
“Many of the old certainties have been destroyed by new knowledge. What has become clear to me time and time again is that the evidence indicates that pre-Christian Judaism was not monotheistic in the sense that we use that word. Many in first century Palestine retained a world view derived from the more ancient religion of Israel, in which there was a High God and several Sons of God, one of whom was Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel. Yahweh the Lord could be manifested on earth in human form, as an angel, or in the Davidic king. It was as a manifestation of Yahweh, the Son of God, that Jesus was acknowledged as Son of God, Messiah and Lord.”
So your defense of Modern Mormonism which practice concepts that have long been rejected by Christian Scholars and practitioners as being unbilblical and unsupported by the most fundamental study of Scripture is to point out it is similar to the ancient practices of some Jewish peoples and their predecessors, practices long rejected as being unbilblical and unsupported by the most fundamental study of Scripture.
Well that's one approach I guess.
Though I think comparing it to Greek Mythology would be more interesting...
For you and anyone who would like a critique of
Ms. Barker... http://faithpromotingrumor.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/my-margaret-barker-experience/