Posted on 11/05/2010 6:32:25 PM PDT by Colofornian
LDS Prophet Joseph Smith taught that God was once a mortal man:
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. ...I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil,...
It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, ...and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; ...you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another,... from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings. and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power" (History of the Church, Vol. 6, Ch. 14, p. 305-6).
LDS President Brigham Young declared that God was once a finite being:
"It appears ridiculous to the world, under their darkened and erroneous traditions, that God has once been a finite being" (Deseret News, Nov. 16, 1859, p. 290).
LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith said that God had a father, a grandfather, etc.:
"Our father in heaven, according to the Prophet, had a father, and since there has been a condition of this kind through all eternity, each Father had a Father" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:47).
LDS President Joseph F. Smith taught that God was born as a mortal on some other earth:
"I know that God is a being with body, parts and passions...Man was born of woman; Christ, the Savior, was born of woman; and God, the Father was born of woman" (Deseret News, Church News, Sept. 19, 1936, p. 2).
LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie taught:
"The Father is a glorified, perfected, resurrected, exalted man who worked out his salvation by obedience to the same laws he has given to us so that we may do the same" (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 64)
LDS Apostle Melvin Ballard explained that God has a wife:
"For as we have a Father in heaven, so also we have a Mother there, a glorified, exalted, ennobled Mother" (As quoted in Achieving a Celestial Marriage, LDS Church manual, 1976, p. 129).
LDS Doctrine and Covenants promises the faithful LDS couple that they can achieve godhood in the same manner as God the Father:
"...if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity,... they shall [have]...a continuation of the seeds [children] forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting,... Then shall they be gods, because they have all power,... and continuation of the lives,... [endless procreation of spirit children]" (Doctrine and Covenants Section 132:18-22)
LDS President Brigham Young taught that faithful Mormons can achieve godhood:
"Intelligent beings are organized to become Gods, even the Sons of God, to dwell in the presence of the Gods, and become associated with the highest intelligences that dwell in eternity. We are now in the school, and must practice upon what we receive" (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 245).
LDS President Joseph F. Smith said:
"We are precisely in the same condition and under the same circumstances that God our heavenly Father was when he was passing through this, or a similar ordeal" (Gospel Doctrine, p. 54).
As recently as 2007 both Apostle Boyd K. Packer and Dallen Oakes, during an interview for PBS, explained that God the father has a resurrected body. Apostle Packer stated:
"That vision [Joseph Smith's 1820 vision] taught us some things. We learned about the personality of God the Father, a resurrected Being, as part of our gospel." [link]
Apostle Oakes used the same term when he was interviewed:
"The first revelation received by Joseph Smith was the appearance to him of the Father and the Son embodied, separate, identifiable, tangible Beings who appeared to him in what we refer to as the First Vision. And that first revelation, concerning the nature of God as an embodied, glorified, resurrected Being, challenged the creeds of Christianity. Christianity describes God as a disembodied, incomprehensible, spiritual entity that fills the whole universe, and an indistinguishable Father and Son." [link]
LDS Apostle James E. Talmage taught that God progressed from a mortal to a god:
"We believe in a God who is Himself progressive, whose majesty is intelligence; whose perfection consists in eternal advancement — a Being who has attained His exalted state by a path which now His children are permitted to follow, whose glory it is their heritage to share. In spite of the opposition of the sects, in the face of direct charges of blasphemy, the Church proclaims the eternal truth: 'As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be'" (Articles of Faith, Ch. 24, p. 430-431).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What the Bible Says About God
1. ALWAYS GOD - in the past as well as in the future.
"Art thou not from ever-lasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One?" Hab. 1:12
"For I am the Lord, I change not." Mal. 3:6
"...from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Psa. 90:2
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent." Num. 23:19
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,...who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever." Rom. 1:22-25
The LDS god started as a finite man and progressed to godhood.
2. ALWAYS HOLY - Both in the past and future.
"...a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." Deut. 32:4
"I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee." Hos. 11:9
"The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works." Psa. 145:17
"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5
"Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness." Psa. 119:142
The LDS god achieved holiness.
3. ALL KNOWING - Both in the past and in the future.
"Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? ... There is no searching of his understanding." Isa. 40:13, 14, 28
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." Psa. 147:5
The LDS god had to learn everything.
4. ALL POWERFUL
"The Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Rev. 19:6
"...his eternal power and Godhead." Rom. 1:20
The LDS god attained his power.
5. OMNIPRESENT
"The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; where is the house that ye build unto me: and where is the place of my rest?" Isa. 66:1
"Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord." Jer. 23:23-24
The LDS god can be in only one place at a time.
6. ACTED ALONE IN CREATION
"I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself." Isa. 44:24
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." Psa. 33:6
"Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all." Neh. 9:6
The LDS god cooperated with the Council of Gods to create.
7. NO OTHER GODS
"I am he; before me there was no God formed neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour." Isa. 43:10-11
"I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God....is there a God beside me; yea, there is no God; I know not any." Isa. 44:6 & 8
"To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?...for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." Isa. 46:5 & 9
"I am the Lord; that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another." Isa. 42:8
The LDS God has a father and mother, grandparents, brothers and sisters, etc.
For a more in-depth discussion of the LDS view of God and man:
Mormonism and the Threefold Problem of Progression: Examining the LDS Doctrine of Eternal Progression in Light of the Bible, Philosophy, and Science
We are commmanded to live lives of righteousness.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:20 “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
I believe that righteousness grows out of faith and that we show our faith by our works, and that faith without works is dead, being alone.
None in this life is going to live a flawless life, and God knows and understands that. He has provided a Savior to atone for our sins and weakness and we are wholly dependent upon Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin.
In the end, God judges us according to his perfect knowledge, love, wisdom, mercy and justice — and he alone knows who will enter into the Kingdom of God.
Boloney sausage that straw man belongs too you...
It appears that you are mistaken; Resty.
***...with a bad spellchecker.***
“At the tone, twentyone hours, fourteen minutes, CO-ORDINATED Universal time”......BEEP! ;-)
Righteousness doesn't grow like a sunflower, Norm. It is a Gift of God given to the believer when they faithe in God's Grace to them in the Person and work of Jesus Christ! That is why Paul gave explicit instruction regarding Abraham who lived before the law which Pharisees live as best they could. Do you think you can be as good as God's natural nature by living the dos and avoiding the don'ts you have been taught by the religion of Mormonism? Jesus's message to those who believed they could is what you posted!
none is righteous that is the way of the world, but not of the Lord.
____________________________________________
no the mormon lord probably didnt say anything like that..
It is the Christian God who said
“There is none righteous, no, not one” Romans 3:10
Mormoni$m equates money with power. The church itself has built up a multi-billion-dollar empire and the church leaders' educations are all involved with money and business.
This withholding of donations to FReeRepublic has been a recurring threat from mormons who would like to dictate the content of the Religion Forum.
While the Church employs an independent auditing department which provides an annual report to the Church[1], it has not published full financial reports since 1959.
The Council was established by church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. on 8 July 1838.[2] As of April 2009, the members of the Council are:
Here is a lesson plan from the "Family Home Evening Resource Book" on teaching about paying tithing...it is truly an eye-opener to Christians who tithe from their hearts.
"Point out that you pay tithing first, and then you pay a portion of what you owe on each other bill. Talk about which areas you might be able to cut expenses in so that you can live within your budget. Paying the Lord first ensures his help and blessings in being able to budget the rest of your money successfully."
Makes their Lord seem to be a businessman, doesn't it?
It would be an interesting study—if it could be done—to compare and contrast waht the Christian who stumbles into Mormonism believes regarding faith and works, as different from what the non-Christian who gets caught up in Mormonism beleievs regarding righteous living earning salvation fro Jesus.
Really? Well, I guess the poor thief on the cross with Jesus...got lied to.
And I guess...John 3:16...is just all wrong.
BTW, what's up with the Baptism of the Dead thing you mormons...do. What EXACTLY are you all doing there.
Hey Norm....are you righteous?
Hmmmmmmmmmm
Mormons attempting to manipulate and control the content of the printed media...
Since back in 1844 when they destroyed a printing press and burnt down a newspaper building...
No First Amendment rights allowed by the mormons..
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
not exactly champions of the Constitution are they ???
Personally I understand the scripture....but I also know God. And He knows our hearts.
Remember, though, that the righteousness of the Pharisees was not pleasing to Jesus. He castigated them for their pride in keeping the minutua of the law, while omitting “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith”.
The righteousnes that Jesus wants his disciples to have is purity of heart, mercy, peacemaking, charity, etc. When the heart is right, works of righteousness naturally follow.
What a truly incredible statement.
The understanding of your faith may allow you to believe bashing is a good thing, (nothing "bashing" here, move along)..... but the counsel I receive from the Lord....really?... is to bridle the nature man.....welll....when? (ahem!)
Really, do you think you can live the nature of God by trying to imitate the letter of the law? This is about FIRST faithing in Jesus as Savior, THEN His Holy Spirit comes into your human spirit so that the Life of God changes the soul of the man, achieving works of righteousness because of the One Whom is the author of the behavior. You might say it’s all about ‘behavior modification’ achieved by Whom sets up residence in the suddenly alive spirit of a man directing the behavior mechanism, the soul of the man (or woman, as the case may be, dear Saundra).
Who provided endowments, sealings, baptism, confirmation and endowments for the dead, "eternal" marriage, three degrees of "glory"? Clue: It wasn't THE LORD.
It takes the Life of God in the heart of man, to live the nature of God in the world. Jesus did it 24/7/365. Christians do it to the extent that they accept the leadership of the Lord who dwells within them.
Do Momrons believe that throughout their life God's Spirit dwells within them? Or do Mormons believe that if they live a righteous enough life God will then add His Spirit to them? Please answer this most vital of questions in your own heart. Your eternal destiny is actually riding on it.
It takes the Life of God in the heart of man, to live the nature of God in the world. Jesus did it 24/7/365. Christians do it to the extent that they accept the leadership of the Lord who dwells within them.
Do Mormons believe that throughout their life God's Spirit dwells within them? Or do Mormons believe that if they live a righteous enough life God will then add His Spirit to them? Please answer this most vital of questions in your own heart. Your eternal destiny is actually riding on it.
Wow!
And this from a Mormon whose system claims that just about everbody is going to eventually be "saved"?? (perhaps all except the Hitler types and those who were Mormons & left the church?)
Why don't you talk about, for all readers & lurkers, Stourme, who you believe will get to be with Heavenly Father forever?
Can you say...
...you have to be a Mormon church member...
...who is married and not divorced...
...and who was married to that partner or partners "for eternity" as sealed in the Mormon temple...
...and you have to be a temple Mormon in good standing throughout all your life, including tithing 10%??
Otherwise, ANY...
...Mormons like non-temple Mormons...
...including those who have fallen on rough economic times and can no longer tithe 10% -- or many poor Haitians for example...
...single Mormons who were never married "for eternity" as sealed by the Mormon church...
...divorced, not-remarried Mormons...
...married temple-Mormons not married to a temple Mormon in good standing...
...or ANY non-Mormon...
...well, all the above can just get on the back-of-the heavenly bus & head for another planet where Heavenly Father supposedly won't reside.
This, ALL, is the great "secret" of Mormonism revealed.
And what a "diss" that is to the God of the universe!
To claim that heaven can actually be considered "Heaven" without the ongoing Presence of Heavenly Father
I mean just wow!
So I've arranged below for a new Mormon "oath" -- a vow every TB Mormon can utter and confess:
"I, John or Jane Mormon -- as opposed to Jack Mormon,
confess before Heavenly Father
that I deem heaven to be heaven for 99.something percent of those who have ever lived or will live
even though, You, Father won't be living with them for eternity.
I, therefore, solemnly declare, confess, and profess
that I loudly proclaim before the entire world
that I consider Heaven to be heaven
for the non-Mormons and all the 'ineligible' majority of Mormons
Despite my understanding that You won't be there forever with them."
Signed
John or Jane Mormon
Hi MHG,
We believe that the Holy Spirit can dwell in our hearts throughout our lives.
Book of Mormon, Moroni Chapter 8:
25 And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;
26 And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.