According the Mormonism their "Heavenly Father" was once a man of "mortal flesh."
(1) Joseph Smith said that "First God Himself, who sits enthroned in yonder heaven, is a man like unto one of yourselves, that is the great secret. . .I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. . . God himself; the Father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did, . . .You have to learn how to be gods yourselves; . . .No man can learn you more than what I have told you."
(2) Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt stated, "The Gods who dwell in Heaven. . .have been redeemed from the grave in a world which existed before the foundations of this earth were laid. They and the Heavenly body which they now inhabit were once in a fallen state . . . . they were exalted also, from Fallen men to Celestial Gods to inhabit their heaven forever and ever."
(3) Pratt further stated that, "We (men on earth) were begotten by our father in heaven: the person of our Father in Heaven we begotten on a previous heavenly world by his father; and again, He was begotten by a still more ancient father; and so on."
(4) Brigham Young stated the purpose of the LDS god, "The Lord created you and me for the purpose of becoming God like himself; We are created . . . to become Gods like unto our Father in heaven."
(5) Being true to his church's teaching, Milton Hunter concluded that, " . . .we must accept the fact that there was a time when Deity was much less powerful than He is today."
(6) The LDS Scriptures teach that God is a man of flesh and bones: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us."
From these statements, made by the founders and leaders of Mormonism, we can see that they believe in a plurality of gods in the Universe. Their god is only one of an innumerable number of gods in the Universe and is an exalted man of "flesh and bone" who was given charge of this world. However, they do not worship a plurality of gods, only worshiping or being responsible to the god of earth who is literally their "Heavenly Father" meaning they are his sexually produced off-spring. In fact all angels, Jesus, Lucifer and all men are the sexually produced children of their god in heaven.
The Mormon god is literally a man who began his existence as something they call an "intelligence." This being they refer to as an "intelligence" did not have a body but existed as simply pure intelligence somewhere in the Universe. They do not speculate on where the "intelligence" came from believing that it like the universe had no beginning. However, on another planet (not the earth) out in the universe a god (not the god of earth) and one of his wives had a spirit child and this intelligence was given a spirit body and was born as a child. As a spirit child he lived in the heaven with his father and mother god in a heavenly family. Next, this spirit child allowed to come to his father god's planet and get a human body when a human couple on the planet had a child. This human child grew up on that planet and was born a sinner. However, in time he was redeemed by being faithful to the gospel of his heavenly father god and lived a life doing good works. He afterwards died and was resurrected to what the Mormons call the "Celestial" heaven. In the Celestial heaven this man was declared to be "worthy" of becoming a god and was exalted to godhood. He then was appointed to be the god of earth by a counsel of gods that live at the center of the universe near a star or planet called Kolob. Kolob is mentioned in the LDS scripture in the Book of Abraham and is said to be the nearest heavenly body to the place where their god dwells. This now god, retained his physical body, becoming in his essence a god of "flesh and bones."
Their god proceeded to the earth and began to produce children with his many wives and thereby populates the earth. It is very interesting that the estimated number of people who have been born on earth is whopping 108,456,367,669. (7)(108.4 trillion) Each person on the earth pre-existed in heaven as a spirit child according to their doctrine. This means each person was conceived in a sexual union by heavenly father and one of his wives. (I will make no further comment)
The transition from beginning as an "intelligence" and proceeding to becoming a god is what the LDS church calls the doctrine "Eternal Progression." Eternal progression is actually the "gospel" of the Mormon church. The phrase uses the adjective "eternal" which implies the even after a man is exalted to godhood, he can continue to progress or digress to becoming a greater or lesser god or being. In their article "Eternal Progression," Mormon Lisa Adams and Elder Bruce McConKie state:
"The principle of eternal progression cannot be precisely defined or comprehended, yet it is fundamental to the LDS worldview. The phrase "eternal progression" first occurs in the discourses of Brigham Young. It embodies many concepts taught by Joseph Smith, especially in his King Follett discourse. It is based on the proposition that "there is no such thing as principle, power, wisdom, knowledge, life, position, or anything that can be imagined, that remains stationary—they must increase or decrease" (Young, JD 1:350)."
The Bible however, proclaims that our Creator is absolute and immutable and does not change. Numerous passages in the Bible teach this foundational truth about our God.
"And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent." (1 Samuel 15:29) "Repent" means to change one's mind.
"For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Psalms 119:89)
"For I am the LORD, I change not;. . ." (Malachi 3:6)
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:8)
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17)
Three times in the Book of Revelation God says that He is "Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end." However, the Mormon god has changed many times. He began not as a god, but rather as an "intelligence" somewhere out in the Universe. He then became a "spirit" person in the heaven of some world out in the Universe when he was born as a "spirit" baby to the exalted man-become-god of that world. Thus there was a time in his earlier life that the Mormon god was not a god but a mortal sinful man who continued the process of "eternal progression" which means going from an "intelligence" to a god. As a "human" person he received a physical body when his human parents gave birth to a child. After living a "worthy" life of many good works in his physical life, he died, was resurrected and went to the Celestial heaven where he was exalted to godhood. The Mormon god according to their teachings has changed many time and may change in the future.
The believe that a moral man today, by being faithful to the teachings of the LDS and receiving the "endownements" (temple ceremonies)can become gods also. Men on earth pre-existed in heaven with "Heavenly Father" and can also become exalted to godhood and have their planet to rule.
As stated earlier the Mormon god with his many wives produced the angels, Jesus, Lucifer, and all the people who are on the earth first in heaven as his "spirit children." Therefore the LDS god is the literal physical father of all people on earth because all people pre-existed in heaven where they were sexually conceived. When they call him "Heavenly Father" they mean more than his being their god. He is their physical father as well. This means that men and women on earth are the physical the brothers and sisters of angels, Jesus and yes, Satan himself. The teach that Jesus was their god's first born child, with Lucifer second, followed by all men on earth. They refer to Jesus as their "elder brother."
When one makes a comparison of the Mormon god with the God of the Bible you find that this god and Jesus is totally different from our Creator who revealed Himself to man in the Bible. Although a comparison between the LDS god and the God of the Bible can be made on many levels I wish to focus only on one irreconcilable difference. This is one fact about the Mormon "Heavenly Father" that the LDS church cannot deny and shows conclusively he cannot be the God of the Bible. Although, the Book of Mormon and LDS literature say their god is our Creator, revealed in the Bible; according to their own teaching their god cannot be the Creator of the earth and certainly cannot be the Creator of the Universe. [ Click here to read an article titled, THE FATAL FLAW IN THE MORMON CHURCH'S TEACHING CONCERNING THEIR GOD]
First, the LDS Church teaches their god is only one of many gods existing in the Universe.
Second, when the LDS god became a god the Universe was already created, therefore he could not its creator. (More will be said later about this fatal flaw in LDS doctrine)
The LDS church teaches that there existed many gods in the Universe before their present god came on the scene. Further, they believe new gods are being made today from the ranks of the LDS faithful. The LDS teaching presents their god as the offspring of a father god that existed before he did and his father had a father also. (see the above quotes) Even a superficial reading of LDS material on this matter shows, that according to Mormon doctrine, the Universe and man existed before the Mormon god of this earth was born.
Biblical Christians emphatically insists that Mormons are not Christians, because they do not worship the God or Jesus Christ of the Bible. The irrefutable proof of this fact is found by comparing the Mormon man-become-god with the God of the Bible who is the Creator of the Earth and the Universe.
The Mormon man-become-god could not have been our Creator because he became a god after the Universe was created. The Mormon "Heavenly Father" is himself a created being and was born into a world that already existed. Milton R. Hunter,a member of the First Council of the Seventy, explains how their god became a god:
"We accept the fact that God is the Supreme Intelligent Being in the universe. (Please note that Hunter calls the LDS god the "Supreme intelligent Being in the UNIVERSE") He has the greatest knowledge, the most perfect will, and the most infinite power of any person within the realm of our understanding."
This begs the question? Then how did He become glorified and exalted and attain His present status of Godhood? In the first place, eons ago God undoubtedly took advantage of every opportunity to learn the laws of truth and as He became acquainted with each new verity He righteously obeyed it. From day to day He exerted His will vigorously, and as a result became thoroughly acquainted with the forces lying about Him. As he gained more knowledge through persistent effort and continuous industry, as well as through absolute obedience, His understanding of the universal laws continued to become more complete. Thus He grew in experience and continued to grow until He attained the status of Godhood. In other words, He became God by absolute obedience to all the eternal laws of the Gospel by conforming His actions to all truth, and thereby became the author of eternal truth. Therefore, the road that the Eternal Father followed to Godhood was one of living at all times a dynamic, industrious, and completely righteous life. There is no other way to exaltation." (under lining added)
He further said in the Chapter "How Men May Become Gods":
"Thus all men who ascend to the glorious status of Godhood can do so only by one method-by obedience to all the principles and ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If to obtain eternal life means to enjoy the same type of life that God lives and to experience similar experiences, then those people who receive it to the fullest degree shall actually be Gods." (The Gospel Through The Ages, pp. 114-117)(under lining added)
God gave us the Bible, His written word, to tell us about Himself. It is God's revelation to man. There are two kinds of revelation; natural and special. Natural revelation deals with examining the physical world and seeing its order and design. We conclude that there was a Designer or Creator because of the intricate design, organization, and order of the Universe. Natural revelation gives us some insights into who God is but it is not specific. We look at nature, see His creative handiwork , and know He is there, but do not know who He is. Special revelation is what God specifically reveals to us about himself from the Bible. It tells us a great deal about Him.
The reason God gave us His written word and has preserved it through the ages is so that we can have an absolute source of His truth. By reading the Bible we know the truth of who is our Creator, of His past, present and future plans. Further and most importantly we can know assuredly of the false teachings of men. The Bible, is the sole authority for the faith and practice of biblical Christians.
My purpose is to examine what God reveals to us about Himself from the Bible. I would challenge Mormons to compare their man-become-god with the God of the Bible. The heart of Mormonism is that they are seeking through their good deeds, temple works and faithfulness to the LDS church to reach the Celestial heaven where they will be exalted and become gods. The truth is their god does not exist and the teachings of the LDS church are false because God's own word says so.
Even a casual comparison of the Mormon god with the God of the Bible reveals that they are not the same. The Mormon god was and is a man of flesh and bones and cannot be compared on any level with the God of the Bible.
The Bible says God is spirit. In John 4:24 the Bible says, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." God has substance but not a material substance and He is not a man nor ever was a man. John 4:24, defines God's substance as being spiritual. When Jesus appeared after His resurrection he explained to his disciples in Luke 24:39, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." God then is spirit and is not a material being. There are many expressions in the Bible which refer to God as having the body parts of a man, but these are all hyperboles and symbolic statements. For example, God is said to be a burning fire, an eagle, and other symbols which relate to his actions and not to his material essence.
The Bible says that God is invisible. Deut. 4:1-19, says that at Horeb God appeared to Israel. God reminds them that they did not see any form of God, but only heard His voice. God commands them not to corrupt themselves by making any image of Him referring to Him as either male of female, or after the likeness of any animal or after the sun, moon and stars. Isaiah 40:18 states the same truth, "To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?" God does not have gender as material men and women do. John 1:18, says that "No man hath seen God" In Romans 1:20, Col. 1;15, 1 Tim. 1:17, Paul says God is invisible being a Spirit. 1 Timothy 6:16, says, "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen." Thus the Bible is clear in teaching that God being a spirit is invisible and cannot be seen my material men.
The Bible does say however in some passages that men did see God. Is this a contradiction? The answer is no. God appeared to men in physical form so that men could see him, but they did not see God in his true essence, but saw only a reflection or manifestation of God. John 1:32, says that Spirit can be manifested in visible form. In Genesis 16:7-14, the Bible says the angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar. This is referred to as a "theophany" which means an appearance of God in human form. Exodus 3:1f says that the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush (Ex. 3:2). Thus, the flame Moses saw in the midst of the bush revealed God's presence, but not His true essence. The flame Moses saw did not represent what God looks like anymore that when God appeared as a man. God used these forms so as to appear to men in some visible form they could see.
The Bible says that God is Self existing. Man's existence comes from God who is life and the giver of all life. Man exists because of God's power. God "breathed" life into man and he became a living soul. God's existence is not dependent on outside forces. This is the meaning of God's statement about Himself in Exodus 3:14, "I am that I am." God is not created, but the Creator and called the eternal God, "From everlasting to everlasting thou art God" (Psalm 90:2). He is Self existing and does not exist because of some outside power. He is a power unto Himself. This is better understood by the next statement about God.
The Bible says God is infinite. This refers to God in relation to space. God created the vastness of the space of the Universe and thus God must be greater that His Creation. Being infinite God is not limited to space in a material Universe. Note how the following passages present this truth: 1 Kings 8:27, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" 2 Chron. 2:6, "But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?" Jeremiah 23:24, "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." Isaiah 66:1, "Thus saith the LORD, 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?"
The Bible says God is the Only God. Note, what the Bible says about God in the following Scriptures: Deut. 4:35, "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him." Isaiah 44:6, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." Isaiah 43:10, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." These verses teach that God is the only God and not other gods exist in the Universe that He created. The Bible clearly reveals that there in only one God and He is the Creator of the Earth and the Universe. The Mormon god is not a creator. Although he is said in LDS literature to be the creator of human beings on earth, Mormon literature says that he with his wives "produce," not create, children through sexual relations in heaven. The people on earth already existed as an "intelligence" out in the Universe and later became "spirits in heaven." The LDS god only gave these intelligence's spirit bodies and set them on the road to "eternal progression" in which worthy Mormons can eventually become gods.
The god of Mormonism, as the LDS church literature presents him, is certainly not the God of the Bible. I would urge the LDS people to read the Bible, God's revelation to man and see for themselves who is the real God. Further I would implore them to believe God's word and believe in God and receive His Son the real Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and thus be forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life.
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
References:
(1) Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, V7, page 333.
(2) Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, Vol. 5, pages 613-614.
(3) Orson Pratt, The Seer, page 23.
(4) Ibid., page 132.
(5) Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, page 93.
(6) Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, Salt Lake City,
1958, p.104.
(7) http://www.prb.org/articles/2002/howmanypeoplehaveeverlivedonearth.aspx