Ask a Mormon (genesis, priest, gospels, marriages)

[dreameyes]

Originally Posted by kdbrich

Is Jesus God?

Is he divine?

Is the Holy Spirit a seperate and distinct person?

I really don't know how Justanmere could make it any clearer than he has.

Jesus is not God the Father.

Yes he is divine.

Yes the Holy Spirit is a seperate and distinct personage just like Jesus and Heavenly Father are.

[kdbrich]

Are they all the same God?

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by dreameyes

I really don't know how Justanmere could make it any clearer than he has.

Jesus is not God the Father.

Yes he is divine.

Yes the Holy Spirit is a seperate and distinct personage just like Jesus and Heavenly Father are.

Is Jesus God? Yes or no. You said he's "devine", what does that mean to a Mormon? Are beings like angels devine too?

[dreameyes]

Originally Posted by kdbrich

Are they all the same God?

No they are three distinct personages with one purpose.
Really guys how many times can one question be answered before you get it.
Most of the Christian world believes in the trinity. We do NOT. We believe in three seperate persons. End of story. How hard is that to understand???
(I'm not just directing this to you kdbrich so please don't think I'm just being snotty )

[dreameyes]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

Is Jesus God? Yes or no. You said he's "devine", what does that mean to a Mormon? Are beings like angels devine too?

Oh goodness. You really are not getting it. Go back and read the clear responses you've had.
Jesus is NOT God. But he is a god in the sense He is part of the Godhead which has been explained.
IMHO yes angels are divine also.

[PaulMcNabb]

Originally Posted by kdbrich

So it IS true that a good mormon can become a god on his own planet with his wife and make lots of babies to populate the planet?

I don't believe that; there may be Mormons that do. It isn't LDS doctrine and in such details of the afterlife people are free to believe whatever they want.

[PaulMcNabb]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

Is it true mormons believe God used to be a man on a planet called Kolob (sp?)?

No.

And that we can become Gods ourselves someday?

Yes.

Is it true that mormons believe that women can only enter heaven if married?

No. And the same "requirements" exist for men and women.

Is it true that Joseph Smith put a rock on his head to see and dictate the book of mormon?

No.

[PaulMcNabb]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

When I was in college, I took a very interesting religion course. We looked at four religions. Christianity, Jehovah's witnesses, mormons and Islam but instead of looking at the religions, we studied the lives of the founders from a perspective of whether or not they were credible. I left this course just shaking my head WRT Joseph Smith. There is no way I'd follow that man nor would I follow Mohamad.

I was suprised to find that, while I still disagree with the interpretations and beliefs, I can actually understand where the Jehovah's witnesses get their beliefs from. Joseph Smith's revelations from rocks on his head are just too wacky for me. Especially since some are so self serving for him.

Anything can made to sound ridiculous; almost anything can be made to sound reasonable.

I have no clue where you got the "rocks on his head" thing. If your teacher taught you that, HE had rocks IN his head.

[PaulMcNabb]

Originally Posted by kdbrich

You don't think the nature of who God is, is pretty basic to the definition of your religion? I mean...I can call my dog Jesus, and claim to follow his teachings, and it all sounds pretty good....until we define who Jesus is.

Yes. That would be silly. The standard definition of "Christian" pertains to the Jesus that was a first century, Palestinian Jew who was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Beliefs about Jesus' eternal nature and His state before and after death are irrelevant when it comes to determining who is and isn't Christian. Those theological issues are used to determine what KIND of Christian you might be.

[PaulMcNabb]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

You can learn more about a religion from someone who left it than anyone else. They ask the hard questions. Anyone can answer the easy ones.

Really? What if they left it because they never understood it? What if they are bitter about something and intentionally misrepresent it? I can think of lots of reasons why the simple qualification of "having once been a member of a group" does not mean the person suddenly gains any special expertise in the matter over someone who has remained in the group, and I can think of some reasons why such a person may be below average in terms of qualification to discuss the group.

It was a very good class. We followed the lives of the founders of the religions. IMO, Joseph Smith was a charlaton (sp?) who found his way to power through religion. Look at his history.

I'm guessing that I've read more of Joseph Smith's history than everyone in that class put together. I've probably read a lot more than your teacher ever did on the subject. I disagree. Other professional historians also disagree. So who do we believe?

We did not get into the details of what the religions beleived. We asked the question of whether or not we'd believe the founders and in the case of Joseph Smith, my answer is I will not bet my eternal soul on it.

That is a decision only you can make. If you are interested in more information, I'd be happy to try to provide it. If you are simply announcing your decision and have no intention of reconsidering it, then I can only say, "Have a nice day!"