[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Finn_Jarber

I open this thread to educate us about Mormonism. It is not an attack against Mormon beliefs, and Katzpur, who is a Mormon, has agreed to explain the beliefs of Mormonism.

Well, let's start by calling a spade a spade, Finn. We both know it's an attack against Mormon beliefs. But that's okay. It will give me the opportunity to clear up some misconceptions.

I actually did start a thread a long time ago for this very purpose, and since I've addressed many of these questions before, I may end up just cutting and pasting my own words rather than typing them out all over again.

I will start by presenting this teaching, which I believe to be a Mormon belief, and Katzpur can explain if it is true or false, or maybe partially true.

Multiple Gods
==========
Have you ever heard this "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become." It is from a poem, but to many Mormons it means much more than a poem. They believe that a man can become a God, and can be given his/her own planet to rule.

This would be a good time to explain what is and what is not Mormon doctrine. As is the case with every other religion in the world, Mormonism has the right to define its own beliefs. As Mormons, we have the right to say what constitutes Mormon doctrine. Mormon doctrine is contained in four books which we consider to be scripture. They are:

1. The Holy Bible (we use the KJV)
2. The Book of Mormon
3. The Doctrine and Covenants
4. The Pearl of Great Price

Hundreds upon hundreds of books by Mormon authors (including the LDS Church leadership) have been published over the years. None of them, regardless of who they were written by, are doctrinally binding upon the members of the Church. They are simply one person's interpretation of doctrine. That is not to say that they don't contain a certain amount of truth, but it is almost certain that they contain a certain amount of error. They are virtually never used in LDS worship services or classes, but oddly enough, they are where most non-Mormons get their information on "what Mormons believe." Whenever one of these non-doctrinal sources is mentioned on this thread, I will undoubtedly point out that fact. I have asked a few individuals on the forum to please stick to the four books listed above (we call them "the Standard Works") when telling me what I believe. None of them have respected my request. All I can really say at this point about their tactics is that if every word ever uttered by every Roman Catholic Pope or by Martin Luther, John Calvin, or John Wesley was considered doctrinally binding upon today's Catholics and Protestants, those religions would be very, very different from what we see.

Take Adam for example. According to Mormonism, Adam was once a man living on another planet, and because he was a righteous man, he was rewarded with his own planet (earth), and he became the God of planet earth. He had sexual relations with Eve and they had a son, Jesus Christ.

Whoa! We don't believe one single, solitary word of this. It is false from the get-go.

Likewise a Mormon who lives a righteous life and goes the extra mile, can be rewarded with Godhood, and be given his own planet where he can be a God.

That's a gross over-simplification, and so it's really pretty misleading. I'll get to the explanation, but not just yet.

Naturally this will lead to the universe having a countless number of Gods, and this is where Mormonism departs from Christianity. There are other ways where Mormonism departs from Christianity, and I will get to those later.

Thanks. Let me tackle these things one at a time, okay? Remember, it takes a lot less time to make an accusation than it does to explain the actual doctrine. Also, I have only a little while to be here this morning. I'll be gone all day and won't be able to get back to you until this evening.