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No more so than the rest of Christianity. Ask any Muslim. Here's what the Book of Mormon has to say on the subject:
"And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end." (Mormon 7:7)
We Believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost (1st Article of Faith), but we are not Trinitarians. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we do not accept the creedal definitions of God.
We believe that the three members of the Godhead are physically distinct from one another, but are united as "one" in will, purpose, power and glory. We believe that the Father and the Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bone, and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit only (which, not coincidentally, is precisely why He alone is known as the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit).
We believe that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost share the name of "God" and function as "God," working together as "one," in a state of absolute harmony and perfect unity. We believe that all three existed "in the beginning", i.e. at the time our universe was created. We believe the Father to be the supreme member of the Godhead, the Son (or the Word) to be our Savior and Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost to be the comforter and revelator.
We believe that humans are created in the express image of our Heavenly Father and that we are literally His spirit sons and daughters.
Thank you, Phazelwood! I wasn't looking forward to plowing through that old thread looking for that answer. Now I don't have to. So... for those who are too lazy or simply uninclined to click on the link you provided, here is what I said in that post:
I’ve been a Mormon all my life (I am 63 years old and was baptized at the age of 8). I attend LDS worship services almost every Sunday. In all that time, I have never once heard that as “a Mormon, you will someday be a god with your own planet. ” We do believe in a doctrine known to us as “Eternal Progression.” It’s doctrine which is very much misunderstood by those outside our faith. The essence of this teaching is that we are not only God’s “creations” but His “offspring” (see Acts 17:28-29). He is the “Father of our spirits,” and we were created “in [His] image, after [His] likeness” (see Hebrews 12:9 Genesis 1:26). We believe that each of us (“us” meaning all of humanity, not just Mormons) has been endowed with the honor and privilege of someday becoming “perfect, even as [our]Father which is in heaven is perfect” (see Matthew 5:48). As a matter of fact, we don’t see Jesus’ words in this passage as being a suggestion, but a commandment.
I'm sure you're familiar with C.S. Lewis. He, of course, was never a Mormon but a prominent Anglican/Episcopal theologian. He once made a statement once that very closely approximates our belief. Here’s what he had to say:
“The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were “gods” and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him – for we can prevent Him, if we choose – He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said."
Now what this all mean? Does it mean we each get a planet of our own? Seriously, I don’t know. If I become a god, I suppose I'll start making planets on my own. I won't have to rely on God giving me one. That’s the way non-Mormons typical put it when they try to explain our doctrine, but I think you’d be pretty hard-pressed to find anything close to that wording in any official LDS writings. If it was even a central part of our theology, I can guarantee that it’s something we would be hearing about week after week in church. I’m sure there are exceptions, but I don’t think I personally know a single member of my Church who gives much thought at all to what it might be like to someday become a god or goddess. It’s not something I even particularly want.
Three last thoughts on the subject, all of which are alluded to in Lewis’ quote:
(1) We do not believe that any of us will ever be equal to God, our Eternal Father in Heaven. He will always be our God and we will always worship Him. We will “reflect” God’s energy, joy, wisdom, love, power, delight and goodness. We can never, nor would we aspire to, surpass them.
(2) Nothing we could possibly do on our own could exalt us to the level of deity. It is only through the will and grace of God that mankind is given this potential. And "with God, nothing is impossible."
(3) No one expects this to happen at the moment of death or at the resurrection. Progression towards perfection is a process. It’s something that may take millions of years to attain, but it is a worthy goal. It is in no way an affront to God, but His desire for us.
Jumping in to show the meaning of Psalm 82, in light of the Word of God:
the "sons of God" being spoken to in that passage are the created "Watcher" angels -whose names, many times, include the designation of an "el" in them [see Enoch and other ancient writings].
In Psalm 82's original Hebrew, Adam was the one/echad prince that fell/rapha and got cast out of Eden and lost son-ship [Malachi 2:15 and Genesis 5:2, states that Adam was made male and female, with one Adam spirit, to bring forth "sons of God =godly seed [and the purpose of Adam being a son of God of the human being kind, and made male and female, was to bring forth the created seed out of the loins of the firstborn/head of the race Adam, nurtured in the womb of the female Adam, so as to "build up and be, itself, the living temple/city of God" for the Glory of the God of Glory, who is Spirit and not flesh, to indwell].
Adam fell from sonship, when he died and lost the glory irrevocably, for his flesh is clay, and clay cannot be used for Glory after it is defiled, but must be made into a brand new vessel by regeneration [which is the lesson of the Torah]; but Adam was promised the Seed of the Woman [personified Spirit of Zion above] as the Redeemer/Kinsman -to come, and who is come and in whose image of New Man flesh which was to come and is come, Adam was made: Romans 5:14; Genesis 1:26-28.
The Watchers/sons of God dwell Eden, in the City of God above earth [and which "above" earth is the stretched out expanse/firmament of this earth that "no man can measure" for it was stretched out from earth on day 2 of creation week]; and the sons of God in Eden's Mount, above, "watch" over the sons of Adam on earth, and intercede for them and rule as judges over them from there [again, see Enoch and also Daniel chapter 4].
The threat to the created Watcher "sons of God" who are designated as singular "el" by their names -and the plural is Elohym and sons of Elohym, as a group- is that they shall fall like the one prince [Adam] for not doing their jobs of judging in righteousness over the sons of Adam.
FYI: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Remiel and Saraqael are seven of the holy Watchers, and they are the chief rulers of them, in the City of God in Eden, as Enoch states. Two hundred of the holy watchers fell before the flood, by their own choice and oath [see Enoch1 ]. More fell after the flood [see Moses, in Genesis 6], and more are in danger of falling and do fall, as the Word states.
When Jesus returns to reign, those warned sons of God/watchers in Eden, will be cast down forever, and the regenerated in spirit [and then in flesh], adopted sons of Adam [who get the name of the New Man, "Israel" written on their DNA of regeneration flesh], will replace the cast down princes who will be cast down from Eden above, who did not heed the warning to them, of Psalm 82.
Psalm 75:2,3, in the original Hebrew also states that the pillars of earth will be "reset" using those raptured/laqach saints of God, for the glorious Sabbath Rest of earth, which is the millennial reign.
So hope this helps to clarify who are the sons of the most high, in Psalm 82, who are judges/rulers over earth, and who get the warning of their coming fall and death, like Adam, from Eden and from the presence of the Most Holy Glory.
Last edited by yeshuasavedme; 09-23-2011 at 10:09 AM..
A Christian can believe they would become a god in some capacity.
You're absolutely right. According to The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology, “Deification (Greek theosis) is for Orthodoxy the goal of every Christian. Man, according to the Bible, is made in the image and likeness of God…. It is possible for man to become like God, to become deified, to become god by grace.”
Though they may not teach it overtly now, the doctrine of God being a former man has been in the writings and doctrines of the Mormon (LDS) church since iJoseph Smith. I have read numerous books which quoted many references to it and the following is from a website.
"What has the Mormon Church consistently taught as doctrine from 1844 to 2005?
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret... It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us. Here, then, is eternal life--to know that only wise and true God, and you have got to learn how to become Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you. .. God himself, the father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ."
- The Prophet Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 342-345, also quoted heavily by the church, see Gospel Principles, Chapter 47."
There are several leaders and publications quoted in the above website, but I didn't see anything of recent note in it.
I would think though, that something expounded upon by the man who was given the golden plates and the power to translate them would hold much significance.
I have great respect for Katzpur and her choice of 'religion'. But I knew I had read much of this doctrine in the books I read and there was much more than a little poem in the history of this movement.
I do not know what influence The Ensign has in the Mormon faith.
"The concept of God being an exalted man has been taught in the LDS Church as recently as 2005 in an official LDS Church publication:
"Many religions teach that human beings are children of God, but often their conception of Him precludes any kind of bond resembling a parent-child relationship. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught of a much simpler and more sensible relationship: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit … was to make himself visible … , you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another." - Strengthening the Family: Created in the Image of God, Male and Female, The Ensign, Jan. 2005, pg. 48"
Last edited by ScarletWren; 09-23-2011 at 10:13 AM..
Though they may not teach it overtly now, the doctrine of God being a former man has been in the writings and doctrines of the Mormon (LDS) church since iJoseph Smith. I have read numerous books which quoted many references to it and the following is from a website.
What has the Mormon Church consistently taught as doctrine from 1844 to 2005?
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret... It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us. Here, then, is eternal life--to know that only wise and true God, and you have got to learn how to become Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you. .. God himself, the father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ."
- The Prophet Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 342-345, also quoted heavily by the church, see Gospel Principles, Chapter 47.
There are several leaders and publications quoted in the above website, but I didn't see anything of recent note in it.
I would think though, that something expounded upon by the man who was given the golden plates and the power to translate them would hold much significance.
I have great respect for Katzpur and her choice of 'religion'. But I knew I had read much of this doctrine in the books I read and there was much more than a little poem in the history of this movement.
I'll get back to you tonight on this. I'm going to point out, however, as I said I would in my very first post, that you are quoting from non-doctrinal texts. That doesn't mean that what they say is wrong or untrue. It merely means that they are not official doctrine but merely individual people's interpretations of doctrine. Again, I ask for your patience. I'll respond in greater depth tonight.
See my post #23 for answers to these two questions.
No, it did not fully answer it.
Let's try it this way: Do you believe there is potential for a mormon to progress to a status of a God. Yes, or no?
You have clarified the question about Adam, You said Adam was not a god, and still is not a god of any degree, he was only a man like the rest of us. Correct?
How about Jopeph Smith? Is he also only a man in heaven, and not a god of any kind?
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Here's what the Book of Mormon has to say on the subject:
That’s the way non-Mormons typical put it when they try to explain our doctrine, but I think you’d be pretty hard-pressed to find anything close to that wording in any official LDS writings. If it was even a central part of our theology, I can guarantee that it’s something we would be hearing about week after week in church. I’m sure there are exceptions, but I don’t think I personally know a single member of my Church who gives much thought at all to what it might be like to someday become a god or goddess. It’s not something I even particularly want. 
