If God had created humans to look like sloths, yet with the same capacities as humans, and sloths to look like humans, yet with the same capacities as sloths, who would be more in His image? What, at core, does it mean to be made in his image? What matters more to this, our appearance or our capacity and calling?
See related New City Catechism video, How and why did God create us?
Joseph Smith got diverted from the truth about our Creator because of his curiosity of , then infatuation with , Egyptian paganism . His “gospel preaching” about God soon became about “Gods” than “God” , and God being not unique — only one man among many from another world who worked his way to becoming an Almighty God . Joseph’s desire to also become such a God became one of Mormonism’s fundamental doctrines . Joseph introduced new “scripture” ( Book of Abraham ) which has helped Mormon leaders to sell his personal apostasy as “gospel truth ” to their flock .
God is not a man who became God . Mormonism has it just backwards because the Biblical truth is that the Eternal God became man Ex 3:14 with Jn 8:58 .
May the Mormon people return to worshiping the One True Lord God Almighty of the Bible .
The description of us being in God’s image in a figurative sense, regarding our capacity and calling, is a far cry from the LDS doctrine that God is a physical being in our physical image, with a physical body. In fact, we are taught we can become gods like Him and that He was once as we are now.
Joseph Smith took even more liberties with his description of God. If you examine his Pearl of Great Price, the Book of Abraham, Facsimile 2, Figure 7, he identifies the seated figure as “… God sitting upon his throne, revealing through the heavens the grand Key-words of the Priesthood…”
That’s grossly inaccurate to any Egyptian scholar, and it’s certainly very presumptuous of Joseph Smith. But it gets downright crude and offensive when you take a closer look at Figure 7 — on the Church’s own web page — and notice that the personage identified as God by Joseph Smith is actually an Egyptian demi-god with an erect phallus. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/abr/fac-2?lang=eng
There are a lot of topics that are important when discussing spiritual matters with a Mormon but none more important than “Who is God?”.
Why did people in Smith’s time and those today who are LDS accept Smith’s nonsense. It’s because they believe(d) that he had mystical experiences that were higher/greater than their own. That’s really the reason any person joins and buys into the doctrines and teachings of false prophets. These “prophets” have the ability to blow their followers hair back with their magnetic personalities and ability to convince. They are among the most despicable con men because they aren’t just robbing people of their time, money and efforts, but they are robbing them of a real relationship with the living God.
I was wondering the other day if there really is “free will”. I get on these meditation trips and this is the one that popped into my mind. Do people “freely” follow these false prophets like Smith? Does God cut them any slack because they’ve been deceived and emotionally manipulated? Jesus addressed the topic of false prophets and so did the apostle Paul. The problem is that people who follow false prophets aren’t well grounded in solid doctrine and they practice no discernment.
This is a spiritual war. It is fought in the heavenlies. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the sixth chapter lays it all out very well.
So do the LDS have free will in their choice, especially those raised in the sect and conditioned from little on to believe it? Let me just say, if there is an LDS reading this, God led you here. You can exercise your free will. You don’t have to believe us. Open up your NT and read God’s true revelation.
Joseph Smith’s concept of God (Elohim) was evidently influenced by his own interest in sex. Not only did Joseph portray Elohim with an erect phallus in one of his scriptures (Book of Abraham, Facsimile 2, Figure 7) https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/abr/fac-2?lang=eng , but he also taught that Elohim used His physical body to engage in a sexual relationship with his mortal daughter Mary in order to impregnate her with Jesus.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the most literal sense. The body in which He performed His mission in the flesh was sired by that same Holy Being we worship as God, our Eternal Father. Jesus was not the son of Joseph, nor was He begotten by the Holy Ghost.” (President Ezra Taft Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pg.7)
“The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood – was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers. (President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 8:115)
“Jesus was not the son of any mortal man. His biological father was God, the Father.” (President Joseph Fielding Smith, The Restoration of All Things, p.61)
http://www.bible.ca/mor-god-had-sex-with-mary.htm
Joseph Smith later expressed this interest by secretly taking several polygamous wives, including two 14-year-old girls and the wives of other men. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Joseph_Smith%27s_wives
I suppose this is consistent for a “prophet” whose world view was evidently based on what he perceived to be a God who decides to sire Jesus by engaging in a sexual relationship with his own daughter Mary while he sits naked on a heavenly throne with an erect phallus. Nevertheless, very few Christians will be able to wrap their heads around that concept.
Why do people follow “prophets” who teach such revolting things? I came across a statement regarding those who belong to cults it goes like this: “The more repulsive and convoluted an idea, the more cultists embrace it.”
It’s almost like the far-out nature of the “doctrine” attracts some people. They are some how emotionally drawn to it. These things are seen as so spiritually deep, only a few can grasp them. If you do, you are part of the “in” crowd.
We see this in all sorts of areas. Why do some people grab a hold of, cling to intricate conspiracy theories? Something about it hooks them.
Here’s another example. Why when people are told not to do something, a certain percentage of those hearing the message will do it? We see it on TV shows showing people doing particularly dangerous things and the disclaimer appears, “Do not try this at home.” Of course despite or maybe because of the disclaimer, some will try the dangerous activity and get injured.
With Joseph Smith, I think there are a sizable number of those believers in Mormonism that don’t even know half of what this guy was about. That’s why the LDS church has come up with these pithy little sayings in an attempt to inoculate those suffering from “shaken faith syndrome”.
I saw one the other day by a fb “friend” who posted an LDS picture of Jesus being kissed by Judas. The caption read something like, “Would you ask Judas to explain Jesus to you?”. The inference is to those who left the LDS church. What they are doing first of all is to try to hang the “Judas” label on anyone who leaves the LDS church. To true believing LDS, these are traitors and nasty, mean, hateful defectors. They should be shunned and nothing they say accepted as true.
So when someone learns about Joseph Smith and his bizarre notions about God and where he got them, it’s upsetting to say the least. But the LDS can hang a “Judas” label on something that is entirely true and try to beat back the reaction.
Look LDS, you have a choice. It’s either Jesus or Joseph. One will lead you to eternal life and the plan of salvation He secured is in God’s Word.
It’s truly sad how Mormon leaders succumbed to believing in such egregious doctrines about God ,
and Joseph Smith commenced this slide away from the Bible’s testimony about the Creator . God was reduced to a creature , a human male , one among a multitude of rank and file such beings from another world who supposedly learned enough to become Almighty Gods , but He was given our world to rule over by a still higher God . What this means is that according to Mormon teaching is that the God we see revealed in the Bible at one time could not even know how to say ” Let there be Light ” ( Gen 1:3 ) since He had to learn how to be the Creator of heaven and earth .
Mormon prophets are among those who have succumbed to thinking they could become an Almighty God . To better sell this new error they had to reduce The Lord God Almighty to be a God who was not always God , only a rank and file male among other males on another world who learned how to be Gods . The Bible’s testimony of God’s uniqueness was thus revised by Mormon leaders and they fell into the same type error of those who exchanged the unique glory of God and made Him to be a creature — Rom 1:23 .
Man created in the image of God ? Mormon leaders tell us what that means , and in the Mormon church publication ” Juvenile Instructor ” ( 10-15 – 1868 ) , it makes the following statement :
” We understand that when God made man in His own image and pronounced him very good , that He made him white .”
This statement was in relation to the Church’s stance on Negroes , but it’s a good example of how Mormon prophets created a false view about man created in the ” image ” of God was a physical reproduction . The Bible teaches no such thing . God is a Spirit Being , not a creature , some rank and file human male from another world who supposedly learned how to become Almighty God .
Let’s rejoice how great our God is ! His greatness , His Majestic glory and power , His wisdom , are mind boggling — Ps 145:3 ; Job 11:7-8 . The Bible teaches He is unique , He is the Lord God Almighty Creator of all there is , seen and unseen . Let’s rejoice that this God loves us so much !
Here’s a good video, twenty-eight minutes in length, that is the testimony of what studying the Bible can do for a Mormon who is looking for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This woman, whose family lineage was deep in Mormonism, found life in Christ through God’s Word.
http://exmormonfiles.com/
Hi everybody. I am still here and listening to you guys. Although of late the blogs seem only to be statements made by just a small circle of followers. There seems to be nothing very exciting going on and no really deep discussions. Wish you all good luck for the holiday season coming up.
Clyde,
Glad to see you are still listening . We won’t keep praying that the truth of the gospel will sink in to your heart and mind and you’ll leave Mormonism behind and trust in Jesus alone for salvation / eternal life .
As far as this blog not meeting your expectations for ” excitement ” , sorry to inform you but this ministry is’nt here to offer entertainment that excites people , and I don’t think it is here to showcase “deep ” discussions either . If you as a Mormon can’t see the simple facts presented here that identifies Mormonism as a false prophet led organization then any “deep ” theological discussions are certainly not going to help you .
Hopefully Clyde you will one day realize how much you don’t need Mormonism .
I would like to extend my best wishes to you and your family , have a great holiday season .
Mike
Oops . I just noticed a mis print in my post above . Obviously the second sentence it should have said :
” We WILL keep praying that the truth of the gospel will sink in to your heart and mind …..”