Gregory J. Krieg wrote a blog for ABC News titled, “Mormons! The Least You Should Know.” Mr. Krieg, writing from a political perspective, laments the misinformation on Mormonism that appears online, and wants people to be better informed about the Mormon religion. He explains,
“Ignorance creates a vacuum and vacuums, especially in politics, sometimes get filled with nonsense. So, in the interest of adding some factual bits to the nonsensical debates sure to follow, here is the least you should know about Mormonism.”
One of the topics Mr. Krieg addresses was also in the news four years ago. Mr. Krieg writes,
“Mike Huckabee was talking to a New York Times reporter for a magazine piece during that year’s [2008] primary season when, after conceding he didn’t know much about the religion, reportedly asked: ‘Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?’”
According to Mr. Krieg,
“The answer is no; Mormons do not believe that, nor does Mormonism teach it. There is no such thing written in any of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) doctrine.”
Here Mr. Krieg falls into the very trap he is trying to eliminate; he is misrepresenting a very basic doctrine in Mormonism. Not only are Mormons taught to believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers, plenty is written about it in authoritative Mormon sources. Here are a few examples:
“Who is it that is at the head of this? It is the Devil, the mighty Lucifer, the great prince of the angels, the brother of Jesus.” (Apostle Joseph Young, October 11, 1857, Journal of Discourses 6:207)
“But according to our understanding and teaching, Satan is a person with a spirit body, in form like that of all other men. He is a spirit brother of ours and of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Elder Brother in the spirit world.” (Apostle Joseph F. Merrill, Conference Reports, April 1949, 27)
“On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers. Jesus Christ was with the Father from the beginning. Lucifer, too, was an angel ‘who was in authority in the presence of God,’ a ‘son of the morning.’ (See Isa. 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) Both Jesus and Lucifer were strong leaders with great knowledge and influence. But as the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)” (Jess L. Christensen, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, June 1986, 25)
The teaching that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers is also present in current Mormon Church manuals. Consider these:
Primary 7: New Testament, Lesson 2: Jesus Christ Volunteered to Be Our Savior – “Help the children understand the following ideas: 1. In the premortal life we were spirit children and lived with our heavenly parents (Hebrews 12:9). 2. Jesus was the firstborn spirit child of Heavenly Father (D&C 93:21) and is the older brother of our spirits. 3. Lucifer, who became Satan, was also a spirit child of Heavenly Father.”
The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, The Book of Moses, Moses 1:12-22 Satan’s Temptation – “Elder Spencer W. Kimball, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave the following suggestion on how to resist Satan’s temptations: ‘The importance of not accommodating temptation in the least degree is underlined by the Savior’s example. Did not he recognize the danger when he was on the mountain with his fallen brother, Lucifer, being sorely tempted by that master tempter?’”
Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood: Basic Manual for Priesthood Holders, Part B, Lesson 27: Jesus Christ, Our Sure Foundation – “To help us return to His presence, Heavenly Father appointed a Savior to redeem us. This Redeemer is our eldest spirit brother, Jesus Christ, who volunteered to come to earth and be our Savior… Lucifer, another spirit brother of ours, also desired to be our Savior.”
A page on the LDS.org website titled “Questions about Church Doctrines” asks, “How could members respond to the question, ‘Are Jesus and Satan brothers?’” One of the resources provided is a link to the Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teachers Manual, Lesson 31, which includes a sidebar note with the answer:
“We believe Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and Redeemer of mankind. Satan is a fallen angel, who opposes Christ and His gospel. We believe that we are all children of God the Father, meaning that we were all created by God and are His spirit children. Jesus and Satan can be considered ‘brothers’ only in the sense that both have the same spiritual parent, God the Father.”
Clearly, Mr. Krieg is wrong to say there is no such thing in Mormonism that teaches “Jesus and the devil are brothers.” Indeed, the concept is foundational to the Mormon worldview which sees Gods, angels (including fallen angels) and human beings “all of one species” (LDS Apostle Parley Pratt, quoted by Robert L. Millet, The Mormon Faith: A New Look at Christianity, 39).
This Mormon theology is entirely incompatible with biblical Christian theology, exhibiting one reason (of many) why Christians believe Mormonism follows a different God and a different Jesus.
Makes you wonder where Mr. Krieg got his information , who he talked to etc. , perhaps he
is new to the religion of LDS . Obviously there is bad information out there on most any religion ,
but many times one seeking to know what Mormon leaders teach need to go beyond the skillfully
crafted information that the Mormon church has on it’s “offical” site in order to get to the
truth . But concerning this topic of Jesus and Satan being spirit brothers , there’s even enough
on the Church’s web site that makes Mr Krieg look like he should have stuck with what he
actually knows something about —- politics .
I wonder how Mormons feel about Mr. Kreig misrepresenting Mormon doctrine the way that he does.
I don’t know how many times I, or other Christians who post here, are told by Mormons that we just don’t understand Mormonism or that we misrepresent it. The problem is when invited to straighten us out on our misconceptions, they fall silent.
My guess is that Mormons will like what Mr. Kreig writes about Mormonism even if it’s wrong.
Mormons would like this:
“The answer is no; Mormons do not believe that, nor does Mormonism teach it. There is no such thing written in any of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) doctrine.”
Now why do I think Mormons would like the above quote and give it hearty approval? Because Mormons live in a parallel universe in which what they say they believe is inconsistent with what their church says they believe. That’s why they can claim to be monotheistic when clearly they are polytheistic. They can claim to be Christian when the god they worship and the Jesus they claim don’t match the Christian God. That’s why they can say they are saved by grace and then strive to perform works that they think will transform them into gods.
I don’t think Mr. Krieg is much of an investigative reporter. What we are talking about here isn’t just another way of looking at things.
The core of Mormon theology rests on a mother-father god combo off on the planet Kolob giving birth to spirit children of which Jesus and Satan are two. One was the good son the other the evil son. I don’t know how Mr. Krieg could miss that.
I guess it’s just all Mormon folklore anyway!
The Scriptures warn us to beware of false prophets , these imitators of God’s true messengers
will be abundant in the end times –Matt 24:11,24. Jesus’ apostles also realized that there would
be some men who would also imitate them, their office , their authority as apostles–2Cor11:13
2Thess 2:2. Unfortunately there are people who have a misconception of false apostles as they
seem to lulled into following these imitators because of their polite demeanor or because they
also stress the importance of living a moral lifestyle . People seem think that false apostles are
always immoral, conniving individuals , thus people are diverted from the true gospel by those
apostles/prophets who are not immoral or sinister looking men but who also teach false doctrine.
The majority of the Mormon people fit this scenario in my opinion. They submit to men who
claim to be modern-day apostles directed personally by Jesus to teach spiritual truths. These
men constantly preach about the importance of living a moral lifestyle ‘ of being charitable ,
of being kind,etc these are all good and consistent with the Bible’s instructions for us today.
However, these modern day apostles also teach about God , about the gospel , and about who
Jesus Christ is . Concerning that Jesus’ apostles were inspired to record warnings about false
apostles we need to beware of what these imposters teach about Jesus. We have an example
of a modern-day apostle teaching about Jesus. Mormon apostle Joseph F.Merrill teaches
that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers. Other Mormon leaders have taught that these
two are the spirit children of a “exalted” man and his wife(s) . Is this what the Bible’s
apostles reveal about Jesus(Jehovah)?
LDS : do the right thing and test your apostles-Rev 2:2
Jesus is Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty, Creator of all. This is the testimony of the
prophets and apostles in the Bible. Jehovah Himself tells us who He is and what He is
like , and even asks the question : ” To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? ”
[Isa.40:25] . The answer is that no one is equal to Him . But the apostles of Mormonism
have departed from Biblical prophets concerning vital truths about this God , Jehovah.
Mormon apostles might agree with what is recorded about Jehovah at Isa.40:25 because
at that time in Jehovah’s life He was Almighty God , but that is where Mormon apostles
have departed from the prophets/apostles recorded in the Bible . How so ?
The Bible teaches that Jehovah is eternal , He had no beginning ,He is always God . But
Mormon apostles have taught that Jehovah was reared as a spirit baby in heaven , His spirit
body produced as a result of celestial sex between an exalted man and woman , His father and
mother, and He was the first spirit child born from this union , but not the only one. Satan was
his biological brother as were all of us . As a spirit child , Jehovah apparently was a faster
learner than the other spirit children , He progressed with learning how to walk ,talk,read
add, subtract , all essential knowledge that would help Him to progress up to eventually
becoming an Almighty God just like His father had before Him. But the apostle Paul long
ago had warned about men like Mormon apostles 2Cor 11:4,13
What do Mormons want non-Mormons to know about their religion? Certainly it isn’t the stuff that lurks just beneath the surface and which Mormons either are ashamed or embarrassed about.
There’s a reason why Mormons have a well earned reputation for obfuscation, omission of critical information and out right lying regarding their history and beliefs. That’s why the new tactic in Mormonism is to claim as “folklore” the things that are really off the wall.
I remember when I first heard about Mormonism from a recent convert back in the early 1970s. He gave me some information and some how the idea that Joseph Smith wore “magic spectacles” to translate the golden plates he found was included (in the information). I was between being incredulous and laughing hysterically at this notion. BTW, that was even before my salvation experience where I wasn’t operating with the gift of discernment. This magic glasses claim was bad enough. Can you imagine what I would have thought if the truth had been told about Smith putting a magic rock in his hat and shoving his face in the hat to receive printed messages floating in the air?
I don’t think Mormons want to lead with this information. In fact they don’t even “reveal” it to their own home-grown members.
Mormons want people to believe that they have restored the gospel as originally delivered and have prophets and apostles that lead their church just like the original Christian church had.
Mormons certainly don’t want people to know that they teach that Jesus and Satan are brothers, that there is a god and his many goddess wives procreating spirit children and that men can become gods.
Mormons think that these things are really too spiritually deep for the ordinary person. Mormons delude themselves with this thinking.
Falcon, I suppose at this time some Mormon will accuse us of tearing down their religion.
It seems that sometimes we are like the person who discloses to a friend that her husband
has cheated on her , instead of receiving the news as accurate she turns on the messenger
with anger and says it’s all lies ! Well, I look at the Mormon people as the victims of a broken
trust because Mormon apostles have failed on their claims of authority to be the sole channel
of communication that God has been using since 1830 to reveal His will to mankind concerning
salvation and an accurate knowledge of Himself. So may the Mormon people exchange their
apostles for the ones that teach accurately about God , these apostles also teach of moral
values but they have a more accurate knowledge of Jesus and His gospel of salvation , their
message is available in the New Testament. The Mormon people deserve to know the
complete truth because the truth will set them completely free—-Jn .8:32
I’ve posted this link several times and I think it’s a good time to do so again. It’s titled “Why People Leave the Mormon Church” and it was done by John Dehlin the host of “Mormon Stories”. At the time that Mr. Dehlin did this presentation, he was an active LDS member and was attempting, I think, to inoculate people from what has become known as “shaken faith syndrome”.
This malady occurs when Mormons find out that what they’ve been taught or failed to be taught by the Mormon church has a credibility gap. That is the truth does not match reality. Mr. Dehlin’s refrain is “But that’s no reason to leave the church.” I always thought that was pretty funny. Another refrain is, “The church may not be perfect but it is good.” or “does a lot of good”.
Evidently Mr. Dehlin couldn’t reconcile truth with fiction as the last I heard he had left the Mormon church.
The point is that there is what the Mormon church says about what they believe and the history of the church and what they actually believe and what is true about the history (of the church). Some folks want so badly for the LDS church to “be true” that any explanation will do, no matter how absurd or convoluted. The point is, when people get the unvarnished truth about Mormonism, it’s pretty tough to hang in there.
Mormons have trouble reconciling the truth about their religion with the facts so they do the Mormon brain snap and make fantasy their personal reality. The truth may set them free, if they are willing to go there, but it will make them miserable first. It’s worth the trip and the occupying personal turmoil though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZQJc5SxnVs
Mormons are finding out all the time ,because of ministries like MRM, that some things just
don’t add up as respects the claims of Mormon leaders . Whether it’s a doctrine like the current
post discloses ( Jesus and Satan are literal brothers) , or perhaps it’s something in Mormon
history that has’nt been told accurately by Church publications , these can cause a sincere
Mormon to feel like they’ve been misled by those who they follow and submit to as their
spiritual leaders. This is a normal response . It should cause sincere Mormons to step
back a ways and consider that maybe Jesus’ warning to beware of false prophets , and the Paul’s
warning about false apostles may be something to think about . It’s important to remind our
Mormon friends that sincere people get fooled, sincere people get misdirected, detoured , this
is’nt rare .It can happen to anyone who trusts a doctor’s claimed ability to diagnosis an illness
only to find out he was wrong and that he even had a pattern of such mishaps , lives are
damaged as a result . This happens with physical authorities like doctors and it also happens
with those who claim spiritual authority, namely prophets and apostles. This is not a new
malady as Jer. 23:16,21 reveals such prophets, and the New Testament warns about anyone
that try to introduce a different gospel , an altered gospel ,than what Jesus directed His apostles
to preach–Gal 1:8-9. It’s important to remember that false apostles can be moral,polite men
not all are immoral or uncharitable individuals . So may our Mormon friends realize that
they’ve been detoured by their spiritual authorities who teach serious errors about Jesus.
May sincere Mormons walk away from their apostles to Jesus and safety-Heb7:25
I see a sort of “but that’s not what it really means” defense by Mormons of some of their most controversial doctrines. Some how Mormons have it in their heads that what is clearly stated by their own publications, actually means something else. There is this tendency by Mormons to “remake” Mormon doctrine to their own liking.
We’ve seen that here numerous times with Mormon posters. What is obvious to us, isn’t obvious to them. I’m thinking there’s a certain amount of denial on their part.
I don’t know if there is a Mormon doctrine that I hate, yes I said hate, more than the one that’s the subject of the above article. It’s very difficult for me to reference it. There’s no excuse for this kind of blasphemy. This is what happens with false prophets, apostles and church leaders.
Mormons have this idea that they have this super spiritual insight and knowledge and understanding. What fools! They don’t know God. Some deluded fool with a magic rock tells them something and they believe it. In the Book of Romans Paul tells us that men are without excuse.
I’m posting a link to a short article and five minute video that relates directly to the issue of what Mormons believe. In this case it has to do with the “White Horse” prophecy attributed to Joseph Smith but not accepted by the LDS church.
It’s the video discussion that I think is quite intriguing. Once again we get into the “counts, doesn’t count” issue in Mormonism. Also the interviewer and guest talk about how people are going on line to learn more about Mormonism.
I think those Mormons who have been anticipating a positive outcome for the growth of their religion as a result of Mitt Romney’s presidential run may want to rethink their desire. Mormonism, in my opinion, does much better when it sort of flies under the radar screen of the general public.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/tamron-hall-and-guest-romneys-silence-leading-to-concerns-with-mormon-white-horse-prophecy/
“Evidently Mr. Dehlin couldn’t reconcile truth with fiction as the last I heard he had left the Mormon church.”
I follow John’s Podcast (Mormon Stories) because I find it interesting and consider John to be an honest seeker of truth. Unless this is a recent change of status, John is still a member of the LDS Church. Since he recently made comments on his podcasts he has not been disciplined by the LDS Church; I would take that to indicate he’s still a member. If he left the church, the discipline reference would be irrelevant….unless the church now goes after former members and attempts to discipline them.
If he is no longer a member it has to be a VERY recent event.