World Religions in a Nutshell (4 page)

Latter-day Saints formulate their beliefs from five main sources:

1) The Book of Mormon, which Joseph Smith said is “the most correct of any book on earth”

2)
The Doctrine and Covenants
(which is mostly about theology)

3)
The Pearl of Great Price

4) The King James Bible, “insofar as it is translated correctly”—for the average Mormon this means that the Bible cannot be trusted, which is why Joseph Smith began his own “inspired” translation.

5) The ultimate authority that tops them all is the living Mormon apostles and prophets, especially the Mormon church president, considered to be the final authority and voice of God on earth today—kind of like a Mormon pope. What he says goes. And he can overturn any teaching of a previous president—which they often do.

Let’s look at what they believe about God.

Who is God?
 

Joseph Smith’s “new revelation” is really the oldest lie in the Book: that man can become like God. The Mormons’ main belief can be summed up in what they call the law of eternal progression:

“
As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.” (Mormon prophet Lorenzo Snow, 5th LDS President)

The Mormon church teaches that “Heavenly Father” is not eternal but is a created being with a body of flesh and bones just like ours. He began as a mortal man on another planet and, through learning and obedience, progressed to become a god and was given this planet to rule. He was originally no different than we are.

“
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!!!...We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see.” (
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
, p. 345)

Today, he lives on a planet that circles a star named Kolob
(
Pearl of Great
Price, pp. 34 35). The Mormon God, known as Elohim, is also married and has many wives. According to Mormon teaching, there are literally millions of gods ruling millions of planets, and Mormons believe that they too can become a god like him and be given their own planet to rule over.

In essence, Mormon teaching humanizes God and deifies man.

The Bible, however, says that God is
always
the same, He never changes, and there is no other God anywhere besides Him (other “gods” are false gods):

^■
“
I am the Lord, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)

^■
“
Thus says the Lord...I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)

^■
“
You are My witnesses, says the Lord
…
Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.” (Isaiah
43:10)

^■
“
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.” (Isaiah 46:9)

Who is Jesus?

The Latter-day Saints teach that all people pre-existed in the spiritual realm before they were born physically. When God came to this planet he brought his goddess wives, and they began producing spirit children who grew and matured in the spirit realm. Jesus (known then as Jehovah) was the first of their spirit children to be born in Heaven, followed by Lucifer, and then the rest of us.

“
In the pre-mortal spirit life, Jesus, Lucifer, and all of us were the spirit children of God and His wives.” (
Journal of Discourses
, Vol. XI, p. 122)

So Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and that we were all born as their siblings in Heaven. Jesus is considered to be the “only begotten Son” because Heavenly Father himself came down to earth and had sexual relations with Mary to produce the body of Jesus. This
is disputed among many Mormons and not always
“
officially” taught and believed. Nevertheless, Brigham Young, the
2nd prophet of the Mormon church, taught it (
Journal of Discourses
, Vol. 4, p. 218). Mormons also teach that Jesus was married to multiple wives and had children.

Therefore, in Mormon theology, Jesus is not God incarnate, the eternal Creator, who was begotten by the Holy Spirit. Mormons deny the Trinity and believe that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate gods.

Therefore, instead of teaching that Jesus is our immortal God who became a man, the LDS church teaches that Jesus is a mortal man who
became
a god and showed that all men can do the same. That certainly isn’t the Jesus of the Bible.

The Scriptures warn against preaching “another Jesus” (2 Cor. 11:4) and that Satan himself can appear to us as an “angel of light.” Joseph Smith said it was an “angel” clothed in light that gave him “another testament”—which has another “gospel” entirely. According to the Bible, it is absolutely crucial that we have the true Jesus and the true gospel. Listen to these stinging words of warning from the apostle Paul:

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a
different gospel
, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or
an angel from heaven
, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you,
let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6–9, emphasis added)

Heaven and Hell
 

Mormons believe that, after the final judgment, almost everyone will go to some form of Heaven. There are three levels of Heaven: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. All of them are superior to this life. Mormons seek to go to the top level, where they return to Heavenly Father and become a god of their own planet and produce lots of spirit children.

^■
Celestial kingdom:
This is where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ reside. Only faithful Mormons who meet all the requirements will enter this highest kingdom. If they live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ and are cleansed from sin by the Atonement, they will receive a place in the celestial kingdom, where they will live in God’s presence and know complete joy. This celestial kingdom also has three levels with different privileges and powers.

^■
Terrestrial kingdom:
Righteous people who are not Mormons—those who refuse to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ but who live honorable lives—will receive a place in the terrestrial kingdom. Most Mormons will also end up here.

^■
Telestial kingdom:
The lowest level is for the wicked and ungodly—liars, thieves, adulterers, murderers, etc. Those who continue in their sins and do not repent until after they have died will eventually receive a place in the telestial kingdom. They won’t be with God and Christ, but nonetheless the glory of the telestial kingdom “surpasses all understanding” (
D&C
, 76:81–90).

Mormon apostle John Widtsoe insisted there was no Hell when he said, “In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is no hell. All will find a measure of salvation; all must pay for any infringement of the law; but the payment will be as the Lord may decide” (Joseph Smith,
Seeker After Truth,
p. 178). However, 10th LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, “The Church does teach that there is a place called hell. Of course we do not believe that all those who do not receive the gospel will eventually be cast into hell” (
Answers to Gospel Questions
, 2:210).

Mormons call the place of punishment “outer darkness,” but they’re taught that it’s only for the “sons of perdition”:
the devil and his angels, and a few apostate Mormons. Even Hitler might qualify for the low level of Heaven, which Joseph
Smith said is so wonderful that if we could get one little glimpse into the lowest Heaven, “we would be tempted to commit suicide to get there.”

The
Doctrine and Covenants
explains what awaits Mormons who make it to the celestial kingdom:

“
Then they shall be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting
...Then they shall be gods because they have all power,
and the angels are subject to them.” (132:20)

So the Mormons view Heaven not as a place where they can worship a holy God and enjoy His presence throughout all eternity. Instead, their goal is man-centered rather than God-centered. They worship the creature rather than the Creator, who alone is worthy of all praise.

Sin and Salvation

Mormons claim they believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but they mean something entirely different from what the Bible teaches.

In Mormon theology, Jesus atoned for the effects of Adam’s sin, allowing all mankind—good
and
bad—to be resurrected and become immortal. Everyone will therefore achieve “general salvation,” and will then have the opportunity to become gods. That’s why they can agree that Jesus is their “Savior.” They believe He “saved” them from physical death.

“
The atonement of Jesus Christ enables God’s children
to overcome the effects of the Fall and to obtain eternal life by obedience.” (mormon.org)

“
The first effect [of the atonement] is to secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the fall, thus providing a plan of
General Salvation
. The second
effect is to open a way for
Individual Salvation
whereby mankind may secure remission of personal sins.” (James Talmage,
Articles of Faith
, pp. 78–79)

Being exalted to godhood is what they call “eternal life.” To obtain “individual” or “full salvation,” Mormons must meet the conditions set by the church:

^■
Have faith in Jesus, accept Joseph Smith and his successors as “God’s mouthpiece,” repent, be baptized, be a member of the LDS church.

“
If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation
outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
(Bruce McConkie,
Mormon Doctrine
, p. 670)