The next three criticisms that he makes (4, 5, and 6) are related to each other, so they are best answered together in the same post. His fourth criticism begins with the following subheading:
“4. The One True God is an Eternal Spirit Being”
According to the theology of Latter-day Saints, God is indeed an “eternal being,” but not just a “spirit”. Jesus is God, he is divine, and an “eternal being;” but since his incarnation he is not now just a “spirit”. He was a spirit before he came to earth, and acquired a physical body; but he is not so now. And his status hasn’t changed since, nor will it change. He is no different now than he was when he came out of the grave a resurrected being. He is divine, and an “eternal being;” but still, not just a “spirit”. He has a resurrected physical body, and that is never going to change. He is going to come back to earth again in glory, in the same way that he went to heaven (Acts 1:11), having a glorified and resurrected body. Then he continues his criticism of the restored Church as follows:
“Mormons teach ‘that God the Father was once a mortal man who continually progressed to become a god (an exalted man). … Today, then, God, the Eternal Father, our Father in Heaven, is an exalted, perfected, and glorified Personage having a tangible body of flesh and bones,’”
I am not sure that the word “continually” is there; but in either case, that is not something about which much has been revealed. It is not part of the canonized scriptures of the Church; and therefore it cannot be properly confirmed or denied, or adequately discussed as part of the theology of Latter-day Saints. The theology of the restored gospel is very much “sola scriptura”. Our theology is derived from scripture. The only difference is that we have a lot more of it than other Christians do. But still, the theology and doctrine of the restored Church of Jesus Christ is derived strictly from scripture; and since that doctrine is not canonized, and is not part of the scriptural canon of the Church, it cannot be discussed as an integral part of the theology of Latter-day Saints. I personally believe that it is true; but until more information is given about it by revelation, and it is canonized, it cannot be properly discussed as an integral part of the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He then continues:
“By contrast, Scripture plainly says that ‘God is not man’ (Num. 23:19; see also Rom.1:23) …”
Context helps. The scripture says, “God is not a man, that he should lie” (Num. 23:19). That means that God is not a carnal, sensual, natural, sinful man. It does not mean that God cannot be in the human form—a perfect, sinless man. Jesus was “man;” but a perfect, sinless man. He spoke the truth, never lied (John 8:40; 18:37). He continues:
“… and that he is “invisible” (Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17) …”
“Invisible” means he is not normally visible to, or seen by man. It does not mean he is incapable of being seen. I gave numerous examples of theophanies in the Bible where God has been seen. He continues:
“… and eternal (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 90:2; 93:2; Rev. 1:8; 22:13).”
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that God is eternal, no arguments about that. He continues:
“In chapters 12 and 13 of this book, I have given much more information about the infinite God of the Bible, who is not a limited, finite creature but is eternal, unchanging, omnipresent, and omnipotent. While Mormons say they believe in “God,” the God that they describe is not the one true God of the Bible.”
More falsehoods about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, as believed by Latter-day Saints. The nature and attributes of God, as believed by Latter-day Saints, is everything that the Bible and the Book of Mormon says that it is. He is infinite, eternal, and unchanging; omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent etc. He is neither “limited” nor “finite”. The fifth criticism that he makes of the restored gospel is expressed under the following subheading:
“5. The Trinity Involves Three Persons in One God”
Which is then discussed as follows:
“Mormonism teaches:
“The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three persons in one God, as historic Christianity has taught, but rather that they are three separate gods. …”
“Three persons in one God” is not what “historic Christianity has taught”. It is a later development. Modern Trinitarian theology is a logical absurdity invented in later Christian history. Latter-day Saints very much believe in the Trinity; but the Trinity of the Bible, not the logical absurdity of post-Apostate Christendom. I have previously discussed this subject elsewhere in my blog, which can be seen here and here. He then continues:
“There are many other gods as well. … In Mormon theology. Just as Jesus has a Father, so the Father allegedly has a Father. … There is a Father of the Father of the Father of the Father, ad infinitum. … There is also a heavenly wife (or wives) for each. … All of this is part and parcel of the polytheistic world of Mormonism. Mormons believe in numerous gods. … And they believe that they, too, will one day become gods.
“But Mormon polytheism is far different from the Christian belief in the one true God of the Bible, the Creator of all things in heaven and earth.”
Polytheism means that you worship more than one God. Latter-day Saints worship only one God. For the rest, see above. He continues:
“God says, ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God’ (lsa. 45:5). And we read in Deuteronomy, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one’ (Deut. 6:4).”
That is best discussed in the next section, under his subheading #6. He continues:
“As I explained earlier in this chapter, the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, as anchored by many verses of Scripture, is that there are three persons in one God, not that there are three gods. This is far different from the polytheism of Mormonism.”
See above. His Trinitarian theology is unbiblical and logically flawed; and Latter-day Saints are not “polytheists”. They worship one God, who is God above all other gods. The sixth criticism that he brings against the Church is as follows:
“6. Humans are Creatures and Never Become Gods”
“According to Mormon teaching ‘the ultimate goal in Mormonism is godhood.’ Rhodes quotes Mormon leaders as teaching that we were created ‘to become gods like unto our Father in heaven.’ He adds, ‘This exaltation to godhood is known as attaining ‘eternal life’ to Mormons.’ In addition, a Mormon teaching manual says, ‘We can become gods like our heavenly Father. This is exaltation.’ But in order to reach that status, we must overcome many ‘physical temptations and trials’ during a period of ‘mortality,’ which is the Mormon term for our lifetime here on earth.
“But the Bible never teaches that we will become gods. We are created ‘in the image of God’ (Gen. 1:26–27), but that simply means that we are like God in various ways and that we represent him. Human beings do not become gods (sec chapter 42).”
The theology of the restored gospel indeed teaches that men can become gods, but the meaning of it is not as it is often misrepresented by the critics. In the theology of the restored gospel, deification is an expression of salvation and exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God. To be “saved” in the kingdom of heaven is to be “deified”. It doesn’t mean that we become supreme beings independent of God the Father and Jesus Christ. We will continue to worship them for the rest of eternity as our God. We don’t become ‘gods of our own planet,’ as it is sometimes caricatured by the critics. As far as biblical support for the doctrine is concerned, it is found in these verses:
John 17:
20 Neither pray I for these [the disciples] alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
If they are to be made “one” with the Father and the Son in the same way that the Father and the Son are one with each other, and even partake of the same glory that the Father and Son have, “deification” or theosis is the only credible, logical, theological explanation. Another scripture supporting that doctrine is the following:
2 Peter 1:
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
“Partakers of the divine nature” means what it says. It does not have an ambiguous meaning that it should require clarification. Another scripture that supports that theology is the following:
1 John 3: 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Jesus] shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he [Jesus] is pure.
If they are to become like Jesus (who is divine), even to the point of becoming pure as he is pure, deification or thesis is the most logical, theological explanation. Those are the scriptures on which the Early Church Fathers based their theology of deification, or theosis. All the Early Church Fathers, including the Apostolic Fathers, the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Post-Nicene Fathers, all the way down to Athanasius, Origen, Augustine and beyond believed in and wrote extensively on deification or theosis. Examples can be seen here. Latter-day Saints don’t believe anything that is unusual or unorthodox in the theology of the early Christian church. It is his theology that is deviant, unbiblical, and unorthodox, and deviates from the teachings and beliefs of the early Christian church. His seventh criticism will be addressed in the next post.
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