Lesson 4 Witnessing To Mormons Series

Witnessing to Mormons

Lesson 4

Jeff Bixby

March 13th, 2001

Scripture: 1 Corithians 15:1-4 "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you recieved and on this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"

Plurality of Gods

Many people, christians and non-christians believe that Mormons are just another denomination. Hopefully by now you have seen that they are not christian at all. This is a totally different religion all together. For instance biblical christianity is monotheistic- belief in only one true God while mormons are polytheists- they worship many Gods. Mormons will deny this and claim that they pray to only one God Elohim the Father. However mormons also believe that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are two seperate Gods! Technically, Mormon theology could be described as Henotheistic- a form of polytheisist but centrally worshiping one God. God the Father Elohim. We can see an example of this by Joseph Smith’s owns words(Doctrines of the Gospelpg16)"In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people in it." In Joseph Smith’s own account he entirely throws out the Genesis creation of the Bible and shows us the foundation for the belief in more than one God. Mormons view the trinity as tritheistic; that is that there are 3 Gods in the trinity not one. God the Father Elohim, he is the Head of the Godhead, Godhead is a mormon term in place of trinity. Mormons do not accept the term trinity as we know it. Jesus the son or Jehovah in the OT is the God of the Old Testement(Doctrines of the Gospel pg9) The Holy Ghost is a former man who has become a God, although not like the father or the son, he does not have a physical body, but has a spiritual body of matter. All of these 3 former men according to mormonism, are what make up the God head. These are the Gods that Mormons are to concern themselves with even though there are any number of planets with each a god of its own. (Bruce R. McConkie Mormon Doctrine pg 576-577) "To us, speaking in the proper finite sense, these three principle Gods of earth are the only Gods we worship. But in addition there is an infinite number of holy personages, drawn from worlds without number, who have passed on to exaltation and are thus gods... This doctrine of plurality of gods is so comprehensive and glorious that it reaches out and embraces every exalted personage. Those who attain exaltation are gods." The Bible clearly rejects a doctrine or idea of many gods, in Isaiah43:10: "Before me no God was formed, nor will there be on after me" 44:6-8"I am the first and the last; apart from Me there is no God... Is there any God besides me?... I know not one" From Genesis to Revelation the bible teaches monotheism- there is only one god. Mormons will often use the Articles of Faith written by Joseph Smith as a primer and as stated before at first glance it would seem that Mormons believe in the same Christianity. Mormons will state they believe in the biblical trinity in the Articles of Faith. Many un-educated in this matter would agree, but as you can see mormons have always believed in the more than one God and not 3 in one. Joseph Smith himself said some disturbing things about the trinity even that such a god would be a monster! (Joseph Smith Teachings pg372)"Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God. I say that is a strange God anyhow-three in one, and one in three! It is curious organization... All are to be crammed into one God according to sectarianism. It would make the biggest God in all the world. He would be a wonderfully big God-he would be a giant or a monster" This idea of plurality of Gods contradicts about 2000 or more years of christianity, much less the Bible’s teaching about god and the trinity.

The Gods of Mormonism Evolve

Lorenzo Snow the 5th Mormon Prophet/President said this "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be." Mormonism teaches that God the Father was a man, and attained godhood or "exaltation". Exaltation is a mormon term meaning to become a God, the final step in the after life or is it? Throughout the Church’s history leaders and Prophets of the church have battled the idea that these endless numbers of gods, change in knowledge or power. There is a sort of process of growing as a god, just as you grew in size and knowledge on earth. In other words God the father, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are constantly changing. Early mormons believed and taught this fact. (Journal of Discourses 6:120) "God himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power and dominion, and will do so worlds without end." Late mormon leaders such as Orson Pratt and Bruce R. McConkie believed that God is omnipotent and omniscient a christian taught doctrine, although they at times have been rebuked offically for it, by the Mormon church. Why? Well if God is all knowing and everywhere how can he progress? Eternal Progression is important to mormon theology. Weather you take early or late mormonism doctrines, one thing is sure, it has never nor does it have a