Christmas Book Citations Godhood Part 1

One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism is godhood still a teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Welcome to this additional viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM we continue looking at some of the books that were given away as Christmas gifts by the first presidency between the years 1981 and 2017. Today were going to tackle the subject of godhood.

This is a controversial teaching and sometimes you may have a Latter Day Saints deny that Mormons even believe that.

However, in looking at these books that were given away as Christmas gifts.

We have to assume that the first presidency. Obviously didn't believe that orc does believe that because they are given away books that have this clear language in them. That certainly shows that this is something that is being taught and though I think doing this shows on Godhead right now is a good example of what is going to be expected by many Latter Day Saints if they're obedient and the obedience part. We talked about this past week.

You have to have all of the commandments being kept, and if you do that this is the carrot. This is the hope that every Latter Day Saints has and I think for a lot of Latter Day Saints.

They might not like the language is so specific, but these citations that are supposed to have been read by Latter Day Saints who were given these books are very clear about what godhood is and how it can be expected through obedience and we should mention Eric that these books were bound in leather many of them were replicas of books that had been made available to the general public. Although some of them such as the selections of doctrines of salvation took as it says selections from the three volumes of doctrines of salvation that was written by the 10th Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith, the first quotation that we are going to give today comes from the book teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Now Eric. He said this is probably one of the more popular of all the books that they gave away during Christmas and this was given away at Christmas in 1991 and the reason why we draw that conclusion is because if you were to find a copy of this book that was given away as a Christmas gift. It's probably one of the more expensive books yet you can't find this book for under hundred dollars.

I've seen books is much as 200 to 250 for this copy but this is pages 340 6347 and just Smith said here then is eternal life to know the only wise and true God, and you have got to learn how to be God, yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God the same as all God's have done before you, namely by going from one small degree to another and from a small capacity to a great one from grace to grace from exultation exultation until you attain to the resurrection of the dead and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings and to sit in glory as do those who sits enthroned in everlasting power. No more remain arguable. This is Joseph Smith. This is back in the 19th century. Certainly the church has changed over the years will that's the whole point of doing this series. Folks, the fact that the first presidency gave this book as a Christmas gift in 1991 shows that this is just 1/19 century teaching, but in fact is something that is still being taught by the leadership today. Perhaps not quite in the same precise language are I should say even the clear language because sometimes when Mormon leaders talk about godhood. They do tend to camouflage it by using terms will will become like God rather than ontologically a God. Well, that Brigham Young in his discourses of Brigham Young page 245 puts it clearly when he says intelligent beings are organized to become gods, even the sons of God to dwell in the presence of the gods and become associated with the highest intelligence is that dwell in eternity. We are now in the school and must practice upon what we receive that I should mention that the discourses of Brigham Young. It was put together by the Mormon apostle and if you were to look at the discourses of Brigham Young. The Christmas gift is exactly the same as the one that was made available to the general public and was compiled by John with so but the discourses of Brigham Young includes naturally quotations from Brigham Young but where did these quotations come from. They came from the Journal of discourses 26 volumes of sermons mainly from Brigham Young and other general authorities of that time.

But when you hear Latter Day Saints say what we don't go by the Journal of discourses were not supposed to go by that well. This book was compiled specifically from those books so you can't say that they are not supposed to be at least taken into consideration because obviously James Talmage thought that these quotations should be worthy of note, and I would also say the first presidency who gave it away in 1992 was a Christmas gift also felt it was a book that was worthy of note. Here's another quote page 283. Brigham Young said this on October 8, 1876 he said, having fought the good fight. We then shall be prepared to lay our bodies down the rest to await the morning of the resurrection when they will come forth and be reunited with the spirits, the faithful as it is said receiving crowns, glory, immortality and eternal lives, even a fullness with the father when Jesus shall present his work to the father saying father.

Here's the work, thou gavest me to do. Then will they become gods, even the sons of God then will they become eternal father, the eternal mother's eternal sons and eternal daughters being eternal in their organization. They go from glory to glory, from power to power, they will never cease to increase in the multiply worlds without end when they receive their crowns, their dominions, they then will be prepared to frame first like onto ours and the people them in the same manner as we had been brought forth by our parents by our father and God know there's an interesting expression there Eric that you brought up towards the end of that paragraph. When they receive their crowns, their dominions, they then will be prepared to frame Earth's like unto ours and to people them in the same manner as we have been brought forth by our parents by our father and God oftentimes and I'm trying to explain this concept to non-Latter Day Saints. I explained it as a process that is been going on since eternity past the heavenly father of Mormonism is not unique in that he is the only heavenly father.

There are a number of heavenly father's that go clear back into eternity because as Joseph Smith taught God himself. The one they call Elohim or heavenly father was once a human being who was the offspring of another heavenly father that preceded him.

This infinite regression goes back into eternity past, but I want to bring something up about this when Brigham Young talks about framing, Earth's.

Some Mormons get a little bit nervous when you talk about planets Mormons getting planets will Young is basically saying that same thing. He's just not using the word planets now there's a website and to get to it as quickly as you can. Here's what I suggest Google the words Mormonism 101F a Q Mormonism 101F a Q and scroll down to question number 13. What is that say Eric and asked the question, do Latter Day Saints believe that they will get their own planet? And the answer know this idea is not taught in Latter Day Saints, Scripture, nor is it a doctrine of the church.

This misunderstanding stems from speculative comments on reflective of scriptural doctrine.

Well, why then did the first presidency giveaway of book of Brigham Young that quotes from the Journal discourses where he talks about framing earners.

We have an article on our website. If you go to MRM.org in our search box. Look for the title of this article with spirit children and planets where we have a number of these quotations showing that question number 13 lease the answer for question number 13 on Mormonism 101 FAQ is certainly misleading of third president of the church Don Taylor in the gospel kingdom another Christmas book on page 54 says something very similar to Brigham Young. He says man as an eternal being.

What is he let us look again and view him in another aspect, why he is an eternal being and possesses within him a principle that is destined to exist while life and thought and being last or immortality indoors. What is he. He had his being in the eternal worlds he existed before he came here he is not only the Son of Man but he is the son of God.

Also, he is a God in embryo and possesses within him a spark of that eternal flame which was struck from the blaze of God's eternal fire in the eternal world. He is an immortal being. He is a part of the deity, and that man as an eternal being certainly doctrine and covenants section 93 talks about that as we existed as intelligences prior to us becoming the sons and daughters of heavenly parents obviously before we came here to mortality and I should mention that that book John Taylor's the gospel kingdom was given as a Christmas gift in 1996 but you have another citation from the gospel kingdom written by John Taylor. Page 52 he wrote a God in embryo man is a dual being possessed of body and spirit made in the image of God and connected with him and with eternity.

He is a God in embryo and will live in progress throughout the eternal ages if obedient to the laws of the Godhead as a God's progress throughout the eternal ages and that goes back to what you said earlier Eric that obedience is absolutely essential if a latter-day St. hopes to achieve this godhood that's being discussed here. One final quote will give this one from Howard W. Hunter in the teachings of Howard W. Hunter, page 15 another Christmas book and he says man has great potential.

My spiritual reasoning tells me that because God is an exalted being holy and good that man's supreme goal is to be like him and you have to understand the language folks to be like him is talking about becoming a God like heavenly father is God. Now Mormons with disagree. If you assume that somehow they have the ability to surpass God the father. They don't believe that no God can surpass the God that preceded him.

Will that would also mean that heavenly father could not be any more powerful or surpassed the God that preceded heavenly father, which means that with every generation of God.

You would think they're getting weaker and weaker with every generation. They're not getting stronger.

They're not getting more powerful or not. Certainly more in authority than the God that preceded them. But that's the way it is.

According to Mormonism. If you want to accept this doctrine, which many Latter Day Saints do in fact accepted today Bill if the listeners would like to get a copy of the quotes that were siding from this first month of the series they can do that by going to our website MRM.org go to the donate button on the right side of the page and put in your amount in the added note section. If you put the letters PDF and then provide your radio station call letters if you listen to podcast. Put your city and state that's going to help us immensely.

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