Written by John Carson
Mormons do not believe that the Holy Spirit is the 'one and only' God, but is a god amongst others; and that He does not possess a body of flesh and bone as they believe both the Father and Son have. They teach:
“From latter-day revelation we learn that the Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bone and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit without flesh and bone.” (LDS Bible Dictionary - God)
How is it that Mormons believe the Holy Spirit is a god when he does not possess a body of flesh and bone? How did he attain godhood? The whole Mormon concept of a god who does not possess a tangible body, is contrary to their “Eternal Law of Progression”. In Mormon teachings, possessing a tangible body and the obedient command of celestial marriage, is essential for obtaining godhood. Read what the LDS Church teaches in “Doctrine and Covenants Instructor’s Guide”:
“A person must comply with the ordinance and requirements of celestial marriage to obtain the highest degree of glory.” (“The Way to Eternal Life, Lesson 50“)
The ultimate goal of a Mormon is to become a god through obedience to the ”Eternal Law of Progression” just like they believe the Father did. They believe from a pre-existent state, spirit-children who are worthy, are born here with physical bodies. Then through Mormon laws of celestial marriage, these worthy Mormons may continue to progress and become gods themselves. President, Prophet and Founder of the LDS church, Joseph Smith preached on how people can become gods:
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!... it is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how He came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God.... that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did.... we've got to learn to become gods ourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods 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 exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead." (see The King Follett Sermon).
Isn't it strange how the LDS church teaches the Holy Spirit does not possess a resurrected body and yet he became a god? If this is how Mormons believe the Father became a god, how is it that the Holy Spirit became a god without taking the same necessary steps he and all other gods had to take? This is one of the most puzzling mysteries in Mormonism.
This whole concept of people becoming gods must be rejected for anyone who wants to follow the God of the Bible (see also: Humanity and Did God Create?). Scripture is quite clear about the nature of God. The Holy Spirit is not a separate god as Mormons believe, nor did He become a god. The Bible teaches that there is only one God, not three or more (see for example Isaiah 44:6) There will always be only one Almighty Eternal God. Mormonism’s teachings that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate gods did not come from the God of the Bible. (To read Scripture verses on the Trinity Doctrine, go to our About Us page)
Scripture clearly teaches the Holy Spirit is the eternal God. Listen for example, to the words found in Hebrews 2:14:
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Did you catch that? The Bible calls Him the eternal Spirit. The Holy Spirit did not become a god amongst other gods. No way! He is the Eternal, Almighty God of heaven and earth.
2 Corinthians 11:4 gives a warning about receiving a different spirit. That is precisely what happens when one receives Mormonism's spirit. It is to receive a different spirit other than the Spirit that is
revealed in the Bible.
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Blessings to you,
John
Latest comments
14.09 | 00:17
Is it your intent to share your faith with me? I'm a devout Latter-day Saint.
30.06 | 17:21
Let's add, the keys to Death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) the key of David (Rev. 3:7) the key of knowledge (Luke 11:52) and the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt.16:19) only given to Simon/Peter.
24.05 | 06:04
Intuitive
10.02 | 23:31
Checked out the great video. 👍 Thumbs up!
The Mormon Religion was officially founded by Joseph Smith Jr. on April 6. 1830 after the Book of Mormon (BOM) was published in that same year.
Joseph Smith Jr. was born in Vermont on December 23, 1805. He claimed that when he was 14, he received a vision from God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees near his home where he received instructions not to join any of the Christian churches because they were all wrong.
Three years later, Smith claimed that an angel named Moroni (a character found in the BOM) appeared to him in his bedroom whom he said revealed to him that he was selected to translate "Reformed Egyptian" (a language that does not exist) from gold plates into old English. These plates were supposedly hidden near Palmyra, New York and are said to be written around the 4th century. The BOM was named after Moroni’s father, Mormon. Mormons view the BOM as sacred. No one is able to study the original plates because Joseph Smith claimed the angel took them back on May 2, 1838 (History of the Church 1:60).
Smith had a scribe named Cowdery. Smith did not actually translate directly from any plates. Rather, in his writings, he said he placed a "seer stone" in a hat and covered any light from entering it as he placed his face in the hat. According to Martin Harris, “By aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet . . . , and when finished he would say, ‘Written,’ and if correctly written, that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected,” Smith said, “By the power of God I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics".
Despite such methods of translation, there have been at least 3,913 changes made in the BOM from the time it was first published. Joseph Smith stated, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” Smith also claimed that John the Baptist appeared to him on May 15, 1829 while he was translating the BOM, and instructed him to restore the church by preaching the only true gospel.
Mormons regard the BOM as sacred writings, and view it in higher standing than that of the Holy Bible. Mormon Missionaries will ask you to pray that it is true. (See our page Pray to Know)