Book of Mormon Teaches Monotheism and the Trinity?

[zach_dunn]

Hey guys, I’m just curious as to what the LDS take on this is . . . I know it’s just single verses, but they kinda stick out as peculiarly not Mormon.

Before delving into the Book of Mormon itself, I found this quotation from The Testimony of Three Witnesses to be rather . . . funny:

And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.

But that is just the Testimony I suppose . . .

The Book of Mormon on Monotheism:

1 Nephi 13:41
And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.

Alma 11:26-29, 35
And Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God? And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and living God. Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No. . . . Now Zeezrom said unto the people: See that ye remember these things; for he said there is but one God; yet he saith that the Son of God shall come, but he shall not save his people—as though he had authority to command God.

The Book of Mormon on Monotheism/Trinity:

2 Nephi 31:21
And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the away; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.

Mosiah 15:1-5
And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

• A note: this passage seems to teach more of a modalistic view of God, rather than a Trinitarian view . . . it’s left up to the reader, I suppose.

Alma 11:44
Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

3 Nephi 11:27, 36
And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. . . . And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

3 Nephi 28:10
And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one.

Mormon 7:7
And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.

I’d also like to point out that Doctrines and Covenants has a Triune proclamation:

Doctrine and Covenants 20:28
Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen.

I’m just curious as to what Mormons have to say about these verses, thank you!

 

[Janet1983]

D&C 121:32:
32 According to that which was aordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this dworld was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal epresence and into his immortal frest.

D&C 132:18-20, 37:
18 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.
19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.
37 Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods.

Pearl of Great Price:
Book of Abraham 4:1-2
1 And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.
2 And the earth, after it was formed, was empty and desolate, because they had not formed anything but the earth; and darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Gods was brooding upon the face of the waters.

(note: The book of Abraham refers to “the Gods” in almost ever verse of chapters 4 and 5.)

 

[TheosisM]

Mormons believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit/Ghost are “one God” in the sense that they are one in purpose and intent. They make up the “Godhead”. They also use “one God” to refer specifically to the Father. Therefore, it isn’t really enough to say that because the Book of Mormon says “one God” that means the Trinity, because Mormons look at the same phrases and see “one God” in the way that they understand it, i.e. one in purpose, love, intent, etc. Another important question is, when the BOM or the Bible say that “the Father and I (Jesus) are one”, they are one what/how? What is specifically relevant to the Trinity is homoousios (since Trinitarians agree that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one in purpose, love, intent, etc), among other things. It is the description of how They are “one” that is important here.

 

[Janet1983]

Oh I forgot something…

Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 1844

p. 474 (2nd, 5th and 6th paragraph on the page)
“I will preach on the plurality of of Gods. I have selected this text for the express purpose. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years.
…]
Hence the doctrine of a plurality of Gods is as prominent in the Bible as any other doctrine. It is all over the face of the Bible. It stands beyond the power of controversy. A wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein.
Paul says there are Gods many and Lords many. I want to set it forth in a plain and simple manner; but to us there is but one God - that is pertaining to us; and he is in all and through all.”

p. 476 (last paragraph on the page)
“If Abraham reasoned thus - **If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that He had a Father also. ** Where was there ever a son without a father? And where was there ever a father without first being a son? Whenever did a tree or anything spring into existence without a progenitor? And everything comes in this way. Paul says that which is earthly is in the likeness of that which is heavenly. Hence if Jesus had a Father, can we not believe that He had a Father also? I despise the idea of being scared to death at such doctrine, for the Bible is full of it.”

And these gods have multiple wives too… well at least according to Orson Pratt in “The Seer”, p. 158, from 1853
“If none but Gods will be permitted to multiply immortal children it follows that each God must have one or more wives.”

I don’t think there is anything triune in Mormon teaching…
Joseph Smith, Lectures of Faith, 1835, p. 55
“Q. How many personages are there in the Godhead?
A. Two: the Father and the Son.”

 

[Benadam]

**
Mosiah 15:1-5
And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

---

This passage seems to teach that the Mormon trinitarian oneness of being is human.

 

[Jesus_123]

**+ I posted this on another thread . . . thought it might help here . . . **

• … I was raised as a child in the heart of “Mormon” country here in the United States … Though I knew many Mormons as friends in school and our neighborhood . . . their belief system is known to Catholics and Protestants alike essentially as a CULT . . . and it is an immensely large one . . . and their understandings, definitions and usage of the same religious and scriptural words are RADICALLY different . . .

Definition:

 

[ParkerD]

Hey guys, I’m just curious as to what the LDS take on this is . . . I know it’s just single verses, but they kinda stick out … I found this quotation from The Testimony of Three Witnesses …:

And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.

1 Nephi 13:41
And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.

Alma 11:26-29, 35
And Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God? And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and living God. Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No. . . . Now Zeezrom said unto the people: See that ye remember these things; for he said there is but one God; yet he saith that the Son of God shall come, but he shall not save his people—as though he had authority to command God.

2 Nephi 31:21
And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the away; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.

Mosiah 15:1-5
And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

• A note: this passage seems to teach more of a modalistic view of God, rather than a Trinitarian view . . . it’s left up to the reader, I suppose.

Alma 11:44
Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

3 Nephi 11:27, 36
And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. . . . And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

3 Nephi 28:10
And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one.

Mormon 7:7
And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end.

I’d also like to point out that Doctrines and Covenants has a Triune proclamation:

Doctrine and Covenants 20:28
Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen.

I’m just curious as to what Mormons have to say about these verses, thank you!

Hi, Zach Dunn,

I for one love them all, and have no problem with the understanding that Christ was Jehovah, the God of Israel, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the Word who was made flesh and “dwelt among”, and who is Alpha and Omega, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who is “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” He is God who came down to be among us as Emmanuel. He is the Father of our salvation, and the spiritual Father of those who become reborn spiritually and allow themselves to be Fathered by Him as He leads them toward perfect peace and a way of being more loving and forgiving than they have ever known before. He is our Advocate with the Father, and thus He pleads our cause with perfect love and compassion. He is full of grace and truth. The Holy Spirit is sent from Him and from the Father to be a bringer of peace, a Comforter, and a Sanctifier from all unrighteousness. As such, They are One God in all their understanding, their wisdom, their unified purposes, and their love. To feel the love of the Son is to feel the love of the Father, for the Son loves as the Father loves, perfectly with tenderness and encouragement and compassion.