LDS and "Heavenly Father"

  • Thread starter Thread starter hs_hopeful
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

hs_hopeful

Guest
Why do the LDS use this term? It’s not something I often read outside LDS sources and comments on forums.
 
hs_hopeful said:
Why do the LDS use this term? It’s not something I often read outside LDS sources and comments on forums.
Click to expand...
I probably cannot answer this question in its entirety, But biblehub shows several English version of the Bible using the term “Heavenly Father” in Matthew 5:48 biblehub.com/matthew/5-48.htm

The Our Father prayer starts “Our Father who art in Heaven”. To me there is no distinction in meaning between that and “Heavenly Father”.

A summary of LDS beliefs about God the Father can be found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism: eom.byu.edu/index.php/God_the_Father

I hope this helps.
 
For two reasons. First mormons believe that Heavenly Father is the literal Father of us all in the ‘prexistence’.

Second they are very hesitant to use the word God, since they do not believe in only one God.
 
I think it’s mostly habit, the same way in casual parlance you might use God and Lord interchangeably.

That and as far as I’m aware the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrines and Covenants all address Elohim (God the father) as the Heavenly father.

I believe it also serves to distinguish between the other two members of the Mormon Godhead (trinity isn’t really the right word in this context) , Jehovah (the Son), and the Holy Spirit
 
I guess I’m confused. Do Catholics -not- believe that God is their Father in Heaven? I thought you guys did…
 
NeuroTypical said:
I guess I’m confused. Do Catholics -not- believe that God is their Father in Heaven? I thought you guys did…
Click to expand...
Catholics do 🙂 I think it’s just that there is a rather small traditional vocabulary Catholics use when describing God or the persons of the trinity (God the Father (The Lord) ,God the Son (Jesus), God the Holy Spirit (Holy Spirit/Ghost). Anything outside of the specific terminology can cause some confusion as to what you might be talking about and in the case of Heavenly father while it would likely be thought you are speaking about the Lord, a Catholic could be mistaken for speaking about Elohim (and by speaking about him preaching heresy) since as I understand that’s a fairly common LDS term.
 
NeuroTypical said:
I guess I’m confused. Do Catholics -not- believe that God is their Father in Heaven? I thought you guys did…
Click to expand...
We do not believe that God is our literal father like Mormons do.

We do not believe that God had physical relations with ‘heavenly mother’ to conceive our souls.

The Catholic and Mormon views on this could not be more different!
 
Mormons believe that Heavenly Father and heavenly Mother had actual relations and bore all of us spirit children. That is one reason.

They hesitate to call the Father “God” because they believe there are many, many Gods…and that they will be Gods someday.
 
CathConvert2013 said:
So can I use this term? If so, I had no idea. :confused:
Click to expand...
Whoops I meant “if not, I had no idea.” I use Heavenly Father and so do many of my Catholic buddies from CRHP.

Mormons believe that?

Who is Elohim?

Clearly I need to do a lot of reading…
 
CathConvert2013 said:
Whoops I meant “if not, I had no idea.” I use Heavenly Father and so do many of my Catholic buddies from CRHP.

Mormons believe that?

Who is Elohim?

Clearly I need to do a lot of reading…
Click to expand...
Don’t try and understand Mormonism. It will make your head hurt. They are good people that are being led astray by their leaders. Pray for them.
 
The LDS Heavenly Father is not the same as God the Father. To the LDS, Heavenly Father is the actual father of our spirits. He had relations with Heavenly Mother, his wife, to give us spirit bodies. Heavenly Father is also referred to as Elohim. He is generally only called Elohim in the LDS temple endowment ceremony. Heavenly Father is also the head of the LDS godhead of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. They each have separate bodies and are separate gods but “one in purpose”. LDS also believe that Heavenly Father is also the physical father of Jesus in much the same way as our fathers are the fathers of our physical bodies.

As a former LDS, now Catholic, I do not refer to God the Father as "Heavenly Father " due to the meaning of the term in Mormonism. You need to be careful in discussing religion with Mormons because they will use the same words traditional Christians use but they mean something very different.
 
iepuras said:
To the LDS, Heavenly Father is the actual father of our spirits.
Click to expand...
Given Hebrews 12:9 (straight out of the USCCB website…) Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live?

What other interpretation could there possibly be other than Heavenly Father is the actual father of our spirits?
 
iepuras said:
The LDS Heavenly Father is not the same as God the Father. To the LDS, Heavenly Father is the actual father of our spirits. He had relations with Heavenly Mother, his wife, to give us spirit bodies. Heavenly Father is also referred to as Elohim. He is generally only called Elohim in the LDS temple endowment ceremony. Heavenly Father is also the head of the LDS godhead of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. They each have separate bodies and are separate gods but “one in purpose”. LDS also believe that Heavenly Father is also the physical father of Jesus in much the same way as our fathers are the fathers of our physical bodies.

As a former LDS, now Catholic, I do not refer to God the Father as "Heavenly Father " due to the meaning of the term in Mormonism. You need to be careful in discussing religion with Mormons because they will use the same words traditional Christians use but they mean something very different.
Click to expand...
Sorry, temporary derail here.

I forgot you were so close to coming into the Church. Did you come in at Easter Vigil? What kind of experience was it?

Back to our regular programming…😃
 
gazelam said:
Given Hebrews 12:9 (straight out of the USCCB website…) Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live?

What other interpretation could there possibly be other than Heavenly Father is the actual father of our spirits?
Click to expand...
He is our Creator. He created all things.

Let’s say a man spends a lot of time restoring a classic car. He put his whole heart and soul (and time and money) into restoring it. Would it be strange if he referred to it as “his baby”? Not really. But he certainly didn’t impregnate his wife to make the classic car and she certainly didn’t give birth to “his baby”. How much more is God the Father our father because He created us?

So where in the Bible is the teaching that there is also Heavenly Mother(s) and that Heavenly Father impregnated her(them) to create our spirit bodies?

Also, Jesus tells us in John 4:24 that “God is Spirit”. Doesn’t that make it clear that God the Father does not have a body of flesh and bones? This verse directly conflicts with LDS teaching that Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as any man’s. Joseph Smith didn’t even provide a new “translation” for this verse, but he did for the first couple of verses of John chapter 4.
 
twopekinguys said:
Sorry, temporary derail here.

I forgot you were so close to coming into the Church. Did you come in at Easter Vigil? What kind of experience was it?

Back to our regular programming…😃
Click to expand...
I did! And it was heavenly! So grateful to be able to share in the Eucharist now.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top