Something peculiar about the infinite regression of LDS Gods

[in_servitude]

Yes! We believe that design before creation occurred with creatures and plants and structures, but we do believe he created it out of some original building blocks. That’s where we differ.

Yes - big difference there.

To me, looking at the Hubble telescope pics was quite a religious experience.

It is amazing stuff - very artistic too.

We don’t know what God’s building blocks were. The D&C teaching is that God cannot create matter from nothing, but can convert it from one form to another.

This is another huge difference - a limited (and non-infinite God).

Genesis says only that God create everything that was created.

Are you under the impression that Genesis is a documentary of God’s Creative efforts? I’m not. The author didn’t intend that. For example, there are two different accounts of Creation. The first is Genesis 1-2:4a. The second is the remainder of Genesis 2. Two different stories. Two different orders of Creation. Man comes last in the first version. Man comes first in the second version. Thus, not a documentary.

Neither does the Bible. But neither does the Bible nor the LDS church deny the possibility that everything visible and invisible was created through Christ. Simply that anything was created from nothing.

Creation is different than building. So - we have huge differences here.

More important than the Atonement and the Resurrection? The latter are, I think, the beating heart of Christianity.

The differences between our view of Creation and the nature of God will cause us to have very different understandings of what would look like the same thing on the surface.

 

[TexanKnight]

Thank you, SM! Glad that someone here understands that there’s diversity of belief among mormons on this issue and that the King Follett Discourse, a sermon by Joseph Smith given at a Funeral and based on his early studies of Hebrew (i.e. uninspired translation) is not official LDS canon.

And that is yet another example of LDS Doctrine changing and past teachings and prophets thrown under the bus. It was a sermon by a prophet speaking about God, and it is all wrong?

It led to another prophet saying "as man is, God once was…) and he was wrong too? Another prophet teaching false doctrine?

How sad for Mormons that they can never truly trust what their prophets say…or if they can trust it today, they might not be able to next year…

 

[Sabacthani]

Not everything in the KF sermon was wrong, but I think some of it was. Other mormons agree with it. Point was that it isn’t canon. It was JS’ off the cuff musings based on his elementary studies in Hebrew.

"as man is, God once was…) and he was wrong too? Another prophet teaching false doctrine?

I don’t know any LDS person who thinks that’s false doctrine.

You dont belive that Jesus was God, and became as man? This is solid Catholic as well as LDS doctrine. Just how much of Catholicism are you going to reject just to spite the Mormons?

 

[TexanKnight]

Not everything in the KF sermon was wrong, but I think some of it was. Other mormons agree with it. Point was that it isn’t canon. It was JS’ off the cuff musings based on his elementary studies in Hebrew.

I don’t know any LDS person who thinks that’s false doctrine.

You dont belive that Jesus was God, and became as man? This is solid Catholic as well as LDS doctrine. Just how much of Catholicism are you going to reject just to spite the Mormons?

Hinkley said it was never taught. He was being dishonest.

as to Jesus…that is the typical attempt to justify it, but it fails. First, the saying speaks of God the Father, not Jesus. Second, Jesus was not a man who became a God, He was God who came down to be man. Big difference.

Please do not be dishonest when you speak to me. I have never rejected any Catholic teaching.

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

To what end does this cosmic family end? Evil was not defeated at the cross in this theology.

 

[PaulDupre1]

Yes - there is a huge difference between us on this issue.

A place of reward - well, that sounds some people somehow have “earned” their place of additional responsibility and their pleasurable reward.

As a sinner, I really hope that I do NOT get what I deserve. Rather, I hope that God, out of love, shows mercy upon my soul.

As an example, let me discuss my own son. He, after graduating high school, didn’t “deserve” any of the assistance that I gave him for college. But, that was a gift that I gave him out of love.

The contrary - saying that one as “earned” what they get in Heaven - it will be like presenting a bill to God. “I did the service, now it’s time for You to pay up.” Taking rather than receiving.

A beautiful sentiment, and biblical as well:

And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;

• Ezra 9:13

And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

• Job 11:6

Paul

 

[PaulDupre1]

Thank you, SM! Glad that someone here understands that there’s diversity of belief among mormons on this issue and that the King Follett Discourse, a sermon by Joseph Smith given at a Funeral and based on his early studies of Hebrew (i.e. uninspired translation) is not official LDS canon.

The KFD was NOT just an off-the-cuff sermon given at a funeral; it was delivered in General Conference after the burial of King Follet. Joseph says in the conference address that the funeral of his friend King Follet created in him an urge to share these revelations with the general membership.

The King Follett Sermon, one of the classics of Church literature, was given by the Prophet Joseph Smith at the April 7, 1844, conference of the Church in Nauvoo, Illinois. Some twenty thousand Saints were assembled. The account of the talk noted that it was the funeral sermon for Elder King Follett, a close friend of the Prophet’s who had been killed in an accident on March 9. Longhand notes of the discourse were made by Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, Thomas Bullock, and William Clayton. This reprint was taken from the Documentary History of the Church, vol. 6, pages 302–17.

• The Ensign, April 1971

This idea that the KFD was only some impromptu off-the cuff remarks made by Joseph Smith at a funeral is one of the persistent falsehoods put forth by the cynical LDS leadership and gobbled up by Mormon faithful eager to believe. The time between Follett’s death on March 9th and Joseph’s General Conference address on April 7th gave Joseph a good long time to think about what he said and what he was going to say. The LDS church itself teaches that general conference is where the inspired words of the living prophets, equal to scripture, are presented to the members.

Paul (formerly LDS, now happily Catholic)

 

[in_servitude]

A beautiful sentiment, and biblical as well:

Thanks! I appreciate the quotes.