Mormons

AN ANSWER TO THE MORMON DOCTRINE

Can a man become "a god" ? "Yes", reply the Mormons, (The Church of Latter Day Saints), in company with the Eastern Mystical Religions, Scientologists, the Humanists, the Occult, the Gurus and now sadly also some misled Word-Faith teachers! We wish to give a biblical reply to all of these groups, especially the Mormons, carefully considering the scriptures in their context.

In this small tract we will not be able to name or document all the cults using this doctrine, due to limited space. We would direct our Mormon readers to their "Doctrine and Covenants" (D&C)and other Mormon doctrinal books. where there are extensive references to the Mormon doctrine of plural gods. Mormonism teaches that each convert can become "a god" himself. As well the Mormons teach that God the Father is just "a god", as is Jesus. They deny the trinity.

WHO ORIGINATED THE DOCTRINE

THAT MEN ARE GODS?

We do not have to turn many pages in the Bible to find this doctrine. Right in Genesis, notice the seductive conversation between the Serpent and Eve. He was enticing her to eat of the tree and disobey God. Genesis 3:5 records the words of the Serpent,

"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Obviously, then the first mention of this doctrine that men can become gods was by Satan the Devil. Some advocating the doctrine will argue that Adam and Eve were already gods, being created in the image of God. If this were indeed the case, why then would there be a need for the serpent to offer them this status, if they already had it? No, Adam and Eve were not "gods in embryo" in the beginning, but by nature were man and woman.

BUT JESUS SAID "YE ARE GODS!"

Some are fond of quoting the words of Jesus in John 10: 34, to "prove" that men can be gods. It reads,

"Jesus said to them, Is it not written in your law, I said Ye are gods?"

This is a favorite scripture of the Mormons to teach that believers (Mormons) are gods.

We need to look closely at this scripture in it's context. First of all, who was Jesus speaking to when He said, "Ye are gods?" Was it to His believers? No, it was to the unbelieving Jews who opposed Him. We will go on to show that Jesus was, in fact, quoting a portion of the Old Testament Hebrew scriptures to them as a reprimand. Verse 35 following says,

"If He called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"

PSALMS 82 AND "GODS"

Whom, then did the Bible call "gods"? Jesus was quoting Psalms 82. It was the judges in Israel who were called "gods". They were designated this way because they had the power of life and death over the people. Notice God's comments on these judges (gods) in this Psalm. Verse 1 commences,

"God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods"

At this point some may offer the argument that since God was judging among the gods, there must have been good gods and bad gods to judge between. This is just not so. We have checked out more than 250 times this same term "gods" occurs in the Bible, and never ONCE is there a mention of a "good god". All are revealed as created, false gods. This is because there is only ONE, TRUE, ETERNAL GOD by nature. Consider Galations 4:8 which reads.

"Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods".

We were never gods by nature, or Satan could not have offered that state as an enticement to Eve. That leaves us with the other alternative, that if we are gods, or will be gods, as the Mormon Church promises, then we would have to be of the type that are not "gods by nature".

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE

WHO WOULD BE GODS?

Again we turn to the pages of the Bible to determine the fate of those not "gods by nature". Jeremiah, chapter 10 deals with the contrasts between the only true God, and all other gods. Verse 6 of Jeremiah 10 plainly states,

" there is none LIKE unto THEE, O LORD".

So despite the best hopes of the Mormons, they are not "like God" or "as gods". Verse 10 says, "But THE LORD is the true God".

How can we argue with that statement, that the Lord is THE true God? There are no other TRUE gods. We cannot encroach on God's exclusive territory, and try to be miniature or embryonic "true gods"! The Bible and the Book of Mormon simply do not allow for this. Verse 11 sums it up nicely,

"Thus shall ye say to them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens".

This scripture encompasses ALL OTHER GODS, since only the one true, God made the heavens and the earth. All other gods are false, and under death sentence. Are you sure you still want to be one?

RETURNING TO PSALMS 82

To review, verse 1 of Psalms 82 showed God taking his stand in the midst of His congregation and judging among the gods. Yes and ALL of them were false, as we soon find out by reading the rest of the Psalm. Verses 2 through 8 read,

" How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most high, but ye shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations".

Notice Jesus' quote from Verse 6,

"I said, ye are gods". Verse 7 pronounces, " But ye shall die like men and fall like one of the princes."

Yes, these judges in the days of Israel, as the unbelieving Jews to whom Jesus spoke in his day, thought highly of themselves, even as gods, but they were all to "die like a man". Now, a true god would not die like a man. These corrupt judges (gods) and the Jews were reminded of their falseness, and that they would face a higher judgment.

NEW TESTAMENT GODS?

But, what about those New Testament teaching that hint about us being gods, the Mormons reply . An example would be that we are "partakers of His Divine Nature" (2 Peter 1:4), and other related scriptures that space does not permit us to itemize. While we can come up with a weak argument by lifting phrases out of their context and using round -about reasoning, still we have an important question to ask the Mormons. The question is this: Where are the actual New Testament scriptures located that call us believers, "gods"? Let the advocates of this doctrine produce even one! They cannot! No scripture in the New Testament calls believers, "gods".

This false teaching appears to go hand- hand with the equally false phrase parroted by the Mormons,

"As man is, God once was, as God is, man may become".

This teaching has no basis in either the Bible or the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon declares it is "the fullness of the everlasting gospel". Why then, is the doctrine of plural gods and men becoming gods not even mentioned in its pages? Either it is not the "fullness" as claimed, or Mormons have swallowed false doctrine added at another, later date.

THE APOSTLE PAUL

HAS THE LAST WORD

The Apostle Paul was a great man of God, we will all agree. Did he consider himself to be "a god" or" a god in embryo" as the Mormons today do? Let's consider the account in Acts 14: 11-15, where the multitude exclaimed over Paul and Barnabus,

"The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men."

Did Paul and Barnabus reply that they were indeed "gods", but perhaps of a different type that the crowd had in mind? No, listen to their clear words on this matter:

"We are also men of like passion (nature) with you". (Verse 15).

They flat-out denied being gods and said they had the same nature as the unbelievers to whom they were speaking. Nor did they ever state that they would be gods after the resurrection.

Therefore, let us not add to the words of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Let's accept and believe the words of Jesus Christ to his followers,

" And (He) hath made us KINGS and Priests unto God and his Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:6).