Since the Mormon church claims that the Bible is one of the four books that constitute its
scripture, one would think that the God of the Bible would be the same god that the Mormon
church worships. However if one chooses to believe that, a great error will be made, because the
god of the Mormon church is not the same as the God of the Bible.
The Mormon church makes many claims as to its relationship to the Bible, God and Jesus Christ.
But, in the Mormon church, the public claims come cheap. The reality of what the Mormon
church teaches is quite different than what appears on the surface and in their
advertising.
One of the most glaring discrepancies, in relation to the Bible, is the Mormon doctrine taught in
regards to the character and nature of God. It will be quickly realized that to believe the Mormon
doctrine taught about God is to completely reject any teaching or revelation with regard to the
God of the Bible. The doctrine of the Mormon church and the doctrine of the Bible, concerning
the nature of God, are completely opposed to each other and cannot be reconciled. It is a
falsehood that the Mormon church claims the Bible to be one of its foundational scriptures,
when
the Mormon church teaches a radically different concept of God than that found in the
Bible.
Mormon theology does not start with a definition of God or base itself on the absolute holiness
and integrity of a monotheistic God. Instead, Mormon theology starts with man and proceeds
to an exalted man who becomes a god by his own efforts. However, in that godhood, the exalted
man is less than absolute, less than all powerful, less than all present and less than all knowing.
In
fact, the god of the Mormon church does not know everything, but is in a constant state of
learning in relation to knowledge. The Mormon god has no power to "create" out of nothing, but
can only "organize" out of existing matter. The Mormon god is a physical being, the same size as
a man, limited in power, limited in knowledge and cannot be in more than one place at a time.
Far from man being an image of his creator-God, it is the Mormon god who is the image of his
creator-man.
The following doctrines are taught by the Mormon church in direct opposition to the
Bible:
- I. GOD IS NOT INFINITE
- The Mormon god is a finite being, limited is time and space by a physical body that limits
the
extent of his existence.
We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity I will refute that idea. ...god
himself the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did...
(LDS) prophet, president and seer Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 3,
1844
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder
heavens. That is the great secret.
(LDS) prophet, president and seer Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 3,
1844
The infinity of God is denied in the above statements because in the concept of infinity is also
the
idea of existence. The God of the Bible always was, always is and always will be. This is a time
and space relationship to mankind, but the reality is that in the absence of time and space, God
still is. In the Bible, God defines Himself as "I AM" (The Holy Bible, Exodus 3:14), meaning He
exists independent of time and space. Time and space were created by Him, so He is not subject
to the restrictions imposed by their existence. It is the Bible that defines God as the creator of
time and space out of nothing and, therefore, imputes infinitude to His being because He exists
independent of any restrictions.
The Mormon god is confined and finite. He exists within the confines of time and space, not
being
able to transcend those boundaries. The Mormon god was once a man, on a finite planet, who
progressed to become a god with a finite body, a finite mind and lives on a finite planet. The
Mormon god is not the creator of time and space, but is subject to their restrictions. His godhood
is less than the restrictions of time and space and the universe in which he lives. The Mormon
god
has not always been, because he became a god. It might be assumed that he will always be a god,
but this is not an assurance if (LDS) president, prophet and seer Brigham Young's Adam-God
doctrine is believed.
All the philosophers of the universe could not give a better or more correct definition of nothing.
And yet this is the god worshiped by the Church of England - the Methodists - and millions of
other atheistical idolaters, ...as recorded in their atheistical doctrines... A being without parts
must
be entirely powerless, and can perform no miracles. ...what an admirable description of
nothing.
(LDS) apostle Orson Pratt, Absurdities of Immaterialism, July 31, 1849, p.
12
Orson Pratt's inane babblings, criticizing the Christian doctrine of the Spiritual nature of God,
are
ludicrous when it is seen that he ignores the description of god in his own scripture, the
Book of Mormon:
And the king said: Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?
And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven
and in earth. Believest thou this?
(LDS) Book of Mormon, Alma 22:9-10
In addition, the first president, prophet and seer of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith, at one
time
also taught that god was a spirit:
There are two personages who constitute the great, matchless, governing and supreme power
over all things - by whom all things were created and made, ...they are the Father and the Son:
the
Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and
fullness.
(LDS) prophet, president and seer Joseph Smith Doctrine and Covenants, Lectures
of Faith, pp. 52-53, 1835
Orson Pratt's error is that he assumes that the spiritual world is powerless in relation to the finite,
or material world. This error comes about because of the Mormon preoccupation with the
importance of man and the humanization of God. In Mormon doctrine, man came first and god
came second: matter, time and space also pre-existed the existence of god. The question of how
the first powerless man, time, space and matter were created is ignored. If man came first, who
established the doctrines of Mormonism for that man to follow in order to be exalted to a god
and
by what power was that act accomplished?
For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is
before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
The Holy Bible, Colossians 1:16-17 (NIV)
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all
things by His powerful word.
The Holy Bible, Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)
Orson Pratt and the Mormon church seriously err when they assume the spiritual to be nothing
and powerless. The reality is that it is the spiritual that has the only power, the physical being
dependant on the creative ability of the spiritual and dependant on the ability of the spiritual to
maintain, control and hold together the physical. Orson Pratt and the Mormon church assume to
much of the physical and assume to little of the spiritual.
The teaching of Orson Pratt and the Mormon church, instead of showing the powerlessness of
the
spiritual, shows the ineptitude of the god they claim to worship. The god of the Mormon church
cannot create, is not all powerful, cannot know all things, did not eternally exist, and cannot be
in all places at once because he is subject to a physical body of limited size that cannot transcend
the boundaries of time, space and matter.
- II. GOD IS NOT OMNISCIENT
- It is the Mormon belief that, just as man progresses from human to divine through stages,
god
also progresses or increases his knowledge as time goes on. This is a very strange belief, because
it limits the actions which god can take at any specific time. In fact, without knowledge in a
specific area, god can make mistakes. This is a very pernicious doctrine and should make all
Mormons fear for their souls. Perhaps god does not know the correct content of the gospel, or
perhaps he has not revealed it correctly; and if that is the case, the souls of all Mormons are in
great danger.
God himself is increasing in knowledge, power and dominion, and will do so, worlds without
end.
(LDS) president, prophet and seer Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6,
p. 120, 1857
The Mormon church will now deny that this doctrine is true and has since rejected it. But the
problem remains in that it was taught by a prophet of the Mormon church. To deny the doctrine
is to deny the integrity of the office of "prophet" in the Mormon church. If Wilford Woodruff
taught a false doctrine, then he was a liar and a false prophet.
The same problem occurs with Orson Pratt, who was not a prophet but was an "apostle". The
doctrine that Orson Pratt taught was the same as that taught by Wilford Woodruff. Orson Pratt
must have also taught false doctrine and is therefore a "false apostle".
This is a great problem for the Mormon church, because it tells the world that its doctrines have
never changed and can never be changed. But the proof of their claim is in the words of their
own "prophets" and "apostles" and the claim is false.
The Bible speaks against the false doctrine as follows:
Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are
higher than the heavens - what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave - what
can you know. Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
The Holy Bible, Job 11:7-9 (NIV)
Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of Him who is perfect in
knowledge?
The Holy Bible, Job 37:16 (NIV)
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.
The Holy Bible, Psalm 147:5
This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His
presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows
everything.
The Holy Bible, 1 John 3:19-20
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. you know when I sit and when I rise; you
perceive mu thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar
with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
The Holy Bible, Psalm 139:1-4
Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of
long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known
the
end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
The Holy Bible, Isaiah 46:8-10
The Biblical refutation of the Mormon doctrine has several elements as noted:
- The knowledge of God is perfect.
There is no limitation or lack of absolutely perfect understanding in every area.
- The knowledge of God is beyond human understanding.
Human knowledge is nothing in comparison with that of God.
- The knowledge of God cannot be quantified.
His knowledge is infinite, encompassing everything in this universe and the spiritual world and
is beyond that which man has, or can have.
- The knowledge of God overlooks nothing.
God does not fail to see and know everything. His knowledge may be vast and infinite in scope
but it is specific and focused on each and every one of the smallest details.
- The knowledge of God is absolute.
God's knowledge is the standard. There are no unknowns. There are no standards to be known
that
God has not set. God does not receive knowledge, He is the dispenser of knowledge.
- The knowledge of God is all inclusive.
His knowledge stretches from infinity past to infinity future. Time does not limit the knowledge
of
God because He created time and is above time.
- III. GOD IS NOT OMNIPOTENT
- It is the Mormon belief that god is not all powerful. He is limited in what he can do by his
material being. He cannot "create", in that he cannot bring forth material out of nothing like the
God of the Bible. The God of the Mormon church can only "organize", in that he must have
pre-existing matter in order to form worlds and planets.
God himself is increasing in knowledge, power and dominion, and will do so, worlds without
end.
(LDS) prophet, president and seer Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6,
p. 120, 1857
..god never had the power to create the spirit of man at all.
(LDS) prophet, president and seer, Joseph Smith, Journal of discourses, Vol. 6, p. 7,
1844
The doctrine of eternal progression, even when exalted as a god, was taught by Mr. Woodruff.
Again, Mormons now reject another portion of a doctrine taught by one of their prophets as
false, because it does not fit well into current Mormon theology. Thus, Mr. Woodruff is caught
teaching false doctrine twice and must be considered a false prophet.
So, who is really the false prophet in the Mormon church? Is it the previous prophets who taught
a certain doctrine that is rejected by current prophets? Or is it current prophets who change the
real doctrine to suit their own purposes? The Mormon church accepts the doctrine of the "living
prophets" and applies that in all situations. The words of the "living prophet" superseded the
words
of all previous dead prophets in every area even if they contradict what was previously stated as
"revelation". Presumably, the false words of a "living prophet" take precedence over true words
of a dead prophet and cannot, or will not, be changed until the "living prophet" is dead and
another "living prophet" takes his place.
In spite of the claims by the Mormon church, their god evidently does not have the power to
control or prevent error from being taught at the highest level of authority within the church. In
fact, their god did not have the power to prevent the original church from going into apostasy in
the 2nd century A.D.. This, in spite of the claim by the Mormon church that their god now has
the
power to prevent that from happening to the current, existing church.
Joseph Smith taught a doctrine that god was unable to create the spirit of man because he did not
have the power to do so. This is in direct contradiction with the Bible which says:
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a living being.
The Holy Bible, Genesis 2:7 (NAS)
...and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave
it.
The Holy Bible, Ecclesiastes 12:7 (NIV)
The Biblical doctrine regarding the power of God is quite the opposite the that taught by the
Mormon church:
For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.
The Holy Bible, Psalm 33:9 (NIV)
Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to god...
The Holy Bible, Psalm 62:11 (NAS)
Our God is heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.
The Holy Bible, Psalm 155:3 (NIV)
With My great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that
are
on it, and I give it to anyone I please.
The Holy Bible, Jeremiah 27:5 (NIV)
Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can
reverse it?
The Holy Bible, Isaiah 43:13 (NIV)
- IV. GOD IS NOT OMNIPRESENT
- According to Mormon doctrine it is impossible for God to be everywhere at the same time.
This is in direct contradiction to Biblical teaching and depends upon a bizarre and unsupported
theory proposed by Mormon apologists regarding the composition of matter and spirit.
"Note: Mormonism teaches that a belief in a omnipresent god, who is immaterial (i.e. not
composed of physical material), is tantamount to atheism. In their doctrine, all things (including
spirits) are composed of countless tiny particles, each of which is individually capable of its own
thoughts and emotions. These tiny, sentient particles are allegedly composed of physical
material,
even when they exist as part of a spirit. The group's theory next reminds us that two material
objects can not occupy the same space at the same time. Therefore, in accordance with this line
of
'reasoning', the Christian concept of God who is present everywhere, is deemed to be physically
impossible. Mormonism argues that, for Him to be omnipresent, God's tiny intelligent particles
would have to occupy the same space as other tiny intelligent particles. According to
Mormonism's argument this is impossible, therefore God can not be everywhere. Orson Pratt
argues that, if the God of Christianity cannot be 'everywhere', then He must be 'nowhere', and
hence He is 'nothing'!"
Mormonism Web Ministries: http://mormonism-web.com
The theory of Orson Pratt is not supported in the Book of Mormon but is only found
in the "revelations" claimed by Joseph Smith:
What is God? He is a material organized intelligence, possessing both body and parts. He is in
the
form of a man, and is, in fact, of the same species... This being cannot occupy two distinct places
at once, therefore he cannot be everywhere present."
(LDS) prophet, president and seer Joseph Smith, The Millennial Star, Vol.
6
Previously, Orson Pratt has been shown to have taught false doctrine and is therefore a false
prophet. Joseph Smith claimed to have translated the book of Abraham from an
Egyptian papyri which was, in reality, a copy of a portion of the Egyptian Book of the
Dead called the Breathings. The Mormon church canonized the "translation"
and it has been a part of their "scripture" for 150 years. Joseph Smith lied about translating the
papyri and therefore anything that he claims to have "translated" or claims to have received by
means of "revelation" cannot be believed.
All of the theories proposed by the Mormon church, regarding the attributes of their god, are
designed to decrease the holiness, righteousness and differences between the God of the Bible
and
man, so that the Mormon doctrine of man becoming a god would seem to be more of a
possibility
rather than an impossibility. If the goal is made low enough or easily attainable, then people are
more likely to follow the path to that goal. The Mormon apologists wished to level the playing
field and lower the goals, bringing god down closer to the character of man and lifting man
closer
to the character of god. In the process, the Mormon church defines the real God in their image,
making Him less than He is and elevating man to a position higher than he is entitled. Mormons
deceive themselves into believing that the minimal good works that they do in this life will allow
them to attain exaltation to godhood, being equal to a god that is not as great, powerful, mighty,
holy or righteous as He actually is, as revealed in the Bible.
It is the purpose of Mormon doctrine to make the attainment of godhood dependent on man's
own goodness, achievements and acceptability of character, making man to be worthy within
himself before god. It is the purpose of the Bible to show that man is separated from God by a
chasm which cannot be bridged by man, and that man cannot attain a relationship with
God through his own efforts because his character is less than acceptable, but must depend
solely
on the grace and mercy of God Himself to bring about a reconciliation.
The doctrine of the Bible and the doctrine of the Mormon church are irreconcilable to each
other.
The Bible is specific in regards to the doctrine of the Omnipresence of God:
"Am I a God who is near", declares the Lord, "And not a God far off? Can a man hide himself in
hiding places so I do not see him?" declares the Lord. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?"
declares the Lord. "I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name,
saying, 'I had a dream, I had a dream'!
The Holy Bible, Jeremiah 23:23-25 (NAS)
Where can I go from Your Spirit? or where can I flee from Your presence. If I ascend to heaven,
You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand
will lay hold of me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and light around me will
be
night,' even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and
light are alike to You.
The Holy Bible, Psalm 139:7-12 (NAS)
"But will God rally dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you.
How much less this temple I have built!"
The Holy Bible, 1 Kings 8:27 (NIV)
These differences between Mormon doctrine and Biblical doctrine are not minor, but strike at
the
core of the character and integrity of God. If God is the god of the Mormon church, then He is
powerless to save mankind from their sins. If God is the God of the Bible, then mankind can
have
hope of a reconciliation, and God can save mankind from their sins by His power and
mercy.
END OF ARTICLE
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