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Institute for Religious Research Latter-day Saints (Mormonism)
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Mormon View of God and Christ
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Gordon B. Hinckley, LDS President and Prophet from 1995 to 2008
The Mormon God Has Not Always Been God
Robert M. Bowman Jr.
Very possibly the most controversial doctrine taught by Joseph Smith was that God the Father has not always been God. It is so controversial that Mormons often deny that Joseph Smith taught it. This series of three articles documents that Joseph Smith did teach this doctrine and that it has been taught continuously by the LDS Church ever since.
Part One: Joseph Smith’s King Follett Discourse
This article examines Joseph Smith’s famous (or notorious) sermon in which he advanced the doctrine that God has not always been God, but was a mortal man who progressed to Godhood.
Part Two: Mormon Prophets and Other Leaders Since Joseph Smith
This article quotes Mormon prophets and apostles from Brigham Young to the 1970s, documenting that the doctrine that God was a man who progressed to Godhood is the historic doctrine of the Mormon religion.
Part Three: Curriculum Manuals and Theologians
This article quotes LDS Church official curriculum manuals and contemporary Mormon theologians, such as Robert Millet, to show that the doctrine that God was a man who progressed to Godhood remains a part of Mormon doctrine today.
Are Mormons Approaching Orthodoxy? A Response to Richard Mouw
Evangelical scholar Richard Mouw continues to argue that Mormonism is moving toward orthodox Christian doctrine, especially with regard to the question of whether God is an exalted man. This article explains why no such movement toward orthodoxy is taking place.
Gordon Hinckley, Richard Mouw, and Eternal Progression
In 1997, LDS President Gordon Hinckley told Time magazine that he “didn’t know” that his religion taught or emphasized the idea that God was once a man. Evangelical scholar Richard Mouw claims this mean the LDS Church is abandoning the doctrine of eternal progression. But what has the LDS Church actually been teaching for the past twenty years?
Questions About Mormonism
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Joseph Smith's Changing Doctrine of Deity
Evidence that Joseph’s revelations were actually reflections of his own changing theological ideas.
God was once a man like us: Finessing an Off-Putting Mormon Doctrine
Evidence that at least some LDS Church leaders have been willing to mislead the general public and its potential converts as to its teachings.
Are Jehovah and Elohim Different Gods?
If they are separate Gods, as the LDS Church teaches, why are these two Hebrew words used interchangeably throughout the Old Testament?
28 Biblical Passages Which Explicitly Teach There is Only One God
Here's a complete list of verses from the Bible that you can read on screen, store to your hard drive, or print out.
On Mike Huckabee’s Question : “Is the Mormon Jesus the Brother of Satan?”
Dr. Ron Huggins sheds light on the issue and the accusations by explaining Mormon teaching on the subject of Jesus and Satan as spirit brothers. He shows that in LDS theology, Jesus and Lucifer were spirit brothers who both desired to be savior of the human race.
Heavenly Mother: Origin of the Mormon Doctrine of a Mother in Heaven
Shows that the Mormon belief in Heavenly Mother is not taught in the Mormon scriptures or by Joseph Smith, and explains the significance of this fact.