DiscussMormonism.com

Recently the Mormon Church has backpedaled on doctrine they have had for over 150 years. Mormon men can become Gods in Mormon Heaven and have their own planets.

Here is the change:

"Do Latter-day Saints believe that they will “get their own planet”?

No. This idea is not taught in Latter-day Saint scripture, nor is it a doctrine of the Church. This misunderstanding stems from speculative comments unreflective of scriptural doctrine. Mormons believe that we are all sons and daughters of God and that all of us have the potential to grow during and after this life to become like our Heavenly Father (see Romans 8:16-17). The Church does not and has never purported to fully understand the specifics of Christ’s statement that “in my Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2)."

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101#C14

Men Can Become Gods:

D&C 132:20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.

"The Father has promised us that through our faithfulness we shall be blessed with the fulness of his kingdom. In other words we will have the privilege of becoming like him. To become like him we must have all the powers of godhood...We will become gods and HAVE JURISDICTION OVER WORLDS, AND THESE WORLDS WILL BE PEOPLED BY OUR OWN OFFSPRING. We will have an endless eternity for this." (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.48)

"Remember you are not going to leave this earth. You will never leave it until you become qualified, and capable, and capacitated TO BECOME A FATHER OF AN EARTH YOURSELVES." (Heber C. Kimball, JD 1:356)

"We shall not be idle. We shall go on from one step to another, reaching forth into the eternities until we become like the Gods, and shall be able to frame for ourselves, by the bequest and command of the Almighty. All those who are counted worthy to be exalted and to become Gods, even the sons of God, will go forth and HAVE EARTHS AND WORLDS like those who framed this and millions on millions of others. (Brigham Young, JD 17:143)

Elder Eyring quoted Spencer W. Kimball when he said in 2001:

"Elder Eyring told the young adults that the real life they are preparing for is eternal life. "Secular knowledge has for us eternal significance," he said. "Our conviction is that God our Heavenly Father wants us to live the life that He does. We learn both the spiritual things and the secular things so that we may one day CREATE WORLDS, PEOPLE AND GOVERN THEM."" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 386)

source: http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/3 ... onent.html

"Mormonism be it true or false, holds out to men the greatest inducements that the human mind can grasp. And so it does... It teaches men that they can become divine, that man is God in embryo, that God was once man in mortality, and that the only difference between Gods, angels and men is a difference in education and development. Is such a religion to be sneered at? It teaches that the worlds on high, the stars that glitter in the blue vault of heaven, are kingdoms of God, that they were once earths like this, that they have been redeemed and glorified by the same laws, the same principles that are applied to this planet, and by which it will ascend to a perfected and glorified state. It teaches that these worlds are peopled with human beings, God's sons and daughters, and that every husband and father, may become an Adam, and every wife and mother an Eve, to some future planet." - Apostle Orson F. Whitney, Divine Evidences of Truthfulness, Y.M.M.I.A. Annual Conference, June 9th, 1895.

President Spencer W. Kimball said in a general priesthood meeting:

Brethren, it is a great thrill to think that we are part of a congregation of 225,000 men and boys. Some of you are a little darker, some of you have slant eyes, but you are all men and brethren, and we love you. We are grateful that you are associated with us tonight in this great meeting.

Brethren, 225,000 of you are here tonight. I suppose 225,000 of you may become gods. There seems to be plenty of space out there in the universe. And the Lord has proved that he knows how to do it. I think he could make, or probably have us help make, worlds for all of us, for every one of us 225,000.

Just think of the possibilities, the potential. Every little boy that has just been born becomes an heir to this glorious, glorious program. When he is grown, he meets a lovely woman; they are married in the holy temple. They live all the commandments of the Lord. They keep themselves clean. And then they become sons of God, and they go forward with their great program—they go beyond the angels, beyond the angels and the gods that are waiting there. They go to their exaltation." - In Conference Report, Oct. 1975, p. 120; or Ensign, Nov. 1975, p. 80. See also http://www.LDS.org/ensign/1975/11/the-p ... d?lang=eng

LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley is also on record as saying:

"On the other hand, the whole design of the gospel is to lead us onward and upward to greater achievement, even, eventually, to godhood. This great possibility was enunciated by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the King Follet sermon (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 342-62); and emphasized by President Lorenzo Snow. It is this grand and incomparable concept: As God now is, man may become!" - Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference, October 1994

Spencer Kimball is on record as saying:

"We remember the numerous scriptures which, concentrated in a single line, were said by a former prophet, Lorenzo Snow: 'As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.' This is a power available to us as we reach perfection and receive the experience and power to create, to organize, to control native elements. How limited we are now! We have no power to force the grass to grow, the plants to emerge, the seeds to develop." - Spencer W. Kimball, General Conference, April 1977

The concept of God being an exalted man has been taught in the LDS Church as recently as 2005 in an official LDS Church publication:

"Many religions teach that human beings are children of God, but often their conception of Him precludes any kind of bond resembling a parent-child relationship. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught of a much simpler and more sensible relationship: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit … was to make himself visible … , you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another." - Strengthening the Family: Created in the Image of God, Male and Female, The Ensign, Jan. 2005, pg. 48

The LDS Church has taught consistently from the mid-1800s:

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret... It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us. Here, then, is eternal life--to know that only wise and true God, and you have got to learn how to become Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you. .. God himself, the father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ." - The Prophet Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 342-345. See also: Gospel Principles, Chapter 47, the official publication of the LDS Church.

"The idea that the Lord our God is not a personage of tabernacle is entirely a mistaken notion. He was once a man. Brother Kimball quoted a saying of Joseph the Prophet, that he would not worship a God who had not a Father; and I do not know that he would if be had not a mother; the one would be as absurd as the other. If he had a Father, he was made in his likeness. And if he is our Father we are made after his image and likeness. He once possessed a body, as we now do; and our bodies are as much to us, as his body to him. Every iota of this organization is necessary to secure for us an exaltation with the Gods." - Prophet Brigham Young, True Character of God, Salt Lake Tabernacle, February 23, 1862, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9, p.286

"What, is it possible that the Father of Heights, the Father of our spirits, could reduce himself and come forth like a man? Yes, he was once a man like you and I are and was once on an earth like this, passed through the ordeal you and I pass through. He had his father and his mother and he has been exalted through his faithfulness, and he is become Lord of all. He is the God pertaining to this earth. He is our Father. He begot our spirits in the spirit world. They have come forth and our earthly parents have organized tabernacles for our spirits and here we are today. That is the way we came." -Prophet Brigham Young, 14 July 1861, Recorded in "The Essential Brigham Young", p.138

"So the Prophet Joseph Smith, in this age, has added to this truth by the assertion that "As man is God once was, and that as He is man may became," because He is our Father, and like begets like, and inherent within us are the attributes of divinity that shall lead us into perfection, which Christ intended His Saints to attain unto." - Elder Joseph E. Robinson, General Conference, April 1912

"We are His children in Very deed, having been born of Him in the spirit, and we have inherited the very attributes which he possesses. They are in us, and they make us God's embryo, We believe that as we are now God once was, and by the practice of virtue and righteousness, by obedience unto law and authority, He has become what He is, and as He is, man may become, on the same principle." - Elder Goege F. Richards, General Conference, April 1913

"After men have got their exaltations and their crowns -- have become Gods, even the sons of God -- are made Kings of kings and Lords of lords, they have the power then of propagating their species in spirit; and that is the first of their operations with regard to organizing a world. Power is then given to them to organize the elements, and then commence the organization of tabernacles. How can they do it? Have they to go to that earth? Yes, an Adam will have to go there, and he cannot do without Eve; he must have Eve to commence the work of generation, and they will go into the garden, and continue to eat and drink of the fruits of the corporeal world, until this grosser matter is diffused sufficiently through their celestial bodies to enable them, according to the established laws, to produce mortal tabernacles for their spiritual children." Journal of Discourses Volume 6 page 275 --Brigham Young

"I shall have wives and children by the million, and glory, and riches and power and dominion, and kingdom after kingdom, and reign triumphantly" Journal of Discourses Volume 8 pages 178-179 – Brigham Young, Sept 9, 1860.

Gordon B. Hinckley’s backpedaling:

"Is this the teaching of the church today, that God the Father was once a man like we are?"

"I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it. I haven't heard it discussed for a long time in public discourse. I don't know. I don't know all the circumstances under which that statement was made. I understand the philosophical background behind it. But I don't know a lot about it and I don't know that others know a lot about it." - Gordon
B. Hinckley, Time Magazine, Aug 4, 1997

"Don't Mormons believe that God was once a man?"

"I wouldn't say that. There was a little couplet coined, 'As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.' Now that's more of a couplet than anything else. That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don't know very much about." - Gordon B. Hinckley, San Francisco Chronicle, April 13, 1997, p 3/Z1

Mormon leaders are liars. They will say one thing one minute, and say something else the next. All of this shows just how uninspired they are - and that doctrines once taught were all just lies or fantasies of the men that spoke them. And all of those poor suckers for all those years that obeyed and followed that doctrine. Fickle Mormon God has changed his mind, again.

Infymus wrote:
Mormon leaders are liars. They will say one thing one minute, and say something else the next. All of this shows just how uninspired they are - and that doctrines once taught were all just lies or fantasies of the men that spoke them. And all of those poor suckers for all those years that obeyed and followed that doctrine. Fickle Mormon God has changed his mind, again.

You will notice that the leaders have not put there name to this, so they can deny anything after. The answer is not technically wrong, but the question is dishonest. They framed the question so they can say no without saying no to the doctrine that we can become Gods and will be creating planets for our spirit children. This way people outside of the church reading this response will hopefully conclude the church does not teach we can become Gods. Who ever prepared this knows they were being dishonest. All that they are really saying no to is whether it is doctrine that we will get our OWN planet to ourselves.

Themis wrote:Who ever prepared this knows they were being dishonest. All that they are really saying no to is whether it is doctrine that we will get our OWN planet to ourselves.

That's called a degree in Public Relations. Or else one earned at the Dallin Oaks Law School.

harmony wrote:

Themis wrote:Who ever prepared this knows they were being dishonest. All that they are really saying no to is whether it is doctrine that we will get our OWN planet to ourselves.

That's called a degree in Public Relations. Or else one earned at the Dallin Oaks Law School.

Very True. The question never asks whether LDS believe they can become Gods. Only if they believe they get their own planet. This is about as dishonest as you can get. They also use the term believe in regards to Ladder day saints, which can be used to mean just the members and not the church itself.

Brigham Young is such a stain on Mormonism.

"the first of their operations with regard to organizing a world. Power is then given to them to organize the elements, and then commence the organization of tabernacles. How can they do it? Have they to go to that earth? Yes" - JOD v6,p275.

First thing? Make a world. How? Power given to them to organize the elements. Next step? Have babies. How/Why? Go to that earth they made.

Cult response? "I don't know that we teach that." and now, a "misunderstanding" stemming from "speculative comments unreflective of scriptural doctrine".

Right, right, this would work in a court of law because specifically Brigham Young said this, but there isn't scriptural backing in either the Book of Mormon or Bible.

The cult is a business and speaks in legalese.

I didn't see this question:

Do Mormons believe that when Adan and Eve lived in the Garden, the Earth orbited a star named Kolob, and after they ate the apple Earth traveled through space to arrive at its current position in the Solar System?

I predict the answer will be "no." All of the cool science fiction is being removed from official Mormon doctrine.

Actually, in fairness, they do have a separate question about whether LDS believe they can become gods:

Do Latter-day Saints believe they can become “gods”?

Latter-day Saints believe that God wants us to become like Him. But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith. The Latter-day Saint belief is no different than the biblical teaching, which states, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). Through following Christ's teachings, Latter-day Saints believe all people can become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

But even here they are deceptive with the response. Note there is not a simple "yes" answer. And note as well that there is no reference to the Doctrine & Covenants section 76 or section 132. Nor is there any reference to the many statements from so-called prophets who have taught and expounded on the doctrine in official venues and publications from Joseph Smith right through Gordon B. Hinckley (as Infymous collected). Instead, they quote generic Bible verses (and even here leave out the one from Psalms, quoted in Acts, that is often used by Mormon missionaries as a proof-text for the doctrine). This answer is deceptive because it tries to make it seem as though the LDS doctrine is that Mormons can become "like God," not that Mormons can actually become gods. It is also deceptive because it implies that anyone who "follows Christ's teachings" can become a partaker of the divine nature. Non-LDS Christians will read that and think it applies to them, obviously. But Mormons don't think it does because Mormons don't think non-LDS Christians are "following Christ's teachings" fully. The Mormons believe that "Christ's teachings" includes joining the Mormon church, believing in Joseph Smith, paying tithing, keeping Heber J. Grant's version of the Word of Wisdom, going to the temple, etc. I don't know how the apologists can read these statements from President Newsroom and not see the deception at work.

DarkHelmet wrote:I didn't see this question:

Do Mormons believe that when Adan and Eve lived in the Garden, the Earth orbited a star named Kolob, and after they ate the apple Earth traveled through space to arrive at its current position in the Solar System?

I predict the answer will be "no." All of the cool science fiction is being removed from official Mormon doctrine.

Mormons have hacked the WIKI on this:

"According to the traditional, literal LDS interpretation of the Book of Abraham, Kolob is an actual star or planet in this universe that is, or is near, the physical throne of God. According to Joseph Smith, Jr., this star was discovered by Methuselah and Abraham[10] by looking through the Urim and Thummim.[11] Mormon leader and historian B. H. Roberts interpreted Smith's statements to say that the solar system and its governing "planet" the sun, revolved around a star known as Kae-e-vanrash, which itself revolved with its own solar system around a star called Kli-flos-is-es or Hah-ko-kau-beam,"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolob

Note the "interpreted" which has now been added. If you look through the history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?tit ... on=history you will see that Mormons are very busy in changing words "Theory", "Hypothesized", "Interpreted" around. Like the More Good Foundation, or Daniel Peterson's little project of Mormon Voices - they only serve to try and muddy the waters so badly - nobody will ever know the real truth when seeking for it.

Still, one of my favorite usernames on RFM was "CuckooForkokaubeam".

Mormon leaders are liars. They will say one thing one minute, and say something else the next. All of this shows just how uninspired they are - and that doctrines once taught were all just lies or fantasies of the men that spoke them. And all of those poor suckers for all those years that obeyed and followed that doctrine. Fickle Mormon God has changed his mind, again.

Nothing has changed. Particularly your use of unofficial sources. But LDS doctrine hasn't changed either on this matter. Gods are Creators and since we become such the possibility of worlds does open up. The Church is merely responding to the yellow journalistic "get your own planet" which in context does not seem to match up with even the non doctrinal sources you used. Looking at these quotes in an LDS context, which you don't seem to have I would never get the impression that becoming a God means I "get my own planet".

Your notion that GBH somehow backpedaled is also flawed and untrue which we've proven before. Such proof will now be left to the student until such a time as you apply the principles of what is and is not official LDS doctrine and parse all of GBH's words, not just the cherry-picked ones.

bcspace wrote:

Mormon leaders are liars. They will say one thing one minute, and say something else the next. All of this shows just how uninspired they are - and that doctrines once taught were all just lies or fantasies of the men that spoke them. And all of those poor suckers for all those years that obeyed and followed that doctrine. Fickle Mormon God has changed his mind, again.

Nothing has changed. Particularly your use of unofficial sources. But LDS doctrine hasn't changed either on this matter. Gods are Creators and since we become such the possibility of worlds does open up. The Church is merely responding to the yellow journalistic "get your own planet" which in context does not seem to match up with even the non doctrinal sources you used. Looking at these quotes in an LDS context, which you don't seem to have I would never get the impression that becoming a God means I "get my own planet".

Your notion that GBH somehow backpedaled is also flawed and untrue which we've proven before. Such proof will now be left to the student until such a time as you apply the principles of what is and is not official LDS doctrine and parse all of GBH's words, not just the cherry-picked ones.

In other words, the church is lying to the gentiles again. Thanks bcspace.