Mormonism not polytheistic? Do Mormons know that?

[_Nightingale]

rcrocket said on another thread:
"I don't consider the Joseph Smith story any more outrageous than the story that a convicted criminal, executed for a capital crime, rose from the dead and became a God. Joseph Smith wasn't a convicted criminal. He didn't rise form the dead. He didn't become God." (emphasis added)

Assuming that rcrocket is referring to Jesus Christ, stating the belief that he became a God (even capitalizing God), is the reason that many mainstream Christians, among others, consider Mormonism to be polytheistic. In Christianity there is One Lord, One God (three-in-one if you believe in the Trinity, co-equal and eternally divine).

And by the way, the becoming a god is also in absolute contradiction to non-LDS Christian theology in that Christians believe Jesus was always divine, not that he became so, and that he is eternal, not that he progressed or evolved (or was created), as above.

Just a point in another discussion that I couldn't help picking up on. It's one answer to why mainstreamers consider Mormonism to be "not Christian", a query I've read and heard from Mormons as to why that is so.

The beliefs espoused by rcrocket in this case go against the heart of Christian doctrine. That is why it's such a hot button issue and a big reason for the Great Divide. I also don't hear Christians refer to the gospel as "a story" or to Jesus as "a convicted criminal", although technically that could be a true statement, depending on your interpretation and focus.

Mormons in general, in my observation, vociferously reject the idea that they are polytheistic. As well as (some) referring to Jesus Christ as "a god", the idea that humans can progress to become gods does go against a claim to be monotheistic.

Not that I expect rcrocket to care what I think or say so I can save him the effort of making a post to say he doesn't care. I know that.

PS to say that I hope my subject line isn't offensive to Mormon participants here. I didn't intend it to be.

[_Jason Bourne]

I think Crockett was being a bit hyperbolic.


Clearly LDS believe Jesus was God before he was born and one with the Father but not one the way traditional Christianity does. Just read the Book of Mormon title page, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses.

Also I have heard come Christian preachers talk about Christ as becoming the Forever God man, Hank Hanegraff at CRM uses this term frequently.

[_Some Schmo]

I don't know how anyone could argue that Mormonism is not polytheistic when it's very clear that all Mormons are working toward becoming gods themselves. If even one makes it, now there's more than one god.

[_KimberlyAnn]

I don't know how anyone could argue that Mormonism is not polytheistic when it's very clear that all Mormons are working toward becoming gods themselves. If even one makes it, now there's more than one god.

Right, Schmo. And not only that, Mormons believe the pattern of men progressing to Gods is part of one eternal round, meaning that same progression to Godhood has happened innumerable times in the past with other men on other planets. Mormons may worship only one God, but there exist many Gods like him who also progressed line by line from men into deity.

KA

[_Calculus Crusader]

Joseph Smith wasn't a convicted criminal.

I dunno about that, Bob.

1826 Bill of Justice Albert Neely

[_bcspace]

Mormonism not polytheistic? Do Mormons know that?

Yes. We are not even henotheistic. Beyond the simplistic dictionary definition, polytheism and henotheism include elements of worship not extant in LDS theology.

[_ludwigm]

Mormonism not polytheistic? Do Mormons know that?

Yes. We are not even henotheistic. Beyond the simplistic dictionary definition, polytheism and henotheism include elements of worship not extant in LDS theology.

What?

You know, I am a miserable non-native-english.
Would You so gracious to repeat this sentence using words and structure understandable by such simpletons as me?

Ps. polytheism and henotheism can be found in any dictionary.

[_Fionn]

Henotheism means "one god at a time". In other words, a plurality of gods exists. Sounds pretty LDS to me.

Polytheism, conversely, means multiple gods are present in a given pantheon and may be worshipped silmultaneously or not.

I do think LDS theology paints a pretty henotheistic picture, whether various dictionaries concur or not. It's a more apt descriptor than polytheism.

(sorry, I inadvertently posted this as a new thread, too, but this is where I intended to submit it.)

[edit]This is from the OED:

[f. Gr. {epsilon}{iasperfrown}{fsigma}, {easper}{nu}{goacu}-{fsigma} one + {theta}{epsilon}-{goacu}{fsigma} god + -ISM.]

The belief in one god as the deity of the individual, family, or tribe, without asserting that he is the only God: considered as a stage of religious belief between polytheism and monotheism.

1860 MAX MÜLLER Semitic Monotheism in Sel. Ess. (1881) II. 415 The latter form of faith, the belief in One God, is properly called monotheism, whereas the term of henotheism would best express the faith in a single god. 1879 P. LE P. RENOUF Lect. Orig. Relig. 217 The nature of Henotheism as distinct from Monotheism was explained in last year's lectures as a phase of religious thought in which the individual gods invoked are not conceived as limited by the power of others. 1880 GLADSTONE in 19th Cent. No. 38. 721 Henotheism, the affirmative belief in one God, without the sharply-defined exclusive line which makes it a belief in Him as the only God. 1886 TIELE in Encycl. Brit. XX. 367/1 From this primitive naturism sprang..henotheism, not the henotheism of Max Müller, or of Hartmann, or of Asmus, but a practical henotheism, i.e. the adoration of one God above others as the specific tribal god or as the lord over a particular people, a national or relative monotheism. [/edit]

[_Mercury]

Well, hmm. God the Father? OK. God the Son? Yep.

Well, that's more than one God. Polytheism it is.

[_bcspace]

Henotheism means "one god at a time". In other words, a plurality of gods exists. Sounds pretty LDS to me.

Polytheism, conversely, means multiple gods are present in a given pantheon and may be worshipped silmultaneously or not.

Yes. But both are applied to ancient systems that don't match LDS theology at all. We do not, for example, pray to the Father when we need rain and then pray to Jesus when we need to cross the ocean safely.