Jesus and Satan as Spirit Brothers

[_Lucifer]

Satan isn't "Christ's closest relative"; that distinction belongs to God the Father.

Dad did have his favorites. Me, I'm a momma's boy.

\m/

[_KevinSim]

The "big deal" is rooted in Mormonism claiming Christianity when teaching this.......as well as many other things.

What does "Mormonism claiming Christianity" have to do with "teaching this"? Why should teaching Satan is Jesus' brother have anything to do with Latter-day Saints claiming to be Christians?

The point, Kevin, is that Biblical Christians believe the following:

Jesus is God
Jesus was not a created being

Why does the idea that Jesus is Satan's spirit brother have anything to do with Jesus not being "a created being"?

Jesus is the brother of nobody (This dilutes Jesus)

So are you saying that Jesus isn't the brother of James and Joses, His mother's other children?

If you agree with the Bible, and therefore believe that James and Joses were Jesus' biological brothers, and that doesn't "dilutes Jesus," then why does a belief about Jesus' spirit brother dilute Him in any way whatsoever?

[_Quasimodo]

You have to admit, Kevin, that it is kind of a strange premise.

I don't have to admit that at all. Of course, I was raised LDS, so it makes sense that I wouldn't find something strange that I had been raised to believe in pretty much from the day I was born.

For those that have little understanding of Mormon doctrine, it sounds a little wacky. It sounds a little wacky to me, too.

I can understand why some people might find it wacky, especially if they've been exposed overlong to Bibilical Christian ideas. But an idea sounding wacky, due to the way the person hearing it has been raised, does not guarantee that that idea is false.

God verses Satan. The diametrically opposed forces that rule their lives. No wonder they find the idea of Satan being Christ's closest relative a little unsettling.

Satan isn't "Christ's closest relative"; that distinction belongs to God the Father.

Only in your way of thinking. If you want to understand them, you have to see it from their point of view.

[_Tobin]

KevinSim,

I think, as Nightlion already pointed out, Mormons would be happy to defend the doctrine if it were true in the least - but it isn't. Satan was not God nor the only begotten son of God as Jesus was. Jesus was the heir apparent. Satan was like us, merely a spirit child of other Celestial parents and wanted things beyond his grasp. Many Mormons fall into a similar trap and sin when they seek to assume they will be God as well. The fact is, we are incapable of it and when we try to assume that mantle either by force or by presumption, it is equally as disastrous for us.

[_KevinSim]

Only in your way of thinking. If you want to understand them, you have to see it from their point of view.

Quasimodo, I just got done saying I "can understand why some people might find it wacky"; why do you think I don't understand them? But why does whether an idea sounds wacky to some people have anything to do with whether or not that idea is true?

[_Quasimodo]

Only in your way of thinking. If you want to understand them, you have to see it from their point of view.

Quasimodo, I just got done saying I "can understand why some people might find it wacky"; why do you think I don't understand them? But why does whether an idea sounds wacky to some people have anything to do with whether or not that idea is true?

We didn't start with a question of what is true, just that you didn't understand why Biblical Christians don't understand Mormons. That's what I was trying to answer.

If you want to talk about what is true, then you are into a much larger topic.

[_Tchild]

What's the big deal about the LDS belief that Jesus is Satan's brother? It seems to always come up when Biblical Christians try to criticize the LDS Church. What's their point? Granted that the Bible never explicitly says that Jesus is Satan's spirit brother, but the Bible also never explicitly says that so-and-so was Jesus' biological first cousin; does that mean that Jesus had no biological first cousins? There are a lot of things that the Bible doesn't say that are in fact quite true.

I always wondered how it was that "an unclean thought" could enter where no "unclean thought" could enter?

Where did the concept of rebellion (and pride) enter into the consciousness of spirits that were in the eternal presence of perfection?

[_huckelberry]

Kevinsim, I think you might consider Nightlion's comments. They have good common ground with Protestant and Catholic thought without using the language of Trinitarian doctrine or depending upon Protestant doctrine. He uses LDS thought to speak of ways Satan as brother is problematic. I do not think Nightlion accepts Brigham's theology that Gods and human are all one species. Instead he is using an older Mormon understanding I think. It is that idea of one species which Protestants Catholics do not share with Mormons, or those Mormons who share at least portions of Brigham Young's view.

It is quite awkward to try to make a direct Mormon, rest of Christianity, comparison when Mormon thought is seriously divided on the matter in question.

Do you actually think there is a parallel between Jesus and James relationship and the relationship between Jesus and Satan? How could there be?. Does Satan have the same mother? Is he a son of God, light from light, true God from true God?

[_KevinSim]

We didn't start with a question of what is true, just that you didn't understand why Biblical Christians don't understand Mormons. That's what I was trying to answer.

If you want to talk about what is true, then you are into a much larger topic.

I'd certainly like to understand things from the Biblical Christian point of view. But I'm also interested in figuring out why the LDS belief that Jesus is Satan's brother is relevant to the question of whether or not God might have inspired Mormonism.

[_KevinSim]

I always wondered how it was that "an unclean thought" could enter where no "unclean thought" could enter?

Tchild, are you referring to the verse that says that no unclean thing can enter into the presence of God?

If so, my response would be that the premortal world was a big place, and that when souls started rebelling against God they had to leave God's presence, go to another place.

Where did the concept of rebellion (and pride) enter into the consciousness of spirits that were in the eternal presence of perfection?

Every spirit child of God has the freedom to think whatever s/he wants to think. It is certainly possible for any spirit child to become proud and decide to rebel completely on her/his own. Why should being "in the eternal presence of perfection" prevent souls from thinking what they choose to think?