If the book of mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, as joseph smith said, why does it contain over 4000 changes from the original 1830 edition. In the bible and the book of mormon the word god is often used to refer to god the father and jesus christ synonymously. Why then are his attributes so different from the god who is declared in the bible. The book of abraham is traditionally held by several latter day saint denominations as having been translated from an egyptian papyrus scroll by joseph smith, the founder of. Mormon theology has erringly named god the father as elohim. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. Elohim is considered to be god the father, the father of jehovah or jesus christ. Terms and names to help the nonmormon understand this mormon teaching about god. You have found your big ol church in seattle and you are ecstatically happy. Since the restoration of the gospel, one doctrine in particular seems to. I havent read through the book of mormon in a long time, but i will cover ufos, aliens, allusions and nuclear weapons in the book of mormon now. Elohim is the hebrew word for god, god, gods, pagan gods, or even as an adjective meaning divine. In the beginning elohim created the heavens and the earth genesis 1. The brother of jared used them in receiving revelations as recorded in ether 3.
In hebrew, masculine plural words end in im much as plural words end in an s in english. But to come to this conclusion, they only share the. Jesus christ is the son of elohim both as spiritual and bodily offspring. Rejoice in that and just let all of the bad things fade away. Someone who has spent a good deal of time hanging around mormons and listening to mormon beliefs has probably heard the word elohim used once or twice. Mormon religious beliefs versus jehovah witness beliefs. The mormon creation according to joseph smith in the beginning god created the heaven and earth is the first sentence in the bible. The book of mormon helps us to understand the nature of the godhead, just as the brass plates helped the nephites to understand the concept of the godhead. It is being shared again to celebrate the 190th anniversary of the publication of the book of mormon. However, this points up a major contradiction between mormon doctrine and the bible, for according to the lds church, jehovah is jesus. There are several references to them in the old testament, the book of mormon and the pearl of great price. According to this work, kolob is the heavenly body nearest to the throne of god.
Jan 12, 2014 god the father has spoken on very few occasions. Kolob is a star or planet described in the book of abraham, a sacred text of the latter day saint movement. Aug 20, 2011 however, this points up a major contradiction between mormon doctrine and the bible, for according to the lds church, jehovah is jesus. The traditional mormon view of god is summed up by the famous lorenzo snow couplet, as man is god once was, as god is man may be see the teachings of lorenzo snow, p. Mormon leaders have stated that elohim god the father, as a mortal on some. God the eternal father, whom we designate by the exalted nametitle elohim, is the literal parent of our lord and savior jesus christ, and of the spirits of the human race. Amalekites book of mormon amalekites old testament amalickiah amen amlici, amlicites ammon, descendant of zarahemla ammon, son of mosiah. No, we dont believe its the name of a planet, contrary to some less than inspired comments. Truth about joseph smiths beliefs on geography of the book. Do mormons only pray to god the heavenly father elohim or. May 27, 2011 the extended banned mormon cartoon illustrating mormon beliefs. Heavenly father is the plural form of the singular noun eloah compare arabic allah in the hebrew bible, where it is used. When he does, it is to introduce his son, jesus christ. Terms and names to help the non mormon understand this mormon teaching about god.
In the beginning god elohim created the heavens and the earth gen. Elohim, the archetype original pattern of the universe 1 introduction. The book of abraham is traditionally held by several latter day saint denominations as having been translated from an egyptian papyrus scroll by joseph smith, the founder of the latter day saint movement. Mormon doctrine is derived from four primary sources. Does joseph smiths misinterpretation of the word elohim to. This cartoon is an excerpt from our film the secret world of mo. No footnotes, personal notes, or other related content available. The historic understanding of this strongly implies that god the father was once a sinner, and that we ourselves may model our mortal experience unto godhood after the.
Mormons follow the new king james version of the bible, and revere the book of mormon as much as the bible. It is claimed that elohim, jehovah, adonai and other similar old testament hebrew names for deity are simply different titles which emphasize different attributes of the one true god. Elohim the sinner it was fifth lds president lorenzo snow who coined the expression, as man is god once was, as god is, man may be articles of faith, pg. Jul 10, 2014 certain groups who entertain a north american setting for the book of mormon claim that joseph knew where book of mormon events took place. You dont need to go to the wicked old, dying, dead, mo. In support of this criticism, they cite old testament scriptures that speak of the lord jehovah thy god elohim e. The same thing applies to expressions like elohim our father or elohim sits on his throne. The urim and thummim are both plural words from hebrew meaning lights and perfections. Mormons believe the prophet mormon wrote the ancient texts on gold plates, and his son moroni buried them in what is now new york. Journal of discourses official published teachings in the 1800s. I would also like to point out that in the book of mormon we learn that christ is the god of ancient israel see jesus christ is jehovah. Dec 15, 2011 the planet kolob and the song about it.
To members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints the book of mormon is the word of god and is considered to be. Even though you dont know hebrew, you might want to take a look at genesis 1. Concerning this record, the prophet joseph smith, who translated it by the gift and power of god, said, i told the brethren that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book see the introduction at the. Feb 01, 2010 the urim and thummim are both plural words from hebrew meaning lights and perfections. Robert millet, a contemporary mormon theologian, furthers this idea, while latterday saints clearly believe that jesus is the son of god the father, there is no authoritative doctrinal statement within mormonism that explains how the conception of jesus was accomplished, millet, another jesus. Use of elohim as a transliteration from the hebrew doesnt occur anywhere in the kjv, neither is it found in any lds literature. An lds man sharing his view on who god is and that jesus is not the god that they think of.
Ive got an assignment and im struggling to understand who elohim is and the relationship between god the eternal father and all the other gods. According to this work, kolob is the heavenly body nearest to the throne or residence of god. Jesus and satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, mormon doctrine, p. Since we use it as a personal name for god the father, sometimes we assume that it was always used in that way, and this is a mistake. What are cureloms and cumoms spoken of in the book of mormon. The god the christians worship, because orthodox mormonism is a branch of christianity. The book of mormon compared with the bible watchtower. Accordingly, as the prophet pointed out, such old testament passages as, in the beginning god elohim created the heaven and the earth gen. Elohim, the archetype original pattern of the universe 1. The extended banned mormon cartoon illustrating mormon beliefs. Elohim the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. If there was ever an area of proof to show that mormonism and biblical christianity is incompatible, this phrase would seem to erase all doubt.
These are separate beings, independent of god, in mormon theology. While the book of abraham refers to kolob as a star, it also refers to planets. Mormon deity many people who look at mormonism from the outside ask themselves who is the most important mormon deity. How the book of mormon design has changed over the last 100 years kelsey berteaux editors note. A question of religious tolerance august 26, 2011 by stephen smoot in his 2011 fair conference presentation, professor daniel c. Feb 20, 20 ive got an assignment and im struggling to understand who elohim is and the relationship between god the eternal father and all the other gods. God the eternal father, whom we designate the by the exalted nametitle elohim, is the literal parent of our lord and savior jesus christ, and of the spirits of the human race. In 1844 joseph smith declared that the book of mormon was the most correct book of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. It came in the form, mentioned above, of an official statement of the first presidency and quorum of the twelve dated june 30, 1916. I list them primarily to show that any similarities between book of mormon names and egyptian or hebrew names unknown to joseph smith which may be cited as evidence of the book of mormon are rather meaningless.
Mormonism and the nature of godelohim and jehovah fairmormon. The lds use of the name titles elohim and jehovah to designate god our. God aka heavenly father aka elohim aka jehovah they do not pray to jesus christ or the holy spirit. I further assume, that you, like millions of other human beings in every walk of life throughout the world, truly want to know yahweh our elohim as he really is and as he actually exists. Apr 26, 2018 how the book of mormon design has changed over the last 100 years kelsey berteaux editors note. The book tells the story of jesus life after the resurrection. Old english in book of mormon general discussions mormon. The book of mormon shall stand as a testimony against the world, ether 5. As humans, if we follow the plan set forth by elohimdoing all we can book of mormon, 2 nephi 25. Council, chaos, and creation in the book of abraham, journal of the book of mormon and other restoration scripture 222. The development of the mormon jehovah doctrine by boyd kirkland. The book of mormon speaks of only one god who could manifest himself. Book of mormon the book of mormon is more correct than the bible, history of the church, vol.
The devil the devil was born as a spirit after jesus in the morning of preexistence, mormon doctrine, p. Peterson of brigham young university presented a paper on mormonism, islam, and the question of other religions. Elohim, jehovah, michael notes on wholeness and the mormon. Elohim is considered to be god the father, the father of jehovah or jesus christ and of the human race. Kolob is a star or planet described in mormon scripture. It is one of the most common names for god in the old testament, starting in the very first verse. I recently spent some time prepping an essay on the godhead depicted in the mormon temple.
Mormon cosmology is the description of the history, evolution, and destiny of the physical and. Elohim is considered to be god the father, the father of. Id appreciate any references from the book of mormon. We see this in the new testament when jesus was baptized, and on the mount of transfiguration, the book of mormon when christ appears to the nephites, and in the pearl of great price when the father and son appear to the boy joseph. Our only purpose in writing this book is to try to help you find and know yahweh our elohim for your own personal satisfaction and consolation. The book of mormon is a book from the dead, something that the author could know when joseph smith couldnt know that we could know now, and here is additional proof. Oddly enough, the book of mormon teaches the lord does dwell in the hearts of the righteous. This story was originally published in december 2015.
Usage of the title elohim religious studies center. After all, christians believe the bible which says that god was never created. Aug 17, 2012 the lds claim that mormonism agrees with the bom. Certain groups who entertain a north american setting for the book of mormon claim that joseph knew where book of mormon events took place. Rather, it is sometimes used as the title for god the. Why does the book of mormon state that jesus was born in jerusalem alma 7. The name of elohim does not appear in the book of mormon, and the superlatives which are accorded to jesus christ in the book of mormon are so absolute that they quash all possibility of the existence of any higher deity. God the father according to mormonism mormonism research. Pause for a moment and picture a copy of the book of mormon. Reference to kolob is found in the book of abraham, a work published by latter day saint lds prophet joseph smith, jr. I am not suggesting that the real author of the book of mormon actually used these modern place names, or that he was even consciously aware of them. It was fifth lds president lorenzo snow who coined the expression, as man is god once was, as god is, man may be articles of faith, pg. Jan 18, 2011 the mormon god came from heavenly parents.
Jeff lindsey does nothing to answer any of these questions and leave it all vague. The hebrew word elohim is a masculine plural noun and is translated literally as gods. We see this use of singular words in relation to elohim right in the first verse of the bible. To members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints the book of mormon is the word of god and is considered to be in complete harmony with the bible. Name of god the father a resurrected being from another planet who through eternal progression became a god, our god. And one to which joseph smith, prophet and seer of the mormon church, has given his own peculiar interpretation. Nov 10, 2018 book of mormon the book of mormon is more correct than the bible, history of the church, vol. Mormon theology also declares that in the old testament, jesus is known as jehovah. Thirdly, the idea that the term elohim was deleted in the old testament is just wrong. Because of this latterday saints have sometimes adopted the title of elohim to refer to god the father in order to clarify who it is that they are.
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