Mormonism

Does It Pass God's 3-Question Test for Truth?

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Question #1: A Different God

The first of God's three questions asks what the person or religion teaches about God. If a prophet gives a sign that comes true, yet he preaches a god other than the true God as He revealed Himself in the Bible, he is a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). We must not follow him! If Mormonism's God is wrong, Mormonism is a false religion, even if a sign (such as a burning in the bosom) seems to say that it is true.

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)

The Bible teaches that there is only one God. God has always been God. God created all things. The following Bible quotations explain the correct teachings about God for use in testing a prophet or religion.

There is only one God

Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. (Isaiah 43:10-12, emphasis added)

Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. (Isaiah 44:6-8, emphasis added)

As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. (1 Corinthians 8:4, emphasis added)

Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. (Deuteronomy 4:35)

Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deuteronomy 4:39)

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me…. (Deuteronomy 32:39)

Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; (Isaiah 44:24, emphasis added)

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:5-6, emphasis added)

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth … who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18-22)

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (Isaiah 46:9, emphasis added)

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. (1 Samuel 2:2)

Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. (2 Samuel 7:22)

For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? (2 Samuel 22:32)

That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. (1 Kings 8:60)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5)

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 4)

God has always been God

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psalms 90:2, emphasis added)

Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. (Psalms 93:2, emphasis added)

Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. (Isaiah 63:16)

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)

Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? …. (Habakkuk 1:12)

God as taught by Mormonism

The Bible teaches that there is only one God. God has always been God, and He created the whole universe. The following quotes are Mormonism's teachings about God. Is the God of Mormonism identical to the God of the Bible?

Joseph Smith's teachings about God

I will preach on the plurality of Gods…. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the elders for fifteen years … we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can contradict it? (Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Alma L. Burton, 1977, page 35, emphasis added)

God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man…. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see … he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did … and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you…. (Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Alma L. Burton, 1977, pages 340-341)

Brigham Young's teachings about God

Gods exist, and we had better strive to be prepared to be one with them. (Discourses of Brigham Young, compiled by John A. Widtsoe, 1978, page 227)

He is our Father - the Father of our spirits, and was once a man in mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted Being. How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods…. (Journal of Discourses, volume 7, page 333)

The Lord created you and me for the purpose of becoming Gods like Himself…. We are create, we are born for the express purpose of growing up from the low estate of manhood, to become Gods like unto our Father in heaven. (Journal of Discourses, volume 3, page 93)

Other Mormon teachings about God

In spite of the opposition of the sects, in the face of direct charges of blasphemy, the Church proclaims the eternal truth: "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be." (The Articles of Faith, James E. Talmage, 1982, page 430, emphasis in original)

Three separate personages - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - comprise the Godhead. As each of these persons is a God, it is evident, from this standpoint alone, that a plurality of Gods exists. To us, speaking in the proper finite sense, these three are the only Gods we worship. But in addition there is an infinite number of holy personages, drawn from worlds without number, who have passed on to exaltation and are thus gods … there is "a god above the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…. (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd Edition, Bruce R. McConkie, 1966, pages 576-577, emphasis in original)

There is no end to this development: it will go on forever. We will become gods and have jurisdiction over worlds, and these worlds will be peopled by our own offspring … our Father in heaven was once a man as we are now, capable of physical death. By obedience to eternal gospel principles, he progressed from one stage of life to another until he attained the state that we call exaltation or godhood. In such a condition, he and our mother in heaven were empowered to give birth to spirit children whose potential was equal to that of their heavenly parents. We are those spirit children. (Achieving A Celestial Marriage, student manual, 1976, page 132, emphasis in original)

Christ Performed His Atonement so That We Could Become Gods (Achieving A Celestial Marriage, student manual, 1976, page 136, emphasis in original)

Summary

Mormonism teaches the following false ideas about God. God was originally a man. He became a god later. He is only one god among thousands. Created things existed before the Mormon god became a god; therefore, he did not create all things. People who now live on earth can also become gods in the future. The number of gods continues to increase. Some gods became gods before the Mormon god became a god. Others will become gods after he became a god.

The Bible teachings about God are very different. God has always been God and, therefore, was not a human being before He became God. He created all things. There are absolutely no true Gods in addition to the one God of the Bible. There will be no new gods added in the future. (There are many false gods, but only one true God.)

Mormonism teaches a different god than the God of the Bible. This evidence alone proves that Mormonism is a false religion!

Occasionally, you may encounter a Mormon who claims that the Bible teaches that there are many gods. One of the texts used to "prove" this is 1 Corinthians 8:5. The part which says, "… there be gods many …." is quoted to support Mormonism's polytheistic (i.e., many gods) teachings. However, reading the entire quote proves the error of Mormon teachings about God.

As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (1 Corinthians 8:4-6, emphasis added)

This passage says that there are many who are called gods (i.e., idols), but there is only one true God.

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Mormonism, Does It Pass God's 3-Question Test for Truth?

Attention: The material in this book attempts to accurately describe official Mormon doctrine in certain important areas. Therefore, quotes are included from several authorized sources of Mormon doctrine. However, this book does not claim to be authorized by or endorsed by the Mormon Church.

Copyrights of quoted Mormon materials belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) or the copyrights are under their control.

Quotations from the Bible are from the King James Version.

If you have questions or comments, please check the Frequently Asked Questions page or check the links to Related Sites.