Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 7

FAIR Answers—back to home page

Response to claims made in "Chapter 7: After All We Can Do"

Chapter 6

A FAIR Analysis of: Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism A work by author: Richard Abanes

Chapter 8

183

Claim
Latter-day Saints are claimed to reject the "Evangelical belief" that "Christ was born of the virgin Mary, who, when the Holy Ghost came upon her, miraculously conceived the promised messiah."

Author's source(s)

• Isaiah 7꞉14

Response

• This claim is false.
• 1 Nephi 11꞉18-21
• Jesus Christ/Conception
• This claim is also made in One Nation Under Gods: p. 287, 575n38(PB)

184

Claim
"Until recently, the common belief clearly implied throughout the history of Mormonism...was that Jesus' conception occurred via sexual intercourse between Heavenly Father (Elohim) and Mary."

Author's source(s)

• Luke 1꞉35
• 1 Nephi 11꞉14
• 1 Nephi 11꞉16-18
• 1 Nephi 11꞉20
• 1 Nephi 11꞉24
• 1 Nephi 11꞉26-28
• 1 Nephi 11꞉32-33

Response

• Misunderstanding regarding Jesus Christ's conception  ^{[needs work]}

185, 405n41

Claim
Early LDS leaders redefined "virgin" to mean a woman who has never known a mortal man, since Heavenly Father is immortal.

Author's source(s)

• Joseph F. Smith, Charles Penrose, "Message of the First Presidency," vol. 5, p. 34. "...his unique status in the flesh as the offspring of a mortal mother and of an immortal, or resurrected and glorified, Father"

Response

• This is the author's conclusion. The author wants to talk about a "sexual union" again, but the statement he uses in his citation in the endnotes says nothing about redefining "virgin" to mean a woman who has never known a mortal man. It is certainly true that Latter-day Saints believe Jesus Christ to be the literal son of our Heavenly Father, but the author takes liberties in drawing his conclusions about the event.
• Jesus Christ/Conception

187, 406n54-55

Claim
Latter-day Saints reject the idea that the death of Jesus on the cross was a significant part of the atonement.

Author's source(s)

• Cky J. Carrigan, "Did Jesus Christ Die on the Cross to Pay for Our Sins?: A Survey of Mormon Teachings on the Atonement of Christ," Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Ministries to New Religions, Biola University, Jan. 25, 2003.

Response

•  The author's claim is false: Jesus Christ/Atonement/The garden and the cross

201

Claim
The third and highest kingdom of glory has three levels, and only those who reach the highest level become gods.

Author's source(s)

• Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, "Those who obtain exaltation will gain all power and thus themselves be omnipotent...Godhood is to have the character, possess the attributes, and enjoy the perfections which the Father has. It is to do what he does, have the powers resident in him, and live as he lives."

Response

• Plan of salvation/Three degrees of glory
• Human deification/theosis

201 - The three heaven doctrine has no basis in the Bible, but is only based upon a vision of Joseph Smith

The author(s) of Becoming Gods make(s) the following claim:

The three heaven doctrine has no basis in the Bible, but is only based upon a vision of Joseph Smith.

Author's sources: DC 76

FAIR's Response

Question: Do the Latter-day Saint "Three Degrees of Glory" have a basis in the Bible?

Summary: Seeing the post-mortal heavens as having multiple degrees was a common early Christian belief, lost over time.

Jump to details:

• It is clear that Joseph Smith went beyond the information found in the Bible concerning the degrees of glory in the resurrection
• The three degrees of glory
• Outer Darkness
• Biblical and early Christian use of sun, moon, and stars as types of the degrees of glory
• More ancient witnesses to the three degrees of glory
• Other early Christian schemas of multiple heavens
• The loss of the doctrine of degrees of glory