Why does the Mormon Church teach that God has a body like our human bodies? For me, having a body means I am restrained by my physical strength, the speed with which my brain processes my surroundings, my emotions, etc. But obviously God is not like this at all. If he does have a body, it is so incredibly different from my own that it should be redefined, and not just called a body. I feel that we say He has a body as a means of better relating to Him, so that we might feel more comfortable in praising and worshiping Him. I know it says several times in the Bible that God spoke to him “face to face” and “He created us in His image.” The scriptures do claim He has a body, but is there any real value in this, other than comforting our human minds?
One Response to “Why does the Mormon Church teach that God has a body like ou…”
Pedro Silva
2008-04-07 07:22:15
The reality of whether or not God has a physical body has nothing to do with whether or not we as mortals "claim [He] has a physical body," whether or not we would esteem Him less if He didn't have a body, whether or not we would be capable of keeping the commandments even if God had no physical body, or whether or not the idea of an embodied God comforts our minds. God exists independent of human thought. We do not impose our beliefs about the nature of God on God Himself; God tells us about His nature directly through revelation and through the scriptures. It is not that Mormons wanted to relate to God better so we created a theology that included a corporeal deity. Rather, God told us He is a corporeal deity, and we believed Him.
It is true that God's physical body is very different from ours. While the scriptures teach that His body has the same general appearance as ours, the details of His physiology are certainly different and probably beyond human comprehension. He has none of the human limitations that you mentioned; His body in no way limits His power. It is not Mormon teaching that God's body resembles a mortal body beyond being similar in outward appearance. The Church, of course, does not claim to know the details of the nature of God's body, but because God is all-powerful and all-knowing and we humans are not and cannot be, we can only suppose that His body must be vastly superior to ours.
It is true that God's physical body is very different from ours. While the scriptures teach that His body has the same general appearance as ours, the details of His physiology are certainly different and probably beyond human comprehension. He has none of the human limitations that you mentioned; His body in no way limits His power. It is not Mormon teaching that God's body resembles a mortal body beyond being similar in outward appearance. The Church, of course, does not claim to know the details of the nature of God's body, but because God is all-powerful and all-knowing and we humans are not and cannot be, we can only suppose that His body must be vastly superior to ours.