Hi friend. The simple answer to your question is that your question is not theologically important in the Mormon faith. There are a limited number of beliefs and practices that are absolutely essential in our religion. Outside of these essential beliefs, faithful members of our church can and do hold many different opinions. Some religious "theories" commonly held by Mormons are supported by statements made by the leaders of our church, and so are more likely to be true. Others develop organically among the members themselves and are properly classified as "folklore." Theories about the origin of God (if it is that He had an origin) are just that: theories. If you surveyed 100 practicing Mormons, you'd get many different answers.
It is true that most Mormons, like the members of some other Christian denominations (specifically the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic branches of Christianity), do believe in "theosis," the idea that man can progress to become more like God. Historically, this concept (which was had among the earliest Christians) has led some Mormons to speculate that if Man can become like God, perhaps God was once a man.
While this idea is interesting, it is not well-established in Mormon theology. It's a "theory," not an official "Mormon doctrine." Gordon B. Hinckley, a past president of the LDS Church, was asked this very question on several occasions. Here are some of his responses (verbatim or reported):
"There was a little couplet coined, 'As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.' Now that's more of a couplet than anything else. That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don't know very much about...Well, as God is, man may become. We believe in eternal progression. Very strongly. We believe that the glory of God is intelligence and whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the Resurrection."
"President Gordon Hinckley says the concept of God having been a man is not stressed any longer, but he does believe that human beings can become [more like God] in the afterlife."
"On whether his church still holds that God the Father was once a man, he sounded uncertain. "I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it...I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don't know a lot about it, and I don't think others know a lot about it."
For what it's worth, I'm one of those Mormons who personally believes that God has always been God. If you're really interested, this question has been discussed elsewhere on this site ad nauseum. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I'm happy to help.
Linda
2013-06-18 10:46:25
Mateo Campos, thank you for your reply. I must say I find it rather odd that you would answer in such a way. You almost make it sound like this is not a very important topic. Joseph Smith didn't think so. Furthermore, you quoted Hinckley when he was saying that man can become more "like" God in the afterlife. I believe in your "Preach the Gospel" manual it actually says that you do hope to BE Gods one day. Hmmmm.
I think you are glossing over a very important teaching here. I'm not trying to be rude, but I do think that people who are looking into Mormonism need to know more.
Mateo Campos
2013-06-22 20:59:07
Hi Linda. Thanks for your follow-up comment about the "history of God," which is definitively not very important in modern Mormonism and is almost never discussed/taught in Mormon circles. Just a few comments of my own.
1) If you already think you know the answer to your question, why did you ask it in the first place? :) I'm very happy to help people understand more about my church, and if you have additional sincere questions don't hesitate to send them my way, but please do keep in mind that I'm a pretty busy guy...
The story of Joseph Smith
2) Your question did not include a request for a history lesson. I gave an answer (both directly and through additional links) that reflects modern Mormon views. Joseph Smith lived almost 200 years ago. While most of the things he taught are still taught in the LDS Church today, some few of his teachings are uncertain or have even been rejected. Our religion is constantly evolving under the influence of modern revelation. This kind of theological evolution is even described in one of our Articles of Faith.
3) You're also mistaken if you think that Joseph's teachings on this matter are crystal clear. He made some apparently contradictory statements, and there's some ambiguity as to what exactly he meant. This link provides additional (albeit incomplete, in my opinion) insight into the debate surrounding this question. I'm one of the Mormons that adopts Stance #2 (more or less) as described on that page.
4) My answer makes it very clear that Mormons do believe in theosis/exaltation (the idea that, under God's direction, human beings can become more like Him). This teaching actually is important in our theology. "Like" vs. "be" is mere semantics. Given how little we really know about the afterlife, I think it's silly to argue over the exact phrasing we use to describe it. And for the record, Preach My Gospel does uses my same wording: "[Those who inherit the Celestial Kingdom] will live in God's presence, become like Him, and receive a fulness of joy. They will live together for eternity with those of their family who qualify."
I hope this answer didn't come across as too grumpy. I really do hope you'll continue to post sincere questions. It's important that you understand, though, that little in Mormonism is as theologically "settled" as it is in many other religions. We reject creeds, and we believe God has actually designed our religion to evolve over time thanks to divine communication with modern prophets and apostles.
It is true that most Mormons, like the members of some other Christian denominations (specifically the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic branches of Christianity), do believe in "theosis," the idea that man can progress to become more like God. Historically, this concept (which was had among the earliest Christians) has led some Mormons to speculate that if Man can become like God, perhaps God was once a man.
While this idea is interesting, it is not well-established in Mormon theology. It's a "theory," not an official "Mormon doctrine." Gordon B. Hinckley, a past president of the LDS Church, was asked this very question on several occasions. Here are some of his responses (verbatim or reported):
"There was a little couplet coined, 'As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.' Now that's more of a couplet than anything else. That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don't know very much about...Well, as God is, man may become. We believe in eternal progression. Very strongly. We believe that the glory of God is intelligence and whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the Resurrection."
"President Gordon Hinckley says the concept of God having been a man is not stressed any longer, but he does believe that human beings can become [more like God] in the afterlife."
"On whether his church still holds that God the Father was once a man, he sounded uncertain. "I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it...I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don't know a lot about it, and I don't think others know a lot about it."
For what it's worth, I'm one of those Mormons who personally believes that God has always been God. If you're really interested, this question has been discussed elsewhere on this site ad nauseum. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I'm happy to help.
I think you are glossing over a very important teaching here. I'm not trying to be rude, but I do think that people who are looking into Mormonism need to know more.
1) If you already think you know the answer to your question, why did you ask it in the first place? :) I'm very happy to help people understand more about my church, and if you have additional sincere questions don't hesitate to send them my way, but please do keep in mind that I'm a pretty busy guy...
3) You're also mistaken if you think that Joseph's teachings on this matter are crystal clear. He made some apparently contradictory statements, and there's some ambiguity as to what exactly he meant. This link provides additional (albeit incomplete, in my opinion) insight into the debate surrounding this question. I'm one of the Mormons that adopts Stance #2 (more or less) as described on that page.
4) My answer makes it very clear that Mormons do believe in theosis/exaltation (the idea that, under God's direction, human beings can become more like Him). This teaching actually is important in our theology. "Like" vs. "be" is mere semantics. Given how little we really know about the afterlife, I think it's silly to argue over the exact phrasing we use to describe it. And for the record, Preach My Gospel does uses my same wording: "[Those who inherit the Celestial Kingdom] will live in God's presence, become like Him, and receive a fulness of joy. They will live together for eternity with those of their family who qualify."
5) I know I posted it before, but I would like to call your attention one more time to this link, which I think could help you: https://www.allaboutmormons.com/Blog/mormon-beliefs-practices
I hope this answer didn't come across as too grumpy. I really do hope you'll continue to post sincere questions. It's important that you understand, though, that little in Mormonism is as theologically "settled" as it is in many other religions. We reject creeds, and we believe God has actually designed our religion to evolve over time thanks to divine communication with modern prophets and apostles.