Becoming Gods, creating worlds?
From
FairLDS: Is it mockery to claim Mormons will get their own planets?
This is a user-submitted article from a Mormon Discussion Forum.
Mormons, along with many other Christian denominations, believe in
deification or theosis, based
on the teaching that we can become heirs of
God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Little
is known, though
much might be speculated, about the specific details of our potential under
this
doctrine. Reducing it to ruling a planet caricatures a profound and
complex belief. The use of
the word “planet” makes Mormons seem more like
sci-fi enthusiasts than devout Christians.
This isn’t just a quibble
about semantics. Claims that Mormons hope for “their own planets” almost
always aim to disrespect and marginalize, not to understand or clarify. The
reality is that we
seek eternal life, which we consider to be a life like
that of our Father in Heaven. We consider
our immediate task on Earth to
learn to understand and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, rather
than
speculate on what life might be like if we achieve exaltation. Specifics about
the creation
of worlds and the ability to govern them upon achieving
eternal life are not clarified in
Latter-day Saint scripture. Attempts to
portray these concepts as simply wanting to “get our own
planet” are a
mockery of Latter-day Saint beliefs.
It doesn't sound like a caricature
when it comes from LDS sources however. Here are the noticeable
ones.
Maybe it should be reworded as "Mormons wishing to create their own worlds" so
as to
eliminate the need for that classification.
LDS leaders have taught humans have the potential to become Gods and create their own worlds.
They are not mocking other Latter-day Saints.
1.
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 17, discourse 22. The sermon's
title is:
"Nothing Strange or New to Live and Die—Must Die in Order to
Be Quickened—The World of Mankind
Ignorant of Immortality—The Righteous
Should Live to Enjoy the Light of the Spirit—All People
Are the Children
of God—They Learn By Contrast—Worlds to Be Organized and Peopled in Future
Existence."
"As for their labor and
pursuits in eternity I have not time to talk upon that subject; but we
shall have
plenty to do. We shall not be idle. We shall go on from one step to
another, reaching forth into the
eternities until we become like the Gods,
and shall be able to frame for ourselves, by the behest and
command of the
Almighty. All those who are counted worthy to be exalted and to become
Gods, even
the sons of God, will go forth and have earths and worlds like
those who framed this and millions on
millions of others."
https://journalofdiscourses.com/17/22
2.
"After men have
got their exaltations and their crowns—have become Gods, even the sons of
God—are
made Kings of kings and Lords of lords, they have the power then of
propagating their species in spirit;
and that is the first of their
operations with regard to organizing a world. Power is then given to them
to organize the elements, and then commence the organization of
tabernacles. How can they do it?
Have they to go to that earth? Yes, an Adam
will have to go there, and he cannot do without Eve; he
must have Eve to
commence the work of generation, and they will go into the garden, and
continue to
eat and drink of the fruits of the corporeal world, until this
greater matter is diffused sufficiently through
their celestial bodies to
enable them, according to the established laws, to produce mortal tabernacles
for their spiritual children" (Journal of Discourses, 6:275).
Sermon: Necessity of the Servants of God Being Pure in Heart and in
Deed—Dependence on the Holy
Spirit—Celestial Exaltations, Etc.
https://scriptures.byu.edu/jod/pdf/JoD06/JoD06_0275.pdf
3.
"Again it follows, that in the use of this power, by consent and authority of
the head, any one of
these Gods may create, organize, people, govern,
control, exalt, glorify and enjoy worlds on worlds,
and the inhabitants
thereof; or, in other words, each of them can find room in the infinitude
of space,
and unoccupied chaotic elements in the boundless storehouse of
eternal riches, with which to erect
for himself thrones, principalities,
and powers, over which to reign in still increasing might, majesty
and
dominion, for ever and ever" (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of
Theology).
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/35470/pg35470-images.html
4.
"Then will they become gods, even the sons of God; then will they
become eternal fathers, eternal
mothers, eternal sons and eternal
daughters; being eternal in their organization, they go from
glory to
glory, from power to power; they will never cease to increase and to multiply
worlds
without end. When they receive their crowns, their dominions, they
then will be prepared to
frame earth’s like unto ours and to people them in
the same manner as we have been brought forth
by our parents, by our
Father and God".
"When we shall possess the power and knowledge to
cause heavenly planets to take their position,
giving them their laws and
boundaries which they must obey, and which they cannot pass, then we
may
begin to feel that we possess a little wisdom and power".
"The great
and grand secret of salvation, which we should continually seek to understand
through
our faithfulness, is the continuation of the lives. Those of the
Latterday Saints who will continue
to follow after the revelations and
commandments of God to do them, who are found to be obedient
in all
things, continually advancing little by little towards perfection and the
knowledge of God,
they, when they enter the spirit world and receive their
bodies, will be able to advance faster in
the things pertaining to the
knowledge of the Gods, and will continue onward and upward until they
become Gods, even the sons of God" (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses,
18:259–260).
https://scriptures.byu.edu/jod/pdf/JoD18/JoD18_0259.pdf
https://scriptures.byu.edu/jod/pdf/JoD18/JoD18_0260.pdf
5.
"That great blessing of celestial glory could never have come to us without a
period of time in
mortality, and so we came here in this mortal world. We
are in school, the mortal school, to gain
the experiences, the training,
the joys, and the sufferings that we partake of, that we might be
educated
in all these things and be prepared, if we are faithful and true to the
commandments of
the Lord, to become sons and daughters of God, joint heirs
with Jesus Christ; and in His presence
to go on to a fulness and a
continuation of the seeds forever, and perhaps through our faithfulness
to
have the opportunity of building worlds and peopling them" (Adam’s Role in
Bringing Us Mortality,
President Joseph Fielding Smith, from an October
1967 General Conference address).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2006/01/adams-role-in-bringing-us-mortality?lang=eng
6.
"The training you get in the universities, while excellent,
is limited. It is but a very tiny
percentage of the total knowledge. We
encourage knowledge and its proper use, but we know there
will be a
thousand years to study about things, and compared to the years spent in
universities,
that great learning period is relatively limitless. When
we’re ready to create our own worlds and
give leadership thereto, we will
have great knowledge. Since knowledge is power, we will have
power. Since
knowledge can make us creative, we can be creators. Since knowledge can lead
to
judgment and wisdom, we can be just and worthy and wise. But we cannot
wait for marriage until we
have accumulated the knowledge we finally will
need and want to have in order to create. We need
the power of the
priesthood to effect the creation, and it will have to be there; you hold the
priesthood and can use it as you accumulate the secular knowledge".
...
"I feel certain that all the knowledge that is available will
not be enough to give the power to create
worlds without the priesthood
and the power thereof. When we shall have learned all about medicine,
mineralogy, zoology, forestry, biology, and all the other “-ologies” and all
about the heavens and the
earth in all of its moods, then, if we also know
theology and know it well and abide by its precepts,
perhaps then we can
exercise our accumulated power to create an earth for our exalted family"
(Spencer W. Kimball, "Marriage Is Honorable," BYU address on September 30,
1973).
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball/marriage-honorable/?M=A
7].
Chapter 4: Teaching Children: from Four to Eleven Years,” A
Parent’s Guide, page 29, second column.
"Each one of you has it within
the realm of his possibility to develop a kingdom over which you will
preside as its king and god. You will need to develop yourself and grow in
ability and power and
worthiness, to govern such a world with all of its
people. You are sent to this earth not merely to have
a good time or to
satisfy urges or passions or desires. You are sent to this earth, not to
ride merry-
go-rounds, airplanes, automobiles, and have what the world calls
'fun.
"You are sent to this world with a very serious purpose. You are
sent to school, for that matter, to
begin as a human infant and grow to
unbelievable proportions in wisdom, judgment, knowledge, and
power" (The
Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed, Edward L. Kimball [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1982],
p. 31).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/31125_eng.pdf
8.
"Peter and John had little secular learning, being termed
ignorant. But they knew the vital things
of life, that God lives and that
the crucified, resurrected Lord is the Son of God. They knew the
path to
eternal life. This they learned in a few decades of their mortal life. Their
righteous
lives opened the door to godhood for them and creation of worlds
with eternal increase. For this
they would probably need, eventually, a
total knowledge of the sciences. But whereas Peter and
John had only
decades to learn and do the spiritual, they have already had nineteen
centuries in
which to learn the secular or the geology of the earth, the
zoology and physiology and psychology
of the creatures of the earth.
Mortality is the time to learn first of God and the gospel and to
perform
the ordinances. After our feet are set firmly on the path to eternal life we
can amass
more knowledge of the secular things" (President Kimball Speaks
Out, Deseret Book, 1981).
It was later quoted verbatim by L. Tom Perry
in his October 1997 General Conference address,
"Receive Truth," giving it
additional visibility in official LDS teaching.
“Peter and John had
little secular learning, being termed ignorant. But they knew the vital things
of life, that God lives and that the crucified, resurrected Lord is the
Son of God. They knew the
path to eternal life. This they learned in a few
decades of their mortal life. Their righteous
lives opened the door to
godhood for them and creation of worlds with eternal increase. For this
they would probably need, eventually, a total knowledge of the sciences. But
whereas Peter and
John had only decades to learn and do the spiritual,
they have already had nineteen centuries in
which to learn the secular or
the geology of the earth, the zoology and physiology and psychology
of the
creatures of the earth. Mortality is the time to learn first of God and the
gospel and to
perform the ordinances. After our feet are set firmly on the
path to eternal life we can amass
more knowledge of the secular things”
(President Kimball Speaks Out [1981], 91).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1997/10/receive-truth?lang=eng
9.
"Desirable as is secular knowledge, one is not truly
educated unless he has the spiritual with
the secular. The secular
knowledge is to be desired; the spiritual knowledge is an absolute
necessity. We shall need all of the accumulated secular knowledge in order to
create worlds and
to furnish them, but only through the "mysteries of God"
and these hidden treasures of knowledge
may we arrive at the place and
condition where we may use that knowledge in creation and
exaltation"
(Spencer W. Kimball, October 1968 Conference Report).
https://www.thechurchnews.com/1995/9/23/23254986/ideal-is-to-have-secular-and-spiritual-knowledge
https://ia800402.us.archive.org/31/items/conferencereport1968sa/conferencereport1968sa.pdf
10.
"To live in the highest part of the celestial kingdom is
called exaltation or eternal life. To
be able to live in this part of the
celestial kingdom, people must have been married in the temple
and must
have kept the sacred promises they made in the temple. They will receive
everything our
Father in Heaven has and will become like Him. They will
even be able to have spirit children and
make new worlds for them to live
on, and do all the things our Father in Heaven has done. People
who are
not married in the temple may live in other parts of the celestial kingdom,
but they will
not be exalted." (Gospel Fundamentals, Chapter 36).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/31129_eng.pdf
11.
We remember the numerous scriptures which, concentrated in
a single line, were said by a former
prophet, Lorenzo Snow: “As man is,
God once was; and as God is, man may become.” This is a power
available to
us as we reach perfection and receive the experience and power to create, to
organize,
to control native elements".
In the resurrection, men who
have been faithful and diligent in all things in the flesh, [who]
have
kept their first and second estate, and [are] worthy to be crowned Gods, even
the sons of
God, will be ordained to organize matter. How much matter do
you suppose there is between here
and some of the fixed stars which we can
see? Enough to frame many, very many millions of such
earths as this, yet
it is now so diffused, clear and pure, that we look through it and behold
the stars" (Our Great Potential, President Spencer W. Kimball, April 1977
General Conference).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1977/04/our-great-potential?lang=eng
12.
"After death we continue to learn. Exaltation means godhood, creatorship. As
man now is, God once
was; as God now is, man may be" (Spencer W. Kimball,
February 2002 Liahona).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2002/05/learning-to-serve?lang=eng&id=html
13.
"Brethren, 225,000 of you are here tonight. I suppose 225,000 of you may
become gods. There seems
to be plenty of space out there in the universe.
And the Lord has proved that he knows how to do it. I
think he could make,
or probably have us help make, worlds for all of us, for every one of us
225,000"
(October 1975 General Conference, Spencer W. Kimball, "The
Privilege of Holding the Priesthood").
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1975/10/the-privilege-of-holding-the-priesthood?lang=eng
14.
"In each of us is the potentiality to become a God—pure, holy, true,
influential, powerful, independent
of earthly forces" (Spencer W. Kimball,
"President Kimball Speaks Out on Morality", Ensign, November
1980).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1980/11/president-kimball-speaks-out-on-morality?lang=eng
15.
"In each of us is the potentiality to become a God—pure, holy, true,
influential, powerful, independent
of earthly forces. We learn from the
scriptures that we each have eternal existence, that we were in
the
beginning with God. (See Abr. 3:22.) That understanding gives to us a unique
sense of man’s dignity"
(October 1974 General Conference, Spencer W.
Kimball, "Ocean Currents and Family Influences").
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1974/10/ocean-currents-and-family-influences?lang=eng
16.
"Each one of you has it within the realm of his possibility to develop a
kingdom over which you will
preside as its king and god ... You will need
to develop yourself and grow in ability and power and
worthiness, to
govern such a world with all of its people" (Religion 430-431 - Doctrines of
the Gospel
Student Manual, Chapter 10, The Purpose of Earth Life).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrines-of-the-gospel-student-manual/10-purpose-of-earth-life?lang=eng
17.
"We are the spiritual children of God, and … we are his supreme creation. In
each of us there is the
potentiality to become a God—pure, holy, true,
influential, powerful, independent of earthly forces".
(Teachings of
Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, Chapter 17, The Law of
Chastity).
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-spencer-w-kimball/chapter-17?lang=eng |