Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Duvduv · 02-10-2012, 01:05 PM

If it is true that official Mormon belief holds that the Creator God was created by someone else, why don't they just say so? They wouldn't be the first to believe in that.
Or do they hide their beliefs like the Shia are said to do?

Tom Sawyer · 02-10-2012, 01:24 PM

They want to be viewed as mainstream Christians and the more that's known about how divergent their belief system is from regular Christians, the less people will view them as such. It's like the kid in high school who likes musical theatre but doesn't talk about that and pretends that he thinks football is interesting - he's just doing it to try and fit in and not be seen as odd.

Duvduv · 02-10-2012, 01:39 PM

I guess someone like Romney is taking a big risk then and doesn't realize it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

They want to be viewed as mainstream Christians and the more that's known about how divergent their belief system is from regular Christians, the less people will view them as such. It's like the kid in high school who likes musical theatre but doesn't talk about that and pretends that he thinks football is interesting - he's just doing it to try and fit in and not be seen as odd.

trendkill · 02-10-2012, 01:44 PM

I'm not sure how "official" it is, but it is a common belief among Mormons. As for why they don't emphasize it, Tom's probably half right. The other half is that it's simply not an important part of Mormon belief. No practices flow from it; no worship, rituals, etc. are tied to it, and it doesn't make any material difference in Mormon philosophy that I know of (and I was a Mormon believer for a long time). Though it is, as I said, a common belief, I would guess that there are in fact a lot of Mormons who don't believe it. Also, the analogy to the gnostic Demiurge seems way off.

Sarpedon · 02-10-2012, 01:50 PM

Could someone knowledgeable explain more the Mormon view on this subject? The Wiki article seems to be a bit tame.

aeebee50 · 02-10-2012, 01:51 PM

All I ever hear from Mormons is Jesus.

Duvduv · 02-10-2012, 01:54 PM

Or perhaps they don't admit it ...I think it is official although the idea of people being gods on their own planets is not. I may be wrong. I corresponded with a Mormon for a while who told me some ideas are complex but on the other hand not all ideas are official doctrine. It sounded like the proverbial dancing at two weddings simultaneously.
Then there is the matter of the Jewish Indians. And Missouri being the place of the second coming ....

trendkill · 02-10-2012, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarpedon

Could someone knowledgeable explain more the Mormon view on this subject? The Wiki article seems to be a bit tame.

Maybe you could post a link to the article you're talking about; I'm having a hard time finding one on Wikipedia that's particularly relevant to this thread.

Sarpedon · 02-10-2012, 02:03 PM

I just read the 'theological foundations' under the basic 'Mormonism' article.

trendkill · 02-10-2012, 02:23 PM

Okay, well, the idea has its roots in the doctrine of eternal progression, which is essentially that people who attain the highest degree of glory in the afterlife have no ceiling on how much they can achieve, to the point where they are able to become like God. So there is an eternal chain of Gods and universes, where a God creates a universe full of people, then some of those people become Gods and create their own universes, etc. The further implication is that the God of this universe was once like us, and therefore was created by someone else. There are also quotes from leaders including Joseph Smith that back up the specific idea that God was created at some point.

02-10-2012, 01:05 PM	#1
Duvduv Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: USA Posts: 4,095	Mormon Demiurge If it is true that official Mormon belief holds that the Creator God was created by someone else, why don't they just say so? They wouldn't be the first to believe in that. Or do they hide their beliefs like the Shia are said to do?

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

02-10-2012, 01:24 PM	#2
Tom Sawyer Talk Freethought Staff Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Toronto, eh Posts: 42,293	They want to be viewed as mainstream Christians and the more that's known about how divergent their belief system is from regular Christians, the less people will view them as such. It's like the kid in high school who likes musical theatre but doesn't talk about that and pretends that he thinks football is interesting - he's just doing it to try and fit in and not be seen as odd.

02-10-2012, 01:44 PM	#4
trendkill Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 7,558	I'm not sure how "official" it is, but it is a common belief among Mormons. As for why they don't emphasize it, Tom's probably half right. The other half is that it's simply not an important part of Mormon belief. No practices flow from it; no worship, rituals, etc. are tied to it, and it doesn't make any material difference in Mormon philosophy that I know of (and I was a Mormon believer for a long time). Though it is, as I said, a common belief, I would guess that there are in fact a lot of Mormons who don't believe it. Also, the analogy to the gnostic Demiurge seems way off.

02-10-2012, 01:50 PM	#5
Sarpedon Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Minnesota, the least controversial state in the le Posts: 8,446	Could someone knowledgeable explain more the Mormon view on this subject? The Wiki article seems to be a bit tame.

02-10-2012, 01:51 PM	#6
aeebee50 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 5,810	All I ever hear from Mormons is Jesus.

02-10-2012, 01:54 PM	#7
Duvduv Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: USA Posts: 4,095	Or perhaps they don't admit it ...I think it is official although the idea of people being gods on their own planets is not. I may be wrong. I corresponded with a Mormon for a while who told me some ideas are complex but on the other hand not all ideas are official doctrine. It sounded like the proverbial dancing at two weddings simultaneously. Then there is the matter of the Jewish Indians. And Missouri being the place of the second coming ....

02-10-2012, 02:03 PM	#9
Sarpedon Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Minnesota, the least controversial state in the le Posts: 8,446	I just read the 'theological foundations' under the basic 'Mormonism' article.

02-10-2012, 02:23 PM	#10
trendkill Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 7,558	Okay, well, the idea has its roots in the doctrine of eternal progression, which is essentially that people who attain the highest degree of glory in the afterlife have no ceiling on how much they can achieve, to the point where they are able to become like God. So there is an eternal chain of Gods and universes, where a God creates a universe full of people, then some of those people become Gods and create their own universes, etc. The further implication is that the God of this universe was once like us, and therefore was created by someone else. There are also quotes from leaders including Joseph Smith that back up the specific idea that God was created at some point.

Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The archives are read only.