View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 4

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{{Resource Title|Response to claims made in "Chapter 4: One God Versus Many Gods"}}
{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
|title=[[../../|Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism]]
|author=Richard Abanes
|noauthor=
|section=Claims made in "Chapter 4: One God Versus Many Gods"
|previous=[[../Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
|next=[[../Chapter 5|Chapter 5]]
|notes={{AuthorsDisclaimer}}
}}

====109====
{{IndexClaim
|claim=
Mormons embrace polytheism&mdash;the belief in a plurality of gods.
|response=
*[[Nature of God/Polytheism]] 
|authorsources=
*Definition of "polytheism" taken from Vergilius Ferm, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Religion'', p. 774.
}}
====112 n25-26====
{{IndexClaim
|claim=
Mormons redefine monotheism to be the worship of one "primary or supreme god above all other gods."
|response=
*[[Nature of God/Polytheism]]
|authorsources=
*The author adds the endnote: "LDS theology recognized that other supreme gods exist for other universes and world. But Mormons contend that we have nothing to do with these gods."
*John Widtsoe, ''A Rational Theology'', p. 67.
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=6|vol=11|start=41}}
*Joseph Smith, ''Lecture on Faith'', Lecture 2, paragraph 2.
}}

====114 - Early biblical church quotes used by Mormons to support tritheism only superficially support their position. Upon closer examination, they do not provide this support====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Early biblical church quotes used by Mormons to support tritheism only superficially support their position. Upon closer examination, they do not provide this support.
|disinformation=Ironically, it is Nicene trinitarianism which scholars have concluded is not biblical or believed by the early Church.
|authorsources=
No source provided.
}}
{{:Question: What were early Christian beliefs on the nature of God?}}
{{:Question: Does the Bible contain also the necessary elements for Trinitarianism?}}
{{:Question: Are there new ideas necessary for creedal Trinitarianism?}}
{{:Question: What does John 10:30 have to do with Trinitarianism?}}
{{:Question: What does 1 John 5:7-8 have to do with Trinitariansim?}}

====114 - Mormons worship the Godhead as "one god"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Mormons worship the Godhead as "one god."
|propaganda=Scripture consistently affirms that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ''are'' "one God."  This is why members of the Church consider them as such.  The just do not consider them "one God" in the same sense as Nicene trinitarians like the author.
|authorsources=
No source provided.
}}

====115, 379n47-48 - The Trinity is "one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith" and is at the "heart of the Christian conception of God"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The Trinity is "one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith" and is at the "heart of the Christian conception of God."
|misinformation=The Saints are trinitarians, just not ''Nicene'' trinitarians:
|authorsources=<br>
*Wayne Grudem, ''Systematic Theology'', p. 226.
*Stanley Grenz, ''Theology for the Community of God'', p. 99.
}}
{{:Gospel Topics:Are Mormons Christian:Latter-day Saints Do Not Accept the Creeds of Post–New Testament Christianity}}
{{:Question: Does the Nicene Creed define who is Christian, and who is not?}}
{{:Source:Webb:BYUS:2011:5:Mormons, Nicea, and Plato‎}}
{{:Source:Webb:BYUS:2011:16:Joseph Smith more coherent than Augustine on matter and the divine‎}}
{{:Question: Was Nicean Trinitarianism always a key part of Christian belief?}}
{{:Question: Why was Nicean Trinitarianism introduced at all?}}
{{:Question: What were early Christian beliefs on the nature of God?}}

====130 - The Mormon concept of the "eternality of matter" is a pagan belief====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The Mormon concept of the "eternality of matter" is a pagan belief.
|disinformation=Ironically, it is ''creatio ex nihilo'' that was unknown to the Hebrews, and represents borrowing from Greek philosophy.
*[[Creation/Creatio ex nihilo]] 
|authorsources=
Source not provided.
}}
{{:Mormon view of the creation/Creatio ex nihilo}}

====130 - The Mormon concept of "pre-existence of spirits" is a pagan belief====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The Mormon concept of "pre-existence of spirits" is a pagan belief.
|disinformation=This is incorrect.
|authorsources=
The author claims that this is derived from "pure Greek philosophy."
}}
* Terryl Givens, "When Souls Had Wings: What the Western Tradition Has to teach Us About Pre-Existence," FAIR Conference 2007 {{link|url=http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2007_When_Souls_Had_Wings.html}}
{{:Question: Is the Mormon doctrine of a "premortal existence" pagan, unchristian, or unbiblical, and therefore false?}}
{{:Question: Are Mormons the only ones who believe in the concept of a life before this one?}}
{{:Question: Did the early Christian fathers express a belief in a pre-mortal life?}}
{{:Questions: What biblical evidence is there for a pre-mortal existence?}}
{{:Question: Did Jesus and the apostles believe in pre-mortal life?}}

====130 - The Mormon concept of "human deification" is a pagan belief====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The Mormon concept of "human deification" is a pagan belief.
|authorsources=
Source not provided.
|disinformation=No. In fact, it is quite the opposite when one examines the early Christian views on the subject.
}}
{{:Source:Gospel Topics:Becoming Like God:Latter-day Saints see all people as children of God in a full and complete sense}}
{{:Source:Webb:BYUS:2011:10:Preexistent Jesus and a divinized humanity‎}}
{{:Questions: Do Latter-day Saints believe that they will one day "supplant God?}}
{{:Source:Webb:BYUS:2011:21:Joseph Smith's theosis does not supplant God or veer into polytheism}}
{{:Question: What were the views of early Christians on the deification of man?}}
{{:Source:Webb:BYUS:2011:15:Christian beliefs do not need to have Neo-Platonic influence to be true‎}}
{{:Source:Webb:BYUS:2011:6:Mormons retrieved early Christian beliefs rejected by creeds}}
{{:Question: Was the Latter-day Saint concept of deification derived from Greek philosophy?}}
{{:Question: What Biblical scriptures discuss the doctrine of the deification of man?}}

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[[fr:Specific works/Becoming Gods/Index/Chapter 4]]