Difference between revisions of "Question: Do Latter-day Saints believe that Quetzalcoatl was actually Jesus Christ?"

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==Question: Does an association of Quetzalcoatl with Jesus Christ constitute "snake worship"?==
 
===The biblical story of Moses and the brass serpent foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ===
 
 
 
It is claimed that since Quetzalcoatl is associated with a "feathered serpent," that this constitutes "snake worship," and could in no way refer to Jesus Christ. In order to examine this claim, one has to look no further than the Bible:
 
 
 
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6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
 
 
 
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
 
 
 
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
 
 
 
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
 
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This incident foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and how one had to look to Him in order to be saved. Note that the people were not commanded to ''worship'' the serpent, but rather to simply look at it. Amazingly enough, many did not even have the faith to look upon the serpent and live.
 
 
 
There is no doubt that Mesoamericans worshipped the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, and one could certainly agree that "snake worship" has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. What must be kept in mind is that this represents traditions of a people that apostatized from the teachings of Jesus Christ over a period of many hundreds of years. The real question is where and how the legend of Quetzalcoatl originated.
 
 
 
===Nephi refers to "fiery ''flying'' serpents." This brings the Book of Mormon account of this event ''more in line'' with the concept of Quetzalcoatl being a ''feathered'' serpent===
 
 
 
There is an additional intriguing element which indicates a possible relationship between the Book of Mormon and the "feathered serpent" Quetzalcoatl. When Nephi relates the story of Moses and the brazen serpent, he adds a detail that is ''not present in the Biblical account''. In Nephi's account, he refers to
 
 
 
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41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent '''fiery flying serpents''' among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished. {{s|1|Nephi|17|41}} {{ea}}
 
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Nephi refers to "fiery ''flying'' serpents." This brings the Book of Mormon account of this event ''more in line'' with the concept of Quetzalcoatl being a ''feathered'' serpent.<ref>{{JBMS-2-2-9}} <!-- Hunt --></ref> It is also interesting to note that Joseph Smith would not have gleaned this detail from a reading of the same story from the Bible.
 
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Latest revision as of 15:17, 13 April 2024


Question: Do Latter-day Saints believe that Quetzalcoatl was actually Jesus Christ?

Whether Quetzalcoatl can tell us anything about the Book of Mormon remains unproven

It is claimed that LDS scholars believe that Quetzalcoatl was Jesus Christ. However, since Quetzalcoatl's association with a "feathered serpent" constitutes "snake worship," some Christians claim that this association is therefore inconsistent with worship of Jesus Christ.

Some LDS authors have seen Christian parallels to Quetzalcoatl. At least some of these parallels were probably imposed, however, by the secondary sources who also sought a Christian connection to native myth. Quetzalcoatl plays a minor—if any—role in modern LDS apologetics. Critics should not, however, act as if the association of a "snake" with Christ is completely foreign or strange—certainly the brass serpent placed on a pole and raised up by Moses has some symbolic links to Jesus.

Whether Quetzalcoatl can tell us anything about the Book of Mormon, however, remains unproven. FairMormon does not at present recommend relying on this as "evidence" for the truth of the Book of Mormon account.

The legend of Quetzalcoatl is of interest as a corroborative element in supporting the Book of Mormon, but it is not an element of anybody's belief

Although critics would like to make the LDS association of Quetzalcoatl with Jesus Christ some sort of key element in an effort to "salvage their cherished faith," the reality is that Quetzalcoatl is rarely if ever discussed. The legend of Quetzalcoatl is of interest as a corroborative element in supporting the Book of Mormon, but it is by no means a critical element of anybody's belief. The association is intriguing to the LDS, as even the critics agree that certain elements of the legend are consistent with the Book of Mormon teaching that Jesus Christ appeared in the New World. Wallace E. Hunt Jr. lists the following elements, all drawn from non-LDS sources:

  • Quetzalcoatl was the creator of life.
  • Quetzalcoatl taught virtue.
  • Quetzalcoatl was the greatest Lord of all.
  • Quetzalcoatl had a "long beard and the features of a white man."
  • The Mesoamericans believed Quetzalcoatl would return.


Notes