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Jesus Christ/Relationship to Quetzalcoatl
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Criticism
- Critic claim that LDS scholars believe that Quetzalcoatl was Jesus Christ. However, Quetzalcoatl's association with a "feathered serpent" constitutes "snake worship," and is therefore inconsistent with worship of Jesus Christ.
Source(s) of the criticism
- Richard Abanes, Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism (Harvest House Publishers: 2005). 77 369 n.150-153. ( Index of claims )
Response
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 intriging 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.
Critic Richard Abanes claims that the similarities in the comparision of Quetzalcoatl with Jesus Christ are "minor," while continuing on to note that "what LDS apologists tend to not mention are a few additional aspects of Quetzalcoatl, none of which seem very consistent with Jesus Christ." The following aspects of the Quetzalcoatl legend are those that critics claim that are "deemphasized" by LDS apologists:
- Snake worship
- Human sacrifice made to Quetzalcoatl
- Quetzalcoatl's twin brother Xolotl
Snake worship associated with Jesus Christ?
Critics claim 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:
- 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.
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.
Flying serpents?
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
- 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. 1 Nephi 17꞉41 (emphasis added)
Nephi refers to "fiery flying serpents." This brings the Book of Mormon relation of this event more in line with the concept of Quetzalcoatl being a feathered serpent.[1]
Have LDS apologists deemphasized aspects of Quetzalcoatl which are inconsistent with Jesus Christ?
So, have "LDS apologists" (meaning, in this case, any LDS scholar) ignored or deemphasized aspects of the Quetzalcoatl legend?
Conclusion
Endnotes
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
FAIR web site
- FairMormon Topical Guide: Queztlcoatl FairMormon link
External links
- Joseph Allen, "The White god Quetzalcoatl," Meridian Magazine, 2003.
- Jeff Lindsay, Overlooking the Obvious? Legends of Quetzalcoatl and Ties to the Book of Mormon
- John L. Sorenson, "The Decline of the God Quetzalcoatl" from Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon, pp. 234-236
- Diane E. Wirth, "'Quetzalcoatl, the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ'," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 11/1 (2002). [4–15] link