From: ACUS10@WACCVM.SPS.MOT.COM (Mark Fuller)
Subject: Re: Are LDS Christian?
Organization: Motorola Inc.
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 19:06:55 GMT

From: slhw4@cc.usu.edu (Jason Hunsaker)
> In article <a9rd025I23Ra01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com>,
> agr00@ccc.amdahl.com (Anthony G Rose) writes:
> [...]
> >>> (4) Mormonism teachs that God was once a man and that we can become God.
> >>
> >> That God was once a man, is speculation, not doctrine.
>
> I'll withdraw this statement, and add William Hamblin's.

        Jason, does this mean you recognize this as doctrine or merely
'widely held speculation'?

>     Christ explicitly commands us, "Therefore, be perfect as
> your Heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt. 5:48)  In other words,
> Christ is telling us to be like God.

        In creating his own argument, Hamblin draws on a verse and
argues for being 'like God' to support the lds teachings that men will
not only be like God, but actually *be* gods. The lds belief is not
limited to becoming 'god-like' -- but becoming gods, copulating with
their exalted wives in heaven and begetting spiritual offspring; as the
lds god has, and his god before him... ad infitum.

        Hamblin is basing this rather wide connection between being
'like' God to 'being' God on the term 'be perfect'.  Other verses of
Scripture that Mormons use to try to prove that men can become gods are
Matt. 5:48; Heb. 6:1; 12:23; and Eph. 4:12. These verses contain the
words "perfect", "perfection", and "perfecting" which Mormons claim mean
Godhood.

        We shall first consider the verses from Matthew and Hebrews
because the words translated "perfect" and "perfection" in the KJV are
translated from related Greek words which mean mature, full grown, to
carry to the end, to complete, to finish, to accomplish, to fulfill.
Then we shall consider the word "perfecting" in the verse from Ephesians
which uses a different Greek word and means to thoroughly equip for
service, to make fit, thoroughly prepare, put in order, restore. Let us
now consider the verses from Matthew and Hebrews.

  'Be ye therefore perfect [teleios], even as your Father which is in
  heaven is perfect [teleios]. (Matt. 5:48)

  'Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go
  on unto perfection [teleiotes]; not laying again the foundation of
  repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. (Heb. 6:1)

  'To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are
  written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of
  just men made perfect [teleios]. (Heb. 12:23)

        In Matt. 5:48, the people are told to be "perfect" as God the
Father is "perfect." In what way are Christians to be "perfect" as God
is "perfect?" Four verses above this one in verse 44, we read that Jesus
says to "love [agapao] your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good
to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you." The Greek word translated "love" in verse 44 is
_agapao_. This _agapao_ is the kind of love that God has. It is the kind
of love that loves the unlovely, the unattractive. It is manifested
because the one who loves wills or chooses to love. God loves man, not
because he is attractive to God, but because God wills to do so .

  'For God so loved [agapao] the world, that he gave his only begotten
  Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
  everlasting life. (John 3:16)

  'But God commendeth his love [agape] toward us, in that, while we were
  yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)

  'But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love [agape] wherewith
  he loved [ agapao ] us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
  us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Eph. 2:4-5)

  'And walk in love [agape], as Christ also have loved [agapao] us, and
  hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
  sweetsmelling savour. (Eph. 5:2)

  '...God...loved [agapao] us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation
  for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved [agapao] us, we ought also to
  love [agapao] one another. (1 John 4:1O-11)

  '...he [God] first loved [agapao] us. (1 John 4:19)

        Christians are to be "perfect" as their Father in heaven is
"perfect" by having the same kind of love He has. In other words, with
the "love [agape] of God...shed abroad in [their] hearts by the Holy
Ghost" (Rom. 5:5), they are to love the unlovely, their enemies, and
those who use and persecute them. This kind of love is _teleios_. (Matt.
5:48) That is, it is mature and complete, and not lacking or wanting in
anything. Consider the meaning of _teleios_ in the two following verses
of Scripture:

  'Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you,
  always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand
  perfect [teleios] and complete in all the will of God. (Col. 4:12)

  'But let patience have her perfect [teleios] work, that ye may be
  perfect [teleios] and entire, wanting nothing. (Jas. 1:4)

        Matt. 5:48 is telling Christians to have the maturity and
completeness in their love for others that God has for all. It is
telling Christians to be Godlike in their love, not to seek Godhood.

        In Heb. 6:1 Christians are told to go on to "perfection
[teleiotes];" that is, they are to become spiritually mature, complete,
full grown. When people are first born of God's Holy Spirit they are
spiritual babes who need to grow and mature in their Christian lives. (1
Pet. 2:2) This mature state is translated "perfection" in Heb. 6:1. When
considered in context, there is no doubt that the writer to the Hebrews
had this mature state in mind when he wrote to them. Consider the three
verses preceding Heb. 6:1.

  'For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one
  teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God;
  and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
  righteousness: for he is a babe.
  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [teleios -
  mature], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised
  to discern both good and evil. (Heb. 5:12-14)

        After stating the above, the writer of Hebrews tells his readers
in 6:1 to "go on unto perfection [teleiotes];" that is, to go on to a
state of maturity in their Christian lives.

        This contrast between being children or babes and being full
grown or mature Christians is found in other verses of Scripture using
the same Greek word that is translated "full age" in Heb. 5:14 above.

  'But when that which is perfect [ teleios] is come, then that which is
  in part shall be done away.
  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I
  thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish
  things. (1 Cor. 13:lO-ll)

  'Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye
  children, but in understanding be men [teleios]. (1 Cor. 14:20)

  'Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
  the Son of God, unto a perfect [teleios] man, unto the measure of the
  stature of the fulness of Christ:

  'That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
  carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
  cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Eph.
  4:13-14)

        The only other time the Greek word _teleiotes_ (translated
"perfection" in Heb. 6:1) occurs is in Col. 3:14 which states: "And
above all these things put on charity [agape], which is the bond of
perfectness [teleiotes]." Again, we see that the spiritually mature
Christian has the agape of God. He loves the unattractive and unlovely
as God does.

        Heb. 12:23 tells about "the spirits of just men made perfect
[teleioo]." This refers to the OT saints who were called "just" because
they had been declared innocent, righteous, and not guilty by God
through faith. However, since these spirits were involved in a temporary
sacrificial system that could only cover their sins, not wipe them out,
their redemption had not reached its fulfillment or completion. These
saints' sins were removed by the blood of Christ, "the lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

  'And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by
  means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were
  under the first testament, they which are called might receive the
  promise of eternal inheritance. (Heb. 9:15)

        The OT saints' redemption reached its fulfillment and completion
when Christ died on the cross, when He completed and fulfilled the law
with its sacrificial system. Consider the following verses of Scripture
and their use of the word _teleioo_.

  'Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,
  and to finish [teleioo] his work. (John 4:34)

  'I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished [teleioo] the
  work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4)

  'After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that
  the scripture might be fulfilled [teleioo], saith, I thirst. (John
  19:28)

  'But none of these things move me [Paul], neither count I my life dear
  unto myself, so that I might finish [teleioo] my course with joy, and
  the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the
  gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

        _Teleioo_, which means mature, full grown, to carry to the end,
to complete, to fulfill, is used in these verses as well as in Heb.
12:23 regarding the "spirits of just men made perfect." The spirits of
the OT saints had reached God's desired end for them in Christ.

        We see that the words "perfect" and "perfection" come from
related Greek words meaning mature, full grown, completion, and
fulfillment. They do not mean Godhood as Mormonism teaches.

        An important point that should be noted concerning the term
"full grown" is that Mormons teach that since we were all born of a god
in a preexistence, we all have the divine nature within us and are,
therefore, "gods in embryo." The Apostle Charles W. Penrose stated that
"men become like God...by the natural development of the divinity
within." (Gospel Through the Ages, p. 116) The Prophet Brigham Young
remarked that "the germ of the Deity dwells within us." (Journal of
Discourses, 10:192) Mormons, therefore, interpret the words "full grown"
to mean maturing or evolving into a god. The only way one can "partake
of the divine nature" is to be born of God's Holy Spirit by accepting
Christ as his Savior. Remember that "partaking of the divine nature"
does not make one God. God did not "partake of the divine nature;" He is
the divine nature.

        We shall now examine Eph. 4:12 in which the Greek word
_katartismos_ is translated "perfecting".

  'For the perfecting [katartismos] of the saints, for the work of the
  ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

        _Katartismos_ (a noun) is related to the Greek word _katartizo_
(a verb) which means to thoroughly equip for service, to make fit,
thoroughly prepare, put in order, restore. Notice how _katartizo_ has
been translated in other verses of Scripture.

  'And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of
  Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father,
  mending [katartizo] their nets; and he called them. (Matt. 4:21)

  'Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
  restore [katartizo] such an one in the spirit of meekness... (Gal.
  6:1)

  '[God] Make you perfect [katartizo] in every good work to do his will,
  working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus
  Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. (Heb. 13:21)

  'But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory
  by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect
  [katartizo], stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Pet. 5:10)

        In Eph. 4:12, the purpose of "perfecting" or equipping the
saints is to prepare them to carry on the work of the ministry and to
edify the body of Christ. This equipping for service will be needed "til
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, unto a perfect [teleios] man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ." (v. 13) Remember, _teleios_ means mature,
complete, full-grown; it does not mean God-hood as Mormonism claims, and
neither does _katartismos_.

>I [Jesus] have given the
> glory which you [the Father] gave me to them [the Apostles], so
> that they may be one just and we are one.  I in them, and you in
> me, so that they may be made perfect in one." (John 17:22-23)
> Here Christ prays that the apostles might become one with him
> just as he is one with the Father.  If Christ's unity with the
> Father is in part that Christ is God just as the Father is God,
> then is not Christ praying that the Apostles might also become
> one with God, or become godlike?  This is exactly what
> Mormons preach.

        No, this is something like what the Mormons preach.  The
Mormons preach that they will become gods, not like God, but become God.

>Paul tells us that "we are the children of God.
> And if we are children, we are also heirs; heirs of God and
> joint heirs of Christ; for we suffer with him that we might be
> glorified with him." (Rom. 8:16-17)  "You are no longer a slave,
> but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." (Gal. 4:7)
> Being a joint heir with Christ is not simply going to heaven.

        Why not?  It certainly is not eternal copulation in heavenly
polygamy.  To be joint-heirs with Christ does not mean, as we shall see,
that the redeemed become gods by essence or nature as God is.

        When people accept the Jesus of the Bible as their Savior (John
1:12) and are born again by the Spirit of God (John 3:5), the Holy
Spirit comes to indwell them. (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Tim.
1:14) When this happens, they partake of the divine nature and are made
spiritually alive (2 Pet. 1:4) and are adopted into God's family as His
sons and daughters. (Rom. 8:14-16) Remember, the redeemed become God's
sons and daughters; they do not become God. God did not become what He
is. He is the eternally uncreated, unevolved, self-existent "I AM THAT I
AM." What an honor God places on the people who receive His Son and His
work into their hearts and lives. He grants them the high privilege of
having His Holy Spirit come and indwell them. In the sense that God's
Spirit indwells His people, the redeemed, they partake of the divine
nature. Remember, God never did "partake" of the divine nature; He is
the divine nature.

        While it is true that God did not become God, it is also true
that the Second Person of the triune God who is the divine nature,
became a man -- Jesus the Christ. We saw in the examination of the
previous proof-text that as a man Jesus received all God's riches and
blessings for the redeemed. Jesus did not become a man because of any
progression to Godhood or to receive something He did not have. As God
He has all things. However, it was for our "sake" that "he became poor,"
that we "through his poverty might be rich." (2 Cor. 8:9)

        The truth that the redeemed will be "joint-heirs with Christ"
means they will share equally in all God's blessings and riches which
Jesus gained for them as the incarnate God. Consider the following
example regarding "joint-heirs."

        There have been instances when a person has died and left part
of his/her inheritance to people and part to a pet. This act makes the
pet a "joint-heir" with the humans. Does that mean the pet becomes
human? No, it means it shares equally in the riches of its master with
the humans. It is the same with the redeemed of God. They will be
joint-heirs with Christ and will share in God's riches and blessings.
While they do partake of the divine nature because of the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit, the redeemed will not become gods as God is.

> "We know that when he [Christ] appears we will be exactly the
> same as (Greek: homoio) him" (1 Jn. 3:2).  Note that the Greek
> word homoios is likewise used in the Nicaean creed to describe
> Christ being of exactly the same substance as the Father.  If
> we are to become exactly like Christ, and Christ is exactly like
> the Father, then we have become like God. (cf. 1 Cor. 15:49).
> Paul elsewhere taught that we are becoming godlike through
> Christ.  "But we all ... are being transformed into the same
> image [as Christ] from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18).  Peter tells
> us that that we "might become sharers in the divine nature" (2
> Pet. 1:4)

        Hamblin would like to have it both ways here.  He pleads to
the Nicean creed -- which was formed to fight Arianism -- in order to
support Mormon Arianism.  Aside from the obvious, When Jesus appears,
we will be the same as Him -- in heaven.  But again, Mormonism does not
teach that we will be godlike -- but that we will be God, begetting
spirit children and creating worlds and universes, and populating them
with our spirit wives.

>Christ himself approvingly quotes Ps. 82, telling us
> that "you are gods [theoi este]; if he [God] called gods those to
> whom the word of God was given, and the scripture cannot be
> broken." (John 10:34-5).  Psalm 82, quoted by Christ, is very
> interesting in this regard.  "God rules in the divine assembly,
> he gives judgement in the midst of the gods [Hebrew: elohim]"
> (vs. 1). Who are these other gods with God?  The pagan
> deities?  Rather, they are the children of God; "I [God] said, All
> of you are gods (elohim) and the children of the Most High." (vs.
> 6)  Here being a child of God -- which all Christians can
> become through Christ, (John 1:10, "he [Christ] gave the
> authority to become children of God") -- is precisely equated
> with being a god!  How can the anti-Mormons claim that this
> LDS doctrine is non-Biblical?

        Before we examine Ps 82:6. We shall consider verses 1 through 7
to see this verse in context.

  'God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the
   gods.
   How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the
   wicked?...
   Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and
   needy.
   Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
   They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in
   darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
   I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most
   High.
   But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

        Questions arise. In what sense were these men gods? Were they
called gods because they were working their way to Mormon godhood?

        Obviously these men who were referred to as "gods" were Hebrew
men who were appointed by God to act in His place before the Israelites.
They were His representatives. They had been given the God-like
function of judging, and they were to judge on His behalf among the
Israelites and their situations. These judges had the Word of God as God
had given it to them, and they were responsible for judging in
accordance with it. If they followed God's Word, they judged justly; if
not, they judged unjustly. In Ps. 82 they were judging unjustly and
perverting justice. Instead of restraining evil, these judges were
either initiating or condoning it, and God is rebuking them for their
injustice.

        The Hebrew word translated "gods" in verse 6 is "Elohim." This
same Hebrew word is translated "judges" in Exod. 21:6; 22:8-9 and
"judge" in 1 Sam. 2:25.

        The fact that these men were called "gods" (Elohim) because they
were appointed as judges by God is admitted by the Mormon Apostle James
E. Talmage. He stated: "...even judges empowered by divine authority are
called gods..." "Divinely Appointed Judges called 'gods' -- In Psalm
82:6, judges invested by divine appointment are called 'gods.'" (Jesus
the Christ, pp. 489-501)

        There can be no significance attached to the fact that the
Hebrew word "Elohim" is used of these men. No valid argument can be set
forth to prove that because "Elohim" is used not only of men but also of
the true God that men can, therefore, become gods in the true sense of
the word. For one thing God does not become God. He is because He is; He
did not become the essence or nature of God. For another thing, "Elohim"
is also used in reference to "images" (Gen. 31:19,30,32,34-35; 35:2,4;
Exod. 23:24; 32:1-4; 1 Sam. 5:1-5) and "idols" (1 Chron. 16:26; Ps.
96:4-5; 1 Cor. 8:1-7) both of which are an abomination to God.

        Although the Bible calls these judges "gods," it does not mean
they were either God then or will ever become God in essence or nature.
In phil. 3:19 of the KJV, the "belly" is called a god. Not only that,
but in 2 Cor. 4:4, Satan is also called a god. He is called the "god of
this world." (Even the Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie acknowledges
this fact on p. 324 of Mormon Doctrine.) However, not even Mormonism
teaches that Satan is a god now or ever will become a god as the true
God is God. Why, then, should one believe Mormonism's teaching that men
will become gods just because the Hebrew judges were called "gods?" Ps.
82:1-7 states that although the Hebrew men who were appointed by God to
be judges were callled "gods," they were really mortal men who would
die. (v. 7) They were fallable men who were perverting justice. Notice
in verse 5 that God tells these "gods" they "know not, neither will they
understand; they walk on in darkness..." This Psalm could never be
addressed to the one true God. He does not now nor has He ever judged
unjustly or walked in darkness. (1 John 1:5)

        Upon examination, we find that this Psalm does not teach that
men can become gods as Mormonism claims.  Another related Mormon
proof-text is Exod. 7:1 which states:

  'And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to
   Pharaoh...

        A question that immediately comes to mind is, How was Moses a
god to Pharaoh? Was it in the sense that Moses was on a progressive
climb to Godhood? According to the Bible, Moses was representing God.
His declarations to Pharaoh were by divine authority. God used Moses not
only to declare His will and purposes to pharaoh but also to pass
judgment upon Pharaoh -- who thought he was a god -- and the rest of the
false gods of Egypt. (Exod. 12:12) By the time God ended His judgments
upon Pharaoh and the impotent gods of Egypt through Moses, Moses seemed
like a god to him.

        A significant fact that one should be aware of regarding this
Mormon proof-text is that when Mormons use this verse of Scripture to
try to prove that men can become gods they reference the KJV which is
believed by them only "as far as it is translated correctly." It is very
interesting that Mormons use what they consider to be an inaccurate
translation and an inferior book because, as we saw in chapter 3, Joseph
Smith, Jr., wrote an inspired revision of the KJV called the Inspired
Version. Mormons cannot use Joseph's revision in this instance, however,
because the spirit guiding Joseph had him change this verse to read:
"And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a prophet to
Pharaoh..." (Exod. 7:1, pp. 119-120) Joseph Smith changed the concept
that God was going to make Moses a "god" to Pharaoh to God's making
Moses a "prophet" to Pharaoh. Is it right for Mormons to use this verse
from the Bible to try to prove that men can become gods when their own
prophet, while allegedly acting under the spirit of revelation, changed
the meaning of this verse in his revision of the Bible?

> Paul asks, "Do you not know that
> we will judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:3), again implying that the
> righteous shall be given the godlike power to judge in the
> hereafter. The culmination of all of this is that the faithful
> will be enthroned in the heavens with God and Christ.  "To him
> who overcomes I [Christ] will let him sit with me on my
> throne, just as I overcame and sat with my Father on His
> throne." (Rev. 3:21)  In other words, we will one day sit on the
> throne of God.  Sitting on the throne of God is essentially a
> metaphor for becoming a god.  Many Evangelical Christians may
> choose to ignore the obvious implications of these passages,
> but they can not claim that the LDS ideas are unbiblical.

        No, most Evangelical Christians understand 'throne' ^= 'god'.
Mormons say that because Jesus overcame and sat down in His Father's
throne, He is a god, and when men overcome and sit down with Jesus in
His throne, they too will become gods.

        Jesus did not become God; He became a man. He has eternally
existed as the Second Person of the unevolved, uncreated, self-existent,
self-sufficient "I AM THAT I AM." Therefore, to "overcome" does not mean
Jesus became a god. As the Eternal God, Jesus had all things; they were
created by Him and for Him. (Col. 1:16) As God, He did not have to
overcome anything. However, as man, Jesus overcame death (2 Tim. 1:10),
sin (Heb. 4:15; 1 John 3:5; 1 Pet. 2:22), the devil (Heb. 2:14; Col
2:15; 1 John 3:8), and the world. (John 16:33) Jesus, the incarnate God,
overcame these things for us. "...though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." (2 Cor. 8:9.
See also 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18; Heb. 2:18)

        Does having a throne make one a god in the sense that God is God
-- that is, by nature or essence? The word translated "throne" in Rev.
3:21 is the Greek word _thronos_ which means a throne or seat of
authority. Does having a throne or seat of authority make one a god, or
does it just make one a ruler? If it makes one truly God, then we would
have to say that Satan is truly God, because he also has a throne. Rev.
2:13 states the following about Satan's throne: "I know thy works, and
where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat [thronos] is: and thou
holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days
wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where
Satan dwelleth." Notice that the word translated "seat" in this verse is
the Greek word _thronos_ -- the same word that is translated "throne" in
Rev. 3:21. Satan's throne is also mentioned in the OT. Isa. 14:12-14
states the following:

  'How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how
  art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
  exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount
  of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
  High.

        These verses show that even though Satan had a throne he was not
truly God, for he said: "I will be like the most High," not I am like
the most High.

        Perhaps it should be noted that it cannot even be said that
because one is a king and has a "kingdom" he is a god, because Satan
himself is said to have a kingdom. (Matt. 12:25-26) Regarding this
matter, the Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated the following on p.
419 of Mormon Doctrine under the heading KINGDOM OF THE DEVIL: "Just as
there is a kingdom of God both on earth and in heaven, so there is a
kingdom of the devil both on earth and in hell.... Where there is a
kingdom, there must be a king who ordains laws, rules over subjects, and
governs those who inhabit his organized domain. So Deity rules and
reigns on the one hand and the devil on the other..." If being a king
and having a kingdom makes one a god as the true God is, then it would
have to be said that Satan is truly God -- a concept that not even
Mormonism is willing to concede.

        The redeemed, those people who are born of God through faith in
the Jesus of the Bible, are overcomers. (1 John 5:4; 4:4; 2:13; Rev.
2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 21:7) They will be where the Lord is. (John
14:3; 1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 21:3) They will serve Him. (Rev. 22:3)  They
will reign with Him. (Col. 3:4; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10; 20:6; 22:5) The
twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of
Israel. (Matt. 19:28)  The believers will judge the world and angels. (1
Cor. 6:2-3) Their earthly bodies will be changed into glorious bodies
like the Lord's. (Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2) They will be, because of
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, sons and daughters of God. They will
not, however, be God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. All
these blessings and privileges come to the redeemed because of and
through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 1:3,6; 2:6-7; Col. 2:9-10; Jude 1)

[... church fathers sources deleted under the assumption they were not
speaking of eternal copulation...]

>    Now some anti-Mormons may not like the idea of human
> deification.  That is their privilege.  They may interpret the
> Bible any way they please and ignore the historical reality that
> many non-Mormon Christians believed in the possibility of
> human deification.  But it is grossly inaccurate to say that
> those Mormons who believe in the doctrine are not worshipping
> the God of the Bible, but are Satan worshippers.

        A good question at this point would be: 'what was Satan's
promise to Eve, enticing her to disobey God?'  The sin in the Garden was
due to the desire to be God.

        This examination has shown that the alleged Biblical proof-texts
Mormons use to try to prove men can become God by nature or essence are
really no proof-texts at all. One certainly has to ask why Mormons
bother trying to prove this belief from the Bible, since Joseph Smith
said there can be no confidence in appeallng to it for answers. (PGP,
Joseph Smith, 2:12)

        What is God's reaction to these attempts of His creation to
become God? What is the destiny of those people who hold this belief?
After Satan said he would be "like the most High" (Isa. 14:14), God
said: "...thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."
(Isa. i4:15)

        The Bible states: "...Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou
hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the
seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as
the heart of God... They shall bring thee down to the pit..." (Ezek.
28:2,8)

        Although this belief of darkness that men can become gods has
penetrated deeply into the minds of millions of people through the
years, it will come to nought. Satan could not change his nature or
essence to equal God's and neither can men. Men cannot be made gods,
because Godhood is not something to attain; it is something one just is,
"I AM THAT I AM," and a god by nature or essence, men and Satan are not.

        Although Mormonism and its leaders claim that Christianity is
inspired by Satan, hopefully this has shown that it is Mormonism, not
Christianity, that is Satan inspired. It has also shown that God is not
pleased with this desire of Satan and others to become God.

Mark
<standard disclaimer>