FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Difference between revisions of "Question: Does the Book of Mormon teach that God is a spirit?"
m (Bot: Automated text replacement (-{{FME-Source\n\|title(.*)\n}} +{{FairMormon}})) |
m |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | {{ | + | {{Main Page}} |
<onlyinclude> | <onlyinclude> | ||
==Question: Does the Book of Mormon teach that God is a spirit?== | ==Question: Does the Book of Mormon teach that God is a spirit?== | ||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
Critics who object to the LDS position that God has a physical body claim that the Latter-day Saints are being inconsistent, since the Book of Mormon teaches that God is a spirit. However, the Book of Mormon is not discussing Nicene trinitarianism, and does not contradict the doctrine that God or Jesus possess a physical body. | Critics who object to the LDS position that God has a physical body claim that the Latter-day Saints are being inconsistent, since the Book of Mormon teaches that God is a spirit. However, the Book of Mormon is not discussing Nicene trinitarianism, and does not contradict the doctrine that God or Jesus possess a physical body. | ||
| − | Critics typically drawn on such Book of Mormon scriptures as {{s||Alma|18|26-28}} or {{s||Alma|22|8-11}}, and then contrast them with {{s|| | + | Critics typically drawn on such Book of Mormon scriptures as {{s||Alma|18|26-28}} or {{s||Alma|22|8-11}}, and then contrast them with {{s||D&C|130|22}}. |
The critics ignore several key points: | The critics ignore several key points: | ||
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
* The God to which the Book of Mormon scriptures refer is Jesus Christ, or Jehovah. In LDS doctrine, Jesus Christ was a premortal spirit that did not yet have a physical body when the scriptures in Alma were given. Thus, the description of Christ as a Spirit was accurate before His birth even in LDS terms. | * The God to which the Book of Mormon scriptures refer is Jesus Christ, or Jehovah. In LDS doctrine, Jesus Christ was a premortal spirit that did not yet have a physical body when the scriptures in Alma were given. Thus, the description of Christ as a Spirit was accurate before His birth even in LDS terms. | ||
</onlyinclude> | </onlyinclude> | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{Critical sources box:Template:Critical sources box:God is a Spirit/Book of Mormon teaches God is a spirit/CriticalSources}} | ||
{{endnotes sources}} | {{endnotes sources}} | ||
<!-- PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE --> | <!-- PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE --> | ||
| Line 20: | Line 22: | ||
[[es:Pregunta: ¿El Libro de Mormón enseña que Dios es un espíritu?]] | [[es:Pregunta: ¿El Libro de Mormón enseña que Dios es un espíritu?]] | ||
[[pt:Pergunta: O Livro de Mórmon ensina que Deus é um espírito?]] | [[pt:Pergunta: O Livro de Mórmon ensina que Deus é um espírito?]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Questions]] | ||
Latest revision as of 20:23, 1 May 2024
FAIR Answers—back to home page
Question: Does the Book of Mormon teach that God is a spirit?
The Book of Mormon is not discussing Nicene trinitarianism, and does not contradict the doctrine that God or Jesus possess a physical body
Critics who object to the LDS position that God has a physical body claim that the Latter-day Saints are being inconsistent, since the Book of Mormon teaches that God is a spirit. However, the Book of Mormon is not discussing Nicene trinitarianism, and does not contradict the doctrine that God or Jesus possess a physical body.
Critics typically drawn on such Book of Mormon scriptures as Alma 18꞉26-28 or Alma 22꞉8-11, and then contrast them with D&C 130꞉22.
The critics ignore several key points:
- The Book of Mormon scriptures describe missionary efforts to teach the pagan Lamanites about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionaries begin their efforts by explaining that what the Lamanites called "The Great Spirit" was God. This is not an attempt to give a theological description of God's nature, but a starting point to build on common beliefs.
- To the Lamanites, being "The Great Spirit" did not preclude being corporeal—Alma was mistaken for the great spirit, and yet he clearly had a body, could perform physical actions, etc. So, the concept of "spirit" used by the Lamanites is not (as the critics assume) the same as the non-physical and metaphysical "spirit" of Nicene trinitarianism.
- The God to which the Book of Mormon scriptures refer is Jesus Christ, or Jehovah. In LDS doctrine, Jesus Christ was a premortal spirit that did not yet have a physical body when the scriptures in Alma were given. Thus, the description of Christ as a Spirit was accurate before His birth even in LDS terms.
Critical sources |
|
Notes