theplains

Christians becoming or being one like the Father and Jesus being one does not mean we become God or a Godhead. But I understand that the LDS Jesus, when he became a God, joined the Godhead.

How do you believe Heavenly Father became a FULL God?

I zoomed to the end of the video with TRANSCRIPT on and then clipped it to a text file. I found no mention of "wilderness" or "threescore years".

Your version works if you change the context a little - changing what "is" and "was" represent. Another version would be "As man is [not immortal], God once was [not immortal]. As God is [now immortal], man may become [immortal]". This keeps apples to apples, not mixing apples with oranges. Jesus became a mortal man, but he was always the immortal and Eternal God before the incarnation. I think my interpretation of the "couplet" is still valid if I were to believe Lorenzo Snow. "As man is [not a God now] God once was [not a God once]. As God is [now a God], man may become [a God in the future]".

In his preview for "Rev 12:15-16: Flood Water Threatens the Woman in 70 AD" "In these verses, the serpent is a symbol for Satan acting through the Roman Empire, which is Satan’s mouthpiece or source of the flood. The flood of water is the violence perpetrated by the Roman Empire on the ancient Christian church represented by the woman. This flood of violence occurred in the 3½ years leading up to the Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and Herod's Temple". He doesn't consider the JST for Revelation 12:5. "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore years".

Why does someone need to have eternal increase to be FULLY God?

The church was much more sure of itself back then.

You're right. That quote is from Teachings of Lorenzo Snow. Getting back to Joseph Smith Jr., here's a quote: "It is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how He came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see" (History of the Church, volume 6; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1938). The LDS Church reiterates that Heavenly Father became a God in another seminary manual too. "Less well understood, however, is the fact that God is an exalted man who once lived on an earth and underwent experiences of mortality . The Prophet Joseph Smith refers to this as "the great secret." (Times and Seasons 5:613, August 15 1844). See also Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345.) The progression of our Father in heaven to godhood, or exaltation, was strictly in accordance with eternal principles" (Achieving a Celestial Marriage Student Manual, page 129). Regarding Snow's couplet: "As man is [not a God now] God once was [not a God once]. As God is [now a God], man may become [a God in the future]". And then there's other church teaching from New Era, "People on Other Worlds". "Long before our God began his creations, he dwelt on a mortal world like ours, one of the creations that his Father had created for him and his brethren. He, with many of his brethren, was obedient to the principles of the eternal gospel. One among these, it is presumed, was a savior for them, and through him they obtained a resurrection and an exaltation on an eternal, celestial world. Then they gained the power and godhood of their Father and were made heirs of all that he had, continuing his works and creating worlds of their own for their own posterity— the same as their Father had done before, and his Father, and his Father, and on and on" You'll notice above that he [Heavenly Father of our Earth] did not even create the world he grew up on. His own Father created it for him and for his other brothers and sisters.

@marineland See "People on Other Worlds" in the April 1971 New Era magazine. "Long before our God began his creations, he dwelt on a mortal world like ours, one of the creations that his Father had created for him and his brethren. He, with many of his brethren, was obedient to the principles of the eternal gospel. One among these, it is presumed, was a savior for them, and through him they obtained a resurrection and an exaltation on an eternal, celestial world. Then they gained the power and godhood of their Father and were made heirs of all that he had, continuing his works and creating worlds of their own for their own posterity—the same as their Father had done before, and his Father, and his Father, and on and on. Another basic truth is that all of the worlds out there are not the same. Some are celestial. Some are terrestrial. Some are telestial. Some, such as ours, are in a phase of temporal existence. And there are other phases, probably some we don't even know of".

Christians becoming or being one like the Father and Jesus being one does not mean we become God or a Godhead.

Many things have been taught that are not supported by scripture. It appears you do believe Heavenly Father became a God before he became a Father of spirit children.

Exaltation is becoming God. "Through a continual course of progression, our Heavenly Father has received exaltation and glory; and He points us out the same path” (Religion 430-431 - Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, chapter 33, page 92).

My point was that a seminary manual (Religion 430-431) teaches Jesus become (was ranked as) a God when he reached some level of intelligence. This teaching is also found in the December 1975 Ensign article "How to Receive Spiritual Gifts" (Jesus Christ, the Firstborn, who became a god in the premortal existence, the Father's steward over his creations, is the one source of light for us as individuals; and the Holy Ghost is the "gatekeeper," as it were, the dispenser of light to us according to worthiness and ability to receive it"). The LDS Church also teaches Heavenly Father progressed to Godhood. “Less well understood, however, is the fact that God is an exalted man who once lived on an earth and underwent experiences of mortality . The Prophet Joseph Smith refers to this as "the great secret." (Times and Seasons 5:613, August 15 1844). See also Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345.) The progression of our Father in heaven to godhood, or exaltation, was strictly in accordance with eternal principles” (Achieving a Celestial Marriage Student Manual, page 129).

One being as in their being one God, not three.

Which they convey as LDS truth unless otherwise specified.

Like multi-level marketing.

Gospel Principles doesn't teach that. But do you believe Gospel Principles are official LDS Church teachings?

From GotQuestions: What is the meaning of homoousious? It was in the early fourth century that a man named Arius began teaching that Jesus was homoiousious with the Father—of a “similar substance.” According to Arianism, Jesus was “divine” but not in exactly the same way the Father was divine. He did not teach that Jesus was heteroousious, which would have indicated that Jesus was simply human or radically different from the Father in some other way; rather, he taught that Jesus was “similar” to the Father. In response, a bishop named Athanasius insisted that Jesus was homoousious with the Father—of the “same substance”—the same kind of being. In other words, Jesus is divine in the same way as the Father is. Jesus is fully God in the same way that the Father is God—they are of the same divine nature.

Both LDS versions of Jesus and Heavenly Father became Gods. "He [Jesus] is the Firstborn of the Father. By obedience and devotion to the truth he attained that pinnacle of intelligence which ranked him as a God, as the Lord Omnipotent, while yet in his pre-existent state" (Religion 430-431 - Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, chapter 4). “Less well understood, however, is the fact that God is an exalted man who once lived on an earth and underwent experiences of mortality . The Prophet Joseph Smith refers to this as "the great secret." (Times and Seasons 5:613, August 15 1844). See also Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345.) The progression of our Father in heaven to godhood, or exaltation, was strictly in accordance with eternal principles” (Achieving a Celestial Marriage Student Manual, page 129). The LDS version of the Holy Spirit was once not a member of the Godhead either. "Where was there ever a father without first being a son?" (TPJS 373). Joseph Smith's answer to his own rhetorical question was, "Nowhere." As with any man, there was a time when God the Father was childless, when he had not yet begun the procreation of his spirit family. Consequently, the Godhead as we know it did not exist; there was no Son of God and no Holy Ghost. [2] [2] The spirit personage known as the Holy Ghost (D&C 130:22) was apparently begotten of the Father following the spirit birth of Jesus. Heber C. Kimball taught: “Well, let me tell you, the Holy Ghost is a man; he is one of the sons of our Father and our God; and he is that man that stood next to Jesus Christ, just as I stand by brother Brigham” (JD 5:179). Franklin D. Richards quoted Joseph Smith as saying that “the Holy Ghost is now in a state of Probation which if he should perform in righteousness he may pass through the same or a similar course of things that the Son has” (Ehat and Cook 245). https://rsc.byu.edu/pearl-great-price-revelations-god/doctrine-firstborn-only-begotten

Do you believe Gospel Principles are official teachings of the LDS Church?

Why?

What do you believe is the most significant false teaching of the LDS Church?

Does being "one with God" mean you are God or in the Godhead?

Reminds me of former President Hinckley's interview with Mike Wallace.

I'll address this more later, possibly in a separate thread or in our other ongoing threads. I provided several sources where LDS leaders taught there was a father above Heavenly Father, but you never explain where you believe Heavenly Mother came from and how she became a God. Maybe you don't believe "heavenly parents" is an official doctrine of the LDS Church? As for the LDS teaching of the Holy Spirit being a son of heavenly parents: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the Holy Ghost is a spirit man, a spirit son of God the Father. It is fundamental Church doctrine that God is the Father of the spirits of all men and women" (Encyclopedia of Mormonism). https://eom.byu.edu/index.php?title=Holy_Ghost "The Holy Ghost is a man; he is one of the sons of our Father and our God; and he is that man that stood next to Jesus Christ" (Journal of Discourses, volume 5, page 179). If you believe teaching Jesus became a God is leading people astray, then let me know.