Do Latter-Day Saints Believe They Can Become Gods?

[Thinking]

Latter-day Saints believe that God wants us to become like Him. But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith. The Latter-day Saint belief is no different than the biblical teaching, which states, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). Through following Christ's teachings, Latter-day Saints believe all people can become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

http://www.mormonnew...rmonism-101#C13

I know what I was taught and I know what's in the LDS scriptures.

D&C 132

19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.

[jskains]

Wowers. Some subjects just get repeated over and over.

JMS

[LeSellers]

In response to the topic: Do Latter-Day Saints Believe They Can Become Gods?

Incredibly*, some do and just as incredibly*, some do not.

* Which of the two positions is incredible to you depends on your point of view.

For the most part, most don't think about it much at all.

Lehi

[frankenstein]

Thinking, the answer is Yes.

[thesometimesaint]

Yes we will becomes Gods, no we will never replace God.

[Thinking]

In response to the topic: Do Latter-Day Saints Believe They Can Become Gods?

Incredibly*, some do and just as incredibly*, some do not.

* Which of the two positions is incredible to you depends on your point of view.

For the most part, most don't think about it much at all.

Lehi

What do you believe?

[blackstrap]

I am familiar with some people who will becomes gods. I suspect that there are some who will not. As for the members of this board,time will tell,but if I were a betting man.....

[Calm]

Your quote from the newsroom does not contradict any teachings past or present I know of, including the scripture you quote (unless I am missing something).

http://www.lds.org/m...tation?lang=eng

Exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation.

If we prove faithful to the Lord, we will live in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom of heaven. We will become exalted, to live with our Heavenly Father in eternal families. Exaltation is the greatest gift that Heavenly Father can give His children (see D&C 14:7).....

Our Heavenly Father is perfect, and He glories in the fact that it is possible for His children to become like Him. His work and glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Those who receive exaltation in the celestial kingdom through faith inJesus Christ will receive special blessings. The Lord has promised, “All things are theirs” (D&C 76:59). These are some of the blessings given to exalted people:

• 1.
  They will live eternally in the presence of Heavenly Father and JesusChrist (see D&C 76:62).
  
• 2.
  They will become gods (see D&C 132:20–23).
  
• 3.
  They will be united eternally with their righteous family members and will be able to have eternal increase.
  
• 4.
  They will receive a fulness of joy.
  
• 5.
  They will have everything that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have—all power, glory, dominion, and knowledge (see D&C 132:19–20). President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “The Father has promised through the Son that all that he has shall be given to those who are obedient to His commandments. They shall increase in knowledge, wisdom, and power, going from grace to grace, until the fulness of the perfect day shall burst upon them” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:36; italics in original).
  

Edited March 11, 2012 by calmoriah

[Thinking]

Your quote from the newsroom does not contradict any teachings past or present I know of, including the scripture you quote (unless I am missing something).

"But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith." This sentence is an implicit denial of the belief in question.

[Ron Beron]

I think, in clarity we will become like God bringing a thorough list of requirements and capabilities. The Patristic Fathers taught a apotheocis which saw man becoming gradually like God.

[kolipoki09]

It is commonly taught that we, through our faith in Christ, can become "as God is." It does not necessarily imply that we will ever replace God, but rather that we will be "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). I prefer Peter's phrase, rendered in the King James as "becom[ing] partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

Being "gods of our own planets" and having "endless celestial sex" have been speculative parts of Mormon folklore and are often mocked, but I (personally) have never encountered such teachings in 20+ years of Church attendance.

[TAO]

Thinking, we become the greatest stewards of God's kingdom we can be =).

Here is what I wrote about it in another thread... it explains what I think exaltation is, and means, and how it relates to whom God is.

I would say this is true. But, I would also like to provide some context. After all, context is a really important thing for understanding how other people think, is it not?

In any case... what we are promised, is that, through true repentance and obedience (among a few other things), we can become like our Heavenly Father. This is a rather impressive promise, would you not say? Indeed... to be able to become like our Heavenly Father... is a marvelous gift. But it also, I think, takes a marvelous sacrifice as well. You see... to get to that state... you must progress and improve till you are like Father is. You have to be as kind, merciful, just, and charitable as he is... and as kind, merciful, just and charitable as Christ is as well. It's a high standard, I guess you could say.

Now being kind, and charitable, and just, and merciful is great... but I am guessing you wonder, what will our relationship to the Father be then, when we are like him? The answer is... it will be the same. In the Doctrine and Covenants, they talk about this great concept and word... called Stewardship. We are all stewards... even servants of the Lord. We have been given talents, and we must return talents. If we do our job, our service, successfully, he will entrust more talents to us. When we reach this exalted state... we have received all the talents we can be given... and our service, is to become like him, and do as he does. Our service becomes our reward... and as we grow in happiness, so does he. We'll have an important job up there... the same one he does... but he will still be our God, as will Christ. It is just, we'll be doing a higher work for them. We will still be their servants... their stewards. Stewards over kingdoms, which he helped us create. Thus, everything that is ours, is his... for we are his children. And the glory is his... his will be done.

Now... what this means, about the Father... I think it is true. Of course, that doesn't make him any less of our Father, or any less of our God. He is still whom he is. But he is also an exemplar for us, of what we should be like. He took the path he is asking us to take. We are his spirit children. And with the help of his firstborn, Christ, he allowed us to be created physically as well. He tells us "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (http://www.lds.org/s....39?lang=eng#38). Thus, it is our job... and our purpose here on Earth to follow him and the Savior... and become like Father, even as Christ is now.

I hope that explains it a bit better... it often gets lost in tails of folklore and rumors and the whatnot... and it's... well... a bit better to here it in full, that it is =D. In any case, I do hope that answered your question, that I do =).

[blooit]

Personally - I believe we will become gods - little g

We will spend eternity serving and worshipping God - he will always be our God - we will never be his peers. I do not believe we will ever be Gods over our own planets, but rather participate in Heavenly Fathers continued creation of worlds.

[Calm]

"But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith." This sentence is an implicit denial of the belief in question.

Really, I don't read it that way at all. I see it as referring to the context that surrounds the core idea, that they often misrepresent how the idea of being gods is described by LDS and what it means to them, especially how such caricatures often involved the idea that LDS see themselves as equal and independent of God as well as somehow meriting any such exaltation on our own. The discussion about being children of God and joint heirs as well as partakers of the divine nature are discussing, imo, what is misrepresented, it is not implying that the question being becoming gods is itself inherently misrepresenting our belief.

Edited March 12, 2012 by calmoriah

[Anijen]

See Elder Boyd K. Packers talk The Pattern of our Parentage. Here

[Scott Lloyd]

In short Latter-day Saints seek that for which Jesus prayed in the intercessory prayer in John 17: to be one with God and Christ in divinity, glory, work and mission. That is sufficient to the moment. Those who deny that do not believe the Bible.

Notions such as creating one's own planets -- especially as they contemplate working independent of and apart from the Father and the Son -- are conjecture and folklore.

[Christian Mormon]

i like this scripture

Revelation 3:21

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Christian Mormon

[Areabird]

It's folklore? I grew up in southern Idaho in the 70's and 80's. Seemed to be common knowledge to me, not speculative. In fact I think the members of my wards would say anyone who called it folklore were ducking their faith....

[JAHS]

I was always taught we could become a god some day, the same as god the father is now, but that he would always be ahead of us as his glory increases and remain our god for eterity. Because God created this universe and all the planets and inhabitants thereof, means that we could be a god that creates and rules our own universe(not just one planet).

[LeSellers]

In response to the topic: Do Latter-Day Saints Believe They Can Become Gods?

Incredibly*, some do and just as incredibly*, some do not.

* Which of the two positions is incredible to you depends on your point of view.

For the most part, most don't think about it much at all.

What do you believe?

I believe I'll do my best to do my duty to God, and let things take their course. I'm one of those who believe that thinking about it is a loss of time I should be using to serve God and my fellow men. Not to mention learning the things I need to know to get an amateur radio Technician license.

Lehi

[BCSpace]

Do Latter-Day Saints Believe They Can Become Gods?

Yes. Fully and completely as is the doctrine.

[Scott Lloyd]

It's folklore? I grew up in southern Idaho in the 70's and 80's. Seemed to be common knowledge to me, not speculative. In fact I think the members of my wards would say anyone who called it folklore were ducking their faith....

Alas, what is sometimes regarded as "common knowledge" and what is sustainable with scripture and authoritative teaching are not always identical. The advent of priesthood correlation in the latter 20th century has accomplished a great deal in keeping the doctrine pure.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Scott Lloyd

[altersteve]

We can become "joint-heirs with Christ," and those who achieve this status are described as "gods," but we don't at present have a full understanding of what this means. The idea that we can create worlds or universes and populate them with our own spirit children is not a Church doctrine. This doesn't mean it's false, though, since the Church has never said that either; it just means that President Monson has not received a revelation about what being a "god" entails (or, if he has, he hasn't been told to share it with us yet).

[BCSpace]

Revelation 3:21. Is sitting down in God's throne just part of the tour or is it representational of having the same power and authority as God? Partakers of the Divine nature....

[altersteve]

Revelation 3:21. Is sitting down in God's throne just part of the tour or is it representational of having the same power and authority as God? Partakers of the Divine nature....

We have a divine nature within us because we are children of God, and through Jesus Christ we can partake of that nature and sit with Him in His throne. But I don't believe we currently possess the capability to completely understand what that means. Heck, we can barely comprehend the things of this universe; how can we expect to understand what exaltation in the highest degree of God's kingdom means? Basically, I think the idea that we will create worlds and have spirit children that will worship us kind of misses the point. There's something a little more to it than that in my opinion.