Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Why it's probably best that I'm not a Mormon

As I understand it, Mormons believe that if things go well for them, they will become Gods with their own people/ planets. Now, that being the case, it's probably best that I'm not a Mormon because I wouldn't make a very good God.

If I were a God, I would wake my people up in the middle of some random night, tell them to go outside and spin around several times and then go back to bed. Then I would laugh as over the years they would make this a ritual embedded with all sorts of meaning.

Basically, it would be a cosmic game of Simon-Says

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know you meant to sound self-deprecating, but this just comes across as a smug and snide comment about other people's beliefs. Like "I'm glad I'm not a Christian because I'd be really bored with nothing to do but stand around the throne of God for an eternity."

Brad Wright said...

Interesting... I hadn't thought of it that way. What do you other readers think? Is this a snide comment about Mormon beliefs?

Anonymous said...

Actually, it made me think of whirling dervishes...

Anonymous said...

I can be pretty smug towards Mormons too, though...

Knumb said...

I would make them laugh at my jokes.

Seth R. said...

I'm a Mormon. And I frankly don't care.

Compared to the mountains of other inflammatory stuff being written about us on the internet, this was almost heartwarming.

Carry on.

Brad Wright said...

Okay, tie goes to the Mormon. I meant the post as a joke about myself, but if it was interpreted as a slam I would delete it.

Seth, did I describe this aspect of your religion accurately?

Seth R. said...

Sort of Brad.

A lot of other Christians get their impressions of Mormon divinization from the narrative set down by "The Godmakers" (or recently, the cheesy accompanying cartoon someone release about it that keeps popping up on YouTube).

The Godmakers was rife with inaccuracies about Mormon belief and practice, and divinization was one area where it probably misrepresents what we really believe.

According to the Godmakers, once I, as a Mormon, am exalted, I fly off to some uninhabited planet and start up my own shop independent of God.

This is not the Mormon view of things.

Mormon theology posits exaltation as a unification with our Father in Heaven. We are basically aiming for the same shared unity of mind, purpose, will, and love that Jesus Christ shares with the Father.

Take the Eastern Orthodox view of theosis and remove that stuff about us being "emanations" of God, and it's actually remarkably close to the Mormon view of divinization.

So to be divine or exalted in Mormon doctrine is to be united with God. So whatever I am intending to do is in complete harmony with God the Father. I also only gain my power in God in the way Christ did - from the Father.

The Godmakers also trivializes the scope of Mormon exaltation by only granting the "god candidates" "one planet." God has made it clear that his works are endless, and so is his glory. And so will ours be when we are exalted. Worlds without end.

So, I'd say you wouldn't have to worry about screwing up the governance of whatever world you reign over. If you've reached that point, you are already at one with God the Father - through the grace of Jesus Christ - and I think you'll do just fine.

Hope that clarifies the topic.

Edwardtbabinski said...

Jesus promised his apostles to make them judges to rule over Israel.

Is that something similar to what you're discussing concerning Mormonism, and also Eastern Orthodox beliefs?