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Define Virgin please
Amber answered… Yes. We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to this earth, was
born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a perfect life, and sacrificed himself so that we may live. We do
not believe there is any other Jesus. There is one Savior of the world, and that is the one which
Isaiah prophesied of. He is the Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God, and the Redeemer.
“Our Lord is the only mortal person ever born to a virgin, because he is the only person who ever
had an immortal Father.” (Mormon doctrine, p. 822, McConkie)
Joseph Fielding Smith “The Son of God , The only begotten Son. The firstborn. Our Father in
heaven is the Father of Jesus Christ, both in the spirit and in the flesh. Our Savior is the
Firstborn in the spirit, the Only Begotten in the flesh. (Vol. 1, p.18, Doctrines of salvation)
Christ not begotten of Holy Ghost. I believe firmly that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son
of God in the flesh. He taught this doctrine to his disciples. He did not teach them that he was the
Son of the Holy Ghost, but the Son of the Father. Truly, all things are done by the power of the
Holy Ghost. It was through this power that Jesus was brought into this world, but not as the Son
of the Holy Ghost, but the Son of God. Jesus is greater than the Holy Spirit, which is subject unto
him, but his Father is greater than he! He has said it. Christ was begotten of God. He was not
born without the aid of Man, and that Man was God! (Vol. 1, p.18, Doctrines of salvation)
False “Reorganite” Doctrine about Birth of Christ. “Reorganites” claim that Brigham Young
went astray and apostatized because he declared that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the
Holy Ghost. “Reorganites” claim that he was begotten of the Holy Ghost, and they make the
statement that the scriptures so teach. But they do err not understanding the scriptures. They tell
us the Book of Mormon states that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost. I challenge the
statement. The Book of Mormon teaches no such thing! Neither does the Bible. It is true there is
one passage that states so, but we must consider it in light of the other passages with which it is
in conflict.” (Vol. 1, p. 19, Doctrines of salvation)
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McConkie “God the Father is a perfected, glorified, holy Man, an immortal Personage. And
Christ was born in the world as the literal Son of this Holy Being; he was born in the same
personal, real, and literal sense that any mortal son is born to a mortal father. There is nothing
figurative about his paternity; he was begotten, conceived and born in the normal and natural
course of events, for he is the Son of God, and that designation means what it says. (1 Nephi
11.)” (Mormon Doctrine p. 742)
1 Nephi 11:18-20 “And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of
the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was
carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a
time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again,
bearing a child in her arms.”
“Heresies of apostate ChristendomChristendom wholly apostate in 1820. When Joseph Smith went into the woods to
pray, he received a revelation of knowledge, truth, and power, which has been of inestimable value and blessing to the
world. What was revealed to him there was given for the overthrow of false creeds and traditions of the ages and led
ultimately to the restoration of the everlasting gospel as revealed by our Redeemer during his ministry. For hundreds of
years the world was wrapped in a veil of spiritual darkness, until there was not one fundamental truth belonging to the
plan of salvation that was not, in the year 1820, so obscured by false tradition and ceremonies, borrowed from paganism,
as to make it unrecognizable; or else it was entirely denied. By heavenly direction and command of our Lord Jesus
Christ, Joseph Smith restored all these principles in their primitive beauty and power.” (Vol. 3, p. 283, Doctrines of
salvation)
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Mike said - “We believe in Jesus Christ. We believe he died on the cross, suffered for our sins and was
resurrected. We believe it is by his grace that we are saved and that we will all be resurrected. Does that make us
Christians? I believe so, by anyone's definition. What about the "other stuff" that we believe, does that disqualify
us as a Christian religion? No, no more than someone who is an engineer who also does real estate like me is
disqualified from being an engineer. Not to mention that all our "other beliefs" are biblical and prophetic in
derivation. If you don't think so, just ask!”
“Some truth in all Churches. All churches teach some truth, whether they profess belief in Confucius, Buddha, the
Greek and Roman gods, or anything else; otherwise their churches would not endure a month. The fact that they
teach some truth does not make them the Church of God. There is but one Church of God.” (Vol. 3, p. 271,
Doctrines of salvation)
Rob says - “Once people get to know what we teach and believe and how we live, they come to understand that
we are Christians. While, The Lord has asked us to let our light shine so that others can see it and take strength
from it, I believe that ultimately Christ, will judge our Christianity as individuals based on the thoughts and intents
or our hearts.”
Apostasy following meridian of time. (Defined as the middle or high point of mortal time; Christ came in the
meridian of time.)
“Apostles and prophets ceased to exist, and therefore there was no more revelation or contact with the heavens,
and it was proclaimed that the canon of scripture was full. The pure, understandable truths of the gospel became
mixed with the pagan philosophies of that day, and the ordinances of the gospel no longer resembled those
taught and practiced by the apostles of our Lord. Evidences of this are very apparent to every student of the
history of the early centuries of the Christian era.
The Protestant rebellion did not correct these errors, for those who broke away from the mother church
perpetuated these evils, and therefore the same corrupted doctrines and practices were perpetuated in these
protestant organizations. The truth concerning the nature of God and the true relationship between the Father and
the Son disappeared, and following the days of Constantine the incomprehensible doctrine of the Godhead was
substituted in its place. Thus confusion regarding our Eternal Father and his Son Jesus Christ has persisted
throughout all of Christendom to this day.” (Vol. 3, p. 267, Doctrines of salvation)
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“From a theological viewpoint, the cults contain not a few major deviations from Historic
Christianity. Yet paradoxically, they continue to insist that they are entitled to be classified as
Christians.” Walter Martin
are Henotheistic
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God or Gods?
Body - “What kind of being is God? Because we are made in his image (see Moses 6:9), we know that
God has a body that looks like ours. His eternal spirit is housed in a tangible body of flesh and bones
(see D&C 130.22). God’s body, however, is perfected and glorified, with a glory beyond all
description.” p.9
Moses 6:9 In the image of his own body, male and female, created he them, and blessed them, and
called their name Adam, in the day when they were created and became living souls in the land upon
the footstool of God.
D&C 130:22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy
Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost
could not dwell in us.
Holy apparition - “Who is the Holy Ghost? - The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead (see 1Jn
5:7; D&C 20:28). He is a spirit that has the form and likeness of a man (see D&C 130:22). He can be
in only one place at a time, but his influence can be every where at the same time.
Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are called the Godhead. They are unified in
purpose. Each has an important assignment in the plan of salvation. Our Heavenly Father is our Father
and ruler. Jesus Christ is our Savior. The Holy Ghost is the revealer and testifier of all truth.” p.37
Heavenly parents - We are children of our Heavenly Father, God is not only our ruler and creator;
he is also our Heavenly Father. “All men and women are... literally the sons and daughters of
Deity... Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in
the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical]
body” (Joseph F. Smith, “The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, pp.78, 80).
Every person who was ever born on earth was our spirit brother or sister in heaven. The first spirit born
to our heavenly parents was Jesus Christ (see D&C 93:21), so he is literally our elder brother (see
Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 26). Because we are the spiritual children of our heavenly parents,
we have inherited the potential to develop their divine qualities. If we choose to do so, we can become
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Exaltation
As man is God once was, as God is man maybe - “This is the way our Heavenly Father became God.
Joseph Smith taught: “It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God.
… He was once a man like us; … God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus
Christ himself did” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 345–
46).” p.305 GP
Exaltation meaning what exactly? - “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.” p. 301
Progression - “Our Heavenly Father Presented a Plan for Us to Become like Him - Since we could not
progress further in heaven, our Heavenly Father called a Grand Council to present his plan for our
progression (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp.348, 349, 365). We learned that if we
followed his plan, we would become like him. We would have a resurrected body; we would have all
power in heaven and on earth; we would become heavenly parents and have spirit children just as he
does (see D&C 132:19-20).” p.14
“D&C 132:20 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.”
Two brothers offer plans of salvation - We needed a Savior to pay for our sins and teach us how to
return to our Heavenly Father. Our Father said, “Whom shall I send?” (Abraham 3:27). Two of our
brothers offered to help. Our oldest brother, Jesus Christ, who was then called Jehovah, said, “Here am
I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).
Jesus was willing to come to the earth, give his life for us, and take upon himself our sins. He, like our
Heavenly Father, wanted us to choose whether we would obey Heavenly Father’s commandments. He
knew we must be free to choose in order to prove ourselves worthy of exaltation. Jesus said, “Father,
thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2). Satan, who was called Lucifer, also came,
saying, “Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall
not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1). Satan wanted to force
us all to do his will. Under his plan, we would not be allowed to choose. He would take away the
freedom of choice that our Father had given us. Satan wanted to have all the honor for our salvation.”
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Freewill - “Agency Is an Eternal Principle - In the premortal life we were free agents. That means we
had power to act for ourselves (see D&C 92:29-30). One purpose of earth life is to show what choices
we will make (see 2 Nephi 2:15-16). If we were forced to choose the right, we would not be able to
show what we would choose ourselves. Also, we are happier doing things when we have made our own
choices.”
Demons denied mortal bodies - “The War in Heaven - Because our Heavenly Father chose Jesus
Christ to be our Savior, Satan became angry and rebelled. There was war in heaven. Satan and his
followers fought against Jesus and his followers. In this great rebellion, Satan and all the spirits who
followed him were sent away from the presence of God and cast down from heaven. One -third of the
spirits in heaven were punished for following Satan: they were denied the right to receive mortal
bodies.
Because we are here on earth and have mortal bodies, we know that we chose to follow
Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Satan and his followers are also on the earth, but as
spirits. They have not forgotten who we are, and they are around us daily, tempting us and
enticing us to do things that are not pleasing to our Heavenly Father. In our premortal life, we
chose the right. We must continue to choose the right here on earth. Only by following Jesus
can we return to our heavenly home.” p.18-19
Gaining mortality - “Adam and Eve Were the First to Come to Earth - God prepared this earth as a
home for his children. Adam and Eve were chosen to be to the first people to live on earth (see Moses
1:34). Their part in our Father’s plan was to bring mortality into the world. They were to be the first
parents (see D&C 107:54-56.)” p.31
“The Garden of Eden - When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they were
not yet mortal. They were not able to have children. There was no death. They had physical
life because their spirits were housed in physical bodies made from the dust of the earth (see
Abraham 5:7). They had spiritual life because they were in the presence of God (see Bruce
R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 268). They had not yet made a choice between good and
evil.” p.32
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Negative aspects of the fall - “Adam and Eve’s Separation from God - Because Adam and Eve had
eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Lord sent them out of the Garden of
Eden into the world as we now know it. Their physical condition changed as a result of their eating the
forbidden fruit. As God had promised, they became mortal. They were able to have children. They and
their children would experience sickness, pain, and physical death.
Because of their transgression, Adam and Eve also suffered spiritual death. This meant they
and their children could not walk and talk face to face with God. Because Satan had
introduced evil into the world, Adam and Eve and their children were separated from God
both physically and spiritually.” p.33
Obedient disobedience - “Because of the witness of the Holy Ghost to Eve, she said, “Were it not for
our transgression we never should have seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy
of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” (Moses 5:11).” p.36-37
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Our part to become worthy of salvation - “We Have the Savior’s Teachings to Follow - From the
beginning, Jesus Christ has revealed the gospel, which tells us what we must do to return to our
Heavenly Father. At the appointed time he came to earth himself. He taught the plan of salvation and
exaltation by his word and by the way he lived. He established his Church and his priesthood on the
earth. He took our sins upon himself.
By following the Lord’s teachings, we can return to live with him and our heavenly parents in the
celestial kingdom. He was chosen to be our Savior when we attended the great council with our
heavenly parents. When he became our Savior, he did his part to help us return to our heavenly home.
It is now up to each of us to do our part and become worthy of exaltation.” p.19
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“The creditor was always somewhere in the back of his mind, and he made token payments now and
again, thinking somehow that the day of reckoning really would never come.
“But as it always does, the day came, and the contract fell due. The debt had not been fully paid. His
creditor appeared and demanded payment in full.
“Only then did he realize that his creditor not only had the power to repossess all that he owned, but
the power to cast him into prison as well.
“I cannot pay you, for I have not the power to do so,’ he confessed.
“Then,’ said the creditor, ‘we will exercise the contract, take your possessions, and you shall go to
prison. You agreed to that. It was your choice. You signed the contract, and now it must be enforced.’
“Can you not extend the time or forgive the debt?’ the debtor begged. ‘Arrange some way for me to
keep what I have and not go to prison. Surely you believe in mercy? Will you not show mercy?’
“The creditor replied, ‘Mercy is always so one-sided. It would serve only you. If I show mercy to you,
it will leave me unpaid. It is justice I demand. Do you believe in justice?’
“‘I believed in justice when I signed the contract,’ the debtor said. ‘It was on my side then, for I
thought it would protect me. I did not need mercy then, nor think I should need it ever. Justice, I
thought, would serve both of us equally as well.’
“‘It is justice that demands that you pay the contract or suffer the penalty,’ the creditor replied. ‘That is
the law. You have agreed to it and that is the way it must be. Mercy cannot rob justice.’
“There they were: One meting out justice, the other pleading for mercy. Neither could prevail except at
the expense of the other.
“‘If you do not forgive the debt there will be no mercy,’ the debtor pleaded.
“‘If I do, there will be no justice,’ was the reply.
“Both laws, it seemed, could not be served. They are two eternal ideals that appear to contradict one another. Is there no way for justice to be fully served,
and mercy also?
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“The
creditor replied, ‘Mercy is always so one-sided. It would serve only you. If I show mercy to you, it
will leave me unpaid. It is justice I demand. Do you believe in justice?’
“‘I believed in justice when I signed the contract,’ the debtor said. ‘It was on my side then, for I thought
it would protect me. I did not need mercy then, nor think I should need it ever. Justice, I thought, would
serve both of us equally as well.’
“‘It is justice that demands that you pay the contract or suffer the penalty,’ the creditor replied. ‘That is
the law. You have agreed to it and that is the way it must be. Mercy cannot rob justice.’
“There they were: One meting out justice, the other pleading for mercy. Neither could prevail except at
the expense of the other.
“‘If you do not forgive the debt there will be no mercy,’ the debtor pleaded.
“‘If I do, there will be no justice,’ was the reply.
“Both laws, it seemed, could not be served. They are two eternal ideals that appear to contradict one
another. Is there no way for justice to be fully served, and mercy also?
“There is a way! The law of justice can be fully satisfied and mercy can be fully extended—but it takes
someone else. And so it happened this time.
“The debtor had a friend. He came to help. He knew the debtor well. He knew him to be shortsighted.
He thought him foolish to have gotten himself into such a predicament. Nevertheless, he wanted to help
because he loved him. He stepped between them, faced the creditor, and made this offer.
“‘I will pay the debt if you will free the debtor from his contract so that he may keep his possessions
and not go to prison.’
“As the creditor was pondering the offer, the mediator added, ‘You demanded justice. Though he cannot
pay you, I will do so. You will have been justly dealt with and can ask no more. It would not be just.’
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“And so the creditor agreed.
“The mediator turned then to the debtor. ‘If I pay your debt, will you accept me as your creditor?’
“‘Oh yes, yes,’ cried the debtor. ‘You save me from prison and show mercy to me.’
“‘Then,’ said the benefactor, ‘you will pay the debt to me and I will set the terms. It will not be easy,
but it will be possible. I will provide a way. You need not go to prison.’
“And so it was that the creditor was paid in full. He had been justly dealt with. No contract had been
broken.
“The debtor, in turn, had been extended mercy. Both laws stood fulfilled. Because there was a
mediator, justice had claimed its full share, and mercy was fully satisfied” (in Conference Report, Apr.
1977, 79–80; or Ensign, May 1977, 54–55).