Mark Parsons: "We equip and empower Christians to share the truth in love with Mormons through witnessing courses, training and personalised mentoring."
Dear Mark,
I can definitely understand your thinking. Over the last 30 years I have read several thousand specialist articles and dissertations by Protestant and Catholic theologians. I know your beliefs, although they are significantly different from the teachings of the early church.
You write: . We might reflect His image, but we are created beings, and the divide between Creator and creation is vast and eternal. This is why the idea of polytheism, or the belief that we can one day become gods ourselves, conflicts with the biblical understanding of God. God is one, and His nature is something we can’t fully fathom but must humbly accept as revealed in Scripture.
But was that the teaching of Christ?
Every theologian should know that until the year 543 it was common church teaching that humans could become gods.
“... the idea of deification (of man) was the last and supreme; After Theophilius, Irenaeus, Hippolitus and Origen, it can be found in all the fathers of the ancient church, in Athanasius, in the Cappadocians, Appolinares, Ephraim Syrus, Epiphanius and others” Adolf von Harnnack “Textbook of the History of Dogma”
And Martin Luther: “...for this very reason the Word becomes flesh, so that the flesh may become the word. In other words: God becomes man so that man may become God.” T. Mannermaa “Luther und Theosis”, Band 16 Veröffentlichungen der Luther-Akademie Ratzeburg, Helsinki/Erlangen 1990
Hippolytus of Rome (canonized antipope around 220) said: “Through the Logos God brought everything into being, and otherwise it could not be made as it was made.” He created man as such; If man wants to become God, he must obey him.”
Joseph Langen “History of the Roman Church”
“…in Jesus Christ, the God of the world, became man in order to deify human beings.”
Anton Grabner-Haider-Maier “Cultural History of Early Christianity” Vandenhoek Ruprecht, 2008 refers to: “Irenaeus’ works against the “false Gnosis”…
Even Pope Benedict XVI. Referred, whether intentional or not, the critic said:
“… the core of Athanasius’ doctrine of the incarnation is: “Christ, the Divine Word, “became man that we might be deified…” Vatican, General Audience, June 20, 2007
Origen, who is still under criticism, said it unequivocally:
“...Some do not appreciate what we said in setting up the Father as the one true God and admitting that other beings could become gods besides the only true God by participating in God.” Origen's Commentary on John: 2:3 on Wikipedia under Arianism
th the exception of the Finnish Lutheran exegetes, almost everyone else is very one-sidedly committed to the post-medieval results of dogma research.
Trinitarianism was only a result of the 4th century. Before that it was clear: Jesus Christ is God, but subordinate to the Father.
The real problem is that Origen (185-254) was cursed in 543 for clearly political reasons. Origen was recognized by all the bishops of his time. What he said was pure apostolic teaching. Origen added nothing.
He confirmed that all of Adam's descendants are literal spirit children of Elohim. We have forgotten where we came from. But deep within us is the idea that the one true God Elohim wants to exalt everyone provided they keep the commandments of Christ. The doctrine of the premortal existence of all people living today is still rejected by all major churches. But millions with near-death experiences report: We returned to the homeland from which we came. At this point almost all theologians from both mainstreams capitulate.
I'll write more later.
Your friend Gerd
