Evolution of God.

Discussions toward a better understanding of LDS doctrine, history, and culture. Discussion of Christianity, religion, and faith in general is welcome.
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deacon blues
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Evolution of God.

Post by deacon blues »

One thing that separates most of Christianity from Mormonism is what the view of what the ancients believed about God. A Christian believing in the Bible could say that early people knew something about God. But God left most of them free to imagine or conceive the incredible variety of ancient and folk religions that study of history and archeology reveals to us today. Christians would say that God revealed his will to the Israelites, and later more specifically and clearly through Jesus Christ. Bur most of humanity was left to develop what we see from today's perspective: early polytheism in countless forms, evolving generally but not always to Monotheism in the modern age.
Informed Mormons would say God revealed much, perhaps most of the gospel to Adam, his descendants for several generations down to Noah, Enoch, Jared's brother, Abraham, Moses, Nephi, etc. Adam/Eve and Noah would be real theological bottlenecks. Teachings about God, baptism, etc., even temple ordinances, according to Pres. Nelson, would be the primary, if not the only religious teachings of the human race for generations.
How can a TBM explain the explosion of religious beliefs that evolved from that single thread of the gospel taught by Adam and Noah?
The disappearance of the LDS gospel is even harder for a TBM to explain than the disappearance of Lehite DNA.
God is Love. God is Truth. The greatest problem with organized religion is that the organization becomes god, rather than a means of serving God.
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moksha
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by moksha »

deacon blues wrote: Mon Apr 29, 2024 8:01 pm How can a TBM explain the explosion of religious beliefs that evolved from that single thread of the gospel taught by Adam and Noah?
Perhaps they could use the Mormon idea of humans descending from Pre-Adamites and Adamites. The Pre-Adamites had over two hundred thousand years of development before the Mormon Adamites even appeared in Missouri.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha
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alas
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by alas »

There you go again, trying to apply logic to religion.
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moksha
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by moksha »

Ents could help guard the forests from Celestial Mormons.

Image
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha
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Hagoth
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by Hagoth »

Whenever people are capable of stepping just a little bit outside of their immediate mindset, the first thing they should consider is why they just happened to be born into the "true" religion, and why everyone else also believes they belong to the "true" religion, even they are unquestionably part of a false religion. The obvious answer is:
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God seems not to care that much, and just allows the most geographically convenient religion to be the true one for each of. If God either doesn't care to bring us all together under one roof, or isn't capable of doing so, maybe we shouldn't care either. We can even turn a religious trope around on them: I guess you think you know better than God!?

Bonus points: can you even find the one-and-only-true-religion that you just happened to be born into on this map of the entire freakin' religious world? It's claims to be about the same size as Judaism, but doesn't even rate a star.
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."
RealNonEntity
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by RealNonEntity »

Hagoth wrote: Sun May 12, 2024 6:31 am Whenever people are capable of stepping just a little bit outside of their immediate mindset, the first thing they should consider is why they just happened to be born into the "true" religion, and why everyone else also believes they belong to the "true" religion, even they are unquestionably part of a false religion. The obvious answer is:
Image
God seems not to care that much, and just allows the most geographically convenient religion to be the true one for each of. If God either doesn't care to bring us all together under one roof, or isn't capable of doing so, maybe we shouldn't care either. We can even turn a religious trope around on them: I guess you think you know better than God!?

Bonus points: can you even find the one-and-only-true-religion that you just happened to be born into on this map of the entire freakin' religious world? It's claims to be about the same size as Judaism, but doesn't even rate a star.
Great way to present this!
RealNonEntity
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by RealNonEntity »

Hagoth wrote: Sun May 12, 2024 6:31 am Whenever people are capable of stepping just a little bit outside of their immediate mindset, the first thing they should consider is why they just happened to be born into the "true" religion, and why everyone else also believes they belong to the "true" religion, even they are unquestionably part of a false religion. The obvious answer is:
Image
God seems not to care that much, and just allows the most geographically convenient religion to be the true one for each of. If God either doesn't care to bring us all together under one roof, or isn't capable of doing so, maybe we shouldn't care either. We can even turn a religious trope around on them: I guess you think you know better than God!?

Bonus points: can you even find the one-and-only-true-religion that you just happened to be born into on this map of the entire freakin' religious world? It's claims to be about the same size as Judaism, but doesn't even rate a star.
May I use this in a short for my You Tube channel Hagoth? This is quite cool!
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nibbler
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by nibbler »

I belong to the one true purple monkey dishwasher religion.
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
– Anais Nin
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Hagoth
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by Hagoth »

RealNonEntity wrote: Mon Oct 21, 2024 6:44 pm
May I use this in a short for my You Tube channel Hagoth? This is quite cool!
Of course!
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."
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Bonfire
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by Bonfire »

I was deep in thought staring into a cup of the morning's instant coffee that I had let spit in on the counter overnight over breakfast and noticed a flying spaghetti monster had formed, floating suspended in the concoction: I took note of the room and there was a fly buzzing around that would perch on the wall above the cup. A few days later I went to drink from the cup and the fly landed on my hand, as if to push me away from the cup. I haven't had instant coffee since then.
“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; “For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him” (D&C 18:10–11).
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Hagoth
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Re: Evolution of God.

Post by Hagoth »

Here's an excellent podcast about the origins of Yahweh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3koeHN ... &index=20

It's also available on audio podcasting platforms in case, like me, you can't sit still to watch long videos.
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."
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