Mormonism Salvation Becoming a Celestial God

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• Introduction
• The Mormon view of mankind and his salvation is
  actually a doctrine of eternal progression toward
  Godhood. Most Mormons hold the following basic
  beliefs regarding what could only loosely be
  called salvation
• God's purpose for having spirit children is for
  them to obtain a physical body and then progress
  to godhood
  
• There are various estates through which one must
  pass in order to become a god.
  
• There are different levels in Heaven, the highest
  of which results in godhood.
  
• In order to reach the highest reward after death
  (Celestial Kingdom), one must be a Mormon
  
• In order to become a god, one must be married
  with children and have their marriage sealed in
  a Mormon temple.
  
• Terrestrial level of salvation can be gained by
  proxy baptism for the dead
  

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• Lesson Outline
• Man born into the spirit world before creation
• Eternal Progression
• The Kingdoms of Heaven

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• Man born into the spirit world before creation
• Position documented
• Things were first created spiritually the
  Father actually begat the spirits, and they were
  brought forth and lived with Him. Then He
  commenced the work of creating earthly
  tabernacles, precisely as He had been created in
  this flesh himself, by partaking of the course
  material that was organized and composed this
  earth, until His system was charged with it,
  consequently the tabernacles of His children were
  organized from the coarse materials of this
  earth. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses,
  volume 4, p.217

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• Eternal Progression
• Position documented
• 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, ...Ye shall
  come forth in the first resurrection ...and
  shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities,
  and powers, dominions, ...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 fullness and a continuation of the seeds
  forever and ever.
• 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...For strait is the gate, and narrow the way
  that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation
  of the lives, and few there be that find it,
  because ye receive me not in the world neither do
  ye know me. (DC 13219-22)

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• The Father has promised us that through our
  faithfulness we shall be blessed with the
  fullness of his kingdom. In other words we will
  have the privilege of becoming like him. To
  become like him we must have all the powers of
  godhood thus a man and his wife when glorified
  will have spirit children who eventually will go
  on an earth like this one we are on and pass
  through the same kind of experiences, being
  subject to mortal conditions, and if faithful,
  then they also will receive the fullness of
  exaltation and partake of the same blessings.
  There is no end to this development it will go
  on forever. We will become gods and have
  jurisdiction over worlds, and these worlds will
  be peopled by our own offspring. We will have an
  endless eternity for this. -- Joseph Fielding
  Smith (President/Prophet), Doctrines of
  Salvation, volume 2, p.48

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God
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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• Proof text
• Matthew 548
• Mormons try to stretch the be perfect as your
  Father in heaven is perfect. to mean that we are
  to become like God in every way, including glory
  and exaltation. The Greek word teleioi
  translated here as perfect carries the meaning
  of mature and complete, but certainly not exalted
  or glorified.

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• Three Distinct Levels of Heaven
• Position documented
• The Lord will judge each individual case and
  will assign transgressors to that degree to which
  each is entitled according to his works. If a man
  only merits a place in the telestial, that will
  be his reward if it should be the terrestrial,
  then he shall be admitted to that kingdom. In
  order to enter the celestial a man must be true
  and faithful to the end, observing all things
  which the Lord has commanded, otherwise he shall
  be assigned to some other kingdom, or to outer
  darkness if his sins so merit. Joseph Fielding
  Smith (President/Prophet), Doctrines of
  Salvation, volume 3, p.310

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• The Three Kingdoms of Heaven
• According to Mormon doctrine, at the end of this
  world everyone will be resurrected. At that time
  all but Satan and the very most wicked will go to
  heaven, which is divided up into three main
  levels.
• Telestial Kingdom
• Sometimes referred as the glory of the stars.
  Reserved for non-Christians, divisive Christians
  and the wicked excluding murderers. (DC
  7681-86). Although those above include Muslims,
  Hindus, they who are liars, and sorcerers, and
  adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves
  a lie (DC 76103), yet they shall be heirs of
  salvation. (DC 7688) Notice verse 89, which
  states, we saw, in the heavenly vision, the
  glory of the telestial, which surpasses all
  understanding. This is quite a contrast to
  Revelation 218

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God

• The Three Kingdoms of Heaven - continued
• Terrestrial Kingdom
• Good people of all non-Mormon beliefs and
  lukewarm Mormons, will go to the middle level,
  the Terrestrial Kingdom (DC 7671-79).
  
• Celestial Kingdom
• Only faithful Mormons will go to the highest
  level, the Celestial Kingdom (DC 7650-70). Even
  among this most favored people, only those who
  have obeyed Celestial Law (have their marriage
  and children sealed in a temple ceremony, keep
  the Word of Wisdom, etc,...) will be granted
  entrance into the highest part of the Celestial
  Kingdom. These will have Eternal Life (the
  ability to live in a marriage relationship and
  continue to beget children and progress toward
  godhood (DC 13220-24). All others have
  immortality (the ability to live forever in a
  single condition, not married and no future
  children and no chance to progress toward
  godhood) but do not have Eternal Life.
• Outer Darkness
• Reserved for Satan, his angels, murderers and
  sons of perdition (apostate Mormons).

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MormonismSalvation Becoming a Celestial God
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• Three Kingdoms of Heaven
• Proof texts
• I Corinthians 154042
• Far from being a discussion about kingdoms of
  Heaven, Paul is addressing the subject of bodies
  in answer to the question in verse 35
  
• II Corinthians 122-4
• The Celestial kingdom is not even mentioned.
  If Paul were familiar with this idea as asserted
  in I Cor. 1540-42, why did he not use this
  language here? He was simply making it clear
  that this one was not caught up to the sky or
  even the stars, but to Heaven itself.