The Bible narrative gives a very detailed explanation of the announcement of the birth of Jesus
Christ and the means by which He was conceived. It might seem very strange that the Mormon
church would adopt teachings that are directly contradicted by the Bible. However, this approach
is not unique in regards to the means by which Mormon doctrine is established. As with all
doctrines regarding God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, they have all been altered from the
Biblical teaching in order to conform to Mormon teaching.
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... When the time came that His firstborn, the
Saviour, should come into the world and take a tabernacle, the Father came himself and
favoured that spirit with a tabernacle instead of letting any other man do it. The Saviour was
begotten by the Father of His spirit, by the same Being who is the Father of our spirits, and that
is all the organic difference between Jesus Christ and you and me."
Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, p. 218
Brigham Young reveals the Mormon doctrine of how the "spirits" of human beings are created.
They are the spiritual children of a sexual union of the Father with his wives on another planet.
When two human beings conceive a child, one of the "spiritual children" of the Father is sent to
inhabit the body of the new infant. According to Mormon doctrine, these "spiritual children"
have lived for thousands (millions?) of years with the Father on his planet and some assisted the
Father in the creation of this earth. Some of those "spirits" who assisted the Father were Jesus
Christ and Joseph Smith.
The "earthly tabernacle", or human baby, that housed the spirit of Jesus Christ was fathered by
the Father in heaven (the father of the spirit of Jesus Christ) through a sexual union with Mary
(since in Mormon doctrine, the Father is simply an exalted human being).
Brigham Young, simply by preaching a message, declares that what the Bible says about the
birth of Jesus Christ is a lie and that what he says is the truth. He simply makes a statement,
declaring a revelation, and proceeds to teach without any authority or confirmation of the
revelation. This is the procedure with all Mormon "revelations". They are simply stated as fact,
with no confirmation being shown or credentials given.
... I believe the Father came down from heaven, as the Apostles said he did, and begat the
Saviour
of the world; for he is the only-begotten of the Father, which could not be if the Father did not
actually beget him in person. ... I believe he [the Father] has a tabernacle [body], and begat Jesus
Christ in his express image and likeness, because the Bible expressly declares it.
Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 238
Brigham Young belies his duplicity in relation to the Bible. He denies the portions that do not
support one of his positions, but affirms the portions, as authoritative, that he claims do confirm
what he teaches. Thus, he conveniently denies the portion of the Bible that states Jesus Christ
was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but embraces the portion, as authoritative, that teaches Jesus
Christ was the Son of God. Thus, he argues that Jesus Christ could not be the Son of God if he
was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He conveniently ignores the teaching of the Trinity regarding
the birth of Jesus Christ. If he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, a member of the Trinity, then it
is no problem that he is the Son of God.
Brigham Young also argues himself into a corner from which he cannot be extricated by
Mormon doctrine. The Bible declares that Mary was a virgin at the time of the birth of Jesus
Christ. This is a position with which Mormon doctrine would also agree. However, if the
Father in
heaven, had a sexual union with Mary (resulting in the conception of Jesus Christ), which is
taught in Mormon doctrine, then Mary was no longer a virgin at the point of the sexual act, and
was not a virgin at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel..."
The Holy Bible, Matthew 1:23 (NAS) cf. Isaiah 9:6
Brigham Young also implies that the apostles taught that the birth of Jesus Christ was by the
Father instead of the Holy Spirit, because they called him the Son of God. However, in that
teaching, Brigham Young speaks a half-truth as if it were the full truth. The apostle Matthew speaks of
the birth of Jesus Christ as follows:
APOSTLE MATTHEW
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Bible, Matthew 1:18 (NAS)
SEE ALSO:
LUKE
The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy child shall be called the Son of
God".
The Holy Bible, Luke 1:35 (NAS)
Jesus Christ was the Son of God by virtue of His being conceived by the Holy Spirit, the third
person of the Trinity. The teaching of the Trinity in Luke 1:35 cannot be denied and is the very reason
that Jesus can be said to be the Son of God.
The Bible is very specific about the origin of Jesus Christ. He is One with the Father and the
Holy Spirit from all eternity past, being the second person of the Trinity which are three persons
in one God.
The Bible is very specific about the earthly life of Jesus Christ. He voluntarily gave up His
divine prerogatives in order to assume a human nature in addition to his divine nature. His birth
was instigated through the "overshadowing" of the Holy Spirit. The "overshadowing" by the third
person of the Trinity, explains how the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, could be born
of a human being. The "overshadowing" was not a sexual union, but a unique creative act by the Holy
Spirit, resulting in the incarnation of Christ into the stream of humanity.
While the Bible is very explicit regarding the birth of Jesus Christ, the Mormon church remains
very quiet regarding the logical conclusion as to their explanation about the father of Jesus
Christ. The Mormon church claims that the "Father in heaven" created all the "spirit children"
that inhabit the bodies of all human beings, through a sexual union with one or more of his
heavenly wives. Since that is claimed to be the case, then Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was
a spirit daughter of the "Father in heaven". As a result, since the "Father in heaven" had a
sexual relationship with Mary, in order to father Jesus Christ, then the Mormon church is
teaching that the "Father in heaven" had sexual relations with his own daughter, engaging in an
incestuous relationship, in order to father Jesus Christ. In addition, the teaching makes Mary to
be the mother of her own Brother, Jesus Christ. This is a doctrine of blasphemy
beyond all bounds, and Mormon adherents need to view the difficulty in what they believe.
END OF ARTICLE
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