Mormons And The Virgin Mary?
jes...@swbell.net
THE VIRGIN BIRTH
Brigham Young, the second President of the Mormon Church, once stated:
"Now,
remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ WAS NOT
BEGOTTEN BY
THE HOLY GHOST." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, pg. 51.)
This statement is in conflict with both the Bible and the Book of
Mormon. In
Matthew 1:18 and 20 we read: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this
wise: When as his
mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before the came together, SHE WAS
FOUND WITH
CHILD OF THE HOLY GHOST...for that which is conceived in her IS OF THE
HOLY
GHOST." The Book of Mormon agrees with the Bible on this point, for in
Alma 7:10 we
read: "And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the
land of our fore-
fathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be
overshadowed and
CONCEIVE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST, and bring forth a son, yea,
even
the Son of God.."
In spite of these plain statements, Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth
President of the
Mormon Church, has denied that the Book of Mormon and the Bible teach
that Christ was
begotten by the Holy Ghost. He stated as follows: "They tell us the
Book of Mormon states
that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost. I CHALLENGE THAT STATEMENT.
The
Book of Mormon teaches NO SUCH THING! NEITHER DOES THE BIBLE."
(Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, pg. 19)
The reason that Joseph Fielding Smith objects to the teaching that
Jesus was
begotten by the Holy Ghost is that, according to Mormon theology, this
would make Jesus
the son of the Holy Ghost rather than the Son of God. This idea arises
from an improper
understanding of the term Holy Ghost. The term Holy Ghost means exactly
the same as the
term Holy Spirit. The American College Dictionary defines the term
"Holy Spirit as "the
Holy Ghost." Now, the Bible tells us that God is a Spirit, and that he
is holy; therefore, God
himself must the Holy Spirit. So we see that there is no contradiction
in saying that Jesus
was begotten by the Holy Ghost and also is the Son of God.
Since Mormon theology teaches that God Himself is a man instead of a
spirit and is
the LITERAL father of Christ, the birth of Christ is considered a
natural, rather than
miraculous occurrence. Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., stated: "The birth
of the Saviour was a
NATURAL occurrence unattended with any degree of mysticism, and the
Father God was
the LITERAL PARENT of Jesus in the FLESH as well as in the spirit."
(Religious Truths
Defined, pg. 44)
President Joseph Fielding Smith made this statement: "Christ was
begotten of God.
HE WAS NOT BORN WITHOUT THE AID OF MAN, AND THAT MAN WAS GOD!"
(Doctrines of Salvation, Salt Lake City, 1959, Vol. 1, pg. 18)
Bruce R. McConkie, who is a member of the First Council of the Seventy,
makes
the following statements:
"These name-titles all signify that our Lord is the only Son of the
Father in the flesh. Each of
the words is to be understood literally. Only means only; Begotten
means begotten; and Son
means son. Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way
that mortal men are
begotten by mortal fathers." (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, pg. 546-47)
"And Christ was born into 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...Christ is the Son
of Man, meaning that his Father (the Eternal God!) is a
Holy Man." (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, pg. 742)
The Mormon writer Carlfred B. Broderick made these comments:
"There are two basic elements in the Gospel view of sexuality as I
interpret it from
the scriptures. The first is that sex is good - that sexuality, far
from being the antithesis of
spirituality, is actually an attribute of God...
In light of their understanding that God is a procreating personage of
flesh and
bone, latter-day prophets have made it clear that despite what it says
in Matthew 1:20, the
Holy Ghost was NOT the father of Jesus....The Savior was fathered by a
personage of flesh
and bone, and was literally what Nephi said he was, "Son of the Eternal
Father." (Dialogue:
A Journal of Mormon Thought, Autumn, 1967, pages 100-101)
Brigham Young, the second President of the Church, had this to say
concerning the
birth of Christ:
"The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have
more than one wife,
BUT MARY THE WIFE OF JOSEPH HAD ANOTHER HUSBAND." (Deseret News,
October 10, 1866)
This same type of reasoning led the Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt to say:
"The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father.
Therefore, the
Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been
ASSOCIATED
TOGETHER IN THE CAPACITY OF HUSBAND AND WIFE; hence the Virgin Mary
must have been, for the time being, the lawful WIFE OF GOD THE FATHER:
we use the
term lawful Wife, because it would be blasphemous in the highest degree
to say that He
overshadowed her or begat the Saviour unlawfully. It would have been
unlawful for any
man to have interfered with Mary, who was already espoused to Joseph;
for such a heinous
crime would have subjected both the guilty parties to death, according
to the law of Moses.
But God having created all men and women, had the most perfect right to
do with His own
creation, according to His holy will and pleasure: He had a lawful right
to overshadow the
Virgin Mary in the CAPACITY OF A HUSBAND, and beget a Son, although she
was
espoused to another; for the law which He gave to govern men and women
was not intended
to govern Himself, or to prescribe rules for his own conduct. It was
also lawful in Him, after
having thus dealt with Mary, to give her to Joseph her espoused
husband. Whether God the
Father gave Mary to Joseph for time only, or for time and eternity, we
are not informed.
Inasmuch as GOD WAS THE FIRST HUSBAND TO HER, it may be that He only
gave
her to be the wife of Joseph while in this mortal state, and that He
intended after the
resurrection to again take her as ONE OF HIS OWN WIVES to raise up
immortal spirits in
eternity." (The Seer, pg. 158)
Brigham Young explained the birth of Christ in the following manner:
"The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our
children; it was the
result of natural action. He partook of the flesh and blood - was
begotten of his Father, as
we were of our fathers."
(Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, pg. 115)
Heber C. Kimball, who was a member of the First Presidency, made this
statement:
"In relation to the way in which I look upon the works of God and his
creatures, I will say that I was naturally begotten; so was my father,
and also MY SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. According to the Scriptures, he is
the first begotten of his father in the flesh, and
there was NOTHING UNNATURAL ABOUT IT."
(Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, pg. 211)
In a sermon delivered in the Tabernacle on April 9, 1852, Brigham Young
made the following statement:
"I have given you a few leading items upon this subject, but a great
deal more remains to be told. Now remember from this time forth, and
for ever, that JESUS CHRIST WAS NOT BEGOTTEN BY THE HOLY GHOST. I will
repeat a little anecdote. I was in conversation with a certain learned
professor upon the subject, when I replied, to this idea -
'if the Son was begotten by the Holy Ghost, it would be VERY DANGEROUS
TO BAPTIZE AND CONFIRM FEMALES, AND GIVE THE HOLY GHOST TO THEM,
LEST HE SHOULD BEGET CHILDREN TO BE PALMED UPON THE ELDERS BY
THE PEOPLE, BRINGING THE ELDERS INTO GREAT DIFFICULTIES.'" (Journal of
Discourses, vol. 1, pg. 51)
CONCLUSION
The Mormon Church leaders have taught that Jesus Christ "WAS NOT
BEGOTTEN BY THE HOLY GHOST"; they have also stated that "MARY THE
WIFE OF JOSEPH HAD ANOTHER HUSBAND." and that was "GOD THE
FATHER." They have also taught that Mary and God the Father
"ASSOCIATED TOGETHER IN THE CAPACITY OF HUSBAND AND
WIFE." and that there was "NOTHING UNNATURAL ABOUT" the way Christ
was begotten.
A careful examination of this teaching reveals that it is far closer
to paganism than it is to Christianity!
Wilford Martin
You believe because we believe the Father is the father of our lord, The
Son. We are pagan. No we are just more logical.
Why in the scriptures did Jesus say to the Father, my father. Why
didn't he call the holy spirit his father? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?