I have yet to find a single verse of biblical scripture, which when properly interpreted in context and within context of LDS theology & soteriology, in any way militates against any LDS doctrine.

In the gospel of John chp 17 vs 3 our Lord makes a most profound statement as he prays to his Heavenly Father “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” All biblical references will be KJV unless otherwise indicated. Sooner or later, if we want eternal life, we need to know & understand the true nature of God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ. It is quite clear from a number of bible verses that will follow that God the Father & his son are two separate beings. The traditional concept of “homoousious” which has its origin at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD as a result of the philosophies of men mingled with scripture. The concept is nowhere to be found in the bible.

At the baptism of our Lord, as recorded in the synoptic Gospels, all 3 members of the Godhead are clearly presented to us as 3 separate beings. Jesus in the river Jordan being baptized by John; the heavens being opened & the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on Jesus and finally God the Father speaking from Heaven giving testimony that this is “my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” Matt 3:16 & 17; Mrk 1:10 & 11; Luke 3:21 & 22.

At the mount of transfiguration we are once again presented to us the Father & Son as two separate beings. Jesus with his 3 disciples on the mount & God the father speaking from heaven; Matt 17:1-9.

After the resurrection he makes the following statement to Mary as recorded in John 20:17 “Touch (or hold) me not; for I am not yet ascended to my father: but go to my brethren, & say unto them, I ascend unto my Father & your father; & to my God & your God.” Since Jesus is going to go & see his Father, logic dictates that he & his Father are 2 separate beings in 2 separate places. Furthermore, he refers to his Father as his God thus placing himself in a roll of being subservient to the Father. In any culture if a being is your God he is greater than you, This of course is consistent with an earlier statement by the savior in John 14:28 “…my Father is greater than I”. See also John 3:16.

The several references to Christ & the Father being one (see John chp 17) must be taken figuratively in the same way that the statement that a man & his wife are one flesh is not intended to be literal. There is no homoousious. Father & Son are not co-equal.

As latter-day-saints we worship one God, even God the eternal Father; we do so in the name of Jesus Christ who is our mediator & our savior, and we worship by the power of the the Holy Spirit.

Pierre P Wolfe (saintpete)

The following are some facts about The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints adapted from a talk given by Elder M Russel Ballard, a member of the Quorum of Apostles, in general conference in April, 2011.

*  The term “Mormon” is a nickname because of our belief in The Book of Mormon as the word of God.  Members of the church are often referred to as “Mormons”, “Latter-day Saints” or “LDS”.  We are The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints.  The biblical meaning of the term “saint” is a member of Christ’s church.

*  We hold that this church is Christ’s true church restored in 1830 in upstate New York with Joseph Smith, Jr as its first prophet and president.  Today it is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT with President Thomas S Monson as prophet.

*  There are now over 13 million members in 176 countries and territories.  About 6 million of these are in the USA, making us the 4th largest Christian denomination in the USA.  We are one of the fastest growing Christian faiths in the world.

*  Local congregations (called wards) are led by volunteer, unpaid members.  Both men & women serve in assigned leadership positions. This includes the bishop or pastor & his two counselors (assistant pastors).

*  Mormons are well represented in politics & govt (in USA there are 16 members in congress representing both parties).  Members also serve in high & trusted positions throughout the world in business, medicine, law, education, media, sports & entertainment.

* We believe the Holy Bible to be the word of God in so far as it is translated correctly. We use the Bible as the textbook for scriptural discussion in our weekly Sunday School discussions in 2 of every 4 yrs. Old Testament one year followed by New Testament the next yr, followed by Book of Mormon the next yr and finally Doctrine & Covenants / LDS church history the 4th yr.

Here are links to some recently published articles on the basics of “Mormonism”

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101#C18

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/fundamental-premises-of-our-faith-talk-given-by-elder-dallin-h-oaks-at-harvard-law-school

This last one is an infographic that has quick highlights about who we are

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101#C3

This site is new & still under construction. I am new to the technology & new entries will be slow & infrequent.