Regardless of how often the Mormons try to circumvent the issue, Mormon "god" is simply an "exalted human being,"
Ummm...ok. If that's problematic, you'd need to explain why it's ok to worship Jesus who is an exalted human being.
and he has at least one wife, probably more, and procreates spirit children just as humans do. In fact, while many Mormons love forgetting about Brigham Young, he had a very important teaching regarding this subject:
Brigham Young [1801-1877] taught, “God has made His children like Himself to stand erect, and has endowed them with intelligence and power and dominion over all His works, and given them the same attributes which He himself possesses. He created man, as we create our children; for there is no other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that were, or that ever will be.” (Journal of Discourses 11:122-123).
NO OTHER PROCESS MEANS NO OTHER PROCESS, UNLESS THE MORMONS HERE WANT TO CONTRADICT THEIR SECOND PROPHET (or pretend he was really prophesying about in vitro fertilization).
You assume that anything said by a Church leader is binding doctrine upon the Church. Such is not the case.
Purpose of Gospel Study:
"The aim of all gospel learning and teaching is to deepen our conversion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and help us become more like Them. For this reason, when we study the gospel, we’re not just looking for new information; we want to become a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means relying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us change our hearts, our views, our actions, and our very natures." (
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org...nd-families-new-testament-2023/intro?lang=eng)
The Role of the Prophet:
"A prophet is a man called by God to be His representative on earth. When a prophet speaks for God, it is as if God were speaking (see D&C 1:38). A prophet is also a special witness for Christ, testifying of His divinity and teaching His gospel. A prophet teaches truth and interprets the word of God. He calls the unrighteous to repentance. He receives revelations and directions from the Lord for our benefit. He may see into the future and foretell coming events so that the world may be warned."
Can you explain how many wives God has and the process of spiritual procreation contributes toward the purpose described above? I'm not seeing it.
Can you further explain how teaching God having multiple wives and the technicalities of spiritual procreation fulfills the roles of the prophet? If not, then we could say that Brigham Young wasn't really acting as a prophet. Ergo, whatever perverted postulation you wish to draw from Brigham Young's words is most likely missing the mark.
The subject of the discourse from which your quote comes from personality and attributes of God. Given the quote in context, he certainly doesn't take the same line of reasoning you do:
"I believe that the declaration made in these two scriptures is literally true. God has made His children like Himself to stand erect, and has endowed them with intelligence and power and dominion over all His works, and given them the same attributes which He Himself possesses. He created man, as we create our children; for there is no other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that were, or that ever will be. As the Apostle Paul has expressed it, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being." "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art or man's device." There exist fixed laws and regulations by which the elements are fashioned to fulfill their destiny in all the varied kingdoms and orders of creation, and this process of creation is from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus Christ is known in the scriptures as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and it is written of Him as being the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person. The word image we understand in the same sense as we do the word in the 3rd verse of the 5th chapter of Genesis, "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image." I am quite satisfied to be made aware by the scriptures, and by the Spirit of God, that He is not only the God and Father of Jesus Christ, but is also the Father of our spirits and the Creator of our bodies which bear His image as Seth bore the image of his father Adam. Adam begat many children who bore His image, but Seth is no doubt more particularly mentioned, because he was more like his father than the rest of the family.
We bear the image of our earthly parents in their fallen state, but by obedience to the gospel of salvation, and the renovating influences of the Holy Ghost, and the holy resurrection, we shall put on the image of the heavenly, in
beauty, glory, power and goodness. Jesus Christ was so like His Father that on one occasion in answer to a request, "Show us the Father," He said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." The strongest testimony that can be borne to the minds of men is the testimony of the Father concerning the Son, and the testimony of the Son concerning the Father, by the power of the revelations of the Spirit, which every man who is born of woman possesses more or less, and which, if mankind would listen to it, would lead them to the knowledge of God, and ultimately, assisted by the ordinances of the gospel, into His presence.
If there is anything that is great and good and wise among men, it cometh from God. If there are men who possess great ability as statesmen, or as philosophers, or who possess remarkable scientific knowledge and skill, the credit thereof belongs to God, for He dispenses it to His children whether they believe in Him or not, or whether they sin against Him or not; it makes no difference; but all will have to account to Him for the way and manner in which they have used the talents committed unto them. If we believe the plain, broad statements of the Bible, we must believe that Jesus Christ is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; none are exempt. This applies to all who possess the least degree of light and intelligence, no matter how small; wherever intelligence can be found, God is the author of it. This light is inherent according to a law of eternity—according to the law of the Gods, according to the law of Him whom we serve as the only wise, true, and living God to us. He is the author of this light to us. Yet our knowledge is very limited; who can tell the future, and know it as the past is known to us? It is a small thing, if we were acquainted with the principle. Were we acquainted with this principle, we could just as well read the future as the past."
I know exactly what it means to have Heavenly Parents, but I know that sexual intercourse wasn't required when I was spiritually "born again". IMO, It takes a depraved mind to extract the holiness from God, and that's generally what we see from our critics. (By their fruits, they are known).
This article deals with this Mormon teaching and is Christian:
www.mrm.org
This deserves it's own thread.
