Ye Are Gods

2000-1-29 10:01:00

I thought I would make a few comments on Sterling's post. It would take a book to respond with completeness, but for now this will have to do. I have sent him a treatise I have written explaining my views on Christ and God. Hopefully this will answer some of his questions and concerns as he reads through it and this post.

First, I think he is making a good move in creating a new list for those who have scripture as their main base, yet are searching for the next step. As we can see from our exchange here, communication between those with New Age background and fundamentalist background are difficult, and sometimes creates friction and confusion. As a matter of fact, I have been thinking in this direction the past few days. Perhaps Sterling's move is a manifestation of the Oneness Principle.

In many cases the philosophy between Mormonism and New Age is not that far apart. The difference is largely in the background, and how terms are defined.
One real difference is that New Agers are willing to consider most any teaching, whereas the Fundamentalist Christian generally will only explore teachings that are in harmony with his interpretation of scripture. Alas, if he then misinterprets scripture, then he may wind up rejecting the truth merely because he refuses to explore and consider new thoughts and doctrines.

One of the main things that seems to be bothering Sterling is the New Age view of God to which many on the list adhere. For us to understand his concern we must first understand the Mormon view of man becoming God.

In a nutshell Mormons believe that we all evolved from a primeval state called "intelligence", through some type of Spirit existence, where we were nurtured by God, and finally we wind up here on earth in mortal bodies. The next step is to obtain immortality and move onward to become like the Father (and many believe Mother) God who has nurtured us through existence.

They quote Joseph Smith as saying: "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man...That is the great secret...God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ did." Another Mormon authority said: "As man is, God once was and as God is, man may become." They thus believe that God sits enthroned somewhere in a physical body, in one location, and is not omnipresent. They see His influence as being everywhere, but not his actual presence because of confinement in a physical body.

They also see the Holy Ghost as being in a human form, but having a spirit body. Even though he is in one body the church has never attempted to explain how millions of people can receive him at the same instant. This is nebulously explained as receiving his influence also.

When the scriptures teach of the oneness of God, the Mormons see this as many Gods who are one in purpose. Thus when the Mormons hear New Agers and others speak of a universal God who is omnipresent, they feel we do not understand the hierarchy of Gods.

When the scriptures speak of being one with God, they do not see this as a oneness as in one life. Instead they see being one with God as agreeing with the purpose of God and thinking as He thinks - a little like two business people who agree on the business plan.

Thus when a Mormon reads about any metaphysical concept of God, they believe that we do not have the "modern revelation" that they have and we have a misconstrued belief. May I present to you the idea that it is the Mormons who are missing revelatory details and not the students of metaphysics?

If we take the pure teachings of Joseph Smith on the concept, they are in complete harmony with metaphysical teachings. Basically enlightened (not all new agers are enlightened) new agers embrace the teachings of Joseph Smith. Here is where the two philosophies are the same.

"The essence of man never had a beginning and has evolved from a primeval state through spiritual spheres and finally into human physical form.

"There is a being of very high estate who is as a God over this planet and this great being is nurturing us to become as he is. What this being is, is what we will be in the far future. This being, however, is not the highest God. He once dwelt upon an earth like this as a mortal and had a God over him. This God (the one over our God) is now even higher than the Ancient of Days who now presides as Father God over this earth. Thus the God over this planet has a god over him who has a god over him who has a god over him and so on up the line."

Now the interesting thing is that the above statement could be presented as either a Mormon belief or a typical metaphysical belief. The only difference is that sometimes new agers use a little different vocabulary. Sometimes they use "Master" instead of the word God in this context.

Whereas the Mormons think the New agers are lacking a piece to the puzzle, the truth is the other way around, for metaphysical students already embrace the Mormon piece, but add additional pieces.

What are these additional pieces?

(1) Whereas the Mormons believe that all the Gods (Masters) are confined to physical bodies (even though no revelation states this), new age revelation teaches that the Masters have overcome death and have power to manifest in the physical, but the higher Gods (Masters) only use the physical body, or form, to manifest in the lower worlds. There are higher worlds where a physical body is not needed and this vehicle becomes temporarily unmanifested to enter these formless worlds

There are three worlds of form where we manifest in a body of form. These are the physical (the Mormon telestial), the astral (terrestrial) and the worlds of mental matter (celestial).

Now the New Age (sometimes called the Ancient Wisdom) teaches that there are worlds above the celestial. The interesting thing is that even though most Mormons believe the Celestial is the highest, the Mormon scriptures themselves teach the same thing as the Ancient Wisdom and states that there is a "higher order of kingdoms" than the celestial. This higher order of kingdoms is revealed more explicitly in the teachings of Alice A. Bailey.

(2) The Gods (Masters) are indeed one in purpose as the Mormons teach, but the oneness goes beyond that. They are also part of the One life that pervades the universe. When the God consciousness is reached, then a person becomes a Master of the physical world of causes, and obtains awareness that he is merely a cell in a greater body which is the One True God. All of us are a part of the body of God, but we do not realize it.

When we do obtain this "higher consciousness", we consciously become aware of other cells in the body, and to a small extent, the evolving body of God as a whole. If one were of such consciousness that he could be aware of the whole body of God, he would have to leave the physical body far behind. This is also verified by Joseph Smith: "Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth." (Moses 1:5)

Such a consciousness would be so high that one would have to leave behind the idea of manifesting in physical form again on not only this earth, but any earth. The only way for such a master to manifest again would be to lose his memory and identity of his high consciousness.

(3) The thing that really bothers Mormons about the New Age view of God, as well as most standard Christians, is the belief that we are gods right now; whereas Mormons believe we are becoming Gods. Let us again substitute the word "Master" for God and then we will see that both camps believe that we are becoming Masters (Gods) and eventually we will become like the Master (Father God) that presides over this planet.

When a metaphysical student says he is God, or one with God, Mormons have to realize that this is a totally different doctrine than the Mormon concept of Man becoming God, but completely in harmony with it.

The metaphysical concept is actually more in harmony with the teachings of Joseph Smith than the Mormons are. He said over and over that if a thing has a beginning it must, as God lives, have an end; and if something did not have a beginning then it will have no end. There is no such thing as a beginning without an end. (See History of the Church Vol. 6; pg 311) Therefore according to Joseph Smith "as God lives" if there is a beginning to being a God there will be an end. I know of no Mormon who teaches this, but to not do so is to disagree with their founder.

The only way we can be gods forever is if we have already been gods forever. As a cell in the body of the Eternal God, we recognize this is true when we realize we are a reflection (in the image) of God; and have always existed as co-equal with the one God. This is in harmony with another statement of Joseph's, which most Mormons ignore or believe he misspoke: "The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is co-equal with God himself. I know my testimony is true." (History of the Church Vol. 6; pg 310)

If our intelligence is then "co-equal" with God, this doctrine is in harmony with the ancient wisdom which teaches that man is "co-equal" with God and as such has always been God. We are just Gods who do not realize who we really are. This agrees with both the old and new testament. First David said: "Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." (Psalms 82:6)

Finally, arrogant young Jesus angered the Jews by teaching the oneness of God and man. As they tried to stone him he asked them what he had done wrong. They answered: "For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?" (John 10:33-36)

The angry Jews immediately saw here that the doctrine that man and God are one means that man is God. They called this blasphemous just as many religious people today still do. Jesus, however, courageously rebuked them and reminded them that men were called Gods in the Old Testament scriptures and the scripture "cannot be broken". This kind of talk only infuriated the Jews more, and Jesus had to escape for his life from the midst of their anger.

Notice the scripture says: "Ye are Gods," not "ye shall become Gods."

Jesus realized that we are indeed created in the image of God and as such are already like our creator, which creator of our original intelligence is the One God beyond time and Space, and as reflections, we have within us all the attributes of the original one God, even though this is unrealized by normal human consciousness.

Perhaps, if Jesus were here with us now, he would say again: "ye are Gods," but add: "and ye are becoming Masters by knowing God which is knowing yourself."