LDS What are the attributes of God?

Ignatius the Kiwi

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No one knows how spirit children are created or even if they are created. God is all powerful, but He will not go against His own word. That being said He has the power to make His children equal to Himself.
It doesn't take much of a leap from the emphasis given by Mormons to marriage and the fact they call this goddess 'Heavenly Mother', that she plays an essential part in the creation of life that there are certain functions that the Father doesn't seem capable of fulfilling by himself. We don't need to know the how, only the role these gods play.

Doesnt his needing a wife also indicate his lack of power and reliance upon her?
 
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Daniel Marsh

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God is divine. Is divinity an attribute?

I am not sure Peter,

Webster's 1828 Dictionary
Divine
DIVINE, adjective [Latin , a god.]

1. Pertaining to the true God; as the divine nature; divine perfections.

2. Pertaining to a heathen deity, or to false gods.

3. Partaking of the nature of God.

Half human, half divine

4. Proceeding from God; as divine judgments.

5. Godlike; heavenly; excellent in the highest degree; extraordinary; apparently above what is human. In this application the word admits of comparison; as a divine invention; a divine genius; the divinest mind.

A divine sentence is in the lips of the king. Proverbs 16:10.

6. Presageful; foreboding; prescient. [Not used.]

7. Appropriated to God, or celebrating his praise; as divine service; divine songs; divine worship.

DIVINE, noun

1. A minister of the gospel; a priest; a clergyman.

The first divines of New England were surpassed by none in extensive erudition, personal sanctity, and diligence in the pastoral office.

2. A man skilled in divinity; a theologian; as a great divine

DIVINE, verb transitive [Latin]

1. To foreknow; to foretell; to presage.

Darst thou divine his downfall?

2. To deify. [Not in use.]

DIVINE, verb intransitive

1. To use or practice divination.

2. To utter presages or prognostications.

The prophets thereof divine for money. Micah 3:6.

3. To have presages or forebodings.

Suggest but truth to my divining thoughts--

4. To guess or conjecture.

Could you divine what lovers bear.

The attributes of God are set forth in order by Moses in Exodus 34:6, 7. (see also Deuteronomy 6:4; 10:17; Numbers 16:22; Exodus 15:11; 33:19; Isaiah 44:6; Habakkuk 3:6; Psalms 102:26; Job 34:12.) They are also systematically classified in Revelation 5:12 and 7:12.

God's attributes are spoken of by some as absolute, i.e., such as belong to his essence as Jehovah, Jah, etc.; and relative, i.e., such as are ascribed to him with relation to his creatures. Others distinguish them into communicable, i.e., those which can be imparted in degree to his creatures: goodness, holiness, wisdom, etc.; and incommunicable, which cannot be so imparted: independence, immutability, immensity, and eternity. They are by some also divided into natural attributes, eternity, immensity, etc.; and moral, holiness, goodness, etc.

Eternity of

General references
Genesis 21:33; Romans 16:26; Exodus 3:15; Deuteronomy 32:40; Deuteronomy 33:27; 1 Chronicles 16:36; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Nehemiah 9:5; Job 36:26; Psalms 9:7; Psalms 33:11; Psalms 41:13; Psalms 55:19; Psalms 68:33; Psalms 90:1-2; Psalms 90:4; Psalms 92:8; Psalms 93:2; Micah 5:2; Psalms 102:12; Psalms 102:24-27; Psalms 104:31; Psalms 111:3; Psalms 135:13; Psalms 145:13; Psalms 146:10; Exodus 15:18; Proverbs 8:23-25; Isaiah 26:4; Isaiah 40:28; Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 43:13; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 46:4; Isaiah 48:12; Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 63:16; Jeremiah 10:10; Jeremiah 17:12; Lamentations 5:19; Daniel 4:34; Daniel 4:3; Habakkuk 1:12; Habakkuk 3:6; Romans 1:20; Ephesians 3:21; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:15-16; Hebrews 1:8; Hebrews 9:14; 2 Peter 3:8; 1 John 2:13; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 4:8-10; Revelation 1:4; Revelation 5:14; Revelation 11:17; Revelation 15:7; Revelation 10:6; Revelation 16:5
God, Self-existent
King James Bible Dictionary - Reference List - God
 
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Daniel Marsh

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Well, no one doubts that. I simply question whether or not his love extends to the wider circle of humanity above and to the side of him. Does he love his brother and sister just as much as he loves us? Does he love his father? Does he love his grandfather? Does he love his great grandfather? It goes on for infinity. I don't see any reason to suppose Heavenly Father is capable of loving an infinite amount of people or gods besides him. This makes his love limited, no? Presumably he cannot love the children of other gods as much as he loves his own.

where did the first god come from?
 
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Daniel Marsh

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God is divine. Is divinity an attribute?
Divinity
DIVINITY, noun [Latin]

1. The state of being divine; Deity; Godhead; the nature or essence of God. Christians ascribe divinity to one Supreme Being only.

2. God; the Deity; the Supreme Being.

Tis the divinity that stirs within us.

3. A false God; a pretended deity of pagans.

Beastly divinities, and droves of gods.

4. A celestial being, inferior to the Supreme God, but superior to man. Many nations believe in these inferior divinities.

5. Something supernatural.

They say there is divinity in odd numbers.

6. The science of divine things; the science which unfolds the character of God, his laws and moral government, the duties of man, and the way of salvation; theology; as the study of divinity; a system of divinity

King James Bible Dictionary - Reference List - Divinity
 
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Daniel Marsh

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Members of the Church of Jesus Christ do not concern ourselves with other gods as much as you do. Our God is for us alone and we are for Him alone. His loves His children with a Godly love. Any conjecture beyond that is foolish on our parts. We do not know what his association is with other Gods. It is unimportant to us.

What happens if one of the Gods who came before the god of this world decides to destroy the god of this world?
 
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Daniel Marsh

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I know you don't care about and love the other gods. I only bring them up to suggest that heavenly Father's love does not seem to extend to all of them. Thus we see heavenly Father's love is limited and not all encompassing.

This is a conversation about the attributes of the mormon God and I suppose gods as a whole. What I am finding is that the Father is very powerful, but he is constrained by his own nature and the laws of the universe. If you disagree, tell me why I am wrong.


Please, explain "he is constrained by his own nature and the laws of the universe. "

Thanks,
Daniel
 
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Daniel Marsh

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Actually he didn't create everything. He was presumably the product of a heavenly father himself and two humans who created him. If he was anything like a normal person before he was a God, he probably hated some people who slighted him and at the very least wouldn't have been capable of loving his Father as much as his Father loved him. But Mormons cannot even confirm if Heavenly Father loves the other gods. Maybe he is even in competition with them.

Thus there appears to be a limit in Heavenly Father's capacity for love. At least when we think about the wider context he exists in. I agree he is extremely loving toward us, but that seems to be the limit of his love. His immediate family and those who are under him.

Monolatry (Greek: μόνος [monos] = single, and λατρεία [latreia] = worship) is belief in the existence of many gods but with the consistent worship of only one deity.[1] The term "monolatry" was perhaps first used by Julius Wellhausen.[2]

Monolatry is distinguished from monotheism, which asserts the existence of only one god, and henotheism, a religious system in which the believer worships one god without denying that others may worship different gods with equal validity.[3]
Monolatry - Wikipedia


"Theists and non-theists alike have generally taken absolute perfection to be a necessary condition for worship-worthiness. Unless the object is absolutely perfect, it is often put, the kinds of attitudes or actions constitutive of worship are unwarranted. In this thesis, I offer an account of worship-worthiness that does not take for granted that to be worshipworthy is to be absolutely perfect. More specifically, I advance the claim that to be absolutely perfect is to be supremely worship-worthy and that supreme worshipworthiness holds a unique position in this respect. For instance, I argue that to be absolutely perfect and thus supremely worship-worthy is to be necessarily worshipworthy and uniquely worthy of an undivided worship." https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1185&context=etd
 
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Daniel Marsh

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God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. “Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).
Spirit Children of Heavenly Parents
 
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Peter1000

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I know you don't care about and love the other gods. I only bring them up to suggest that heavenly Father's love does not seem to extend to all of them. Thus we see heavenly Father's love is limited and not all encompassing.

This is a conversation about the attributes of the mormon God and I suppose gods as a whole. What I am finding is that the Father is very powerful, but he is constrained by his own nature and the laws of the universe. If you disagree, tell me why I am wrong.
Although we do not know God's association with other gods, i cannot imagine that his love would not extend to all living beings wherever they are in the Universe.

IOW I see no limitations and only an all encompassing love from Heavenly Father. How else could it be?
 
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Jamesone5

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I believe He LOVES the animals, birds, fishes, insects, and plants, after all He created them. Of course you are right that He did not create everything as He did not create Himself. Some things have always existed. I don't have enough information to know if there is any hate towards anyone in God or not. There is this scripture:
(Old Testament | Deuteronomy 16:22)

22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

But an image is inanimate.

Of course you are right that He did not create everything as He did not create Himself.---HITW

Why would God need to create Himself as His creation is Finite [seeable]?

God has to follow our laws of creation in order to supposedly create Himself?

After all, Christ says this:

John 4:24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
 
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Peter1000

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Well your God is a jealous God. He will not allow his creation to worship their Heavenly mother, Grandfather or any other famial god that exists. I suppose we have to wonder if Heavenly Father is bound to love his Father, in which case, the love he exhibits towards us could not surpass the love he owes to his own Father. Perhaps like Mormons today he doesn't love his Mother as much as he loves his Father.

In all these cases we see limits, naturally imposed on the love of the Mormon God.

I do want to ask you, do agree with my assessment about the power of the Mormon God? That he is extremely powerful, but not all powerful? By virtue of his limits and necessary reliance on relations with a goddess to conceive spirit children?
You make wild accusations and make statements that you know nothing of, and then have the gaul to say: In all these cases we see limits, naturally imposed on the love of the Mormon God. You may see limits, we do not.

So in answer to your goading question, NO, I do not agree with your assessment about the love or power of the Mormon God. You have no way of assessing such things. Way beyond our intelligence.

Let me ask you a secular atheist question. Is God so powerful that he could create a rock that He was not powerful enough to lift?
 
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Daniel Marsh

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You make wild accusations and make statements that you know nothing of, and then have the gaul to say: In all these cases we see limits, naturally imposed on the love of the Mormon God. You may see limits, we do not.

So in answer to your goading question, NO, I do not agree with your assessment about the love or power of the Mormon God. You have no way of assessing such things. Way beyond our intelligence.

Let me ask you a secular atheist question. Is God so powerful that he could create a rock that He was not powerful enough to lift?

Yes, Col 1 the one we call Jesus created all things and as a man there were rocks he could not lift.
 
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He is the way

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It doesn't take much of a leap from the emphasis given by Mormons to marriage and the fact they call this goddess 'Heavenly Mother', that she plays an essential part in the creation of life that there are certain functions that the Father doesn't seem capable of fulfilling by himself. We don't need to know the how, only the role these gods play.

Doesnt his needing a wife also indicate his lack of power and reliance upon her?
You are drawing conclusions without any doctrinal basis. God has not revealed much information about spirit children, only that He is the Father of spirits.
 
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He is the way

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Of course you are right that He did not create everything as He did not create Himself.---HITW

Why would God need to create Himself as His creation is Finite [seeable]?

God has to follow our laws of creation in order to supposedly create Himself?

After all, Christ says this:

John 4:24
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
God the Father is eternal and so is Jesus Christ. They are not created as are we. It is an eternal existence.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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God the Father is eternal and so is Jesus Christ. They are not created as are we. It is an eternal existence.

Moroni 8:18
For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being;
but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.

Was the LDS God a man at some point?
 
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He is the way

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I thought it would be appropriate to post this:

(Topical Guide | G God, Attributes of:Entry - God, Body of—Corporeal Nature:Entry)

God, Attributes of (see God, Body of; God, Eternal Nature of; God, Foreknowledge of; God, Glory of; God, Indignation of; God, Intelligence of; God, Justice of; God, Love of; God, Mercy of; God, Omniscience of; God, Perfection of; God, Power of; God, Wisdom of)

God, Body of—Corporeal Nature (see also Man, A Spirit Child of Heavenly Father; Man, Physical Creation of)
Gen. 1:27 (Moses 2:27) God created man in his own image
Gen. 5:1 God created man, in the likeness of God made he him
Gen. 9:6 in the image of God made he man
Gen. 18:33 Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing
Gen. 32:30 I have seen God face to face
Ex. 24:10 they saw the God of Israel, there was under his feet
Ex. 31:18 (Deut. 9:10) written with the finger of God
Ex. 33:11 Lord spake unto Moses face to face
Ex. 33:23 thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen
Num. 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth
Matt. 3:17 a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son
Matt. 4:4 every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God
Matt. 17:5 a voice out of the cloud
Luke 24:39 for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have
John 14:9 he that hath seen me hath seen the Father
Acts 7:56 the Son of man standing on the right hand of God
Rom. 8:29 predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son
2 Cor. 4:4 Christ, who is the image of God
Philip. 2:6 who, being in the form of God
Philip. 3:21 our vile body ... fashioned like unto his glorious body
Col. 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God
Heb. 1:3 the express image of his person
James 3:9 men which are made after the similitude of God
1 Jn. 3:2 when he shall appear, we shall be like him
Rev. 22:4 they shall see his face
Mosiah 7:27 (Ether 3:15) image after which man was created
D&C 20:18 he created man, male and female, after his own image
D&C 110:3 his eyes were as a flame of fire
D&C 130:1 Savior shall appear ... see that he is a man like ourselves
D&C 130:22 Father has a body of flesh and bones; Moses 1:16 thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten
D&C 6:9 In the image of his own body ... created he them
Abr. 3:11 Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face
Abr. 4:27 Gods went down to organize man in their own image
See also Gen. 33:10; Deut. 4:28; Acts 17:29; Col. 3:10.
 
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Peter1000

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where did the first god come from?
That is the 60 million dollar question. And as interesting as it is, it is simply unknown. Like lots of things that are unknown about God. We will have to wait to learn all there is.
 
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Peter1000

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Yes, Col 1 the one we call Jesus created all things and as a man there were rocks he could not lift.
Good answer but I should have designated the God I was talking about. It is God the Father.

So here it is again: Is God the Father so powerful that he could create a rock that He was not powerful enough to lift?
 
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