The most confusing part of this doctrine for most of the Christian world, comes as Jesus repeatedly tells us that He and His Father are “one.” What does that mean? To the Christian world at-large, it means they are the same being, able to break the laws of physics and occupy different areas of space simultaneously, in different states of matter (spirit (gas?) and solid (mortal body)). The Bible does not agree with this concept and it is easy to understand what Jesus was really talking about by an examination of a few scriptures. This is only a sampling. There are many that could be used.

Jesus denied being the Father

Matthew 20
23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Mark 10
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Luke 10
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

John 5
19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 14
28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

Even as a resurrected, glorified being, Jesus told Mary that he was not God or the Father. He worshiped the Father just as He instructed us to do.

John 20
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Paul the apostle wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:28, clearly identifying that the Son would be subject to the Father. A person cannot be subject to himself…

28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Paul also wrote to the Philippians that Christ was not God.

Philip. 2:5-6

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Manifestations that members of the Godhead are separate beings

Matthew 3
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 16
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them [Peter, James, John, and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration]: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Acts 7
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

But Jesus said, “I and my Father are one”?

One charge from those who believe in the Trinity concept is that Jesus told Philip the following, indicating that he was the Father.

John 14
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Paul specifically addresses this by pointing out that the Father and the Son are in the express image of each other. They look alike, just as Adam and Seth his son looked alike (Genesis 5:3).

Hebrews 1:3
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Another charge is that Jesus said He and His Father were one.

John 10:29-30
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and my Father are one.

This is easily understood by Jesus’ prayer for his disciples and those they would teach, that they might see eye-to-eye, have a common purpose and vision, and ultimately function as a whole.

John 17:20-23
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Which is the more Biblically sound concept? That God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings with a common purpose? Or that these three beings are actually the same being? Clearly, the Bible teaches that they are separate beings, united in purpose, with a desire for us to be united with them. Not to become some amalgamation of metaphysical substance, but to have the same desires to serve and love our fellow man. This was the reason Jesus came down to show us by his life what the Father would do if he were here. We have to be like the Father to go where he is. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life to lead us back home.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a modern day apostle, explains further here:

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http://byutv.byu.edu/Show/123d4a82-3d47-488e-beda-2496a5a1ff2c
http://byutv.org/watch/e24ba932-19b9-4d6a-97da-60a9e4d99c26

Here’s a link to more about the production.
http://lds.org/church/events/documentary-on-making-of-king-james-bible-to-air?lang=eng

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As a young man growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, I was fascinated by space and thoughts of “what’s really out there?” I became a fan of the Star Trek series (and others that followed such as my favorite–Babylon 5) imagining what it would be like “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” I wondered what was really out there. What would it be like to find another populated world and communicate with the inhabitants? Would they look like us or totally different? Is there any limit to God’s creations?

In the Bible we read “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) What does that mean? The earth itself is a vast world with so much to explore. We still find new species of animals we haven’t been aware of, and yet we are just a tiny speck in the universe.

In the LDS faith, we use the Bible and other records of scripture that also record God’s dealings with his children on earth. There are a few passages which illustrate the vastness of space and God’s creations. I will share two of the most related to this topic. In these verses from the book of Moses, God tells Moses that we’re not the only children God has created and put upon an earth. In fact, he’s had a lot of experience doing what he’s doing.

Moses 1
33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
…
35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.
36 And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.
37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.
38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Ever wondered where God came from and what his purpose in existence is? God’s purpose in the eternities is to create life on worlds and then raise it up into the eternities.

The second passage which is a greater illustration of this point comes later in the Book of Moses when God is speaking to another prophet by the name of Enoch. Enoch’s experience differed from Moses’ in that he seems to have been shown the vastness of the heavens and recorded his experience in this manner.

Moses 7
30 And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;

These are my 2 favorite videos (so far) that illustrate this.

First on our size in the universe. (http://www.youtube.com/v/HEheh1BH34Q)

Then into the darkness of space (the 20 seconds of annoyance does end :)). Literally, imagine what happens if you look at what appears to be a speck of blackness in space where normal telescopes can’t see anything. Imagine holding a grain of sand at arms length and then blowing it up to poster size and how many grains of sand you could fill around you 360 degrees in all directions. Then watch this. (http://www.youtube.com/v/mcBV-cXVWFw)

The Mormon belief in aliens

So do Mormons believe in aliens really depends on your definition of what constitutes an alien. Little green men? E.T.? We don’t know what all God has created, but we do know and believe that we are not the only creations God has out there in the universe. Joseph Smith, a latter-day prophet, recorded these words in another book we consider scripture, clearly showing our belief that God’s children are throughout the universe.

Doctrine & Covenants 76
22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
24 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

God loves all his children and out of the vastness of his creations, we are remembered and loved individually.

Want to learn more than what Mormon’s believe about aliens?

To learn more about the LDS faith and scriptures, click here for a free copy of the Book of Mormon to be sent to you.

Related Articles:
What does the Book of Mormon teach about Jesus Christ?

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For the unfamiliar reader, the First Vision was the experience Joseph had during his time of religious confusion (you may read Joseph’s account here). There was a time when many religions were vying for converts and it created much confusion to young Joseph. He came across the scripture in James 1:5 which reads, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Joseph was moved upon by this scripture and decided to take God up on his promise. He went into the woods near his home and while he prayed to inquire of God which of all the churches he should join, God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph in a vision and instructed him that he should join none of the churches of that day saying “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” Joseph was told he would do a great work on the earth to restore the true gospel of Jesus Christ in it’s purity. He was called to be God’s chosen prophet on earth just as Moses and other ancient prophets had been called and spoke with God “face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exo. 33:11).

Just weeks before Joseph’s death, the well respected Josiah Quincy traveled from Boston to pay him a visit in Nauvoo, IL. Of that trip, Mr. Quincy wrote this:

“It is by no means improbable that some future textbook, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious commonplace to their descendants. History deals in surprises and paradoxes quite as startling as this. The man who established a religion in this age of free debate, who was and is today accepted by hundreds of thousands as a direct emissary from the Most High,–such a rare human being is not to be disposed of by pelting his memory with unsavory epithets.”

In Joseph’s last days before the martyrdom, he evidently had this dream which I had never heard of till I saw this touching video someone produced. Joseph Smith was an amazing man, called of God to serve as his mouthpiece on earth. He sealed his testimony with his blood, living true to the end in that faith that God revealed to him.

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