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Guide Home > Doctrinal Issues > Deity > God, the Father
Additional TopicsThe following are additional topic areas related to God, the Father. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.
FAIR ResourcesThese links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper. Darryl L. Barksdale, "Cherry-Picking in Orchard of God's Word: John 4:24," (2000 FAIR Conference presentation.) An examination of the claim that God is a "spirit." Barry R. Bickmore, "Does God Have a Body In Human Form?," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, 3 July 2001) The LDS believe that God has a body, as tangible as man's. This FAIR Paper describes the basis for such a belief. Roger D. Cook, "Joshua the High Priest and the Council of the Gods in the Book of Zechariah: A Post-exilic Jew in King Yahweh's Court," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) This paper takes a look at the ancient belief in a council of gods. Steven J. Danderson, "God the Father," Mormonism 201 (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR) Steven reviews McKeever and Johnson's anti-Mormon charges against the LDS doctrine of God. Brant A. Gardner, "Monotheism, Messiah, and Mormon's Book," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, February 2005) Gardner's presentation at the 2003 FAIR Conference is now available on the FAIR website. In his paper, Gardner traces the development of monotheism in Israelite theology during Old Testament times, with a focus on the relationship between Elohim (father), Yahweh (son and father), and the nation of Israel (sons). Gardner points to theological developments and conflicts occurring at the time of Lehi and notes that the Book of Mormon fits well into this cultural and religious environment. Gardner concludes that "when we approach the Book of Mormon text from the viewpoint of the historical context that it declares to be its origin, we find an absolutely consistent theology of God." Blake T. Ostler, Necessarily God is not Analytically Necessary: A Response to Steven Parish. David L. Paulsen, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph Smith: Defending the Faith.," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, August 2004) David L. Paulsen looks at the LDS view of diety relative to other Christian faiths and in light of some early Christian statements on the issue. (2004 FAIR Conference presentation.) Encyclopedia of MormonismThe resources listed below are articles available in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site. John Cobb and Truman Madsen, "Theodicy," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 1473-1474 Stephen E. Robinson, Glade L. Burgon and Rodney Turner; "God the Father," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 548-552 Ensign ArticlesThese articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site. Roy W. Doxey, "Some passages in the Book of Mormon seem to indicate that there is only one God and that he is a spirit only. How can we explain this?," Ensign, August 1985. Gerald N. Lund, "Is President Lorenzo Snow's oft-repeated statement 'As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be' accepted as official doctrine by the Church?," Ensign, February 1982. David H. Madsen, "No Other Gods before Me," Ensign, January 1990, 48. Why was idol worship so dangerous to Israel? Is it a concern for us today? William O. Nelson, "Is the LDS View of God Consistent with the Bible?," Ensign, July, 1987, 56. Melvin J. Petersen, "Does D&C 84:19-22 indicate that a person has to have the Melchizedek Priesthood in order to see God? Joseph Smith didn't have the priesthood at the time of the First Vision.," Ensign, December 1985. Sydney S. Reynolds, "A God of Miracles," Ensign, May 2001. Keith L. Sellers and Victor G. Forsnes, "Why did Isaiah write that the Lord said 'Beside me there is no God' and 'There is none beside me' (Isa. 44:6; Isa. 45:21) when there are three personages in the Godhead?," Ensign, December 1989, 52. Joseph Smith Jr., "The King Follett Sermon," Ensign, April 1971, 13-14. S. Michael Wilcox, "No Other Gods before Me," Ensign, January 1994, 22. There is no other god like our Father. In truly worshipping him, we will strive to be worthy of all that we are and can become. Other ResourcesThe resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site. What do Latter-day Saints Mean When They Say That God Was Once a Man?. James R. Harris, "Eternal Progression and the Foreknowledge of God," BYU Studies (1967) Emphatic statements have been made by Church authorities regarding the nature of eternal progression. For example, Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie have stated: “It should be realized that God is not progressing in knowledge, truth, virtue, wisdom, or any of the attributes of godliness. He has already gained these in their fulness.” Other statements have been made by other Church leaders that appear to confirm and also to conflict with the statement quoted above. Both conflicting and confirming statements have often come from the same persons. A few examples are quoted in parallel columns below. Some statements represent God as progressing in knowledge and glory. Some statements indicate that God possesses all knowledge. Jeff Lindsay, "Questions about Relationships (Between Man, Christ, God, and so forth)," LDS FAQ Are God and Christ the same? Can humans become gods? Was Satan a brother to Christ? Do Mormons worship Adam? Jeff Lindsay, "Questions about the Unity of God: LDS Doctrine and the Trinity," LDS FAQ This article talks about many issues related to the oneness of God. It includes answers to such issues as: doesn't the Bible says that there is only one God, don't Mormons belive in many God's, aren't you following Arius, isn't God invisible, and isn't God incomprehensible? W. John Walsh, Was God Once a Sinner?. According to Lorenzo Snow's couplet, God was once as man is. Does that mean that God was once a sinner?
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