Paul Owen says:
March 29, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Let me clarify that I am an Anglican. I wanted to point out one misrepresentation to start with. That is, Mormons do NOT deny that Jesus is the God-man who died for our sins and rose again. They affirm all those points explicitly. And I see no reason to deny that many devoted followers of Christ can be found within the ranks of the LDS church.
Paul Owen is currently an Associate Professor of Greek and Religious Studies at Montreat College. Supposedly, he's an ex-Mormon, although comments like these always make you wonder if he ever really left that behind.
The notion of how Mormon theology (re-)defines the Incarnation is certainly intriguing. Doesn't Mormonism traditionally subscribe to apotheosis? So how would a Mormon "God" become Incarnate? Would he have to deevolve–like Counselor Troi becoming a salamander?
Likewise, since there is no qualitative distinction between God and man in Mormon theology, in what sense does a Mormon version of the Incarnation involves a hypostatic union of two natures. Isn't it variations on one nature from start to finish?
I spent slightly over a year with the Mormon congregation and can answer your questions - God the Father is considered a separate entity also with a physical body. Christ is the literal first born spirit of God and His wife and the incarnation was the occasion of his taking on a physical body (which all must do who want to reach the highest level of salvation)
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind also that Mormons consider the sweating of blood in Gethsemane the atonement and not the crucifixion or so I was told in the classes.