I don't feel as if there is as much difference between us as Protestants seem to, because they're always telling me that I worship a "false God" and a "different Jesus" than they do. I would respond to that accusation like this: Most people I know who have been to Venice, Italy either love it or hate it. I've met few people who thought it was just "so-so." Those who hate it say, "It was such a crowded, ugly, stinky city, and the locals tried to rip of off every chance they got." Those who love it (me) would say, "It's a truly magical city! It's unlike anywhere else in the world, and in a good way. And the Italian people are just so warm and friendly!" Someone who has never been there might respond, "You guys are obviously talking about two entirely different cities." Well, no we're not. There is only one Venice (at least in Italy
) so we must be talking about exactly the same place, despite the fact that we have two diametrically opposed perceptions of it.
Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestantism all believe in the doctrine of the Trinity (although I believe there are some minor differences between how they understand this doctrine). Mormonism rejects that doctrine in favor of the Godhead. I'll let someone who believes in the Trinity explain it, as their understanding of it will undoubtedly be different and probably more objective than mine. Here is what we Latter-day Saints believe about the nature of God and His relationship to us:
Our first Article of Faith states: We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God (the Father) in the flesh. While we believe that God is the Father of the spirits of each and every person who has ever lived, and that we are all His spirit offspring, Jesus Christ is most definitely in a class by Himself. He was with His Father in the beginning ("the beginning" being the time covered in the Bible). Under His Father's direction, He created "worlds without number." He was chosen to be "the Lamb" prior to the foundation of this world. He sits today on the right hand of His Father. Along with the Holy Ghost, the Father and the Son make up the Godhead.
We believe that our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ have a true father-son relationship. The words, "Father" and "Son," in other words, mean exactly what they say. They are not metaphorical or symbolic of a vague metaphysical relationship, in which two beings are some how both part of a single essence. We are each the physical sons and daughters of our mortal parents. Jesus Christ is the literal, physical Son of a divine Father and a mortal Mother. He was conceived in a miraculous way, but like all sons, was in the "express image of His Father's person." That is to say, He looked like Him. Dogs beget puppies, and cats beget kittens. God beget a Son who is the same species as He is. They both have bodies of flesh and bone (although, until His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ was a spirit being only).
The Father and the Son are physically distinct from one another, and yet they are also "one." This doctrine is taught in the Book of Mormon as well as in the Bible. We just understand the word "one" to mean something other than physical substance or essence. We believe they are "one in will and purpose, one in mind and heart, and one in power and glory." It would be impossible to explain, or even to understand, the degree of their unity. It is perfect; it is absolute. They think, feel and act as "one God." Because of this perfect unity, and because they share the title of "God," we think of them together in this way. It would be impossible for us to worship one of them without also worshipping the other.
Most Christians also use the words "co-equal" and "co-eternal" to describe the relationship between the Father and the Son. We do not. We believe that, as is again the case with all fathers and sons, the Father existed prior to His Son. No son's existence precedes his father's, and Jesus Christ is no exception to this rule. We also believe Christ to be subordinate to His Father. He is divine because of His relationship with His Father. It is, however, important to understand what we mean when we use the word "subordinate." We understand that the Son holds a subordinate position in the relationship; we do not believe Him to be an inferior being. As an example, a colonel holds an inferior position to a general, but is not an inferior being. To most people's way of thinking, an amoeba, however, is an inferior being to a human.
We see Jesus Christ as our "God" but not as our "Father in Heaven." We see Him as our elder Brother. We believe that He came to earth at His Father's bidding, taught a gospel of love, compassion and forgiveness, showed us how we should treat one another, and died in an atoning sacrifice for our sins, enabling us to be forgiven of them and reconciled to the Father. Finally, He rose from the dead, making death no longer a permanent state. We believe all of us (not just Mormons, but every one who has ever lived) are part of God's family and that He will do everything possible (with the exception of coercion) to reunite us, not only with Him, but with our family members to enjoy eternal happiness and progression. I should probably add that we see ourselves as part of the same "species" as God, but with far to go before we are fully developed. On the other hand, Jesus taught us that we should "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." We don't see that as something that is going to happen in this life, but neither do we believe that Jesus would have commanded us to do something that He knew was ultimately impossible.
