In my ongoing pursuit to learn what “on the ground” Mormons believe, here’s another Missionary Chat. Â This one on God the Father and his wife/wives.
Ken: Hello.
Marcel: welcome back (creepy that they know it’s me again)
Bob (me): Hi. I have a question for the two of you.
Marcel: sure
Bob: Do you, personally, believe that God the Father has multiple wives?
Ken: we are here to represent the Church’s official position-in regards to this question there is no official doctrine on the matter
Bob: I can appreciate that you represent the Church’s official position. But you have personal views on these issues, right? So, I’m wondering what your personal views are.
Ken: sure, but they are no more than speculation
Bob: Perfect! Â I love speculation!
Marcel: what interest you about that topic?
Bob: Just wondering what actual Mormons believe about this.
Marcel: Just like ken said, there is no official belief
Ken: there are varying opinions on matters that are not clear-however, we know that there is no need to focus on such matters because they are not essential knowledge at this point-it is much more important to have a testimony of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon
Bob: I can grep that. What is your opinion on this?
Marcel: I do not have an opinion on this topic
Bob: Ken?
Ken: honestly, I haven’t given it enough thought to come to a certain stance-again because its not important to know at this stage in my life
Ken: have you had the opportunity to read and pray about the Book of Mormon?
Bob: Yep.
Marcel: ok, do you believe the book of mormon to be true?
Bob: What do you mean by “true”?
Marcel: I mean true, or its from God
Bob: That’s an intriguing definition of true. The dictionary defines it as: “in accordance with fact or reality”
Marce: you know what I mean, you can define it however you want
Ken: this is a talk that our church leader has given on the matter. we invite you to take a look!
Bob: Reading it now.
Ken: He does a great job of explaining what we mean by that term-and how it applies in our understanding of physical and spiritual matters
Ken: awesome-get back to us when you’re done
Bob: According to that article, truth is, “His gospel. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Â So, was Marcel asking me if the Book of Mormon is the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Marcel: Yes
Bob. Oh. Okay. Interesting question.
Marcel: why interesting?
Bob: Well, how can anyone “know” what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is? Christ was illiterate and didn’t write down his “gospel.” And the few records we have of his supposed teachings are very contradictory as they were written decades after his death by a variety of people with different agendas. Â So, how could I know if the Book of Mormon is the gospel of Jesus Christ if I have no idea what the gospel of Jesus Christ is?
Marcel: You will know what the gospel of jesus christ is by reading the book of mormon and praying to God
Marcel: even though those men wrote after christ death, they were inspired by God to write the record
Bob: Hmmm… Marcel, your first point seems like circular logic. I’m supposed to determine if the Book of Mormon is the gospel of Jesus Christ without knowing what the gospel of Jesus Christ is by reading a book that is claiming to be the gospel of Jesus Christ. Â What evidence is there that it is the gospel of Jesus Christ? Â Did Jesus write it? Â Do you have evidence external to the book itself indicating that Jesus wrote it?
And, no response…
So, according to Ken and Marcel, D&C 131 is not official doctrine (though I’m sure apologists would claim that “the new and everlasting covenant of marriage” is just “temple marriage” and not polygamy, even though it was originally polygamy). Â The number of wives god has just doesn’t matter enough to have an opinion about it.
And according to a former airline pilot, truth is “the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Â Take that Merriam-Webster!
Looks like they’re on to you, Bob. 😉
So, in a nutshell, Mormons believe that in they afterlife they may or may not become a God, and they believe that God may or may not have multiple wives. But most importantly they believe that it is not OK to speculate about this question or to care what the answer might be.
As a bonus, members are discouraged from worrying about whether the church’s teachings are in accordance with fact or reality — as long as they’re “true.”**
** Warning: The definition of “true” may vary, depending on which definition makes the BoM qualify as “true.”
So tempting!! Why aren’t people beating down their door to sign up for that?
So I’m interested in getting on and chatting with the missionaries but I’m curious as to how they knew it was you again. Do they track you through your IP address or something?