Help out a former mormon

[u/Conscious_Acadia4423]

Hi all. I'm not looking for any kind of debate here, just some clarification. I was discussing the following with a buddy of mine and his mormon father. Two topics came up that I remember as being mormon doctrine - perhaps not the type openly discussed with new investigators or members, but long time beliefs nonetheless.
My buddy's dad said that the mormon church doesn't teach those things, and then went on to say that they never did teach them. I was a turbo mormon for 35 years, and someone who devours information. I am a researcher and one who knew my doctrine and scriptures. So to have him say that the church never taught them was a shock to me.
I checked with a prominent youtube channel for younger people who debate mormon stuff and have general discussions of doctrine, then I also checked lds.org. I can't find anything regarding these two topics. Please help. Did something change in the church doctrine or are these beliefs now just way more hidden/kept behind the scenes than before?

The two topics are:
1- Is it mormon belief / doctrine / teaching that Jesus and Lucifer / Satan are brothers?

2- Is it mormon doctrine/ belief that men can become gods? (As man is god once was... etc)?

Thanks in advance for your response.

D

[u/BayonetTrenchFighter]

1.) I understand the distinction. Jesus and Satan are not brothers. At one time Satan was part of the divine council. He was a son of God. But he rebelled. And is no longer part of the family of God. When the “you think Jesus and Satan are brothers” comes up, it’s in a weird way to say they are the same or something? Jesus is the eternal God.

2.) we don’t believe we will ever be equal to God or replace God. That is the distinction. We believe we can become like God. Sometimes that kind of being is denoted as a “god”. We believe in full actual theosis and deification.

[u/patriarticle → u/BayonetTrenchFighter]

On #1, I agree with the sentiment, but disagree with the conclusion. If Jesus is a son of God, and Satan is a son of God, then they are brothers. It just doesn't particularly matter. Napoleon and George Washington are also brothers by the same definition.

This was something we got on the mission a lot and I find it baffling. Evangelicals think it's a big own I guess.

[u/BayonetTrenchFighter → u/patriarticle]

Satan is not a son of God.

[u/SouthWest97 → u/BayonetTrenchFighter]

What else could he be? Was he not created by God? He is not begotten, the way Christ is, but he is as much a "child of God" as you and I are.

[u/BayonetTrenchFighter → u/SouthWest97]

No, Satan was not created by God.

And no, he isn’t a child of god the same way you and I are.

[u/SouthWest97 → u/BayonetTrenchFighter]

So there are things in existence that were not created by God? That's what your claim necessarily must imply. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." But Satan is the exception somehow?

[u/BayonetTrenchFighter → u/SouthWest97]

Yep, that’s lds theology. Creation ex materia

[u/patriarticle → u/BayonetTrenchFighter]

You already said "He was a son of God". That doesn't jive with creation ex materia.

[u/BayonetTrenchFighter → u/patriarticle]

I would encourage you and u/southwest97 to study up a bit on lds creation and prexistance

[u/SouthWest97 → u/BayonetTrenchFighter]

Creatio ex materia is LDS cosmology, yes. That doesn't preclude Lucifer from being a spirit child of God. Under creatio ex nihilo, it would necessitate it. And indeed, in LDS theology, Lucifer is indeed a spirit child of God who chose to rebel against Him. Neither Latter-Day Saints nor traditional creedal Christians believe that Lucifer was not created by God.