Joseph Smith's Changing Teachings

Joseph Smith developed his doctrine over a period of many years to come up with a teaching and belief that not only are there many gods, but that they were once mortal men who advanced in their righteousness until they had learned enough to merit godhood. The Mormon Church calls this “eternal progression” and names godhood “exaltation”. When he revealed this doctrine, he had to back-track from what he had taught before. In the Book of Mormon (1830) he wrote, “I know that God is not a partial God, neither is he a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.” (Moroni 8:18). In Mormon 9:9-10 he had written, “For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? And now if you have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is a shadow of changing, then you have imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.”

But in 1844 Joseph Smith said, “I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will take away the veil, so that you may see.” (Joseph Smith’s King Follett Discourse.)

We need to remember that the Mormon Church maintains that the Book of Mormon is true and that God is unchangeable, at the same time also believing that their God was once a man as Joseph Smith later taught. Both doctrines, namely that God is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity (Moroni 8:18) – and that he was once a mere mortal man, are to be accepted by faithful LDS. It is foolishness to put ourtrust in a man, and be lost for all eternity! (See Jer:17:5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
See All...; Ps:118:8It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
See All....)

Our job is to show them that there is a huge problem with this and then offer them a biblical answer – God indeed is God from everlasting to everlasting (Ps:90:2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
See All...) and that he does not have Gods before him, nor will men become Gods after him. (Isaiah:43:10Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
See All...; 44:6, 8.) They cannot pick both doctrines, unless they admit they use “doublethink”. If a Mormon admits that one or the other doctrine is incorrect, i.e. both cannot be correct, he then must admit that Joseph Smith was a false prophet. The LDS Church is more and more resorting to counseling doubting Mormons that the facts are not important, or that doctrine does not matter, only their “testimonies” (feelings about the church) matter. But our hearts and feelings are changeable and even deceitful as Jeremiah cautioned, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jer:17:9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
See All....) The Bible commands us to study and test and prove all things. (2 Tim:2:15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
See All...; 1 John:4:1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
See All...; 1 Thess. 5:21.) Facts do matter!

(H.I.S. Ministries July 2011 Newsletter, covering June 2011, July 1, 2011).