Joseph Smith's Redefinition of God

Centre Place
Centre Place
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Published 2022-01-18
Just a view months before his death, Joseph Smith announced: “God Himself who sits enthroned in yonder heavens is a Man like unto one of yourselves — that is the great secret!” Fifteen years earlier, when dictating the Book of Mormon, Smith had espoused a trinitarian view of God. Likewise Smith’s earliest account of his “First Vision” of Christ fit into a kind of “Born Again” experience common to contemporary Christian revivals. The later version of the story that describes “two distinct personages,” reflects Smith’s later theological speculation, which seems to reject Western monotheism itself. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at Smith’s Nauvoo-era redefinition of God and its theological implications.

A Q&A and discussion will follow the presentation. Please send your questions on the live chat.

#lecture #cofchrist #lds
All Comments (21)
  • @AwakeAtTheWheel
    Where else can you hear this type of analysis? We are so fortunate! Thanks John and the Centre Place team!
  • @wingedlion17
    This is one of the best lectures I’ve heard on theology
  • @dbarker7794
    Smith was a fascinating fellow despite everything. Thanks for another interesting talk.
  • @peterhook2258
    I am acknowledging the influence and enlightenment of this channel by subscribing and liking the content from here on out. I am mainstream (current label) but am having a spiritual growth and simply must acknowledge the contribution of this movement and its roots (centre place). Thanks for the hard work indeed.
  • @neocount6397
    Thomas Aquinas, literally described the passive intellect behind evolution. Thanks for another great lecture, John!
  • @michaelee5897
    Thanks be to our God for teaching Joseph a God's true nature.
  • @jakubhejna6301
    It's becoming more and more difficult to find past lectures I've missed. Is cleaning up your playlists and the way they're sorted something you'll look at in the near future?
  • @StephanieSoressi
    This is all so interesting. Thank you John, for all your wonderful charts! Is there a PDF or something with all your charts in them? I have a tough time imagining how Joseph Smith came up with the becoming gods with planets thing. Wouldn't that be something? I'm glad his son rejected it though. Was there ever a science fiction depiction of what JS's theory would have looked like? I'm sad this is over -- it went by so fast!
  • @josepheridu3322
    I think even people who accept evolution at some psychological level believe. It is rare for humans to find direct evidence without some authority between to trust, scientific or not.
  • @ShobeirSheida
    I've watched many of these lectures and enjoyed every single one of them. There is one question since the very first day which I can't withhold anymore; How come such a bright, informed and open minded person ends up being a Pastor in a church?
  • @user-gm7xe8hu5t
    Yes , I think the three degrees of glory are better than eternal Helfire . Of course , it is , but I was a Mike Hockney’s student and I think really we are here to evolve ouselves . We are eternal souls , zero and infinity , we are minds . Not from a god of Flesh and bones , but souls from and inside the source . Really each one of us are a Intelligence - well , mr Smith was right about it - and we are here to incarnate and re - incarnate ( ressonation is the correct word ) until the omega point to gain the Divine nature in the omega point and re start on e again and again and again .
  • @koboldgeorge2140
    This honestly sounds a lot more like paganism than it does christianity. It's like a revival of the Caesars
  • @Nazar33
    Like L. Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith was full of it and people believe
  • @mattc1647
    "The Trinity is complicated" Which is EXACTLY why Joseph Smith was against the creeds and taught that God the father as having a body of flesh and bone, the Son also.