Are Jesus and Satan Brothers?

Is the Pope and Hitler brothers?  Yes and no.  Yes, spiritually.  No, with respect to their mortal parents.  And they’ve followed completely different paths.

The answer to the title above is similar.  It’s not a simple answer.  Let’s look at the context of the Latter-day Saint view of creation and divine councils.

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From the 1986 Ensign:  I Have A Question:

 

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FAIR Mormon has a lengthy explanation here.   Key paragraphs below from an early Church father in which it’s clear God first made his first and greatest Son, then he later made what became the devil.

The early Ante-Nicene Church father Lactantius wrote:

“Since God was possessed of the greatest foresight for planning, and of the greatest skill for carrying out in action, before He commenced this business of the world,–inasmuch as there was in Him, and always is, the fountain of full and most complete goodness,–in order that goodness might spring as a stream from Him, and might flow forth afar, He produced a Spirit like to Himself, who might be endowed with the perfections of God the Father…
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Then He made another being, in whom the disposition of the divine origin did not remain. Therefore he was infected with his own envy as with poison, and passed from good to evil; and at his own will, which had been given to him by God unfettered, he acquired for himself a contrary name. From which it appears that the source of all evils is envy. For he envied his predecessor, who through his steadfastness is acceptable and dear to God the Father.
 
This being, who from good became evil by his own act, is called by the Greeks diabolus: we call him accuser, because he reports to God the faults to which he himself entices us.
 
God, therefore, when He began the fabric of the world, set over the whole work that first and greatest Son, and used Him at the same time as a counselor and artificer, in planning, arranging, and accomplishing, since He is complete both in knowledge, and judgment, and power…”

We believe in a pre-existence. It’s biblical and also in our restored scriptures. Non-Mormons don’t see this notion of life before mortality — and so many other principles — the way we do. No big surprise.

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We can lovingly agree to disagree with our traditional Christian friends. And traditional Christians, even those very critical of us, should respect our different opinion, though they may disagree.

If they’re hostile and nasty about the differences on a particular religious topic, that is poor social manners on their part. And a poor reflection on them. We should respect others and deserve respect in return.

Some have claimed that Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers. But in what context do they mean? Find out what Mormons really believe regarding the divinity of Jesus and the darkness of Satan.

From LDS scholar, Robert Boylan’s blog:

The “Mormon Jesus” being a “Spirit Brother” of Satan–what the Bible really says

 

The Backyard Professor has some interesting insights:

We wish we had more, lots more in the Bible. And one can — and creedal or traditional Christians do — interpret a range of scriptures to mean literally anything they wish. Consider all the 10s of 1000s of Christian churches. How’d they get there? Unique interpretations.

The Council in Heaven, pre-existence, and other related topics are lightly mentioned in the OT. But enough is there to support LDS positions.

Our Pearl of GP, in contrast, is very rich on this subject of councils, pre-earth life, Lucifer, etc. The PGP points out that we were all a part of the Divine Council. Lucifer was a brother to us all, Jehovah was chosen, noble and great ones were leaders long ago, etc.

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Other Christians don’t see things like we do. They shouldn’t, according to their paradigm or limited view. We’re lucky to have more material that is harmonious with the Bible.

The OT points out that multiple gods were also present at this council in heaven — something else that many traditional Christians wildly misinterpret. Certain non-LDS scholars, though, do understand this issue of the most high God (Heavenly Father) and other dieties.

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They’d refer to these other deities as angels or something else. They don’t own what we feel is the true interpretation: a separate deity (God’s son, Jehovah) is completely unique from God (Heavenly Father), and other sons of God. We, fortunately, have modern prophets and much more insight.

If we didn’t have a restoration we’d believe in a mysterious Trinity like everyone else.

Gods and Councils: El (the Father), Jehovah or Yahweh or YHWH (Son), & additional deities

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Brant Gardner discusses the Father God, El; the mother God or spouse of El, Asherah; Jehovah, the preeminent among the Sons of El; and other topics in the development of gods in Judaism.
 
The Sons of God were assigned to different nations.  Jehovah was assigned to Israel.  By the 8th and 7th centuries BC Jehovah grew in stature, supplanting El in certain respects, as the Jews developed a proto-monotheism.

 

A FARMS review from 2004:   The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old
Testament.

From a FARM’s review:  Of Simplicity, Oversimplification, and Monotheism.  Barry Brickmore explains LDS concepts about the Godhead that are misrepresented by evangelical author Owens in his book, “New Mormon Challenge.”

Please read or listen to Stephen Smooth on this topic:  The Divine Council in the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Mormon.

Joseph Smith revealed the Divine Council when he translated the Book of Abraham.  Scholars also now understand the Old Testament to teach about the Divine Council.

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Great interview by Laura Hales from LDS Perspectives Podcasts:

Episode 42: The Divine Council with Stephen Smoot

Non-Mormon,  Dr.  Mattei writes about El (Father) being worshipped before Yahweh in this post #27:   Are Yahweh and El the same god OR different gods?

Summary: Mattei argues that El (Almighty God) and Yahweh (Son) are distinct.

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Dr. Michael Heiser, a prominent traditional (and Trinitarian) Christian , shares many insights LDS folks agree with.

“The term divine council is used by Hebrew and Semitics scholars to refer to the heavenly host, the pantheon of divine beings who administer the affairs of the cosmos. All ancient Mediterranean cultures had some conception of a divine council. The divine council of Israelite religion, known primarily through the psalms, was distinct in important ways.”

 

David Bokovoy, an LDS expert on divine councils, engaged with Michael Heiser on this topic.  Heiser wrote a critique of Mormonism’s use of Psalm 82.  Then David explained our position.  Heiser finished the dialogue.  Very awesome to have this type of dialogue.

David Bokovoy’s view on divine councils, El, and Yahweh:

 

Prof. William G. Dever is a world-renowned archaeologist on ancient Israel:

 

These 3 Mormon guys are fun,  and also bring solid content.

Mark Smith is a foremost scholar in this area of Judaism’s early polytheism and eventual monotheism.  Concepts of multiplicity of Gods in a council structure is recognized by all Biblical scholars today.

El was present in the early tradition and texts as a separate most-high God.    Later,  however, as the Jews returned from the exile and the OT was canonized, Jehovah appears to assume the characteristics of El.  That is, Judaism thus became monotheistic.

Smith explains — in his book “Jehovah and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel” — that in early Jewish history, Jehovah was Israel’s God fully distinct from El (the Father).  In Deuteronomy 32 : 8-9 Jehovah was cast as one of the sons of El.  Each diety received its own nation in Deuteronomy 32.  Yahweh was given Israel.

 

 

Michael Ash explains the role the Deutoronomists played in reforming Judaism into something more monotheistic.  Additionally, prior to the Babylonian Captivity, Asherah (a Heavenly Mother figure) had been worshipped in the Temple for centuries.

Nephi’s vision of the Tree of Life includes a reference to the virgin Mary, the mother of the Son of God.  The Tree of Life in 1 Nephi dovetails with Mark E. Smith’s teachings about Asherah.

You may also want to review the slides (and watch below video) used by Robert Vukich in his debate:  Rejecting the False Doctrine of the Trinity.

Robert discusses the scriptural basis for more gods than Jehovah.  He also shows that God the Father (El) is completely separate from the Son, Jehovah.