Revelation 21:8; “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Gordon B. Hinckley was the 15th prophet of the Mormon Church. In the statement above we see Mr. Hinckley’s strong stand on what he believed was true, and what his predecessors believed as well. There’s little room for speculation, or wondering what this church has taught since the beginning of its existence. He clearly had a handle on the Church’s history.
Keep in mind, Mr. Hinckley had been the Church’s PR go-to-guru since the 2nd World War. Through his many campaigns, the Church’s reputation became more widely accepted among mainstream Christianity.
However, when we look at a number of transcripts from radio and television interviews Mr. Hinckley granted over a number of years, we’re left wondering why he’d lie about what he had so strongly declared just a few years prior.
Transcripts from the following interviews show how Hinckley possessed little, if any integrity when it came to telling the truth about his beliefs.
Question: “There are some significant differences in your beliefs [and other Christian churches]. For instance, don’t Mormons believe that God was once a man?”
Hinckley: “I wouldn’t say that. There was a little couplet coined, “As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.” Now that’s more of a couplet than anything else. That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don’t know very much about.”
Question: “So you’re saying the church is still struggling to understand this?”
Hinckley: “Well, as God is, man may become. We believe in eternal progression. Very strongly. We believe that the glory of God is intelligence and whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the Resurrection. …that’s one thing that’s different. Modern revelation. We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, we believe he has yet to reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”
- The Church’s Gospel Principles Manual was first published in 1978 as a church-wide teaching aide for both personal study, and as a teacher’s manual.
- It includes an entire chapter on ‘Exaltation’ which goes into great detail on requirements to become gods.
Question: “Is this the teaching of the church today, that God the Father was once a man like we are?”
Hinckley: “I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it. I haven’t heard it discussed for a long time in public discourse. I don’t know. I don’t know all the circumstances under which that statement was made. I understand the philosophical background behind it. But I don’t know a lot about it and I don’t know that others know a lot about it.”
A spokesman for Hinckley, when questioned about the accuracy of the Time quotation, asserted that Hinckley’s words were taken out of context, and that Hinckley was thus misquoted. The Time reporter, however, has made available the pertinent part of the transcript of his interview with Hinckley. Here is the relevant excerpt from President Hinckley’s interview with Time:
Question: Just another related question that comes up is the statements in the King Follett discourse by the Prophet.
Hinckley: Yeah.
Question: … about that, God the Father was once a man as we were. This is something that Christian writers are always addressing. Is this the teaching of the church today, that God the Father was once a man like we are?
Hinckley: I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it. I haven’t heard it discussed for a long time in public discourse. I don’t know. I don’t know all the circumstances under which that statement was made. I understand the philosophical background behind it. But I don’t know a lot about it and I don’t know that others know a lot about it. [emphasis added]
- Obviously, there were no misunderstandings, or misquotes in the report. The problem was that Mr. Hinckley was trying to hide the main doctrines of Mormonism so it would appear more Christian than it really is!
Three days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks…
KING: President Hinckley, though, couldn’t He (God) have prevented this?
HINCKLEY: Oh, I suppose so. I believe He’s all powerful, yes. I don’t know His will. I don’t know how He operates. …
President Gordon B. Hinckley talks to Larry King on his CNN television show which was broadcast from the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Sunday Dec. 26, 2004. (photo courtesy CNN ) (Submission date: 12/26/2004)
Larry King Live CNN Interview, December 26, 2004
Three years after his last interview with Larry King, Mr. Hinckley declares God does make His will manifest…
KING: There’s no doubt that, in your mind, he is coming.
HINCKLEY: He is coming, but I have no idea when.
KING: You are the prophet, right?
HINCKLEY: Right.
KING: Does that mean that, according to the church canon, the Lord speaks through you?
HINCKLEY: I think he makes his will manifest, yes. …
So…our questions today are as follows:
- Why would a man of God lie about one of the foundational beliefs of his church? No Mormon alive would deny their belief in the possibility of men becoming gods.
- Does God make His will manifest unto the Mormon people or not?
- If God doesn’t make His will known through the Mormon prophets, then what purpose do they serve? Aren’t they supposed to be the spokesman for what God wants?
- The Church insists that only their prophets can receive revelation for what He wants man to do collectively. If God isn’t making His will known to the leaders, to whom are members supposed to look to since the emphasis is always ‘look to the prophet’, and ‘obey the prophet’?