Comments on: Mormons as Modalists

By: Ben Pratt

Ben Pratt — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:47:05 +0000

I wouldn’t be too worried, Geoff. Well, no more so than our typical LDS blogger baseline level of worry, anyway.

By: Ben Pratt

Ben Pratt — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:43:50 +0000

Wait, so the Mormon Doctrine of Deity is itself modal?

By: Bruce Nielson

Bruce Nielson — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:14:53 +0000

I can’t really disagree. I guess I should say that I am not in favor of discussing “modalism” or any other philosophy of God in Church outside of the standard Mormon one. I am really more advocating Mormons (or anyone) making a point of educating themselves better in general.

Will this convince “orthodox Christians” to give up their nefarious ways and start disagreeing with Mormons over what they actually believe in instead of caricatures? Probably not.

By: Geoff B.

Geoff B. — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:11:29 +0000

The problem is that people get really stuck on labels. You have had the experience that most Mormons have had talking to a “mainstream” Christian and trying to explain our concept of the Trinity compared to theirs. I think this post is good in that you show how there are cross-over points of agreement, but I don’t think your average person is capable of explaining that in a way that will make any sense. Just my .02.

By: Bruce Nielson

Bruce Nielson — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:27:16 +0000

I guess it depends on whether or not you find it valuable for that 99 percent of Latter-day Saints to be able to adequately compare our beliefs to these categories we get stuck into by others against our will.

Personally, I’m in the “we need to be able to communicate with others” camp. If that means we need to know how Modalism compares to Trinity and realize we are simultaneously neither or both, depending on how you define them, then I’m all in favor.

And personally, I like the idea that all these various concepts of God turned out to be equal approximations of the truth. It means the centuries of inquisition were all for nothing, of course, but it also means God is with all of them to some degree. The real issue wasn’t doctrinal (all were “true” in a sense) the real issues were loving your neighbor.

By: Geoff B.

Geoff B. — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:02:03 +0000

Bruce, I think it’s a bit dangerous for your average Latter-day Saint to mix the “philosophies of men” with the reality of God because there is so much we don’t understand and are not meant to understand about the nature of God. The philosophies of men were invented after God, and without a full knowledge of the nature of God, so they will always have an incomplete knowledge and way of describing God.

By your average Latter-day Saint I don’t mean you or even your average reader of this or any other blog. I think this kind of speculation is certainly interesting for many people.

But God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith as separate beings for a purpose. We are supposed to see that they are separate beings with bodies. At the same time, we are supposed to realize that they and the Holy Ghost are unified in purpose. That is probably enough for 99 percent of Latter-day Saints.

By: Mormons as Modalists | Junior Ganymede

Mormons as Modalists | Junior Ganymede — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:20:37 +0000

[...] My most recent post on M* is Mormons as Modalists. Here is a preview: An interesting fact of Divine Investiture is that it makes Mormons “Modalists,” after a fashion. [...]