Question
Gramps,
I am confused. LDS state as man is God was as God is man will become. What happened to Moroni? He was a general and somehow ended up as an angel instead of a God. Why? How do people become angels and not gods?
Judy
Answer
Hi Judy,
My attempt will be to just answer your specific, isolated question. I won’t go into a million details and qualifiers and a lot of stuff that doesn’t address your specific question as phrased here. So, this will have to suffice.
In LDS theology, the two aren’t mutually exclusive . It has to do with what your beliefs are about angels and gods.
As an example: In some Christian sects, angels and humans are different species. In some sects, humans can become angels (yet, the debate rages on). And both are different from God. But depending on your particular sect, people will define it in whatever way they want to fit their theology.
In LDS circles all three blend into each other. So, let me give you the definitions of these words from LDS theology.
A god: An exalted being. A human who has been raised to the celestial glory with a perfect immortal form. One who has received what the Savior and prophets have referred to as “Eternal Life.” (Luke 10:25; Mark 10:17; John 3:15, 4:36, et al.)
Keep in mind that God (big “G”) will always be God. Even when humans become gods (small “g”) God will always be our God. That will never change.
Angel: A messenger sent by God, usually a heavenly being. This is not a description of the physical nature of such a being. It is a role that is filled by whomever God appoints.
Literally, the word “angel” is from the Greek word meaning “messenger.” And in Judeo-Christian circles, this term is used to denote heavenly beings who fulfill this messenger role. Notice that there is nothing in these descriptions that says a “god” (small “g”) can’t be such a heavenly being who is sent as a messenger. In LDS theology, most angels of this dispensation will be resurrected (exalted) beings.
Angels are usually of two types, namely:
- Resurrected personages, having bodies of flesh and bones.
- The spirits of just men made perfect — they who are not (yet) resurrected, but inherit the same glory.
So, the role of angel is fulfilled by a variety of “beings.” And for those sects who believe humans can become angels, from a definitional standpoint, our definition of “god” and others’ definition of “angel” tend to have a lot of overlap.
So, this being we know as Moroni was exalted as a celestial being (aka: a god) as far as we know. And that same being was sent by God (big “G”) as a messenger. So, in this case a “god” was sent as an “angel” to give a message to Joseph Smith.
Gramps
