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Robert L. Millet
Elder Bruce R. McConkie

by Robert L. Millet

The Latter-day Saints, who believe in the Godhead, are no more polytheistic than are Christians who believe in the Trinity. God and Christ are the objects of our worship. Even though Mormons believe in the ultimate deification of man, I am unaware of any reference in LDS literature that speaks of worshiping any being other than the ones within the Godhead. Latter-day Saints believe in "one God" in the sense that they love and serve one Godhead, one divine presidency, each of whom possesses all of the attributes of Godhood.

The Mormon Faith: A New Look at Christianity
Copyright by Deseret Book

by Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Primitive and pagan peoples often believe in and worship many supposed gods. They imagine that there are gods of birth, marriage, and death, of war and peace, of the mountains, forests, and plains, and so forth.

It is falsely supposed by uninspired religious scholars that Yahweh or Jehovah was the tribal God of the Hebrew peoples, that he gradually came to have pre-eminence over the gods of other nations, and that he was finally accepted as the One Supreme Being. The fact is, however, that monotheism did not grow out of polytheism, rather polytheistic concepts are apostate perversions of the original truth about God which was revealed to Adam and the ancient patriarchs.

It should be remembered that polytheism has reference to pagan deities to whom reverence, devotion, and worship are given. It is not to be confused with the gospel truth that there are "gods many, and lords many, But to us there is but one God, the Father, and one Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 8:4-7.) The saints are not polytheists.

Mormon Doctrine, p. 579
Copyright by Bookcraft

(See Do You Believe in One God?; Teachings About the Godhead home page; Response to Criticism home page; Accusatory Questions home page)