Question:
I have a Mormon friend and he said that they are not “polytheists,” and that the term is offensive, even though they believe there is more than one God. Is he right?
Answer:
Mormons believe that human beings can be “exalted” and become divine beings, or gods. They believe there are many gods and that the god of this world used to be a man who worshipped another god before him. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, said in the King Follett Sermon, “You have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you.”
Mormons prefer the term “plurality of gods” to polytheism, though a better term would be henotheism, which involves the belief that multiple gods exist but only one god deserves to be worshipped. In contrast, Christians believe there is only one God who is a Trinity of three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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