Mormonism is theologically classified by different people in several different ways. One person will describe them as polytheists, another will describe them as henotheists, while another as monarchotheists, and yet another will describe them as panentheists. Metatheology is the study about theological systems which examines how theological claims are structured, categorized, justified, or conceptualized. So which theological system correctly describes Mormonism? I will argue that the answer to such a question depends on from which perspective one is addressing. In a nutshell, they are all correct to some degree, but perhaps incomplete by themselves. The Panentheism of Mormonism I first remember hearing the word, panentheism while living in northern California, and traveling to Mt. Shasta, where a serious number of New Agers reside. Panentheism means that God is in all things (pan ( all ) en ( in...
There has been a greater push in how to reference Mormons and Mormonism in recent times ever since former Mormon President Nelson said that Mormons should be called Christians instead of Mormons. [1] “We worship the same Jesus!” “’Jesus Christ’ is literally in our name!” “There is only one Jesus!” These and other arguments have been made by Mormons to argue that they should be called Christians, which I will address these throughout this article, but I do want to look at the last one in this short list above first, since it is biblically evidenced. [2] 2 Corinthians 11:4 says, “For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” [3] Here, Paul is telling the Corinthians that when another Jesus is preached to them, they erroneously accept ...