Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2007

On Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Fox News reported on Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee’s question, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?” While the article quoted the authoritative Encyclopedia of Mormonism and a spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it failed to give the full story about what Mormons really believe concerning the identity of Satan and Jesus. 

The article stated, “The authoritative Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published in 1992, does not refer to Jesus and Satan as brothers. It speaks of Jesus as the Son of God and of Satan as a fallen angel, which is a Biblical account.”

While it is true that the Encyclopedia of Mormonism does not say explicitly that Jesus and Satan are “brothers”, it does claim that Jesus and Satan are both “spirit” beings of the Father. It says the “Jesus is the Son of God… he is the firstborn spirit child of God the Father and thereby the elder brother of the spirits of all men and women… Satan and his followers remain spirit beings made in the image of God but are still rebellious and evil.” (pp. 739, 1405)

Not only does the Fox News Article fail to explain the true teachings of the Mormon Church in regard to Jesus and Lucifer being called spirit “brothers,” but it fails to note that Gospel Principles, an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, explicitly states that Jesus and Lucifer are “brothers.”  The following quote from Gospel Principles can be found on the official LDS Church website (lds.org):

“We needed a Savior to pay for our sins and teach us how to return to our Heavenly Father. Our Father said, "Whom shall I send?" (Abraham 3:27). Two of our brothers offered to help. Our oldest brother, Jesus Christ, who was then called Jehovah, said, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27)… Satan, who was called Lucifer, also came, saying, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor" (Moses 4:1). Satan wanted to force us all to do his will. Under his plan, we would not be allowed to choose. He would take away the freedom of choice that our Father had given us. Satan wanted to have all the honor for our salvation.” –Gospel Principles, pp. 17-18 (from Chapter 3: Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior)

Other explicit statements made by Mormons to the effect that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit “brothers” include the following:

• "How can Jesus and Lucifer be spirit brothers when their characters and purposes are so utterly opposed? Jess L. Christensen, 'I Have a Question,' Ensign, June 1986, 25–26: Jess L. Christensen, Institute of Religion director at Utah State University, Logan, Utah. On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers. Jesus Christ was with the Father from the beginning. Lucifer, too, was an angel “who was in authority in the presence of God,” a “son of the morning.” (See Isa. 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) Both Jesus and Lucifer were strong leaders with great knowledge and influence. But as the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)” --'I Have a Question,' Ensign, June 1986, 25–26

• “The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer, son of the morning… this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of mankind.”—Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15

• “As for the devil and his fellow spirits, they are brothers to man and also to Jesus and sons and daughters of God in the same sense that we are.”—Historian John Henry Evans, An American Prophet, 1933, p. 341

For more information on the Mormon View of Jesus Christ compared to the Biblical view see:

 Who are Mormons? Their History Beliefs and Practices (www.4mormon.org)
 Is the Mormon Jesus the Same Jesus of the Bible? (www.4mormon.org)
 Mitt Romney's Speech About His Faith - How Accurate Was It? (Godtube.com)