9. Angels Bodiless Beings: According to Mr. Van Der Donckt's doctrine, "Angels as well as God are bodiless beings." Angels, both good and bad, are spirits, devoid of bodies. The Creator is more perfect than His creatures, and pure minds [minds separated from bodies] are more perfect than minds united to bodies. * * * Therefore the Creator is a pure spirit." But where does this leave Jesus? Was and is Jesus God—true Deity? Yes. But Jesus is a spirit and body united into one glorious personage. His mind was and is now united to and dwelling in a body. Our Catholic friend says, "pure minds [i. e., minds not united to bodies] are more perfect than minds united to bodies." He also says, "Angels, both good and bad, are spirits (i. e., minds) devoid of bodies." Therefore, it must follow from his premises and argument, that angels are superior to Jesus, since His spirit is united to a body, while they are minds not united to bodies! I will not press the point, that the same conclusions could be drawn from his premises and argument with reference even to bad spirits, whom he says are bodiless, and hence, upon his theory, superior to minds or spirits united to bodies, for that would be ungenerous upon my part, and would lay upon his faulty argument the imputation of awful blasphemy, which I am sure was not intended, and would be as revolting to him as it would be to myself. Mr. V., I am sure, would contend as earnestly as I would that Jesus is superior to the angels, though it is perfectly clear that He is a spirit united to a body.
Footnotes
[1]. The Catholic priest, Van Der Donckt, who is stating this objection, uses the word "what," although that word is not used in either the common English version, nor in the Douay (Catholic) Bible. "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Then to the apostles "But whom say ye that I am? (Matt. xvi, 13-14). This is from the common English version. The Douay Bible gives the same passages, "Who do men say that the son of man is?" and "Who do you say that I am?" So really the question is not what the son of man is, but who; hence there is no significance added to the matter from the questions asked.
LESSON XXXVII.
(Scripture Reading Exercise.)
SOME OBJECTIONS TO THE TRUE DOCTRINE OF DEITY. (Continued.)
ANALYSIS. | REFERENCES. |
V. Objection: The Unity of God Excludes the Idea of Plurality of Gods. | The same as in Lesson xxxvi. |
VI. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost Are One and the Same Identical Divine Essence of Being—Not Three Separate Individuals. | |
VII. The Answers. |
SPECIAL TEXT: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." II Cor. xiii:14.
NOTES.
These notes are taken from the Roberts-Van Der Donckt Discussion on Deity. The Catholic Father states the objections and presents the argument for them; Elder Roberts gives the answers and argues for their accuracy and efficiency. The Debate in full is found in "Mormon Doctrine of Deity," Chs. ii and iii.