First, what they will tell you is, "We believe in God, the Eternal Father." (Articles of faith, 1a).
This is what they won’t tell you up front,
you have to dig it out of them.
"As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." (Mormon Prophet Lorenzo Snow – Gospel through the Ages, p. 105).
"God the Father is a perfected, glorified holy man, and immortal personage." (Apostle Bruce McConkie – Mormon Doctrine p. 742).
"That if you find out who Joseph Smith was, you will know as much about God as you need to." (Brigham Young – Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4 p. 271).
"God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself." (Joseph Smith, Jr. – JofD, Vol. 6 p. 7).
"Adam was the father of Jesus and the only God to us." (Brigham Young – Hosea Stout Private Journal MSS, Vol. 2 p. 436). [Most Mormons now reject this doctrine.]
"Adam is our Father and our God and the only God with whom we have to do." (Brigham Young – JofD, Vol. 1 p. 50). [Most Mormons now reject this doctrine.]
"Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God. I say that is a strange God anyhow – three in one, and one in three. He would be a giant or a monster." (Joseph Smith, Jr. – History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 476).
"God Himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end." (Mormon Prophet, Wilford Woodruff – JofD, Vol. 6 p. 120).
"God has a father, grandfather, great grandfather, great great grandfather, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, children, grandchildren, wives, etc., etc." (Apostle Orson Pratt – The Seer, p. 132 and other references).
"The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead." (Joseph Smith, Jr. – JofD, Vol.6 p. 7).
"Here, then, is eternal life – to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves." (Joseph Smith, Jr. – JofD, Vol. 2 p. 345).
"If none but gods will be permitted to multiply immortal children, it follows that each god must have one or more wives." (Orson Pratt – The Sees, p. 158).
"If we should take a million of worlds like this (earth) and number their particles, we should find that there are more gods than there are particles of matter in those worlds." (Orson Pratt, JofD, Vol. 2 p. 345).
"Since God aquired the honor and sustaining influence of all things it follows as a corollary that if He should ever do anything to violate the confidence or sense of justice of these intelligence’s, they would promptly withdraw their support, and the power of God would disintegrate…He would cease to be God. Our Heavenly Father can do only those things which the intelligence’s under Him are voluntarily willing to support Him in accomplishing." (former BYU professor and Mormon author, W. Cleon Skousen – The First 2000 Years, p. 355).
Why would anyone want to be a Mormon?
Jim Roe