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Belief in The Deification of Man is Common to
The New Age
The Mormons
The Word of Faith Movement
The Scriptures Unambiguously Reject Polytheism & Henotheism
Supposed "Proof" Texts
1) Partakers of The Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:3-4)
2) Man is Created In God's Image (Genesis 1:27)
3) Believers Are Spoken Of As Being "Born" Of God / Called "Sons" Of God (Ex. John 3:5-6)
4) Men Are Called "gods" in Psalm 82:6
Jesus and Psalm 82
The New Age Belief in The Deification of Man
Most people to day have heard of the New Age and, even if not altogether familiar with its beliefs, are vaguely aware that it has something to do with spirituality - and so it does.
"New Age" is an umbrella term for a wide range of personal and individual beliefs and practices, influenced primarily by Eastern religions, paganism, and spiritism. Perhaps the most common factor in New Age beliefs is that human beings, the Earth, and everything that grows and lives on it - in fact, the universe itself - are all part of one nonphysical primordial energy called "god" and can be identified with the Divine. In other words, god is immanent - present in every person and thing.
Although repackaged with glossy new covers and modern terminology, the predominant teaching that we are all divine and fully connected to God without need of any mythical redemptive works of Christ, remains the same. These teachings have reverberated up and down the corridors of time for centuries, always with the same bottom line …You are God. In fact, everyone is a part of God and each one only has to discover their own divinity.
Unfortunately (in their view) man's problems and difficulties stem from the fact that he is 'unenlightened', ie. he is completely unaware of his own divinity or has just not experienced it. Therefore, what he needs, perhaps more than anything else, is to raise his level of consciousness because the higher a person's level of consciousness the more inner harmony they can achieve - the closer they are to enlightenment. When humanity collectively accepts and experiences itself as being a part of God, we not only save ourselves, we save our world. See What Influential New Age Leaders Say About the Deity of Man Footnote I
Prominent figures like Oprah Winfrey have embarked upon aggressive campaigns to educate the world about their belief that man's inherent divinity, bestows upon him a vast reservoir of unlimited potential which, however, goes untapped, because he lacks knowledge of the powers he possesses. [See Section on Oprah Winfrey] It is little wonder then, that the basic goal of most New Agers is to raise their level of consciousness by whatever methods appeals to and works for them.
This plays right into the hands of a large branch of the New Age movement that believes that the utopian age will only come about under the leadership and guidance of a world leader/teacher who can only make his appearance when conditions are right. That is - the consciousness or spirituality of humanity as a whole has been raised to a sufficient level. But that is whole other topic.
See The New Age Movement - Roots, Expansion & Diversification, Goals, and Dangers
This article is not particularly concerned with New Age concepts of deification, but the fact that although both Old and New Testaments explicitly and repeatedly affirm that there is only one God, many of those who claim to be Christian believe that man is or will in future become, god.
The Mormon Belief in The Deification of Man
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) believes in the existence of a "plurality of Gods". There is little question that Mormonism falls under the banner of 'henotheism' - a belief that one God is supreme but others exist.
Joseph Smith:
Here then, is eternal life - to know the only wise and true God; and 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… - by going from a small degree to another, from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you are able to sit in glory as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. [01]
Mormon "Apostle" Bruce R. McConkie:
"Plurality of Gods: Three separate personages: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, comprise the Godhead. As each of these persons is a God, it is evident, from this standpoint alone, that a plurality of Gods exists. To us, speaking in the proper finite sense, these three are the only Gods we worship. But in addition there is an infinite number of holy personages, drawn from worlds without number, who have passed on to exaltation and are thus gods". [02]
Mormon President Spencer W. Kimball:
"In each of us is the potentiality to become a God .... Man can transform himself... he has in him the seeds of Godhood that can grow" [03]
The Word of Faith Movement's Belief in The Deification of Man
The long list of "faith" teachers includes some very well known televangelists like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Frederick Price, Joel Osteen, Casey Treat, Marilyn Hickey, Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn etc. etc. Although their beliefs differ from those of the Mormons, their view of monotheism is at best, very confused - at worst, extremely heretical. While Benny Hinn is in a class by himself, once teaching that God is actually nine beings, many so called, "Christian" leaders teach that men are "little gods".
Unfortunately, most Christians today, totally ignoring the implications of Paul's warning in Acts 20 29-30, seem to think that heresy is something that largely happens outside the church. [See The First Most Dangerous Mistake Any Christian Can Make]
Casey Treat: "I'm an exact duplicate of God! When God looks in the mirror He sees me! When I look in the mirror, I see God! Oh, hallelujah! You know, sometimes people say to me, when they're mad and want to put me down. You just think you're a little god. Thank you! Hallelujah! You got that right! Who'd you think you are, Jesus? Yep!...Are you listening to me? Are you kids running around here acting like gods? Why not? God told me to! Since I'm an exact duplicate of God, I'm going to act like God!" [04]
Kenneth Hagin: "[Man] was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority...God made us as much like Himself as possible...He made us the same class of being that He is Himself...Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God...[The] believer is called Christ... That's who we are; we're Christ" [05]
Kenneth Copeland: "You don't have a god in you, you are one." [06]
Morris Cerullo: "Did you know that from the beginning of time the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself?...And when we stand up here, brother, you're not looking at Morris Cerullo; you're looking at God. You're looking at Jesus" [07].
Creflo Dollar: "Growing into sonship means that you grow in your ability to operate as a "little God" in the earth" [08].
Paul Crouch: I am a little god! Critics, be gone!" [09].
Benny Hinn: Are you ready for some real revelation knowledge.... you are god" [10]. "You are a little god on earth running around". [11]
And on and on ad nauseum.
In brief, they teach that man has a "sovereign will" comparable to God's, and that man, by exercising a "God kind of faith", can control his world, and obtain anything he wants, be it health, prosperity etc. However, this force is only released through the spoken word - their tongues have the power to command the forces of heaven and bind the forces of hell. [See Section on the Word-Faith/Positive Confession movement]
An Observation
What I have not yet figured out is why people think they are unrealized gods. As far as I can see, they are subject to the same foibles and failures as the rest of us... the same diseases, the same needs, the same wants. I am reasonably sure they bleed the same colour, and can be killed by the same well placed bullet that would fell the rest of us mere mortals. In other words, what exactly is it that makes them gods? Can they fly, or read thoughts, live forever, travel to distant planets, create something out of nothing, lay an egg?
Since I am reasonably sure they can do none of these things, what exactly is involved in them being or becoming "gods"? Are they deceptive, but meaningless, ideas wrapped up in fancy phrases, or a very dangerous treading on occult territory?
The Scriptures Unambiguously Reject Polytheism & Henotheism
Polytheism is the belief in and worship of more than one god.
Henotheism is the belief in the supremacy of one god without denying the existence of others.
Umpteen Biblical passages make it clear that there cannot be 'lesser gods'. Over and over again, Yahweh declares that He is the only God, and besides Him no gods have ever been formed, nor will there ever be. Note the following are few examples among many
"To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him... "Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39 NASB)
"You are My witnesses," declares the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. (Isaiah 43:10 NASB)
"I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, (Isaiah 45:5-6 NASB)
"You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You. (Nehemiah 9:6 NASB)
The authors of the New Testament got the message loud and clear. Addressing those Galatians who had once been pagan, Paul said...
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. (Galatians 4:8 NASB)
Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. (1 Corinthians 8:4 NASB)
In fact, in 1 Corinthians 10:19-21, Paul equated these idols with demons, saying ... What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. (1 Corinthians 10:19-20 NASB)
"Proof" Texts
Since it is quite obvious that the Bible explicitly and unmistakably teaches monotheism, one has to wonder where these ideas of "little gods" and 'future gods', come from? Believe it or not, some actually claim their ideas come from the Bible itself - namely
1. 2 Peter 1:3-4 that says believers in Christ are partakers of the Divine nature,
2. Genesis 1:27-28 that says man is made in God's image,
3. John 1:13 and similar verses that speak of believers as being "born" of God / called "sons" of God.
4. Psalm 82:6 that refers to men as "gods"
It is pretty much par for the course for people to completely ignore plain statements in the Bible, in favour of more obscure ones that can be twisted to 'prove' a pre-conceived theory. Additionally, most false doctrines are arrived at by a shallow reading of a verse or two with no effort to investigate any further.
What they never seem to remember is that the Bible is an integrated whole and that sound doctrine cannot be based on isolated proof texts, but only by taking both the context and the total teaching of Scripture into consideration. Anyone who does any less than this, is not interested in the truth. [Read Context is Crucial]
1) Partakers of The Divine Nature
seeing that His divine (Gr. theios) power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine (Gr. theios) nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NASB)
Does partaking of the divine nature make us gods? Not if you take this verse in context.
Peter begins this short letter telling his readers that they had been granted everything that pertained to life and Godliness, and through God's exceedingly great and precious promises, they had been made partakers of the Divine nature.
But they had to do their part to "make their calling and election sure" (Vs.10). And what was it they needed to do? Much of the chapter is devoted to Peter exhorting them to abound in Christian qualities by being be diligent to cultivate virtue, knowledge, self control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. (Vs. 5-11).
In other words, the context of the text is morality and right living.
This is completely substantiated by the Greek. The term "divine" used in both verses 3 and 4 is the Greek word theios, which means "godly". In other words, Peter was not telling them that they ever were or would ever become gods, but they were partakers of God's "godly" nature (made possible by the new birth and the indwelling Holy Spirit).
2) Man is Created In God's Image
God created man in His own image (Heb. tselem), in the image (Heb. tselem) of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27 NASB)
When God said that He made man in His own image, many take this to mean that man is an exact duplicate of God. In his book, Satan Unmasked, Earl Paulk of the Harvester Church in Atlanta, Georgia, said
"Adam and Eve were placed in the world as the seed and expression of God. Just as dogs have puppies and cats have kittens, so God has little gods; we have trouble comprehending this truth. Until we comprehend that we are little gods, we cannot manifest the kingdom of God" (p. 97).
Note: Many of the televangelists believe that Adam was created as a "little God". See Footnote II
However, the Hebrew word tselem means a resemblance - a representative figure. It does not necessarily mean that the created object is the exact duplicate of the model, but that the created object somehow represents or pictures the original. The Old Testament uses tselem to indicate a physical reproduction of anything from gods and people, to mice and tumors.
then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images (Heb. tselem) and demolish all their high places; (Numbers 33:52 NASB)
"So you shall make likenesses (Heb. tselem) of your tumors and likenesses (Heb. tselem) of your mice that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will ease His hand from you, your gods, and your land. (1 Samuel 6:5 NASB)
"You also took your beautiful jewels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images (Heb. tselem) that you might play the harlot with them. (Ezekiel 16:17 NASB)
Man is not divine but is a physical representation, not a physical reproduction of God. He, like God, can see, hear, smell, touch, speak, think, etc. However, many in the animal kingdom can not only do most of those very well, but their physical abilities often surpass ours. What distinguishes us is the fact that man is also a spiritual being - that intangible factor that concerns the spirit or soul, rather than the material and physical. Humans also have a conscience and are able to make moral judgments.
3) Believers Are Spoken Of As Being "Born" Of God / Called "Sons" Of God,
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:5-6 NASB)
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13 NASB)
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1 John 2:29 NASB)
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9 NASB)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7 NASB)
To begin with, we should pay attention to the fact that it was the apostle John who most often spoke of believers being "begotten" or "born" of God. However, John also said that Jesus is the "only-begotten" Son of God.
Now either John was hopelessly confused, or we are not sons of God in the same sense that Christ is the Son of God.
See The Deity of Christ
Yes, we are sons and daughters of God and, yes, the Bible does speak of us being begotten of God. But the Bible is equally clear that this sonship is conferred on believers. We are not "natural" sons of god, but the Gospel causes us to be adopted into His family, with all the resulting privilege of being citizens of His kingdom.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:14-15 NASB)
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (John 1:12 NASB)
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. (1 John 5:1 NASB)
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, (Ephesians 1:5 NASB)
It is the spiritual birth that causes the believer to become less sinful and more like God, in a moral sense.
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1 John 2:29 NASB)
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9 NASB)
4) Men Are Called "gods" in Psalm 82:6
Psalm 82:6, in which men are called "gods" is often cited by Mormons, New Agers, and Word-Faith proponents alike. The Psalm reads
God (Heb. êlôhîym) takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers (Heb. êlôhîym). How long will you judge (Heb. shâphat) unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, "You are gods (Heb. êlôhîym), And all of you are sons of the Most High. "Nevertheless you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes." Arise, O God (Heb. êlôhîym), judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations. (Psalms 82:1-8 NASB)
In fact, New Ager Neale Donald Walsch, displaying an abysmal lack of Biblical knowledge, quotes this verse in his book Conversations with God
"You are already a God. You simply do not know it. Have I not said, "Ye are Gods"?" [12] See Other Quotes from Conversations with God - HERE
There are two words in the Psalm that need to be thoroughly understood - êlôhîym and shâphat.
êlôhîym: Although the vast majority of the over 2500 occurrences of êlôhîym in the Old Testament refer to Yahweh - God Almighty, it is also used in reference to pagan, so-called "gods".
'Do you not possess what Chemosh your god (Heb. êlôhîym) gives you to possess? So whatever the Lord (Heb. Yahweh) our God (Heb. êlôhîym) has driven out before us, we will possess it. (Judges 11:24 NASB)
"Then you call on the name of your god (Heb. êlôhîym), and I will call on the name of the Lord, (Heb. Yahweh) and the God (Heb. êlôhîym) who answers by fire, He is God (Heb. êlôhîym)." And all the people said, "That is a good idea." (1 Kings 18:24 NASB)
However, there seem to be only a couple of occasions when a human being was called êlôhîym. In Exodus 21:6 and 22:8-9 God calls human judges êlôhîym - as He did Moses who was His delegate to the Pharaoh
"Moreover, he (Aaron) shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God (Heb. êlôhîym) to him. (Exodus 4:16 NASB)
Then the Lord (Heb. Yahweh) said to Moses, "See, I make you as God (Heb. êlôhîym) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. (Exodus 7:1 NASB)
It certainly seems that the only humans to be called êlôhîym were God's representatives on earth. This theory is supported by a closer look at how shâphat or judge was used in the Old Testament.
Shâphat: The Hebrew word shâphat translated 'judge' conjures up images of the modern judicial system. However, a study of the Old Testament and Psalm 82 itself shows that the word carries a variety of meanings, including someone who judges in cases of controversy or litigation (Exodus 18: 15-16), rulers (1 Samuel 8:5-6), governors (1 Samuel 7:15-16) etc.
In other words, the context of Psalm 82 makes it very clear that both words êlôhîym and shâphat - the 'judges' or 'gods' were the the leaders of Israel - the kings, judges and rulers of the kingdom who were entrusted with rightly governing God's people. They were God's representatives - temporary extensions of the Father Himself - supposed to act on His behalf and ensure people were protected and treated fairly.
However, they had failed to carry out their responsibilities.
Psalm 82 - a warning to the corrupt leaders - begins with a very solemn, and awe-inspiring statement. God Himself is convening His court - standing in His own congregation to deliver His indictment He is judging the judges (êlôhîym ) who deliberately (and very stupidly) ignored the oft repeated commandments to judge righteously.
One would have expected that since the people had themselves experienced slavery and oppression, they would have been sympathetic to the plight of those that were not able to take care of themselves. Sadly this was not the case. Over and over again, the Old Testament prophets delivered warnings to corrupt and unjust rulers of Israel, who are referred to as wolves in the book of Zephaniah (3:3, while Amos twice delivers the scathing accusation that they would sell the poor for as little as a pair of shoes (Amos 8:4-6) Also See Amos 2:6, 5:21-24, and Isaiah 1:12-18.
Jesus Confirmed This Conclusion
In fact, Jesus clearly identified the "gods" and sons of the Most High" of Psalm 82:6 as being those to whom God gave the Law of Moses, i.e. the human leaders of Israel. Read it in context
The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'? "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." (John 10:31-38 NASB)
The question that Jesus put to the Jews was that if God the Father called fallible humans "god" then, in light of His works, why couldn't they believe that it was right for Him to call Himself the 'Son of God'.
But there is a lot more to John 10 that Jesus' reference to Psalm 82...
Jesus and Psalm 82
The ninth and tenth chapters of the Gospel of John form one continuous and uninterrupted story. (Note: The breaks that were added much later and were often put in the most inopportune places)
In the ninth chapter, we are told of Jesus showing that He was the "light of the world" by healing a man who was born blind (9:1-5). When the man's neighbors heard that he had been healed by Jesus, they brought him to the Pharisees (9: 8-17), who interrogated him. However, the formerly blind man stood his ground, categorically stating that were Jesus not from God, He could not have brought about that miraculous healing.
The Pharisees then excommunicated the man from the temple, which led to a confrontation between them and Jesus, who urged Him to tell them plainly whether or not He was the Messiah (10:24), to which Jesus responded that they did not believe the works He did in His Father's name that provided evidence as to who He was. Their unbelief stemmed from the fact they were not His sheep who knew His voice and followed Him, and who would be given eternal life.
"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:11-15 NASB)
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. "I and the Father are one." (John 10:25-30 NASB)
The Jews would not have missed the implications. When our Lord announced that He was the 'Good Shepherd', He was making, in no uncertain terms, two hugely significant points...
1) The religious leaders of the nation Israel were the selfish shepherds who ill-treated and abused the flock that was scattered over all the surface of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them (See Ezekiel 34:1-6). And that God the Father - Yahweh Himself would, like a good shepherd, search for His lost sheep and bring them back and look after them. (See Ezekiel 34:11-16)
2) Jesus told them that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24) to save those that were lost (Matthew 18;11-14)
In other words, He was the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy.
Not only was Jesus' declaration of equality and oneness with the Father considered blasphemy of the highest order, but the Jewish leadership understood who Jesus was applying the Psalm to. They were the unjust judges and He was the good shepherd.
Verse 7 says - "Nevertheless, you will die like men". This makes it abundantly clear that judgment was coming to those in the Old Testament who were metaphorically called "gods". By quoting the Psalm, Jesus was warning the Jewish leadership of their impending doom. In other words, the warning of Psalm 82 was being fulfilled in their midst.
God had come to judge the judges.
Applying Psalm 82 and John 10 To The 21st Century
Spending so much time on a single verse from one of the Psalms was not done merely to disprove the notion that all men are "gods", but because this Psalm has much farther reaching implications than first meets the eye.
Psalm 82 and Jesus' citation of it is actually a very solemn warning that church leaders of the 21st century need to take very seriously. What so many modern day church leaders need to realize is that leadership is not about power and prestige, but they are called of God to serve others not to be served. Those shepherds that lead the sheep astray, and/or fail to take care of, and protect, the weakest among the flock will face the brunt of His wrath.
And this includes the so called "Christian" leaders who run around calling themselves little "gods" and teaching their flock that they too are unrealized gods, who have the power to create with their words. See Section on the Word-Faith/Positive Confession Movement
Footnote I.... Quotes Regarding the Deity of Man
Helen Schucman: "When God created you He made you part of Him" [13]
Neale Donald Walsch: Here is some of what Neale Donald Walsch says in his trilogy - Conversations with God
“Do you want your life to truly “take off”? Then change your idea about it. About you. Think, speak, and act as the God You Are” [15]
I have produced an environment in which you may choose to be God, rather than simply be told that you are God; in which you may experience Godhead as an act of creation, rather than a conceptualization; in which the little candle in the sun—the littlest soul-can know itself as the light. [16]
All that is required is to know this. For you are the creator of your reality, and life can show up no other way for you than that way in which you think it will. You think it into being. This is the first step in creation. God the Father is thought. Your thought is the parent which gives birth to all things. [17.]
You are already a God. You simply do not know it. Have I not said, “Ye are Gods”?“ [18]
Trust God. Or if you wish, trust yourself, for Thou Art God.” [19]
Benjamin Crème:
Man is an emerging God and thus requires the formation of modes of living which will allow this God to flourish .... My plan and My Duty is to reveal to you a new way, a way forward which will permit the divine in man to shine forth" [20]
Charles Fillmore:
We are the offspring of God, and our words have power proportionate to our realization of our in-dwelling spiritual kingdom. In the world today there is ample evidence of the power of words to move multitudes. That same power can heal and make people happy. If you will recognize this power and increase it and apply it in all your thoughts and acts, the impetus given to your spoken thought will produce a body so constructed, so harmonized that it will renew itself and never allow you to go to the grave [21]
Individualize yourself in the highest degree by affirming that in Spirit and in Truth you are all that God is. [22]
I am the Christ of God.
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.
I and my Father are one. [23]
Eric Butterworth:
Alice Bailey:
"If God is God, then His divinity will adapt itself to the emerging divinity of the sons of God, and a son of God today may be a very different expression of divinity from a son of God five thousand years ago" [25]
"We are all Gods, all the children of the One Father, as the latest of the Avatars, the Christ, has told us." [26]
Barbara Marx Hubbard: "We are gods!" [27]
M. Scott Peck:
"What is it that God wants of us?" "It is for the individual to become totally, wholly God" [28]|
"God wants us to become Himself … We are growing toward God. God is the goal of evolution" [29].
Shirley MacLaine:
"Know that you are God" [From Dancing in the Light New ager, Shirley MacLaine]
Sathya Sai Baba:
"I am God. And you too are God. The only difference between you and Me is that while I am aware of it, you are completely unaware.' [30]
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
"[When] Christ said, 'Be still and know that I am God.'[He also meant] 'Be still and know that you are God." [31] [PLACE IN TEXT]
Footnote II... Quotes Regarding Adam's Deity
Kenneth Hagin: "Adam was the god of this world." [The Believer's Authority, 2d ed. Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1991, 19.]
Kenneth Copeland: "Gods reason for creating Adam was his desire to reproduce himself." I mean a reproduction of Himself. And in the Garden of Eden He did just that. He was not a little like God, He was not almost like God, He was not subordinate to God ... Adam was as much like God as you can get, just the same as Jesus. Adam in the Garden of Eden was God manifested in the flesh" [Kenneth Copeland, Following the faith of Abraham #01-3001 Audio side 1].
Creflo Dollar: "When God made Adam all He did was make an exact imprint of Himself. He duplicated Himself."[Creflo Dollar, Our equality with God through righteousness 1/21/2001]
"now He's made Adam god of the earth Adam has been crowned God of all physical things from the dust of the earth including the moon the stars and the planets. [Creflo Dollar Our equality with God through righteousness 1/21/2001]
speaking of Adam "I'm training a god of the earth. I got to teach him to do what I do." [Creflo Dollar, Our equality with God through righteousness 1/21/2001].
Charles Capps: "God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness. The word likeness in the original Hebrew means an exact duplication in kind... Adam was an exact duplication of Gods kind."[, Authority in three worlds pp.15-16]
Benny Hinn: "God came to earth and touched a piece of dust and turned it into a God." [Benny Hinn TBN, Dec 1, 1990].
Brigham Young: "Adam is our father and God." [Brigham Young, Deseret News, 6/16/1873]
"When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body and brought Eve,… He is our father and our God" [Brigham Young Journal of Discourses Vol.1 p.50].
Sun Myung Moon: "God is the father of Adam and Eve, and naturally He must have some resemblance to them...Before Adam and Eve fell they were the walking, physical God here on earth. [Rev. Sun Myung Moon] [PLACE IN TEXT]
End Notes
[01] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Deseret Book Co., 1938, Pgs. 345-347. Also The King Follett Discourse.
http://mldb.byu.edu/follett.htm. Also quoted in McConkie, 321.
[02] Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, (Salt Lake: Bookcraft, 1991), Pgs. 576-577
[03] Salt Lake City Tribune, September 18,1974
[04] Casey Treat, "Believing in yourself," tape 2 of a four part series. Quoted in Seduction of Christianity by Dave Hunt. Pg. 83
[05] Kenneth Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, 1989. pp. 35-36, 41
[06] Kenneth Copeland, "The Force Of Love" tape # 02-0028
[07] Morris Cerullo, "The End Time Manifestation of the Sons of God," Morris Cerullo World Evangelism tape 1
[08] Creflo Dollar. World Changers magazine, p.6, Dec. 2002
[09] Paul Crouch: "Praise the Lord" program, July 7, 1986
[10] Benny Hinn, "Our Position In Christ", tape # AO31190-1
[11] Benny Hinn, "Praise-a-thon" broadcast on TBN, November, 1990
[12] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 1 1996, Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Pg. 202.
[13] Helen Schucman. A Course in Miracles- Foundation for Inner Peace; 3 Combined edition (May 21, 2008) Pg. 100
[14] Helen Schucman. A Course in Miracles, Combined edition. Pg. 147
[15] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God. Book 1. Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Page 76
[16] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God. Book 1. Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Pg 57
[17] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 1. Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) 1996, Pg. 52
[18] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue, Book 1 1996, Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (October 28, 2011) Pg. 202.
[19] Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Book 3, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc., 1998; Pg. 350
[20] Benjamin Crème. Moving into Divinity and forging a future for all – a compilation
http://www.share-international.org/magazine/old_issues/2017/2017-06.htm
[21] Charles Fillmore. Atom Smashing Power of the Mind. Pg. 149.
http://newthoughtlibrary.com/fillmoreCharles/AtomSmashingPowerOfMind/pages/atom-smashing-power-of-mind-149.htm#TopOfText
[22] Charles Fillmore, Unity school of Christianity, Christian Healing Pg. 36.
http://newthoughtlibrary.com/fillmoreCharles/christianHealing/pages/christian-healing-036.htm#TopOfText
[23] Charles Fillmore, Statements for the Realization of the Son of God Christian Healing.
http://newthoughtlibrary.com/fillmoreCharles/christianHealing/pages/christian-healing-029.htm
[24] Eric Butterworth -Unity minister. The Truth In A Nutshell. http://www.ericbutterworth.com/read/truth-nutshell
[25] Alice Bailey. The Unfinished Autobiography of Alice A. Bailey, Lucis Publishing Company, 1951, Pg. 142
[26] Alice A. Bailey, The Reappearance of the Christ, Lucis Publishing Company, 1948, Pg. 9.
[27] Barbara Marx Hubbard, The Revelation: A Message of Hope for the New Millennium, Nataraj Publishing, Novato, CA, 1995, Pg. 312
[28] M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled Pg. 283
[29] M. Scott Peck. The Road Less Traveled, 1978. Pg. 270
[30] Sathya Sai Baba: The Man Who Was God Is Dead. Time Magazine.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2068080,00.html
[31] Maharishi Mahesh Yogi] As quoted in Word of Faith Preachers: How Misinterpretation of Scripture Might Lead You Astray by Joseph T. Bachota Jr . Pg. 12
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