FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Theological Issues in the Book of Abraham
Home > Book of Abraham > Theological Issues in the Book of Abraham
Theological Issues in the Book of Abraham
| This page is still under construction. We welcome any suggestions for improving the content of this FAIR Answers Wiki page. |
Summary: Critics of the Book of Abraham have argued that various theological problems are presented within it for Latter-day Saints. These issues include the Book's alleged support of lying, its conflict with science, its support for the priesthood and temple restrictions placed on individuals of African descent in the Church's history, its mention of multiple gods instead of one God (in contrast to earlier translations and revelations like the Book of Moses), and the depiction of God as the Egyptian God Min.
God and Lying in the Book of Abraham
The Book of Abraham's "Conflict" with Einsteinian Physics
The Book of Abraham and the Race and Temple Restrictions
The Book of Abraham's Mention of Multiple Gods
The Book of Abraham's Use of the Ithyphallic Min to Depict God
Critic Jeremy Runnells in the CES Letter informs us that "[o]ne of the most disturbing facts I discovered in my research of Facsimile 2 is figure #7. Joseph Smith said that this is 'God sitting on his throne…' It’s actually Min, the pagan Egyptian god of fertility or sex. Min is sitting on a throne with an erect penis (which can be seen in the figure). In other words, Joseph interpreted that this figure with an erect penis is Heavenly Father sitting on His throne."[1]
Runnells appears to be principally concerned with the notion that God would be depicted with an erect penis. But why? God is male and has a body of flesh and bone (Doctrine & Covenants 130:22). He has created mankind, including males, in his own image (Moses 2:26). What is offensive about this? The ancients depicted God as phallic. One scholar, Francesca Stavarakopolou, wrote four chapters of her popular book God: An Anatomy on God's genitals and how the biblical authors presented God as phallic. This was a sign of virility, procreation, power, and strength for the ancients. It should not be cause for embarrassment among today's sexually immature.
But Runnells is also concerned that the depicted figure is "actually" Min. Interestingly, Joseph Smith's explanation of Facsimile 2, Figure 7 is very much in line with modern Egyptological understanding.[2]
Notes
- ↑ Jeremy Runnells, CES Letter: My Search for Answers to My Mormon Doubts (CES Letter Foundation, 2017), 44.
- ↑ Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and John S. Thompson, "God Sitting Upon His Throne," BYU Studies 61, no.4 (2022): 259–63.