There are 11 thoughts on “Psalm 82 in Contemporary Latter-day Saint Tradition”.

  1. Came here from Dan’s reminding me on his blog of Stuff You Missed. It was a really interesting article, tough sledding for an Ignorant Old Man, but after looking up words, it came together very well. Glad I read it.

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  2. What does this really mean if all of these gods are equally man-made?
    If el and elohim, and El and Elohim and Yahweh, and Ba’al, and the entire ancient Canaanite and Sumerian pantheons — and the Egyptian and Greek and Roman pantheons, and the Logos and “Christ” — all share the same deficit of truly credible evidence as actually existing in reality, what, then, does this really all mean?
    (And the Norse and Hindu and Incan pantheons, etc, etc.)
    Even if a historical messianic Jesus actually existed, and was executed under Pilate and believed to have been resurrected at the beginning of the C.E., what would this all mean?
    What would the massive edifice of Christian theology mean, which is under construction now for 2000 years? Or the small Mormon annex?
    What if the evidence supports as fully justified the conclusion that these gods are all equally and purely man-made? And that neither burning bosoms nor ‘good tastes and deep vibrations’ — nor any other variety of religious experience among Homo sapiens — are reliable or credible evidence for either divinity or truth?
    What, then, do these scholarly papers and their impressive, annotated bibliographies actually mean?
    What would Psa 82 and John 10:34 mean, even with a perfect understanding of authorial intent and meaning?
    Surely they’re not reduced to meaning nothing. Surely the erudition and time and effort are not a waste.

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  5. Scriptural Interpretation
    Section Six 1843-44, p.371
    Some say I do not interpret the Scripture the same as they do. They say it means the heathen’s gods. Paul says there are Gods many and Lords many; and that makes a plurality of Gods, in spite of the whims of all men. Without a revelation, I am not going to give them the knowledge of the God of heaven. You know and I testify that Paul had no allusion to the heathen gods. I have it from God, and get over it if you can. I have a witness of the Holy Ghost, and a testimony that Paul had no allusion to the heathen gods in the text. I will show from the Hebrew Bible that I am correct, and the first word shows a plurality of Gods; and I want the apostates and learned men to come here and prove to the contrary, if they can. An unlearned boy must give you a little Hebrew. Berosheit baurau Eloheim ait aushamayeen vehau auraits, rendered by King James’ translators, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” I want to analyze the word Berosheit. Rosh, the head; Sheit, a grammatical termination; the Baith was not originally put there when the inspired man wrote it, but it has been since added by an old Jew. Baurau signifies to bring forth; Eloheim is from the word Eloi, God, in the singular number; and by adding the word heim, it renders it Gods. It read first, “In the beginning he head of the Gods brought forth the Gods,” or, as other have translated it, “The head of the Gods called the Gods together.” I want to show a little learning as well as other fools. * * *
    Section Six 1843-44, p.372
    The head God organized the heavens and the earth. I defy all the world to refute me. In the beginning the heads of the Gods organized the heavens and the earth. Now the learned priests and the people rage, and the heathen imagine a vain thing. If we pursue the Hebrew text further, it reads, “The head one of the Gods said, Let us make a man in our own image,” I once asked a learned Jew, “If the Hebrew language compels us to render all words ending in heim in the plural, why not render the first Eloheim plural?” He replied, “That is the rule with few exceptions; but in this case it would ruin the Bible.” He acknowledged I was right. I came here to investigate these things precisely as I believe them. Hear and judge for yourselves; and if you go away satisfied, well and good.
    Section Six 1843-44, p.372
    In the very beginning the Bible shows there is a plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation. It is a great subject I am dwelling on. The word Eloheim ought to be in the plural all the way through–Gods. The heads of the Gods appointed one God for us; and when you take [that] view of the subject, its sets one free to see all the beauty, holiness and perfection of the Gods. All I want is to get the simple, naked truth, and the whole truth.

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  6. I cannot tell you all how happy I am to see an essay by Dan McLellan on Interpreter. He is one of my favorite LDS authors–I’ve followed his blog for years. Thanks Dan!

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  7. Very interesting and thought provoking article.
    Thank you.
    I believe that Psalms 82 and related passages in the New Testament provide wonderful evidence that man can become god.
    Indeed, it is impossible to be a son of god without embodying godhood.
    My very simple minded approach to Psalms 82 is that there is only ONE God with a capital “G” while there are many gods with a minor “g”‘. All of the gods with a minor g are essentially an extension of their creator.
    There are no other Gods with a capital G beside the one God spoken of in Psalms 82.
    All of the gods with a minor g have been created. (Organized from existing intelligence) .
    God with a capital G was never created or organized.
    He is self existent, from everlasting to everlasting, as clearly documented in the four standard works.
    He derives his power from no other source.
    He IS the source.
    He is the Only Self Existing-Sovereign-Omnipotent-Supreme Power in all creation.
    None of the gods with a minor g are self existent and sovereign.
    They have all been created by God through God’s ONLY BEGOTTEN SON and they all derive their power and authority from Him. (and always will).
    Once this is understood, it is a beautiful truth to realize that mortal man can attain godhood through the grace of God and His gospel.
    Sadly, some of the content in what is known as the King Follett Discourse, as well as the couplet, ” “As man is now, God once was; as God is now man may be.” which is credited to Lorenzo Snow, erroneously leads people to believe that there are many Gods with a capital G, like the God in Psalms 82.
    Sadly, that content leads many to believe that the God mentioned in Psalms 82 was once a mortal man.
    I believe such a teachings are contrary to the verified word of God and they constitute blasphemy.
    It is difficult for Mormonism to enjoy some degree of credibility in sharing the beautiful doctrine of how we can become the sons of god, with the protestant world, while blaspheming the only true God.

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