In the missionary manual – Preach my Gospel it teaches that missionaries are to teach investigators about the nature of God. The manual refers to the book of Mormon account of two young men, Ammon and Aaron who taught and converted Lamoni and his father.
The manual asks, “What did these missionaries teach about the nature of God?” Then it asks, “How can you follow their examples?”
The book of Alma 18:24-40 states a somewhat confusing passage.
24 “And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?”
25. “And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.”
26. “And then Ammon said Believeth thou that there is a Great Spirit?”
27. “And he said, Yea.”
28. “And Ammon said: This is God.”
Then let’s jump over to Alma 22.
9. “And the king said: Is God that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?”
10. “And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in earth. Believest thou this?”
11. “And he said: Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.”
The manual asks: “What did those missionaries teach about the nature of God?” It’s obvious that Ammon and Aaron taught that God was a personage of Spirit!
There is no mention of a Spirit with no body – whatsoever. Doesn’t it seem odd they didn’t correct king Lamoni’s understanding that God is a Spirit?
Nowhere in the entire Book of Mormon does it teach God is more than Spirit.
In Alma 18:34 “Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and a man in the beginning was created after the image of God.”
Since God has been defined here in the Book of Mormon as a Great Spirit, with out the mention of a body, this verse confirms that man was created after the “spirit” image of God – not a physical image.
This teaching that God is a spirit falls right in line with the Christianity belief in God.
And contradicts what the Prophet Joseph Smith taught about God.
