MORMONS: Since God (the Father) has a physical body of flesh and bones is He omnipotent? If so, how does this work?

So how can a being that's physically limited be omnipotent?

Obviously this isn't a limitation if you're a spirit being like the Bible and Joseph Smith said:

THE BIBLE:
John 4:24
"...God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

JOSEPH SMITH:
Book of Mormon:
"And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in earth. Believeth thou this?"
(Alma 22:10)

"Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou are holy, and that thou wast spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever."
(Alma 31:15)

Doctrine and Covenants (1835 edition):
"There are two personages who constitute the great, matchless, governing and supreme power over all things. . . . They are the Father and the Son: The Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and fullness: The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, a personage of tabernacle, made or fashioned like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man."
(Lecture 5, pp.52-53)

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by Mister IT is trying to Liahona outta here on February 26th, 2010

Mister IT, perhaps you should actually try reading the the Book of Mormon in context before you try quoting from it. The first quote that you gave comes from a very early part of the teaching of the King of the Lamonites. At that point, Aaron is trying to establish a common ground upon which he could then build. He was starting from the foundation that both groups believe in a supreme being and then went from there to teach the true nature of God.

As for the second quote, that comes from a prayer that was recited as a part of the worship services of a group of APOSTATES. These were people who denied that Christ would come and looked upon those that did believe in HIM with disdain. So, a prayer offered by this group can hardly be considered as being authoritative about the nature of God. It is given to show how far these people had strayed from the truth.

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by Glenn Blaylock on March 3rd, 2010

In the Church we do not view physical bodies as limitations but conduits of power. The embodiement of a spirit detracts nothing from that spirits power. A spirit inhabitting a body can do all the things a spirit without a body can do and then some. People talk of spirits moving instantaniously from place to place and passing through solid objects and flying and so forth. Christ demonstrated his ability to do all those things as a resurected glorified embodied being as well as demonstrating his ability to do things disembodied beings can not, such as eat, and be handled by physical beings.
So the question may well then be, if God does not have a physical body and can not do the things Jesus declared spirits can not do... can He then be omnipotent?

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by John Cox will be back April 6th 2013 on April 7th, 2010

Oh and here are my sources:
"For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;" Doctrine and Covenants 93:33
"And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." Luke 24:36
"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst," John 20:19
"And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" Acts 1:10-11
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"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them." Luke 24:39-43

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by John Cox will be back April 6th 2013 on April 7th, 2010

Thank you John, that makes sense.

I still don't think that the Bible supports that stance but your explanation makes sense.

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by Mister IT is trying to Liahona outta here on April 7th, 2010

Mister_IT, this is one thing that I have never understood about those of you that deny a physical existence for God. You believe that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one and the same being. However, Jesus went to a lot of trouble after his resurrection to show is disciples that He had a physical body, Luke 24: 39-43 being the clearest example. No where in the Bible does it speak of Him laying this body down again. I can see as plausible the argument that God did not have a physical body prior to the Savior's birth. However, given the beliefs above, why insist that God does not now have a body? Where in the post resurrection scriptures does it say that this is the case?

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by Glenn Blaylock on April 7th, 2010

Because Joseph Smith said so Glenn! Scroll up.

But seriously I have posted this question in the Christianity section so we can get a discussion going on this point. Here's the link http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1990750

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by Mister IT is trying to Liahona outta here on April 7th, 2010

I STATED this LdS stance that God has a body in the question - no news there (""MORMONS: Since God (the Father) has a physical body..."

And you DID answer, "...is He omnipotent?"

However, you didn't answer, "If so, how does this work?"

So the courtesy of an answer would be appreciated.

How can someone who is limited by a physical body be omnipotent?

It seems counter intuitive.

Thanks.

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by Mister IT is trying to Liahona outta here on February 17th, 2010

Oops bad typo there! The last question should read:

"How can someone who is limited by a physical body be omnipresent?"

And BD, the answer is . . . . ?

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by Mister IT is trying to Liahona outta here on February 17th, 2010