Let's Talk About Becoming Like God

Since the earliest days of the Restoration, the doctrine that we are eternal beings and can progress in our divinity has been central to the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In Doctrine and Covenants, we are taught that those who attain exaltation are "priests [and priestesses] and kings [and queens]. . . . They are gods" (76:54). This principle defines the purpose of the plan of salvation and distinguishes Latter-day Saints from most other contemporary Christians.But while it is clear from scripture and the teachings of Church leaders that humans have the potential to "become like God," for many members of the Church, and certainly for many nonmembers, this doctrine has been difficult to understand, let alone appreciate. To help address this confusion, religion scholar Daniel L. Belnap reviews scripture and Restoration teachings to help clarify what we know and what we don't know about this doctrine.Though there is much we still do not know about the doctrine of becoming like God—or of becoming gods—it is worth contemplation. For Latter-day Saints, this remarkable doctrine is at the heart of our entire worship. All aspects of our religion—the role of revelation, the structure of the priesthood, even our simplest Primary songs—revolve around this central principle: that we are a type of being that is meant to become divine.