Are We Still Gods in Embryo? The Mormon Doctrine of Human Deification Expounded by Joseph Smith and famously summarized by Lorenzo Snow, the LDS doctrine of human deification has, since the 1840s, presented several soteriological and cosmological difficulties. Openly celebrated, elaborated, and contested by generations of Mormon thinkers, the doctrine has today become nearly invisible in official Church discourse. Even LDS apologists defending the doctrine have attempted to tame the bolder implications championed by earlier Mormon thinkers, including Joseph Smith. This presentation recaps the tortuous history of this ‘peculiar’ doctrine as it relates to notions of eternal progression and re-assesses the doctrine’s place in LDS discourse.

Hugo Olaiz, D. Michael Quinn