What do Mormons believe about humanity? Latter-day Saints teach that every person existed before birth as an eternal spirit child of heavenly parents, that we are the same kind of being as God, and that we have the potential to become like him. The Bible teaches that human life begins in this world, that we become God’s children by faith, and that we are created and fallen creatures who need God’s grace. While Latter-day Saints use many familiar Christian words, the worldview behind them is very different.
Did We Exist Before Birth?
Latter-day Saints believe all human beings are eternal spirits who existed before this life. The LDS scripture Doctrine and Covenants says, “Man was also in the beginning with God” (93:29). In this view, humans are uncreated and co-eternal with God.
The Bible describes the beginning of human life differently.
Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
God didn’t place an already existing spirit into Adam’s body. He gave Adam life, and the man “became a living being” at that moment. We are created beings who depend on God for our very existence.
How Do We Become God’s Children?
When Latter-day Saints say we are God’s children, they mean it literally. The manual Gospel Principles says:
All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. ‘Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth…’ (Gospel Principles)
The Bible teaches that being a child of God isn’t a matter of spiritual birth before this life. It’s a gift received by faith.
John 1:12-13 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Paul describes this as adoption: “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). Every person is created in God’s image and loved by him, but we become his children by trusting in Jesus.
Are We the Same Kind of Being as God?
If people are literal offspring of God, it follows that we share his nature. The LDS Church website explains that Latter-day Saints “consider every person divine in origin, nature, and potential.”
The Bible honors human beings without making them divine. “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:4-5). We bear God’s image and reflect his glory, but we are creatures, not potential gods. God is infinite and self-existent; we are finite and dependent on him.
Can You Become a God?
Latter-day Saints believe worthy members can be exalted and become like God. An LDS manual for youth, Gospel Fundamentals, says that those who reach exaltation “will even be able to have spirit children and make new worlds for them to live on, and do all the things our Father in Heaven has done.”
The Bible gives a more sobering picture of humanity. “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We don’t need a path to godhood; we need a Savior. The good news is that we “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
As you talk with Latter-day Saint friends and neighbors, remember Peter’s instruction to give the reason for your hope “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). The goal isn’t to win an argument but to point people to the Jesus of the Bible.
The Takeaway
Mormons believe humans are eternal spirit children of heavenly parents with the potential to become gods. The Bible teaches that we are created by God, fallen in sin, and adopted into his family by grace through faith in Jesus. Our greatest need isn’t exaltation but redemption.
