Early "Mormon" Christmas Message

"According to Mormon teaching, Jesus Christ's spirit, like ours, was pre-existent. Therefore, we are all literally brothers and sisters of Jesus and of each other. Jesus, though, is set apart since he was the first-born of the spirit-children of God. Doctrine and Covenants makes it clear in 93:21-23: 'And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn. Ye were also in the beginning with the Father.'
If all of us, including Jesus, were born spiritually in heaven before were born physically, what sets Jesus apart from us besides his being the first-born spirit? Mormons teach it is the manner of Jesus' physical birth that makes him different.
Matthew 1:18-20 says that Mary was pregnant and that the Holy Spirit was the cause of that pregnancy. The remaining verses in the chapter explain that Mary was a virgin and remained a virgin until Jesus' birth. Although Mormons claim to believe this, they persistently deny that Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit. Brigham Young stated, 'Now, remember from this time forth, and forever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost.'
Strangely enough, the Book of Mormon agrees with the Bible. In Alma 7:10 we read, 'And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be over shadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.' Yet despite the clear meaning of this verse, Joseph Fielding Smith, Tenth President of the Mormon Church, said, 'they tell us the Book of Mormon states that Jesus was begotten of The Holy Ghost. I challenge that statement. The Book of Mormon teaches no such thing! Neither does the Bible.'
According to Mormon theology, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three separate and distinct individuals. So Jesus could not be the Son of God if the Holy Spirit was responsible for his conception. In order to make Jesus the Son of God, Mormons teach that God was responsible for the physical as well as the spiritual birth of Jesus. Brigham Young explained it this way: "The birth of the Savior was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of a natural action. He partook of flesh and blood--was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers."
An early Mormon apostle, Orson Pratt, explained how God could have sexual relations with the wife of another man and not be considered sinful:
It was the personage of the Father who begat the body of Jesus; and for this reason Jesus is called "the Only Begotten of the Father;"...But God having created all men and women, had the most perfect right to do with His own creation, according to His holy will and pleasure: He had a lawful right to overshadow the Virgin Mary in the capacity of a husband, and beget a Son, although she was espoused to another; for the law which He gave to govern men and women was not intended to govern Himself, or to prescribe rules for his won conduct.

From these statements it is difficult to understand how the Mormons can refer to Jesus as having been born of a virgin. And it is easy to see why this entire line of reasoning makes Christians shudder. This supposed Christian theology smacks of ancient pagan mythology and in no way accords with the God revealed in the Bible." ( The Mormon Papers, Are the Mormon Scriptures Reliable?, Harry L. Ropp, InterVarsity Press, 1978, pp. 17-19)

I couldn't have said it better myself!!!!!