Editing Arianism (section)

===The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints===
{{Main|Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}

[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) teaches a [[Nontrinitarianism|nontrinitarian]] [[Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints#God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost|theology]] concerning the nature of the Godhead. Similarities between LDS doctrines and Arianism were alleged as early as 1846.<ref>Mattison, Hiram. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=cQtMAAAAYAAJ&dq=mormon+arianism&pg=PR1 A Scriptural Defence of the Doctrine of the Trinity: Or a Check to Modern Arianism as Taught by Campbellites, Hicksites, New Lights, Universalists and Mormons, and Especially by a Sect Calling Themselves "Christians"]''. L. Colby, 1846.</ref> There are a number of key differences between Arianism and Latter-day Saint theology. Whereas Arianism is a unitarian Christian form of [[classical theism]], Latter-day Saint theology is a non-trinitarian (but not unitarian) form of Christianity outside of classical theism. Arianism also teaches that God is eternal, was never a man, and could not incarnate as a man; in contrast, the LDS Church teaches that "God Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, and supreme."<ref>{{cite web |title=Exaltation |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-47-exaltation?lang=eng |website=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |access-date=2023-05-01}}</ref>

Whereas Arianism denies that humans can become gods, the LDS Church affirms that humans can become gods through exaltation.<ref>{{Mormonverse|D&C|132:20}}</ref> Whereas Arianism teaches that the Son was created, the LDS Church also teaches that the Son was procreated as a literal spirit child of the Heavenly Father and the [[Heavenly Mother (Mormonism)|Heavenly Mother]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/mother-in-heaven?lang=eng|access-date=2023-05-20|title=Mother in Heaven|website=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}</ref> and denies any form of [[creatio ex nihilo|creation ''ex nihilo'']]; the creation of Christ ''ex nihilo'' is, in contrast, a fundamental premise of Arianism.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McBride|first=Matthew|title='Man Was Also in the Beginning with God'|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/man-was-also-in-the-beginning-with-god?lang=eng|access-date=2021-04-03|website=Church of Jesus Christ}}</ref>

The LDS church, in contrast to the Arian teaching that God is incorporeal, also teaches that God has a tangible body: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us."<ref>{{Mormonverse|D&C|130:22}}</ref> Arianism traditionally taught that God is incomprehensible even to the Son. In contrast, the LDS Church rejects the doctrine that God is incomprehensible.<ref name="Jeffrey R. Holland 2007, pg. 40">{{Citation |last=Holland |first=Jeffrey R. |title=The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent |date=November 2007 |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2007/11/the-only-true-god-and-jesus-christ-whom-he-hath-sent |work=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |page=40 |author-link=Jeffrey R. Holland}}</ref> Though Arianism teaches that Christ is ontologically inferior and subordinate to the Father, the LDS Church teaches that Christ is equal in power and glory with the Father.

The LDS Church teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings united in purpose: "the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost){{nbsp}}[...] are three physically separate beings, but fully one in love, purpose and will",<ref>{{cite web |title= The Trinity of traditional Christianity is referred to as the Godhead |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/godhead#:~:text=The%20Trinity%20of%20traditional%20Christianity%20is%20referred%20to,the%20Godhead%20differ%20from%20those%20of%20traditional%20Christianity. |website=Newsroom of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |access-date=2021-08-09}}</ref> as illustrated in Jesus' [[Farewell Prayer]], his [[Baptism of Jesus|baptism]] at the hands of [[John the Baptist]], his [[Transfiguration of Jesus|transfiguration]], and the [[Saint Stephen#Martyrdom|martyrdom of Stephen]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gospel Topics: Godhead |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/godhead?lang=eng |website=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |access-date=2021-08-09}}</ref> Thus, the church's first [[Articles of Faith (Latter Day Saints)|Article of Faith]] states: "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."<ref>{{Mormonverse|Articles of Faith|1}}</ref>

Latter-day Saints believe that the three are collectively "one eternal God"<ref>{{lds|Alma|alma|11|44}}</ref> but reject the [[Nicene Creed|Nicene]] definition of the [[Trinity]], that the three are [[Consubstantiality|consubstantial]].<ref name="Jeffrey R. Holland 2007, pg. 40"/> In some respects, Latter-day Saint theology is more similar to [[social trinitarianism]] than to Arianism.