Lucifer the Brother of Jesus?

During Mitt Romney's 2008 candidacy for President, Mike Huckabee took a jab at Romney's LDS faith by asking the loaded question in a New York Times interview, "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?" This question and the tone and context in which it is asked has been a popular attack on the LDS faith by Evangelical Christians.

1. The question is asked in an attempt to elicit a very negative "shock and awe" emotional response in those naive of true LDS doctrine by twisting a beautiful and simple doctrine into something sorted and evil.

2. The question and it's tone and context attempt to convey that LDS believe that the power of Satan is equal and opposite to that of Jesus Christ.

4. The question purposefully attempts to convey that LDS believe that Satan is the child of God in the same way Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father.

5. Those that ask this question in this context and tone are trying to convey that LDS diminish the Divinity, Godhood, glory, and power of Jesus Christ while at the same time elevating Lucifer.

What do the LDS really believe:

6. Satan and Satan's power is not equal and opposite to Jesus Christ. Lucifer before becoming Satan, was an archangel about the same statue as Michael and Gabriel. Notice that the Bible says that Michael fought against the dragon in Revelation and not Jesus Christ. If Christ were fighting alone, it wouldn't be a fight for Satan has zero power against God.

7. Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of the Father. Jesus Christ is the only Being that has this literal and direct relationship to the Father.

8. Jesus Christ is God and a member of the Godhead.

9. The origin of the Lucifer and Christ are brothers is a corruption of the LDS belief that all angelic beings and humans are spiritual offspring/creations of the Father. Jesus Christ in addition to being the Only Begotten Son of the Father according to the Flesh is also spiritually begotten of the Father and is called by the Bible the Firstborn of the Father.

10. Therefore, because of our common kinship as children of the Same Heavenly Father, all mankind can be considered spiritual brothers and sisters even if we do not think the same or share the same religious beliefs. In other words, "you don't have to be Christian for me to call you my brother."

Acts 17: 28-29 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

Heb. 12: 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Eph 3:14-15 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

Heb. 2: 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Ps. 82: 6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Col. 1: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Rom. 8: 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate dto be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

11. Yes, LDS believe that Jesus Christ and Lucifer and both spiritually begotten of God the Father. God spiritually beget Lucifer, mankind, and Jesus Christ who is referred to by the Bible as the "First Born." That said, Lucifer does not share the same power or unique relationship with the Father as the only Begotten Son in the flesh.

12. I think the dilemma is some Christians are taught to believe that only Christ is begotten while all other spiritual beings are made no different than plants and animals or "dung beetles" (as an Evangelical friend of mine put it). How is the Evangelical doctrine that all human kind in relation to God are created beings the same as "dung beetles" any better that the Evolutionist belief that man are evolved from "pond scum"?

13. The purpose, beauty and power of the underlying doctrine behind the question is meant not to diminish God, or elevate Lucifer, but to elevate all mankind as spiritually begotten children of our Heavenly Father.

14. Finally, the Bible teaches that anyone who is lead by the Spirit of God is considered a son or daughter of God. Because Satan no longer follows the Spirit of God, Satan and Jesus Christ are no longer brethren in this sense.