One of the myths perpetuated in the media is this idea that Mormons believe God lives on Kolob. Does God live on Kolob? No.
This comes up a number of times, most recently in the popular Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon, produced by those two guys that do the animated series, “Southpark”.
Part of the problem is that some Mormons may believe that God lives on Kolob. One review quoted a NY Mormon who saw it and laughed at the show, agreeing that God lives on Kolob, she agreed, “yes, we believe that.”
In one powerful number, I Believe, Price belts out a string of peculiarly Mormon teachings – that ancient Jews sailed to America, that God lives on a planet called Kolob,..(Houston Belief)
Based on scripture, we believe that He lives near Kolob. Not on Kolob.
In talking about the stars, Abraham says that he saw them, using the Urim and Thummim, and saw that there were many, and that one of them
“was nearest unto the throne of God…and the Lord said…these are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me…I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest…”(Abraham 3:2-3)
Then he explains that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions…one revolution was a day unto the lord…it being 1000 years according to the time where Abraham is standing…this the Lord’s time…the same as Kolobs time.
“which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God to govern all those planets which belong to the same order.”(Abraham 3)
This is all Einstein stuff. E=MC2
Kolob is the greatest of all the stars, because it is nearest to God. In the facsimile 2, the hyphocephalos, Joseph Smith explains that
“Kolob, signifying the first creation, nearest to the celestial or the residence of God.”Detail of the Hypocephalos, Reference numeral 1 represents Kolob according to Joseph
Therefore, Kolob is not the celestial home of God. It is near it. Kolob is a star and is the center of a great solar system of stars and planets. Hubble is discovering that beyond this solar system are many.
Ok, so we do have some crazy teachings, but let’s get them straight.
The producers of that musical? Well they, and many like them, will continue to think Mormons believe in silly myths. Oh well, some of our beliefs are a little crazy. But I can believe in things I don’t see. And I certainly don’t know how all the cosmos work.
