In Christianity, the Trinity or Godhead is made up of three Persons, Entities or Manifestations: God the Father (or Heavenly Father) Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). The Father is the being or object of devotion and worship that Christians worship in the name of Jesus Christ.
Christians believe that God the Father is omniscient, omnipotent and omnibenevolent (meaning that he is full of justice, mercy, kindness, grace and love).
According to Christian belief, all things are done under the direction of the Father, who is often referred to as the Creator. God the Father is the literal Father of Jesus Christ through a miraculous conception (not Immaculate Conception) and virgin birth. Most Christians do not believe he is the literal physical Father in the sense of normal procreation, although historically some groups and organizations (Such as Knights Templar and Latter-day Saints (LDS)) have speculated on the matter.
The Father is often thought of as the God who acts throughout the Old Testament and talks to and through Christ in the New Testament, although there is evidence for his role in both the Old and New Testaments.
As Heavenly Father, God the Father is believed to be a personal and approachable being who understands the needs of his Children.
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Another approach has been to emphasise the (few) places in Scripture where God is described using feminine imagery or metaphor, eg. Isaiah 49:15.
Some Latter-day Saints also believe that God the Father may have a wife. See Heavenly MotherAlternate Views
Feminist perspectives
From the late twentieth century onwards, many Christians have become uncomfortable with the traditionally male representation of God and have sought to de-emphasise or eliminate altogether gender-specific references to God. Some of these indiviuals and groups prefer the expression "God the Creator" in place of "God the Father". Personage/Manifestation
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teach that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate personages or individuals, unlike mainstream Christianity which believe that they are separate manifestations of the same being or entity.
LDS Beliefs
Most Christians believe that God the Father is immutable meaning that he has always existed in his current forms, whatever they may be (see Nicene Creed). Most Latter-day Saints typically believe that God has existed from all Eternity to all Eternity, and indeed has always existed, but they also believe that he was once a mortal man or is now an exalted man. They also believe he has a body of "flesh and bones as tangible as mans" similar to the resurrected Jesus Christ.
