You may have heard the profound quote by Lorenzo Snow, “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be." But you may not have heard BYU professor Dr. Marcus Martins’s thoughts that then “God ... could very well be like me.” Martins believes that “if [God] lived on an earth like ours with the same plan of happiness, then it might not be so far from [the] truth to say that [He] could be Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Hispanic, Mauri, or American. We really don’t know, but it is worth considering.” In this special bonus episode of Sunday on Monday, we’ll discover how all have been truly alike unto God since the very beginning, and how race and the priesthood relate to the Old Testament.

Christian Sagers is an assistant editor and staff writer. He has won multiple awards for editorial writing on politics, religion and conservative values. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in American Studies. Twitter: @C_Sagers

Kaylen Walton Nelson, originally from eastern Utah, graduated from Uintah High School in 2008. She earned her degree in Family History and Genealogy from BYU. One of the most memorable experiences during her education was a semester abroad in Jerusalem, which ignited her passion for scripture and the Holy Land. Kaylen followed in her father’s footsteps and was hired to teach seminary full-time in 2013. Kaylen earned a master’s degree from the University of Utah in Teacher Leadership and Policy. She taught seminary for nine years at Brighton, Olympus, and Corner Canyon High Schools before taking a position on the BYU Religion Faculty as a visiting instructor. Kaylen and her husband Graden reside in American Fork Utah. They recently welcomed their first child, Louis, in early 2023.

Matthew C. Godfrey is a senior historian in the Church History Department in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has a Ph.D. in American and Public History. He has authored or coedited several books, including God Knows You: Getting Real About Spiritual Challenges (Deseret Book, 2025) and Know Brother Joseph: New Perspectives on Joseph Smith’s Life and Character (Deseret Book, 2019). Matt is a frequent speaker at BYU Education Week, and has appeared on podcasts such as All In, Follow Him, and the Church News Podcast. He loves 80s alternative music, reading, and sports (in that order), and hates watermelon, cucumbers, and getting stuck in traffic (in that order). He is married to Carrie Huber and has four wonderful children.

Heather B. Moore lives in Utah with her family, and several pets, including a bearded dragon. As a teenager, she lived in the Middle East, attending Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel. Despite failing her high school AP English exam, Heather persevered and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in something other than English. At age 30, Heather discovered she loved to write—when it wasn’t homework—and she writes primarily about women in the scriptures, under pen name H.B. Moore. She also writes historical women's fiction, sweet romance, and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore . . . This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom.

Dr. Ben Schilaty is a social work professor at Utah Valley University. He also works part-time as a therapist specializing in working with LGBTQ Latter-day Saints and their families. He holds three degrees from Brigham Young University: a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies, a master's in Hispanic linguistics and a master's in Social Work; he also earned a PhD in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona. Ben learned Spanish and Portuguese during his mission in Chihuahua, Mexico, and when he lived in Bolivia, Peru and, Portugal. He taught Spanish for a decade at the middle school, high school and college level. Ben is the award-winning author of A Walk In My Shoes: Questions I am Often Asked as a Gay Latter Day Saint and cohosts the podcast “All Out in the Open.”

Janelle Gardiner is a daughter, sister, favorite aunt, friend, respiratory therapist, professor, traveler, volunteer, and self-proclaimed comedian. She spends her professional time as full-time faculty in the Respiratory Therapy Department at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Janelle earned a Doctor of Health Science degree at A. T. Still University, a Master’s of Respiratory Care Leadership at Northeastern University, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Respiratory Therapy at Weber State University. She is involved in leadership positions with Utah state and national professional organizations. Recently, she was honored by being inducted as a Fellow with the American Association for Respiratory Care.

Connie Xiaohua Zhang was born and raised in Beijing, China. She earned her BA in economics from Beijing University and MBA from Harvard Business School. She is the founder and CEO of Riley River Consultants, established in 2009. She helps North American green technology companies and medical device companies develop business in China. She is a renowned speaker and instructor who teaches about networking and marriage relationships across multiple key Chinese social media platforms. She is the author of Network Up (2019) and How to Raise Socially Intelligent Children (2020). She teaches online courses and gives talks to broad audiences in China about networking. She also holds a real estate license from the state of Texas, where she manages a broad portfolio of real estate. She enjoys international travel with her husband and two sons and oil painting in her leisure time.

Jenedy Paige was born with two God-given gifts: she’s an early riser and she’s consistent. She’s used her natural abilities to become a professional oil painter and an American Ninja Warrior athlete. She believes we all have a divine spark that really does make us capable of achieving anything as long as we’re willing to work really really hard for it. She is the biggest fan of her alma-mater, BYU-Idaho, and credits herself as the “product of a great art education.” She is a wife, a mother, a teacher, a runner, and her mom says she struggles with being able to relax. When she’s not in her studio or the gym, she loves to be in her kitchen, creating delicious healthy food for her family. She thanks God every day for carefully leading her down a path she could have never imagined for herself.