Before we get started, let me make something very clear. This is not a post about marriage. Or marriage equality. Or tolerance. Or belittling others because their opinions are different than mine regarding those issues.
Also, you'll probably want to set aside at least ten minutes or so to get through the post. It's a bit heftier than normal.
Sorry, I'm not sorry.
Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have known about the Supreme Court ruling regarding marriage if it weren't for my friends posting about it on Facebook. I must say, though, that I am terribly proud of my friends. I have a fair number of friends on both sides of the fence on this one, and--I've got to commend them for their civility online and in person. With only a couple of exceptions, I've yet to see any of my friends communicate their stances insensitively, nor have I seen them insult others for believing differently. It makes me grateful to associate with individuals who demonstrate what respect and love truly are.
But that's not what this post is about either.
Here's what this post is really about:
It's about the Mormon concept of the purpose of life and life after death. And how love is central through all of it. Without love, it is not only meaningless but impossible.
Here's why I've been thinking about it:
My family has been shaken up recently by the death of an eight-year-old girl in Colorado. Her name is Maddy, and she went to school with my niece. Maddy's story can be found at #MaddytheMight or at #MaddysMightyMinions, and I highly encourage everyone to spend a minute or twenty reviewing Maddy's story and the positive impact she has had and continues to have on others.
As I've shared the story of Maddy with others not of my faith, I recognize that there's a bit of a disconnect when I talk about the subjects of life and death. And it's not their fault. I suppose few people not familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would recognize how different the doctrine is from a typical Christian denomination. Not going to lie, it's probably weird. (But not any more weird than other doctrines taught in religious settings. Let's face it, religion--in general--is weird.)
But weird isn't necessarily bad. I write this for two audiences.
I write this for those who have no intention of converting to Mormonism but who enjoy learning new things. Anthropologically speaking, it's incredible how learning of the beliefs and customs of others can help one to learn of themselves.
And, I write this to reach out to those who might be seeking answers as to who they are, the purpose of life, and what happens after death. Hopefully, this audience would read with the understanding that faith begins as a desire and a feeling--not irrefutable facts with mountains of evidence. Double hopefully, this audience will find what they're looking for.
So, now that my introduction has officially scared off two-thirds of anyone who might stumble onto this post, here it is. Life--and how love is integral--according to a Mormon girl:
Premortal Life
We believe that God is a loving and eternal Heavenly Father. In a very literal sense. We believe that we are His spirit children who were raised at His side in a premortal life. We also believe in a Heavenly Mother. We lived together as a family in that place, forming relationships and developing talents. I guess the point is, we belonged to another place before we belonged here on Earth. Ultimately, we were created to become like our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, reaching eternal potential by gaining bodies and living eternally--always bound to others through love and the Priesthood (or the power of God).
In order to become like our Heavenly Parents, we had to agree to come to Earth. To be born and get a body. And to experience. And to learn. And to demonstrate faith. And to grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and--something we couldn't do before--physically. However, we would have to do this without the remembrance of who we were before. In passing to our lives on Earth, we willingly surrendered our memories in order to learn to live through faith. After all, it wouldn't be a test if we remembered everything.
The Fall of Adam
So what about Adam and Eve? I don't feel like getting into the subject too much in this post, but I will say this: It was supposed to happen. God didn't set us up to fail, and Eve didn't curse humankind. In fact, Eve is revered as an incredibly wise prophetess in Mormon doctrine. She understood the need to introduce opposition into the world.
With the Fall, though, two situations were created which would forever separate us from returning to our Heavenly Parents. The first, spiritual death (or sin) would make us unfit to reach our full potential. The second, physical death, would also keep us from entering the Celestial Kingdom. (A term to be defined later. I promise.)
Life on Earth
So, here we are. We're born. Everyone placed in a situation unique to them, yet placed there by a loving Heavenly Father who knew exactly where to place us that we might be the most successful. Because He wants to save all of us. Not just a select few. Not just the religious. Everyone.
But, why are we here? We are here to do good. To love God. To love others. For those who have families, it is to lovingly rear children to become their very best selves. The Book of Mormon describes this life as a time to prepare to meet God. What we choose to make of ourselves is up to us. Regardless, we will have to account for what we have done (or have not done) with our time, however long it was. We all experience unique hardships along the way--some more harsh than others--but it is all part of the plan to be tried and tested as we seek our way back to our Heavenly Parents.
But what about overcoming spiritual and physical death? That's where the Savior comes in. As our older brother in the Premortal Life, Jesus Christ agreed to take on Him our sins. He agreed to die, but--more importantly--He agreed to take up the grave, to live again. Not quite sure how the logistics work, but I believe that because Christ loves us--all of us--that all we receive the gift of resurrection. (To be discussed later.) So, basically, when it comes to physical death--love wins.
The other gift given through Christ's Atonement is the gift of Repentance. This gift, however, is not a freebie. We actually have to do something to redeem this one. Put simply, we have to own up to our mistakes and do our best to make them right. We also have to be baptized by one holding the proper Priesthood authority, partake of the Sacrament (or communion), and make covenants/promises to uphold God's commandments in temples. Without taking these steps, one cannot reach their full eternal potential. That's why Mormons are so crazy about missionary work.
Death and The Spirit World
This is my favorite part. Not so much death. Death is sad. But the Spirit World is amazing. It's not a typical Heaven-Hell place. We call it Spirit Prison and Spirit Paradise. Spirit Paradise is for those who went through all the proper steps to be "saved." Spirit Prison is for everyone else. BUT IT DOESN'T END THERE. Those who would have accepted the Gospel, but never had the chance to even hear it during their lives, are saved. Children and babies who pass away before an age of accountability--meaning they were too young to discern the truth for themselves--are automatically saved. Everyone is given the chance, or given multiple chances, to accept the Gospel. Or reject it.
I like to think of the Spirit World as a giant equalizer. It's a place where privilege means nothing, because all are loved equally by our Heavenly Parents.
This is also a place for service. While our bodies might be dead and buried, our spirits live on. Some are even given special duties and responsibilities to further the purposes of our Heavenly Parents. It is a time to continue spreading love.
It is here that we wait for Resurrection and Judgment.
Resurrection
So, how do we overcome physical death? We get to be resurrected. Our spirits will reunite with our bodies. (Not sure if this means that we'll crawl out of our graves like zombies or not. PS--Sorry if you were cremated. PSS-- I like to think God has a better way to do this worked out.) Anyway, our bodies after the Resurrection will be immortal. Free from sickness. Free from any imperfections or setbacks. The scriptures mention that "not a hair on [our] heads will be lost." Not sure what that will look like, exactly, but I think it sounds amazing.
And, remember, this gift is free. Compliments of the Savior.
Love wins.
Judgment
After having been resurrected, all will stand before our Heavenly Father to be judged according to our faith and according to our works. The cool thing is, Jesus Christ will be our advocate--or lawyer--to present our case before God.
In the end, our Heavenly Father assigns us where we will live for the rest of eternity. He'll make sure to place us where we'll be the happiest, because He loves us.
The Kingdoms of Glory
Ok. Now, Satan will go to a place called Outer Darkness. Pretty much, he and a very, very select few will be miserable for the rest of eternity. I'm not sure what Outer Darkness is like, and I don't intend to find out.
The Telestial Kingdom will be the final destination for those who love worldly things. In a nutshell, this is the place for those who never overcame their carnal appetites, whatever those appetites might be. However, this is still a place described as being exponentially more beautiful than the Earth on which we now live.
The Terrestrial Kingdom is a step above that. This place is for "good" people, but those who did not fulfill the responsibilities of overcoming spiritual death. Maybe they weren't baptized. Maybe they didn't make covenants in the temple. Or maybe they did, but they didn't live up to the responsibilities which come with those ordinances. Still, it is a place for this type of person to thrive and be happy.
Finally, the Celestial Kingdom is where we should strive to be. It is where we can return to our Heavenly Parents. This is where Jesus Christ will reside. This is also the only of the Kingdoms of Glory where we will be allowed to continue in our marriages--so long as we were sealed to our spouse in the temple. Family relationships are perpetuated without the burdens we encounter on Earth. It's Utopic, Zion. A place where we will become like our Heavenly Parents. A place of peace, of progression, of rest, and of love.
And, ultimately, love will win.
At least, that's what I believe.
Also, you'll probably want to set aside at least ten minutes or so to get through the post. It's a bit heftier than normal.
Sorry, I'm not sorry.
Truth be told, I probably wouldn't have known about the Supreme Court ruling regarding marriage if it weren't for my friends posting about it on Facebook. I must say, though, that I am terribly proud of my friends. I have a fair number of friends on both sides of the fence on this one, and--I've got to commend them for their civility online and in person. With only a couple of exceptions, I've yet to see any of my friends communicate their stances insensitively, nor have I seen them insult others for believing differently. It makes me grateful to associate with individuals who demonstrate what respect and love truly are.
But that's not what this post is about either.
Here's what this post is really about:
It's about the Mormon concept of the purpose of life and life after death. And how love is central through all of it. Without love, it is not only meaningless but impossible.
Here's why I've been thinking about it:
My family has been shaken up recently by the death of an eight-year-old girl in Colorado. Her name is Maddy, and she went to school with my niece. Maddy's story can be found at #MaddytheMight or at #MaddysMightyMinions, and I highly encourage everyone to spend a minute or twenty reviewing Maddy's story and the positive impact she has had and continues to have on others.
As I've shared the story of Maddy with others not of my faith, I recognize that there's a bit of a disconnect when I talk about the subjects of life and death. And it's not their fault. I suppose few people not familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would recognize how different the doctrine is from a typical Christian denomination. Not going to lie, it's probably weird. (But not any more weird than other doctrines taught in religious settings. Let's face it, religion--in general--is weird.)
But weird isn't necessarily bad. I write this for two audiences.
I write this for those who have no intention of converting to Mormonism but who enjoy learning new things. Anthropologically speaking, it's incredible how learning of the beliefs and customs of others can help one to learn of themselves.
And, I write this to reach out to those who might be seeking answers as to who they are, the purpose of life, and what happens after death. Hopefully, this audience would read with the understanding that faith begins as a desire and a feeling--not irrefutable facts with mountains of evidence. Double hopefully, this audience will find what they're looking for.
So, now that my introduction has officially scared off two-thirds of anyone who might stumble onto this post, here it is. Life--and how love is integral--according to a Mormon girl:
Premortal Life
We believe that God is a loving and eternal Heavenly Father. In a very literal sense. We believe that we are His spirit children who were raised at His side in a premortal life. We also believe in a Heavenly Mother. We lived together as a family in that place, forming relationships and developing talents. I guess the point is, we belonged to another place before we belonged here on Earth. Ultimately, we were created to become like our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, reaching eternal potential by gaining bodies and living eternally--always bound to others through love and the Priesthood (or the power of God).
In order to become like our Heavenly Parents, we had to agree to come to Earth. To be born and get a body. And to experience. And to learn. And to demonstrate faith. And to grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and--something we couldn't do before--physically. However, we would have to do this without the remembrance of who we were before. In passing to our lives on Earth, we willingly surrendered our memories in order to learn to live through faith. After all, it wouldn't be a test if we remembered everything.
The Fall of Adam
So what about Adam and Eve? I don't feel like getting into the subject too much in this post, but I will say this: It was supposed to happen. God didn't set us up to fail, and Eve didn't curse humankind. In fact, Eve is revered as an incredibly wise prophetess in Mormon doctrine. She understood the need to introduce opposition into the world.
With the Fall, though, two situations were created which would forever separate us from returning to our Heavenly Parents. The first, spiritual death (or sin) would make us unfit to reach our full potential. The second, physical death, would also keep us from entering the Celestial Kingdom. (A term to be defined later. I promise.)
Life on Earth
So, here we are. We're born. Everyone placed in a situation unique to them, yet placed there by a loving Heavenly Father who knew exactly where to place us that we might be the most successful. Because He wants to save all of us. Not just a select few. Not just the religious. Everyone.
But, why are we here? We are here to do good. To love God. To love others. For those who have families, it is to lovingly rear children to become their very best selves. The Book of Mormon describes this life as a time to prepare to meet God. What we choose to make of ourselves is up to us. Regardless, we will have to account for what we have done (or have not done) with our time, however long it was. We all experience unique hardships along the way--some more harsh than others--but it is all part of the plan to be tried and tested as we seek our way back to our Heavenly Parents.
But what about overcoming spiritual and physical death? That's where the Savior comes in. As our older brother in the Premortal Life, Jesus Christ agreed to take on Him our sins. He agreed to die, but--more importantly--He agreed to take up the grave, to live again. Not quite sure how the logistics work, but I believe that because Christ loves us--all of us--that all we receive the gift of resurrection. (To be discussed later.) So, basically, when it comes to physical death--love wins.
The other gift given through Christ's Atonement is the gift of Repentance. This gift, however, is not a freebie. We actually have to do something to redeem this one. Put simply, we have to own up to our mistakes and do our best to make them right. We also have to be baptized by one holding the proper Priesthood authority, partake of the Sacrament (or communion), and make covenants/promises to uphold God's commandments in temples. Without taking these steps, one cannot reach their full eternal potential. That's why Mormons are so crazy about missionary work.
Death and The Spirit World
This is my favorite part. Not so much death. Death is sad. But the Spirit World is amazing. It's not a typical Heaven-Hell place. We call it Spirit Prison and Spirit Paradise. Spirit Paradise is for those who went through all the proper steps to be "saved." Spirit Prison is for everyone else. BUT IT DOESN'T END THERE. Those who would have accepted the Gospel, but never had the chance to even hear it during their lives, are saved. Children and babies who pass away before an age of accountability--meaning they were too young to discern the truth for themselves--are automatically saved. Everyone is given the chance, or given multiple chances, to accept the Gospel. Or reject it.
I like to think of the Spirit World as a giant equalizer. It's a place where privilege means nothing, because all are loved equally by our Heavenly Parents.
This is also a place for service. While our bodies might be dead and buried, our spirits live on. Some are even given special duties and responsibilities to further the purposes of our Heavenly Parents. It is a time to continue spreading love.
It is here that we wait for Resurrection and Judgment.
Resurrection
So, how do we overcome physical death? We get to be resurrected. Our spirits will reunite with our bodies. (Not sure if this means that we'll crawl out of our graves like zombies or not. PS--Sorry if you were cremated. PSS-- I like to think God has a better way to do this worked out.) Anyway, our bodies after the Resurrection will be immortal. Free from sickness. Free from any imperfections or setbacks. The scriptures mention that "not a hair on [our] heads will be lost." Not sure what that will look like, exactly, but I think it sounds amazing.
And, remember, this gift is free. Compliments of the Savior.
Love wins.
Judgment
After having been resurrected, all will stand before our Heavenly Father to be judged according to our faith and according to our works. The cool thing is, Jesus Christ will be our advocate--or lawyer--to present our case before God.
In the end, our Heavenly Father assigns us where we will live for the rest of eternity. He'll make sure to place us where we'll be the happiest, because He loves us.
The Kingdoms of Glory
Ok. Now, Satan will go to a place called Outer Darkness. Pretty much, he and a very, very select few will be miserable for the rest of eternity. I'm not sure what Outer Darkness is like, and I don't intend to find out.
The Telestial Kingdom will be the final destination for those who love worldly things. In a nutshell, this is the place for those who never overcame their carnal appetites, whatever those appetites might be. However, this is still a place described as being exponentially more beautiful than the Earth on which we now live.
The Terrestrial Kingdom is a step above that. This place is for "good" people, but those who did not fulfill the responsibilities of overcoming spiritual death. Maybe they weren't baptized. Maybe they didn't make covenants in the temple. Or maybe they did, but they didn't live up to the responsibilities which come with those ordinances. Still, it is a place for this type of person to thrive and be happy.
Finally, the Celestial Kingdom is where we should strive to be. It is where we can return to our Heavenly Parents. This is where Jesus Christ will reside. This is also the only of the Kingdoms of Glory where we will be allowed to continue in our marriages--so long as we were sealed to our spouse in the temple. Family relationships are perpetuated without the burdens we encounter on Earth. It's Utopic, Zion. A place where we will become like our Heavenly Parents. A place of peace, of progression, of rest, and of love.
And, ultimately, love will win.
At least, that's what I believe.
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