I have received a lot of positive comments from my post on LDS Theology regarding the after life, and I wanted to make a few follow-up points that I think will be useful to continue the discussion that I started in that post. First, what does Mormon theology regarding heaven mean for missionary work? We learn from section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants that we will have different types of covenant relationships with God in the afterlife, and that everyone will choose the covenant relationship that suits them- why else would God create different degrees of Glory? Thus, it is important to remember that the purpose of missionary work is to gather those who elect the Celestial covenant(DC 29:7). It is not trying to get everyone into the Celestial Kingdom. Looking for people to teach is really a game of discernment. I talk to everybody, and in each conversation I seek to discern as quickly as possible whether this person is interested in electing the Celestial covenant- how do I know? "for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts" (DC 29:7)- in other words, the elect keep the commitments that you challenge them to do. That is why missionaries should be committal when they preach the gospel. So Mormons should talk to everybody, extend invitations very quickly to gauge interest, and then observe how well they keep their commitments.
One caveat (of many probably) is that not everyone has clear idea of what they want for their life here and hereafter- it can change for most of people because they do not have a full knowledge of the many mansions that are available- this is the challenge of mortality. It could be that a person chooses Telestial law all throughout mortality, but in the Spirit World that person may receive knowledge which he never allowed himself to have, end up choosing a Celestial lifestyle, be prepared for that life, and be resurrected into that mansion of heaven. It could also be the case that a person chooses Celestial law all throughout mortality, but in the Spirit World they come to understand the full weight of it, and decide that a Terrestrial lifestyle suits them better - There are many possibilities. The point is: people may not elect Celestial life at one point in their lives, but elect it at another point in their lives - which is WHY we should not hesitate to invite people to engage the church several times. However, we need to understand, and always remember, that the purpose of missionary work is not to make everybody a Celestial being-Again, why would God make other degrees of Glory if people were not going to choose to inhabit them? The purpose of missionary work is to GATHER THE CELESTIAL-ELECT.
Second, we tend to think of heaven very spatially, and I want to emphasize that the different mansions of heaven are not each located in spaces which are very distance from one another so that there is no interaction between them. Remember that "the same sociality that exists among us here will exist among us there" (Doctrine and Covenants 130:2). Do Mormon families live next to, and interact with, people of varying types of beliefs and lifestyles here? YES. Then you can be certain that Celestial people, Terrestrial people, and Telestial people will interact with one another often in the post-resurrection afterlife. Do Mormon couples often visit their children who choose not to follow their faith? YES, and it follows that you could see them just as frequently as you choose to do so on the other side. However, there are Celestial spaces where Terrestrial beings and Telestial beings cannot go, but again it works much the same way as it does here: I have non-Mormon friends who cannot go into the LDS temple, but it has never limited our friendship and frequency of interaction. In fact, they respect my religious practices, and I respect their choices. In summary, we should not operate under assumptions that people with different lifestyle choices never interact with one another in the afterlife- THEY DO INTERACT, AND WE SHOULD INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER HERE.
Finally, I have been asked several times: are you saying that there will be homosexuality in heaven after the resurrection? The straight answer is: we do not know. Most holy writ is concerned with explicating the laws, covenants, and eternal purposes of Celestial beings We know that there is no homosexuality in the highest degree of the Celestial kingdom of heaven (Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4). There is not much written about the other degrees of Glory. We know enough to infer which mortal deeds you need to repent of prior to resurrection in order to inherit each degree of Glory (see section 76 of D&C), but information regarding the laws, covenants, and eternal purposes of Terrestrial and Telestial beings post-resurrection is scant. For this reason I was careful to use language such as "probably" "according to what we know now" etc. I am currently working on developing a clear overview of what we know about each degree of Glory, and that article is forth-coming.
Comments
Post a Comment