Beyond Mitt's Underwear: Part 3: The Preexistence, Creation, and Plan for Salvation
Father in Heaven (Elohiem) and His wives live near the star called Kolob on a pair of magic stones. They were once mortal humans just like we are and have retained their physical bodies of flesh and bone, but instead of blood they have “spirit matter, a substance which is more refined and pure and glorious than blood”. At the time of creation Elohiem called Jesus (Jehovah), Jehovah called Adam (Michael), and on behalf of Elohiem the two Gods “organized” the world from previously existing “disorganized” matter. Mormons reject ex nihilo creation - everything comes from something else.
We were first born in the premortal existence as “spirit children” of Heavenly Father / Elohiem. Jesus was Elohiem’s first son, Satan is also Elohiem’s son, Adam was the Archangel Michael, and Noah was the Archangel Gabriel, although some interpretations get more complicated than that. Brigham Young once taught that Adam was the son of Elohiem, father of Jesus, and God of our world, a teaching which was incorporated into the “lecture at the veil” portion of the Temple Endowment ceremony, but this was removed in 1877 when Brigham Young died and the modern church no longer teaches it. In the preexistence we appeared as we appear now our current physical forms, and fought a battle with Jesus / Jehovah against Satan. The spirits who fought most valiantly against Satan were foreordained to be born into righteous Mormon families. (The musical “Saturday’s Warrior” is about spirits living in preexistence and coming to earth.) Spirits leave the pre-existence to be born into mortal existence to “prove ourselves, choose to come unto Christ, and prepare to be worthy of eternal life”. Being born into existence means passing through the “veil” which prevents us from remembering the promises that we already made to God in preexistence. The veil lets us “prove whether we would obey our Father's commandments even though we were no longer in his presence”. Mormons who know the true path will keep those promises, join the church, perform the saving ordinances, and stay faithful to their oaths and covenants.
Mormons believe in a Resurrection, during which the earth will crystallize into a giant pair of magic stones like the pair Elohiem lives on. There is no “Mormon Hell”. People who die without their ordinances dwell on earth in "spirit prison" until they accept the gospel and have their ordinances posthumously performed for them in the temples. The resurrected dead will go to one of three Kingdoms of Glory. Atheists, nonchristians, and people who “received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus” go to the Telestial Kingdom, to live a life better than life on Earth. Those who live honorably and “receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fullness of the Father” and translated beings will go to the Terrestrial Kingdom. Mormons who have completed and lived up to the Ordinances and children who died before age eight go to the Celestial Kingdom where they live in the presence of God and enjoy “the quality of life that our Eternal Father lives”. Mormons in the Celestial Kingdom receive “thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depth” including true and satisfying answers to all puzzling religious questions. The most righteous and faithful Mormons receive Exaltation, the ultimate goal of faithful LDS Church members, in which they literally become Gods like Elohiem, Jehovah, and Adam before them. The less worthy Mormons in the Celestial Kingdom will not receive their eternal increase (giving birth to spirit-babies) and instead become ministering angels who will serve the most righteous Mormons. At this point the process repeats: the new Heavenly Father creates his own universe, his Heavenly Wives populate its various planets with millions of new spiritual children, and the cosmic cycle perpetuates itself. The closest thing to “Mormon Hell” is the outer darkness which is reserved for Satan and his demons, those who “remain filthy still”, and Mormon apostates who knew God’s light and refused it by leaving the church.
Mormon belief is compatible with the existence of extraterrestrial life. Our planet is populated by the children of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, but other planets may be populated by God’s children from other wives, or the children of other Exalted beings. Joseph Smith taught that men live on the moon, are six feet tall, and dress like Quakers, and that the sun was also inhabited by extraterrestrials, but the modern Church does not emphasize this teaching.
Part 1: Apostasy and Restoration
Part 2: Scriptures
Part 3: Preexistence, Creation, and Plan for Salvation
Part 4: Ordinances
Part 5: Temple Recommend and Splinter Groups
Part 6: My Thoughts
We were first born in the premortal existence as “spirit children” of Heavenly Father / Elohiem. Jesus was Elohiem’s first son, Satan is also Elohiem’s son, Adam was the Archangel Michael, and Noah was the Archangel Gabriel, although some interpretations get more complicated than that. Brigham Young once taught that Adam was the son of Elohiem, father of Jesus, and God of our world, a teaching which was incorporated into the “lecture at the veil” portion of the Temple Endowment ceremony, but this was removed in 1877 when Brigham Young died and the modern church no longer teaches it. In the preexistence we appeared as we appear now our current physical forms, and fought a battle with Jesus / Jehovah against Satan. The spirits who fought most valiantly against Satan were foreordained to be born into righteous Mormon families. (The musical “Saturday’s Warrior” is about spirits living in preexistence and coming to earth.) Spirits leave the pre-existence to be born into mortal existence to “prove ourselves, choose to come unto Christ, and prepare to be worthy of eternal life”. Being born into existence means passing through the “veil” which prevents us from remembering the promises that we already made to God in preexistence. The veil lets us “prove whether we would obey our Father's commandments even though we were no longer in his presence”. Mormons who know the true path will keep those promises, join the church, perform the saving ordinances, and stay faithful to their oaths and covenants.
Mormons believe in a Resurrection, during which the earth will crystallize into a giant pair of magic stones like the pair Elohiem lives on. There is no “Mormon Hell”. People who die without their ordinances dwell on earth in "spirit prison" until they accept the gospel and have their ordinances posthumously performed for them in the temples. The resurrected dead will go to one of three Kingdoms of Glory. Atheists, nonchristians, and people who “received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus” go to the Telestial Kingdom, to live a life better than life on Earth. Those who live honorably and “receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fullness of the Father” and translated beings will go to the Terrestrial Kingdom. Mormons who have completed and lived up to the Ordinances and children who died before age eight go to the Celestial Kingdom where they live in the presence of God and enjoy “the quality of life that our Eternal Father lives”. Mormons in the Celestial Kingdom receive “thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depth” including true and satisfying answers to all puzzling religious questions. The most righteous and faithful Mormons receive Exaltation, the ultimate goal of faithful LDS Church members, in which they literally become Gods like Elohiem, Jehovah, and Adam before them. The less worthy Mormons in the Celestial Kingdom will not receive their eternal increase (giving birth to spirit-babies) and instead become ministering angels who will serve the most righteous Mormons. At this point the process repeats: the new Heavenly Father creates his own universe, his Heavenly Wives populate its various planets with millions of new spiritual children, and the cosmic cycle perpetuates itself. The closest thing to “Mormon Hell” is the outer darkness which is reserved for Satan and his demons, those who “remain filthy still”, and Mormon apostates who knew God’s light and refused it by leaving the church.
Mormon belief is compatible with the existence of extraterrestrial life. Our planet is populated by the children of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, but other planets may be populated by God’s children from other wives, or the children of other Exalted beings. Joseph Smith taught that men live on the moon, are six feet tall, and dress like Quakers, and that the sun was also inhabited by extraterrestrials, but the modern Church does not emphasize this teaching.
Part 1: Apostasy and Restoration
Part 2: Scriptures
Part 3: Preexistence, Creation, and Plan for Salvation
Part 4: Ordinances
Part 5: Temple Recommend and Splinter Groups
Part 6: My Thoughts