My grandparents were salt of the earth-type people. They were dyed in the wool, true blue Mormons. They had seven children (6 daughters and 1 son) and a lot of grandkids, the vast majority of whom remain faithful members to this day. Although they loved their children equally, they had a special pride in their son. While he was an example of a stalwart male member for most of his life, he apparently had an affair. It was during this state that we has killed in a car accident in his late 30's.
Back in a more faithful time in my life, I spent a lot of time thinking of my uncle, and what his fate would ultimately be. I had a hard time trying to reconcile what I saw as big contradictions in the gospel, which centered around justice and mercy (please, no links to the CES video narrated by BKP
). After my mission, I was doctrinally hardcore. I firmly believed in the BOM's view of the afterlife, best represented by these verses:
It certainly made sense to me back then. But as I saw the sorrow in my grandparents' faces every time the family discussed my uncle, I had to deal with the real-life scenarios when justice and mercy collided. Although I hadn't formulated it way back then, I recently heard a question that perfectly encapsulates this dilemma: why would God give an eternal punishment for a temporal sin?
I quickly swung to the mercy side of the equation at BYU. There, a D&C class discussed section 138 in detail. I was struck by what the instructor felt validated the idea of complete repentance after this life:
Now I know the standard teaching is that everyone who repents in spirit prison will 'receive a reward according to their works', implying that repentance is still required for assignment to even lower kingdoms. But the phrase 'the dead who repent will be redeemed' really took a hold of my thought process for the next 10+ years. I reasoned that repentance means being completely washed clean. So if the dead (even those who grew up in the gospel) repented of their sins, why wouldn't they qualify for the celestial kingdom?
During this time I was also looking for official teachings that would back up my opinion. Perhaps the most famous of these is Orson F. Whitney's quote:
A quick Google search lists many Ensign articles that includes this quote, so I don't think it's an obscure doctrine. For the next few years I would happily bring up this quote whenever the discussion. I also read it to my grandparents before they passed, and I’d like to think it gave them comfort.
Although I would support an official teaching of repentance for the less valiant and apostates after this life, I think if you polled the church membership most would side with the BOM. I've just heard it too many times in church. After all, it is one of the Seven Deadly Heresies. But I have appreciated the references here and there, quoting Whitney and giving hope to believing parents with 'wayward' children. When I started talking to my Mom about my disaffection, I included the Whitney reference, telling her that if you have faith, I will see the error in my ways after death and all should be well. I'm not sure if that helped, but we have mended a lot of the strain since I came out.
Enter this month's Ensign and Elder Bednar’s article. I don't think many people see Bednar as particularly warm or friendly, and his current article certainly doesn't help. For whatever reason, he needs to reopen wounds and exacerbate the depression I'm sure many member parents feel:
He then goes on to qualify Whitney's statement by saying that recent (and apparently now more authoritative) manuscripts add the phrase 'who have not transgressed' to children. So the sealing power is greatly reduced from what Joseph Smith and Whitney (who now apparently never said what was originally thought) originally envisioned. Which in all honesty is more consistent with what is taught currently.
So now thanks to the newly discovered authoritative manuscripts from Martha and Howard Coray (!), I can't rely on just the fact that my parents are sealed to get saved. Thanks a lot! But I am curious to others' thoughts:
Is repentance available to the less valiant and apostates after this life?
If so, does it mean they can be completely washed clean, or will they still be relegated to a lesser kingdom?
If you believe complete repentance is possible after this life, how do you reconcile the apparent contradictions with D&C 138, 76, and the more rigid teachings of the BOM?
Finally, an existential question: does it bother anyone else that according to Mormon and most Christian theology, God punishes or rewards eternally for works done in this temporal state?
Back in a more faithful time in my life, I spent a lot of time thinking of my uncle, and what his fate would ultimately be. I had a hard time trying to reconcile what I saw as big contradictions in the gospel, which centered around justice and mercy (please, no links to the CES video narrated by BKP
). After my mission, I was doctrinally hardcore. I firmly believed in the BOM's view of the afterlife, best represented by these verses:
32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.
34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.
I quickly swung to the mercy side of the equation at BYU. There, a D&C class discussed section 138 in detail. I was struck by what the instructor felt validated the idea of complete repentance after this life:
32 Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.
58 The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,
59 And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.
58 The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,
59 And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.
Now I know the standard teaching is that everyone who repents in spirit prison will 'receive a reward according to their works', implying that repentance is still required for assignment to even lower kingdoms. But the phrase 'the dead who repent will be redeemed' really took a hold of my thought process for the next 10+ years. I reasoned that repentance means being completely washed clean. So if the dead (even those who grew up in the gospel) repented of their sins, why wouldn't they qualify for the celestial kingdom?
During this time I was also looking for official teachings that would back up my opinion. Perhaps the most famous of these is Orson F. Whitney's quote:
The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.”
A quick Google search lists many Ensign articles that includes this quote, so I don't think it's an obscure doctrine. For the next few years I would happily bring up this quote whenever the discussion. I also read it to my grandparents before they passed, and I’d like to think it gave them comfort.
Although I would support an official teaching of repentance for the less valiant and apostates after this life, I think if you polled the church membership most would side with the BOM. I've just heard it too many times in church. After all, it is one of the Seven Deadly Heresies. But I have appreciated the references here and there, quoting Whitney and giving hope to believing parents with 'wayward' children. When I started talking to my Mom about my disaffection, I included the Whitney reference, telling her that if you have faith, I will see the error in my ways after death and all should be well. I'm not sure if that helped, but we have mended a lot of the strain since I came out.
Enter this month's Ensign and Elder Bednar’s article. I don't think many people see Bednar as particularly warm or friendly, and his current article certainly doesn't help. For whatever reason, he needs to reopen wounds and exacerbate the depression I'm sure many member parents feel:
Statements by General Authorities of the Church describing the influence of faithful parents on wayward children have been and continue to be a source of great familial comfort. The consolation arises from the hope these messages seem to proffer that parents who honor gospel covenants, obey the Lord’s commandments, and serve faithfully can influence the salvation of their sons and daughters who go astray. However, the interpretation of these statements by some members of the Church has contributed to a measure of doctrinal misunderstanding. The confusion derives from the apparent inconsistency of these interpretations with the doctrine of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the principles of moral agency and individual accountability for sins and transgressions.
He then goes on to qualify Whitney's statement by saying that recent (and apparently now more authoritative) manuscripts add the phrase 'who have not transgressed' to children. So the sealing power is greatly reduced from what Joseph Smith and Whitney (who now apparently never said what was originally thought) originally envisioned. Which in all honesty is more consistent with what is taught currently.
So now thanks to the newly discovered authoritative manuscripts from Martha and Howard Coray (!), I can't rely on just the fact that my parents are sealed to get saved. Thanks a lot! But I am curious to others' thoughts:
Is repentance available to the less valiant and apostates after this life?
If so, does it mean they can be completely washed clean, or will they still be relegated to a lesser kingdom?
If you believe complete repentance is possible after this life, how do you reconcile the apparent contradictions with D&C 138, 76, and the more rigid teachings of the BOM?
Finally, an existential question: does it bother anyone else that according to Mormon and most Christian theology, God punishes or rewards eternally for works done in this temporal state?
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