One of the more unique aspects of the LDS faith is the belief in "kingdoms of glory" - effectively levels within heaven that are varying distances from God. More on the different levels and why someone would end up at each level at the MormonWiki but the short version is that there are three levels: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial. The highest level is the Celestial Kingdom where we are in the direct presence of our Heavenly Father. It is compared to the brightness of the sun. The next-highest level is the Terrestrial Kingdom and it is compared to the brightness of the moon. And the lowest level is the Telestial Kingdom and it is compared to the brightness of the stars in the sky. Regardless of levels, however, these kingdoms are all part of heaven and they are all more glorious than man can currently comprehend.
Yesterday, at my Gospel Essentials class, we were talking about the concept of eternal families and why families are a centerpiece of the Church. One aspect of that is that families provide a laboratory for understanding what our relationship to our Heavenly Father and our relationship to others in this world should look and feel like. During the class, I made the observation that people's view of their relationship with God (their Heavenly Father) is often heavily influenced by their relationship with their father on Earth. With my own children, I've tried to keep that in mind and serve as a role model of how their relationship with their Heavenly Father will be like. As an aside, I'm rarely successful in this regard but I'm trying to improve.
Tonight, at bedtime, my kids drove home for me in a very real and tangible way what the different kingdoms of glory are probably like. My younger son AJ is three and a half and at a particularly rebellious point at the moment. He often intentionally disobeys what my wife and I tell him to do and that's very frustrating to us. As part of our normal bedtime routine, the kids clean up, watch a short show, get into PJs, read books, and (if necessary) read on their own in bed with their light on. They particularly like the show and book part so we (unfortunately) often have to threaten to take those things away to incent the proper behavior at other points during the day. Today was no exception.
AJ wouldn't clean up or get into PJs and intentionally disobeyed multiple times. I tried to be patient. I gave him multiple chances to comply in different ways but he wouldn't do it. So I took away his nighttime book. Then I gave him some more chances and he still listen or obey so he lost the opportunity to listen to his brother's book (and would have to go directly to bed after he was in PJs). When book time came along, I took him into his room and told him that he wasn't allowed to come out. He got very upset and started crying a great deal. He also kept saying that he wanted to be with me in the other room. I eventually went to talk with him and explained that he had lost these privileges since he couldn't listen and obey. I also asked him what we say when we make someone sad or angry. He eventually said "sorry" and said that he would listen and obey moving forward. I let him come out to the couch to listen to his brother's book - but he had still lost his own book. As I began reading JD's book, AJ was still having trouble. I kept reminding him that if he wanted to stay with us he needed to show me that he could listen and obey. Eventually he sat next to me like I asked. He was calm and happier since he was in my presence but I was focusing all my attention on JD (who had done everything I'd ask tonight). I had my arm around JD. I was answering all his questions. We were bonding. AJ was simply sitting next to me but wasn't part of the action.
[Aside: to be clear, I'm not picking on AJ here. This is just one instance. There are plenty of other instances where he behaves like a little angel and JD is the one who has trouble listening or obeying. Also, when JD was younger, he went through a phase like this as well.]
So what does this have to do with kingdoms of glory? Let's think about AJ and JD's situations. When AJ was in his room, he was in the Telestial Kingdom. He was safe in our house and knew that I still loved him but he was also far away from me (and quite upset about it) since he "continued in his sins and did not repent" (Preach My Gospel, page 53). The action which unlocked the Terrestrial Kingdom (coming out to the couch) was repentence and a commitment to listen and obey. AJ was able to be closer to me (which made him more content) but he also didn't get my full and complete attention like JD (who was, metaphorically, in the Celestial Kingdom).
At the time (and now in hindsight), it's interesting to me how many times I used the words "listen and obey" with AJ. On some level, it's that easy - or, depending on your perspective, that hard. We need to listen to what our Heavenly Father asks of us and then obey. And, if we do that, we'll get his full and complete attention in the next life.
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5 comments:
This is one of the doctrines I've never understood. It's not mentioned in the BOM and it's unclear to me that if you died today, you would know what kingdom you would inherit. Then there are those people who have herd the message, have rejected it--perhaps like me--and still have a chance to get baptized and receive the Holy Ghost in the Spirit World. It's like there are no consequences for being disobedient or bad; in fact, you could still progress from one kingdom to the other. Help me understand how this jives with what Jesus says:
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
--Matthew 7:13-14
The BOM speaks of heaven and hell and nothing about the three degrees of glory. You might want to ask the missionaries about this next time you see them. It has always been hard to understand how such an important piece of doctrine is absent from the BOM, which I view as a restoration of the key principles and ideas left out of the Bible and lost through translation.
This was definitely one of the topics that I had a lot of questions about early on. I tried to put together a decision tree to make sense of it all. I still have a copy I can show you if you're interested. The short answer that I reached is that God will judge us all fairly based on the totality of our lives - including (but certainly not limited to) whether we choose to make certain convenants with him and whether we use our free will to honor those convenants.
In terms of hearing the message and rejecting it, my understanding from the missionaries and others is that you don't fall into that category. In terms of Outer Darkness, at least, you'd have to have a perfect knowledge of the Gospel and then reject it. But there's probably only a handful of people (including Gordon B. Hinkley) that fall into that category.
In terms of progression from one kingdom to another, that's a bit unclear. My understanding is that you get locked into a particular kingdom and then can't get out of it. But that only happens at the point of resurrection so there is a big time lag between when you die and when the judgment takes place. So there is an opportunity, for example, to have a baptism for the dead performed in between to unlock the celestial kingdom even if you weren't baptized on Earth.
In terms of the BOM and heaven and hell, it's a good question. I'm almost through the end of 2 Nephi so I'm only about 20% of the way through the BOM. But there have certainly been references to hell and I don't have a good answer to your question. I'll ask the missionaries about it and get back to you.
Regarding specific scriptures, in Preach My Gospel, it references the following scriptures in regards to kingdoms of glory:
3 Nephi 28:10
D&C 76: Introduction
D&C 76
D&C 137
Matthew 5:48
1 Corinthians 15:40-42
JST, 1 Corinthians 15:40
The reference in 1 Corinthians in the Bible seems directly applicable. But otherwise this is mostly modern-day revelation in D&C.
Honestly, I've mostly come to the conclusion that the kingdoms don't really matter. What really matters is doing the right things in your life, repenting, serving others, etc. as part of handing over your life to God. If you do those things, what kingdom you end up in will take care of itself. On the other hand, if you don't do those things, you probably don't believe in the rest of the convenants and/or doctrine so who cares what kingdom you end up in (since you probably also don't believe the kingdoms exist in the first place). Or, if you do the right things but do them simply out of selfish motivation to get into the highest kingdom, you've still missed the point and God will know your true intent so you ultimately won't accomplish what you intended to accomplish. So it all just boils done to changing your life and changing the way you conduct your life, not worrying about how God will judge you after the fact. That will take care of itself.
The plan is to perform baptisms for everyone who has ever lived on the Earth. This will probably require the assistance of Jesus Christ and angels during the Millennium, as many names of individuals cannot be found on earthly records. Baptism is necessary but not sufficient to enter the Celestial Kingdom. It's your own faith and repentance, and ultimately the grace of God for your shortcomings, that allows you to enter.
A person is supposed to accept the Gospel and follow Jesus when he has a chance here on Earth. The scriptures say "judged according to his works in the flesh" (sorry for no reference). But the point is that death is not the ultimate end. We cannot be saved in ignorance (as Joseph Smith taught), so an opportunity for faith and repentance is given in the Spirit World before the resurrection and judgment. And who's to say what a proper "chance" to accept the Gospel is anyway.
As far as Outer Darkness is concerned, it is reserved for "Sons of Perdition" who have denied the Holy Ghost. I understand that this is something quite severe and beyond the capabilities of most people, simply because they haven't had the type of sure witness of the Holy Ghost necessary for it. If we equate Outer Darkness to Hell ("Hell" has many meanings in the scriptures, ironically sometimes even the Telestial Kingdom of Heaven) then The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a much more merciful view of the afterlife than many other Christian denominations, as we expect very few to go to Outer Darkness.
From "ege" but I removed one reference that contained my name...
Here is how the kingdoms matter to me. First, I think it demonstrates that the afterlife is more nuanced than "heaven" and "hell." Did it ever make sense that 2 people -- Mother Teresa, and the guy who just barely escaped hell -- would end up with the same reward? To me, the concept of the three kingdoms first demonstrates that judgment is individual and the reward for our deeds individual and not either/or (either heaven or hell).
My understanding is also that we are "locked in" to a kingdom in the afterlife. While this may not make sense on the surface, this mortal life is a critical testing ground, and there have been other such critical junctures. For example, if you didn't choose to follow Christ in the pre-mortal existence, your progression stopped there, without ever experience mortality or receiving a body. But, like GNP, I don't think most of us really focus on the three kingdoms that much -- mostly we strive to return to God. We just believe that endless misery doesn't await everyone else and believe that there are more gradations than the dichotomous heaven and hell.
The BofM doesn't say much about the 3 degrees as far as I know, but it certainly isn't the only doctrine "missing" from the BofM. The BofM contains the "fullness of the gospel" in that it preaches the atonement and resurrection of Christ -- faith, repentence, baptism, and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. These are the essence of the gospel, and the prerequisites to entering at the gate onto the path to eternal life. I don't think anyone ever suggested that the BofM is a catalog of all Mormon doctrine.
I also don't think that Mormonism gives us the free pass of endless chances to accept the gospel. While I am in no position to determine whether others have had the witness that allows them to accept or reject the gospel, I think individuals looking at their own lives should be sure they have not squandered their own opportunity.
As you continue your study of Christianity, I think you are going to find that the concept of fairness--as we understand it in this world--is not applicable to the structure of Christian belief. Let me explain by responding to the following comment you received about the nature of the afterlife from EGE:
"Here is how the kingdoms matter to me. First, I think it demonstrates that the afterlife is more nuanced than "heaven" and "hell." Did it ever make sense that 2 people -- Mother Teresa, and the guy who just barely escaped hell -- would end up with the same reward? To me, the concept of the three kingdoms first demonstrates that judgment is individual and the reward for our deeds individual and not either/or (either heaven or hell).
Actually it doesn't make any sense, but this should not come as a surprise since we are dealing with principles that many of us will never really understand. Think about it. The Atonement for example. Here was God watching his only Son--an innocent man with no crime to His name--undergo a torturous and grueling death. In spite of this, God did no rain "fire, earthquakes, or floods" on the perpetrator (i.e. MAN)even though He had to power and EVERY RIGHT BY HUMAN RATIONALITY, to do so. Instead, he turned the other cheek and let this happen because He loved us enough to forgive us for this heinous transgression.
With that in mind, I can empathize with those people do not understand how Mother Teresa or the convicted murderer could be entitled to the same prize(s) in heaven if they believe in the Atonement. Because of this, it's also very plausible for me to believe that MAN would invent a system that would essentially introduce "fairness" to the afterlife, but you see Christianity is not about fairness in my opinion; otherwise, HUMANITY as we know it, would have ended the moment Christ was nailed to the cross and left for dead.
Am I suggesting that the LDS doctrine of the afterlife is in error? Maybe. But more importantly, what I am suggesting is that the minute we speak of fairness and try to attach that to Christian belief, the whole system breaks down and we might as well rely on the tried and true methods of executing fairness in this world (e.g. court systems, judges, war, capital punishment).
In conclusion, Christian principles are not easy to understand nor are they fair. Maybe we should stop suggesting that they should be.
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