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Plan of salvation in Mormonism

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This article is about the plan of salvation as taught in theLatter Day Saint movement.For the plan of salvation in other Christian denominations, seeplan of salvation.For salvation in other religions, seesalvation.
Further information:Mormon cosmology
The plan of salvationas taught by theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

According to the doctrine of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS Church), the largest denomination in theLatter Day Saint movement,theplan of salvation(also known as theplan of happinessand theplan of redemption) is a planGodcreated to save, redeem, andexalthumankind,through the atonement of Jesus Christ. The elements of this plan are drawn from various sources, including theBible,[a]Book of Mormon,Doctrine & Covenants,Pearl of Great Price,and numerous statements made by the leadership of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS Church). The first appearance of the graphical representation of the plan of salvation was provided in the 1952 missionary manual entitledA Systematic Program for Teaching the Gospel.[1]

Summary[edit]

Pre-mortal existence[edit]

Main article:Pre-existence (Latter Day Saints)
See also:Pre-mortal existence § Latter Day Saints,andMormon cosmology § Premortality

Joseph Smithtaught the human spirit existed withGodbefore the creation of Earth.[2]Thus, Latter-day Saints believe in apre-mortal existence,in which people are literally the spirit children of God, though Smith is explicitly quoted in theKing Follett Sermonas saying that "God never had the power to create the spirit of man." Latter-day Saints often point toJeremiah 1:5[original research?]as one example of evidence in the Bible for a pre-earth existence.[b]This teaching is primarily based, however, uponrevealeddoctrine by Smith and his successors to thepresidencyof the church. Prior to the existence of spirits, some element of the human spirit, calledintelligence,existed eternally in the same sense that God existed eternally, but in a less progressed form of energy or matter.[3][4][5]This may explain the church's teaching that man and God are co-eternal (carefully distinguishing "co-eternal" from "equal", which is not a part of Mormon doctrine).[4]: 52 Within Latter-day beliefs, Jesus Christ is looked upon as the creator of the Earth underGod the Father's direction, while God the Father is the creator of all men, women, and creatures of the Earth.

During this pre-mortal existence, God the Father presented the following plan to His children:

Human beings would be born on Earth. There they would receive aphysicalbodynecessary toexaltationand a fullness ofjoy.On earth, they would be tested through trials of theirfaith,and be subject tomortality.A "veil"would be set in place to obscure humankind's memory of its divine origins, thus allowing for" walking by faith "and for greater freedom of choice by enabling individuals to make their own decisions. LDS Church members believe that only those who live good lives, prove themselves obedient to Heavenly Father's commandments, receive theordinancesofsalvation,andrepentof theirsinswill be able to return to Heavenly Father's presence (TheCelestial Kingdom). However, because each person's experience in mortality is unique, every individual will bejudgedin accordance with the opportunities, knowledge, and blessings they had while living on Earth.

Integral to this plan wasfreedom of choice,which God the Father considered an inviolable right of all his children; every individual would have opportunities to make certain choices that would determine the course of their life on Earth and in thehereafter.No human would ever have their freedom taken away in an attempt to force righteous behavior. People would be free to do evil and good, both to themselves and to those around them. Because such freedom would make it possible for God the Father's children to break commandments and sin, aSaviorwould be needed to offer them freedom from the just consequences of their sins and allow them torepent:this figure would have to overcome both sin and death, making it possible for obedient and repentant individuals to return to Heavenly Father's presence through a plan of mercy. The pre-mortalJesus Christ,then known asJehovah,volunteered to be this Savior, agreeing to take upon himselfinfinite sufferingfor every sin, mistake, and all pain and suffering ever to be experienced throughout all time by all of God's children. He also agreed todie and be resurrected,thus making it possible for all individuals (obedient or not) to beresurrected.TheHoly Spiritwould be sent to encourage righteous behavior and guide human beings towards Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, but would never interfere with freedom.

Also part of the plan was aforeordinationof prophets and teachers who would have gifts and callings among men to teach and re-teach correct principles so that freedom could be used wisely.[6][original research?]Heavenly Father stressed the important role parents would have to teach their children the path of righteousness and happiness,[7][original research?]and theblessingof the holy scriptures that would give a foundation ofgospelknowledge, including the knowledge of the saving role of Jesus Christ and the importance of ordinances andcovenantsin the gospel.

As the plan was explained, God's spirit children also understood that full gospel truth could be lost on the earth as men and women could choose against living by the truth at any point, and could devise other beliefs and ways to live that would be appealing to the natural mind. Yet they also understood that there would be opportunities before the final judgment for every child of God to hear of Jesus Christ and to either accept him or reject him.

LDS Church members believe this plan, ordained by God the Father was not contrived arbitrarily, but was designed based on eternal truths to allow for the greatest possible progress toward a fullness of joy, happiness and love for the greatest number of His spirit children. He loves each of them unconditionally and desires that they progress, knowing that this leads to greater happiness and a potential fullness of joy.

War in Heaven[edit]

See also:War in Heaven

After God the Father presented this plan,[8]Lucifervolunteered to save all mankind by removing the need foragencyas a necessary requirement of the plan.[9][10]Lucifer claimed, with agency removed, no one would have the ability to sin against God, that not one soul would be lost, and all would be able to return sinless to the presence of Heavenly Father without the need for a Savior.[11][12]As recompense for his plan, Lucifer demanded that the power and the glory which God the Father possessed be transferred to him, effectively making him "God." However, to make this plan work, Lucifer alone would need to have his agency intact to fully control and insure that everyone would live sinless. As a result, no spirit experiencing this "sanitized" mortality could truly achieve exaltation.[9][10]God the Father vehemently rejected Lucifer's hobbled plan.

Enraged, Lucifer chose to rebel against God the Father and rallied to him "a third part" of God the Father's children who also preferred Lucifer's plan. The two factions warred, and Lucifer and his followers were cast out of Heaven; Lucifer becameSatan,and those who followed him becamefallen(also referred to as sons of perdition), and hisservants.[13][original research?]They were denied the right to have their own physical bodies (and, consequently, the ability to procreate) but were not affected by the "veil". Latter-day Saints believe that Satan and his servants have since sought to undo, counteract, and undermine God the Father's plan by tempting mortal individuals to evil actions, gaining power over them and their bodies, and by attempting to restrict their agency by whatever means possible.[12]

Spirit world[edit]

See also:Spirit worldandBaptism for the dead

Latter-day Saint beliefs include the belief in aspirit worldbetween death and the resurrection. They believe that the "veil of forgetfulness" will be removed before they are judged thereafter, and that the spirits of all of mankind continue to prepare for judgment day and their eventual resurrection where they will receive a reward according to their faith and works. They believe that righteous individuals continue toproclaim the gospelof Jesus Christ in the Spirit World, teaching others and offering them the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and follow God the Father's plan.

Final Judgment[edit]

The Latter-day Saints believe that theFinal Judgmentof mankind will occur after the final resurrection, and that Jesus Christ is ultimately the Judge of all men. Joseph Smith taught:

He will judge them, 'not according to what they have not, but according to what they have,' those who have lived without law will be judged without law, and those who have a law will be judged by that law. We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their severaldeserts,their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right.[14]

Another description of the benevolence of the final judgment was presented by PresidentGeorge Q. Cannonof the First Presidency of the LDS Church in 1884:

God's providence is over all His children, and He will reward every man and every woman according to his or her works, and He will reward those who have lived exemplary lives, those who have been moral, whether they be heathen or Christian, whether they have known the name of Jesus or not, whether they have the Bible or the Koran or some other book or no book at all; whatever may have been their condition and circumstances, if they have lived according to thelightthat God has given them and to laws that they understood, God will reward them and will eventually bestow every blessing upon them which they are capable of receiving.[15]

Salvation in Mormonism[edit]

UnlikeNiceneChristianity, Latter-day Saints believe in multiple types and levels ofsalvation:

  • ElderJoseph B. Wirthlintaught thatImmortalityand physical resurrection are gifts freely given to everyone and made possible byJesus Christ.[16]TheBook of Mormonsays, "The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form...even as we now are at this time....This restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame."[17]
  • ElderDallin H. Oakssaid Latter-day Saints believe in three distinct "kingdoms of glory," the highest being theCelestial Kingdom.Within the Celestial Kingdom, there are three additional degrees, and those who achieve the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom become gods and goddesses, Oaks explains.[18]
  • TheDoctrine & Covenantssays that individuals who have "denied the Holy Spirit after having received it" becomesons of perdition.[19]The LDS Gospel Principles manual teaches thatouter darknessis reserved for those "who had testimonies of Jesus through the Holy Ghost and knew the power of the Lord but allowed Satan to overcome them... They will live in eternal darkness, torment, and misery with Satan and his angels forever."[20]Other LDS publications have reiterated this concept.[21][22]

Hypothesized influence of Emanuel Swedenborg[edit]

HistorianD. Michael Quinnin his bookEarly Mormonism and the Magic World View,has speculated that various parts of the plan of salvation were taken byJoseph SmithfromEmanuel Swedenborg's bookHeaven and Hell.In the book, Swedenborg wrote that "There are three heavens" that are "entirely distinct from each other."[23]: 217 He called the highest heaven "the Celestial Kingdom," and stated that the inhabitants of the three heavens corresponded to the "sun, moon and stars."[23]: 217 Quinn further argues that the book was available to Smith, and that he was familiar with it. One account claims that Smith told Latter Day Saint convert from SwedenborgismEdward Hunterthat "Emanuel Swedenborg had a view of the world to come, but for daily food he perished."[23]: 218 Additionally, Quinn asserts that the book was in the Palmyra public library beginning in 1817, and that "[n]ine miles from Smith's farm, in 1826 the Canandaigua newspaper also advertised Swedenborg's book for sale. The bookstore offered Swedenborg's publications for as little as 37 cents."[23]: 217 

HistorianRichard Bushmanargues that it was more likely that both Swedenborg and Smith were influenced by New Testament scriptures that refer to "celestial" and "terrestrial" bodies that are compared to the sun, moon, and stars, noting fundamental differences between Smith's and Swedenborg's versions of heaven.[24]: 196 Bushman also notes similarities between the Mormon heavenly organization and post-Calvinism[24]: 196 and Universalism.[24]: 199 

Latter-day Saints note that Paul made reference to both "celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial", as well as bodies compared to those of stars, when discussing the resurrection in 1st Corinthians 15:40-41 (KJV); they see this as evidence that the idea of "three degrees of glory" was preached by Paul.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^See for exampleMatthew 13:43,John 14:2,2 Corinthians 12:2,1 Corinthians 15:40–41,Genesis 2:4–5,Genesis 2:7,Job 38:4,Ecclesiastes 12:7,Jeremiah 1:5,Zechariah 12:1,andHebrews 12:9
  2. ^In this section Jeremiah the prophet is told that the Lord knew him before He formed him in the belly and before he came out of the womb and was sanctified and ordained to be a prophet at that time.[original research?]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Missionary Materials and Methods | Religious Studies Center".
  2. ^comp. Joseph Fielding Smith (1976).Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith.Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. p. 343.
  3. ^Condie, Kent C. (Spring 2006)."Premortal Spirits: Implications for Cloning, Abortion, Evolution, and Extinction".Dialogue.39(1).University of Illinois Press:47.
  4. ^abOstler, Blake(1982)."The Idea of Pre-Existence in the Development of Mormon Thought"(PDF).Dialogue.15(1).University of Illinois Press:59, 73–74.
  5. ^Bowen, David R. Sr. (May 1999).Joseph Smith's Concept of Preexistent Intelligences: Development and Critique(Master of Religion thesis). Lynchburg, Virginia:Liberty University.pp. 5–7.
  6. ^Jeremiah 1:5;thePearl of Great PriceAbraham 3:23
  7. ^Deuteronomy 6:7
  8. ^"Plan of Salvation".
  9. ^ab"Council in Heaven".
  10. ^ab"Agency and Accountability".
  11. ^"Jesus Christ Chosen as Savior".
  12. ^ab"Satan".
  13. ^Revelations 12:7-9
  14. ^Joseph Smith,Documentary History of the Church4:595-596, April, 1842
  15. ^President George Q. Cannon, Nov. 9, 1884,Journal of Discourses,Volume 26:82
  16. ^Wirthlin, Joseph B. (Nov 2006)."Timely Topics: What Is the Difference between Immortality and Eternal Life?".The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Retrieved18 June2024.
  17. ^Alma 11:43–44
  18. ^Oaks, Dallin H. (Oct 2023)."Kingdoms of Glory".The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Retrieved18 June2024.
  19. ^"D&C 76:32-35".The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Retrieved18 June2024.
  20. ^"The Final Judgment".The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Retrieved18 June2024.
  21. ^"Charting the Plan".July 2006.Retrieved18 June2024.The very most wicked, called the sons of perdition—those who continue to fight against Christ—will be sent to outer darkness, where there is no glory.
  22. ^Doxey, Roy W, Doctrine and Covenants Speaks, 1970, Ch. 2
  23. ^abcdQuinn, D. Michael(1998).Early Mormonism and the Magic World View.Salt Lake City:Signature Books.ISBN978-1-56085-089-2– viaInternet Archive.
  24. ^abcBushman, Richard Lyman(2005).Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling.New York:Knopf.ISBN978-1-4000-4270-8– viaGoogle Books.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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