To believe in a God, a being who is all-powerful and all-knowing, is comforting. Believing that He created us out of nothing is rather unsettling, because if we were entirely his underlings from eternity to eternity, we could have no hope to progress like Him. He has even stated that "All that [He] hath shall be given unto [us]," according to the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. How would we be able to receive all that He hath, which includes being co-eternal with all things, if we were not co-eternal with Him from the start?
Looking forward is a common pastime among humankind. It involves thinking about decisions made now, possibilities for the future, and perhaps at what life could be like after death, if one believes in such. It is comforting to believe that death is not the end, but also can be extremely nerve-wracking, depending on your perception of the afterlife. It makes one consider their whole being, and if they are doing anything of lasting value.
Looking backward, past our mortal history, is a less common pastime. Who or what were we before we existed as we are? Are we just creatures of some cosmic creation, or are we something more? What exactly is creation, anyway? The list of unanswered questions grows exponentially when we consider that birth was NOT our beginning, and such a belief solidifies the idea that death cannot be our ultimate end.
The prophet Joseph Smith once said, "Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it has a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end. There never was a time when there were not spirits."
If we take this concept as a possibility, and consider what it truly means to be eternal, we discover an idea that mortal minds simply cannot fully comprehend - perpetual existence, breaking supposed laws of physics as we understand them today. Entropy, enemy to eternity, is the target of this doctrine. If one is true, the other must needs be disproved to some extent. If something can exist eternally, it must not experience entropy, or else it has ways of counteracting entropy. If something experiences entropy as I understand it, however, then it physically cannot sustain itself eternally.
Then, there is the idea of eternal progression. Much like the universe is ever-expanding and yet not running out of energy (as of yet), so too is the intelligence of man's spirit. We are constantly learning, growing, absorbing new information and reacting to it, accepting or rejecting new ideas and opportunities that come our way. In this, the ideal is that we never stop learning, never stop growing, until we reach a point of omniscience, of perfect knowledge, where we - like God - can know and understand all things, from eternity to eternity.
This doctrine of omniscience also calls into question the idea of agency, and how much control we actually have in our own lives. I have not the time nor capacity to fully analyze this argument at this time, but I mention it because the power of choice is something we have always had, to some degree, and will always have forever. In the pre-mortal existence we had a choice to follow God's plan or rebel against it. In this life we are given effectively infinite choice, as we control our own bodies and, in this way, our own destiny.
I close with a reference to pagan belief. Some concept of eternity has always dominated the minds of mankind, and even those who do not fully understand God's ways have visualized something of eternity. The Celtic Knot, for instance, can be viewed as symbolic of eternity. One single thread, looping endlessly on its course, "one eternal round," just as God's course is said to be, never varying from its perfect path.
Of course, this is just one interpretation of the Celtic Knots. Since the originators of the design are not alive today we cannot ask them of their initial intent in creating these images, so we are left with our own ability to interpret them according to our culture and understanding.
I believe, however, that some semblance of Gospel truth exists in all things, no matter how twisted or broken it has become. I hope that all men, no matter their belief, can consider the concept of eternity, and how their lives may weave into an eternal tapestry, from unending to unending, if they accept God's wise plan of exaltation.
This document does not in any way represent the official views of the Church as a whole; it is merely the theories of my own study and personal revelation, written down in a manner suitable for presentation and future personal study.
No comments:
Post a Comment