The Vitality of Mormonism: Brief Essays on Distinctive Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsTalmage, James E. (James Edward)
Religion
The Vitality of Mormonism: Brief Essays on Distinctive Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Talmage, James E. (James Edward)
Latter Day Saint churches; Latter Day Saints
We read that Jeremiah was chosen from among his fellows and ordained
before he was born to be a prophet unto the nations (Jer. 1:5) ;
and a similar fore-ordination is indicated by Isaiah (49:1, 5.)
Abraham definitely avers that among the unembodied spirits there were
differences, some were noble and great and others less adapted to the
duties of rulership: "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the
intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all
these there were many of the noble and great ones. And God saw these
souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he
said: These I will make my rulers." (Pearl of Great Price p. 65-66.)
The God of spirits recognized particular qualifications in some, and
selected them to be leaders among men. Let us not assume that the
"rulers" thus divinely chosen are necessarily those whom men would
later elect to be their leaders. Many of God's great ones have been
and are counted among the despised of earth. So it was with the Christ
Himself, and so with many of His prophets, apostles and revelators unto
mankind.
Born into the flesh with diverse capacities, subjected here to varied
environment, which may be favorable or opposed to the development
of inherent tendencies toward either good or evil, we as a race are
creatures of disparity, inequality, and heterogeneous circumstance. But
all color of injustice disappears in the light of assurance that, in
the judgment of souls, every condition shall be weighed in the accurate
balances of Justice and Mercy.
But what of the hereafter--shall we not be made equal there? Not in the
sense that our individuality shall be subverted or radically changed.
We shall find beyond more gradations in society than we have ever
known on earth. But the basis of classification will be essentially
different. Here we are rated according to what we have--of wealth,
learning, political or other influence due to circumstance; there we
shall find our place according to what we really are.
Ponder the significance of our Lord's assurance of the "many mansions"
in the Father's kingdom (John 14:1-3) and consider Paul's summary of
varied glories. (1 Cor. 15:40-41.)
Through later Scripture we are told of distinct kingdoms or worlds of
graded order, comparable to the sun, moon, and stars respectively.
There are the Celestial, the Terrestrial, and the Telestial kingdoms,
in which the souls of men shall abide and serve as their attainments in
righteousness or their disqualification through sin shall determine.
Concerning the inhabitants of the Telestial world, the lowest of
the specified kingdoms of glory, we read: "For they shall be judged
according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his
own works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his
own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared." (D&C 76:111.)
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ETHICS AND RELIGION
A Distinction With a Difference
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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