Re: Opposition

2007-1-15 00:54:00

Susan writes:

I have read a whole book on people who remember their "pre-existence." I have also met a couple of LDS who claim memories of the pre-existence. Not that any of that makes it absolutely true, but I think it is interesting and choose to keep an open mind about it. (Coming From the Light: Spiritual Accounts of Life Before Life)

This is the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Light-Spiritual-Accounts-Before/dp/0671001590/sr=1-\ 31/qid=1168873018/ref=sr_1_31/002-9816010-6749627?ie=UTF8&s=books Also see this page: http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa110600a.htm

and this one:

http://wwwnear-death.com/experiences/research01.html

JJ: I can't find anything in your references that gives the standard LDS view of the pre-existence but instead they relate more of the standard New Age view.

The standard LDS view is that we have only one life and before this life we lived in heaven with a heavenly father and mother on a planet other than the earth where God was redeemed as a mortal. Most believe that God had many wives and I've never heard of an account that sees us sitting at the feet of God with a bunch of wives with billions of children gathered round.

I'm not saying such accounts do not exist, but if such does it is rare and runs contrary to the thousands of memories that are available.

We are indeed children of God, but that standard LDS view of God and his wives having regular physical sex to produce billions (perhaps trillions) of offspring on a far away planet is quite fanciful and does not square with memory, evidence or logic as to how we came to be. It also does not square with any statement that Joseph Smith made - that I know of.