Questions about...

[Katya]

... for now, the pre-existance.

When we were given our "call" to come to earth, do you think we knew what path we would take?

I just finished watching a show called crime investigation australia. It got me thinking. People that commit heinous crimes against humanity, did they know that's what would happen, or is this where free agency comes in. Were we only told the "basics" of where we would end up?

 

[Worshipper]

The non-speculative answer would be that we don't know.

My own speculative answer is that we chose conditions to be born in with a fairly good knowledge of how we would respond to those conditions based on our endless eons of experience with ourselves up to that point. I think we probably had a fairly good idea, based on observing our brothers and sisters in mortality for thousands of years, how we could expect a life in those conditions to develop. Inasmuch as God had special plans for us ("Moses, I'm going to want you to free the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and lead them to Canaan."), I think we knew and accepted those too.

I think each of us wanted and chose an experience that would be perfect for testing ourselves spiritually.

I also think we weren't certain how we would respond to the various situations we chose. If we had been certain, then I don't think any of this would have been necessary.

 

[Anti-Constantine]

... for now, the pre-existance.

When we were given our "call" to come to earth, do you think we knew what path we would take?

I just finished watching a show called crime investigation australia. It got me thinking. People that commit heinous crimes against humanity, did they know that's what would happen, or is this where free agency comes in. Were we only told the "basics" of where we would end up?

I am confident God knew the probabilities of various things occurring. Probability and destiny are two separate concepts. If we were set on a specific course, we would not be responsible for our actions. If we were not wholly responsible for our actions punishment for said actions would be unjust. God is just. Punishment occurs. I believe that no one knew further than a probable possibility that anything would occur. Such knowledge would be illogical. Such absolute knowledge would make God culpable.

 

[Katzpur]

... for now, the pre-existance.

When we were given our "call" to come to earth, do you think we knew what path we would take?

I just finished watching a show called crime investigation australia. It got me thinking. People that commit heinous crimes against humanity, did they know that's what would happen, or is this where free agency comes in. Were we only told the "basics" of where we would end up?

My gut feeling is that we didn't. I know some people who insist that we chose to be born in the circumstances in which we now find ourselves, but a friend of mine who grew up in a dysfunctional family with a mean, alcoholic father, and who endured nearly 40 years of a marriage made in hell convinced me that she would not have chosen the life she had. If she'd known in advance what her life would have been like, she may not have even agreed to come to earth at all. On the other hand, even if she had known a whole lot more about her future life than I believe she did, the veil between her pre-mortal existance and her mortal existance would have made knowing immaterial. Free agency would have still been the operating force in her life.

I think God knew what each of us needed to experience here on Earth and planned accordingly to have us come to Earth at a time and place where we could best gain the experiences we needed in order to grow. Maybe we had a say in things, and maybe we didn't. Maybe we knew a whole lot more than I suspect we did. Since it would have been impossible for us to even conceive of how mortality would really be, I don't think we were in a position to be able to make very well-informed choices. Could someone who was born either severely mentally or physically handicapped have understood the implications of that handicap without ever having experienced anything of the sort in the Pre-existance? How could a spirit child of God, having never known hunger or pain or poverty or any of the things that might cause him to make some wrong choices here on Earth, even begin to understand how those things could help form his character in this mortal realm?

 

[Watchmen]

What Katzpur said.

 

[zippythepinhead]

I think that before we came into mortality we were schooled, and educated as far as we could go in the pre mortal existence. Then came the time to choose whether or not we would follow the Father's plan or Lucifer. We are here so we chose right

My personal opinion is that we proabably had a veil between our pre mortal and mortal life. Just as remembering where we came from would impede our ability to choose for ourselves and grow, knowing the experiences of this life, the consequenses of the choices we would make for good or ill, the suffering, trials, joy and happiness, would have eroded our faith in ourselves to come into mortality and prove ourselves worthy of returning to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ.

We were informed about what mortality would be, just not our mortal experience. That was to be discovered in this realm as spirits on a mortal journey.

(These opinions are those of the pinhead and do not necessarily represent KSL, Bonneville International, or its ownership)

 

[Katya]

Thanx for the responses everyone. I had always been curious about it off and on for years. I was watching tv, can't remember what show it was now. It's just got me thinking. So I suppose it leads to my next question. Well, maybe not a question. So when we die, the veil is then lifted. So we remember everything? what happened in the pre-existance and on earth? I know I should know all this considering I was raised in the church. I guess I never really paid attention. :slap:

 

[Katya]

...I think we probably had a fairly good idea, based on observing our brothers and sisters in mortality for thousands of years, how we could expect a life in those conditions to develop...

I've always thought is that why peope believe in reincarnation? We had observed the people who had gone before us. Maybe we felt an affinity with some people they are our brother's and sisters after all.

Just a thought

 

[Katzpur]

Thanx for the responses everyone. I had always been curious about it off and on for years. I was watching tv, can't remember what show it was now. It's just got me thinking. So I suppose it leads to my next question. Well, maybe not a question. So when we die, the veil is then lifted. So we remember everything? what happened in the pre-existance and on earth? I know I should know all this considering I was raised in the church. I guess I never really paid attention. :slap:

I'm pretty sure it's doctrinally accurate to say yes, we will remember absolutely everything. I'd have to look for the specific scripture, though, to confirm that.

 

[Worshipper]

So when we die, the veil is then lifted. So we remember everything? what happened in the pre-existance and on earth?

Alma 11:43 says we will have a bright recollection of all our guilt. 2 Nephi 9:13-14 goes even further and says that our knowledge will be like the knowledge we have now, except that it will be perfect, and we will have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt. Check out the cross-references on 'recollection' and 'perfect knowledge', too.

I don't know for certain that this is saying that we will remember our pre-mortal life. I know it's saying we will have a fuller memory and knowledge of our own actions than any of us is now capable of.

That might mean that it will be easier to remember the time we spat up on our mothers' nice dresses after she fed us, or it might mean that we remember our pre-mortal potential and can see how well we realized it in mortality. Or both. I don't really know.

My own speculation is that we will then remember our entire existence, including our whole pre-mortal existence and all our mortal existence, perfectly.

I've always thought is that why peope believe in reincarnation? We had observed the people who had gone before us. Maybe we felt an affinity with some people they are our brother's and sisters after all.

Just a thought

I like your thought. There are some other reasons that people believe in reincarnation. If you read some of the threads in the Hinduism forum you'll see some good explanations for their belief in reincarnation. One reason I've read about is that it helps explain the apparent injustice in the differences in the lives we're all born into. If one person is born rich because he was better in a previous life and another is born poor because he was more wicked, then it's easier to handle the class differences — that kind of thing.

 

[deseretgov]

So when we die, the veil is then lifted. So we remember everything? what happened in the pre-existance and on earth? I know I should know all this considering I was raised in the church. I guess I never really paid attention. :slap:

I've heard that only those that make it to the Celestial Kingdom will be allowed to remember the pre-mortal life. But all of us will remember everything about this life.

 

[Katzpur]

I've heard that only those that make it to the Celestial Kingdom will be allowed to remember the pre-mortal life. But all of us will remember everything about this life.

Well, don't believe everything you hear. I suppose this could be true, but I've never read it in the scriptures.

 

[deseretgov]

Well, don't believe everything you hear. I suppose this could be true, but I've never read it in the scriptures.

True. I'd have to research it to get a more accurate understanding.