Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!usc!ucsd!rutgers!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: David.Anderson@cs.cmu.edu Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Real and unreal Christians Message-ID: Date: 6 Nov 90 08:17:45 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 42 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Lynn, here, desiring to clarify something "Shag" posted on 11/5, to wit: > Excerpts from netnews.soc.religion.christian: 5-Nov-90 Real and unreal > Christians Shag@pilot.njin.net (1352) > The Mormon stated steadfastly that no one who was anything but Mormon > stood a chance of ever getting into heaven I don't know who "the Mormon" is that Shag talked to, but whoever it was wasn't very clear about the lds position, IMHO. LDS believe in different "kingdoms of glory" to which people will go after they are judged at the last day. These kingdoms of glory differ as the sun differs from the moon, the moon from the stars, and so on (cf. I Cor. 15:40-42). People are judged according to their works and assigned to the appropriate kingdom accordingly. It should be said that even the lowest kingdom of glory is still a kingdom of glory--a place of peace and happiness. LDS believe that only those who deliberately fight against God after having the witness of the Holy Spirit are cast out--in other words, do not inherit a kingdom of glory. This "outer darkness" is hell. We do believe that in order to inherit the highest kingdom of glory, a person must do all that God requires: be valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ, receive and live by His gospel. We further believe that *all* people will have the opportunity to learn about and accept or reject Christ's gospel before the day of judgment (which we do *not* believe comes immediately after death, BTW). The LDS concept of heaven--in the sense of the highest kingdom--is tied into our belief that it is God's purpose for us (and the highest happiness) to become like Him--to eventually create and people worlds, etc. (LDS do not believe in the "otherness of God," but rather that we are His literal offspring.) For some folks, this entire idea is anathema and they will be perfectly happy in a different kingdom of glory, which is where they will indeed be. [We've had a discussion of LDS beliefs recently enought that I don't want this to start another one. I'm allowing this so as not to leave an incorrect impression. I should have caught the error in the original posting. Sorry. --clh]