There is a post over at T&S discussing a newly found tablet. I have no problems with that, but I do have a question regarding the use of the term “pre-existence” in the post title. Since I don’t want to detract from the nature of the conversation over there, I thought I’d post here.
I don’t want to come across as a nitpicker, but doesn’t “pre-existence” imply “before existence”. Since we existed as spirits before coming to earth and as intelligences before being created as spirits, to what does the term “pre-existence” refer?
Neal Maxwell deliberately avoided the term “pre-existence” for the reason you give—that it connotes (or even denotes) a state prior to existence, which seems to be a logical impossibility. On the other hand, when James E. Talmage used the term, he was simply using it to mean “prior existence” or “existence before this one.” So perhaps Talmage should have resorted to a different term, but I don’t think he wrought any real harm.
nitpicking.
What is T&S?
Click on the link, Bill.
To me Pre-Historic is a misnomer. It implies that before we could record history there was pre-history. So the term we are all looking for is . . . . Pre-Terrestrial. Well, maybe that states we were born before the earth was here. Do we really believe that or am I wrong.
So that would characterize my ancestors (and me as well), as having a small amount nobility in the Pre-Terrestrial.