Comments on: Why do you want eternal life?

By: rick

rick — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:45:33 +0000

The more I hear members speculate about the hereafter, the more I think I must have a different definition of happiness than the average member.

An eternal lifetime of service? Being constantly surrounded by relatives? Having to home-teach?

Do no members enjoy solitude and a day spent in reflection? Sans the simple pleasure of spending some time alone in an activity that no soul depends on, I could hardly imagine living ten years; let alone forever.

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:52:14 +0000

Yesterday in elders quorum class, someone suggested that those who go to the celestial kingdom are those trying to help others get there rather than trying to get themselves there.

By: Mark N.

Mark N. — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:24:44 +0000

Hugh Nibley once assigned an essay (it may have been a final exam, but I'm not sure) to an honors Book of Mormon class, wherein they were to assume that they would be given another 1000 years of life on earth, and that all of their material needs would be met.

He was deeply troubled by the responses he received. Essentially, the kids were stumped. They had no idea what they would or should do with an additional 1000 years of living. Some couldn't imagine a lifestyle in which they wouldn't have to work for a living. Some just wanted to eat, drink and be merry for the whole time.

He wondered why they would be interested in eternal life when they hadn't given much thought to a mere additional millennium of living.

By: Tyler M

Tyler M — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:44:49 +0000

It is interesting that you bring up this issue because it has been on my mind this past while. We are always told we want to be in the celestial kingdom and live with, and be like God, but do I really want that? What does that actually mean?

The choices I make now of where I want to be and who I want to be with reflect what I really want in the future. Though I will make this point I am quite sure that even though we may not be able to be sealed to our spouses in any other kingdom I can't imagine we will forget who they are.

By: William Morris

William Morris — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:36:44 +0000

Three things make me happy and content and excited:

Creating interesting, beautiful, orderly things.
Serving others.
Loving others and connecting with them, spending time with them.

God's life as defined in Mormonism offers the most compelling vision, imo, of a life after this one where I can engage in those things.

And: Yeah, Zen. It is a little scary to think about those questions. It makes me realize how selfish I continue to be.

By: Zen

Zen — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:40:05 +0000

The verse that always scares me, is Mosiah 4:18. King Benjamin had just counseled the people to help beggers and not say, It is the guy's own fault. Vs. 18 ends with call to repentance " except he repenteth of that which he that done, he perisheth forever and hath no interest in the kingdom of God."

It is the "hath no interest" part that scares me. I am perfectly willing to accuse bad people of bad things, but I would never think to they actually are not interested in this thing, eternal life. Which makes me ask myself - just how honestly interested am I? Do I want to spend eternity serving others ? Or just doing what I want to do? And if I do want to spend eternity that way, what am I doing now?