Humanizing others

In general, it seems to me, that when we see others in the midst of their relationships, it has a powerful humanizing effect. They become more "real" as it were, since without the public masks we wear, we are far more alike than we might think.

Unity

39 For behold, this is my ^awork and my ^bglory—to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man.

Eternal life is God and Goddess's life. They are one, the Son is one with Them, so it would appear that eternal life is nothing more or less than perfect unity with our Parents and our Savior. Thus the commandment to forgive - by refusing to reject the other, we can become one instead of separate.

The law is to love, the purpose of the law is to bring about unity, the means of accomplishing this is repentance (changing of our hearts) and forgiveness. Then, through the atonement and resurrection of Christ, we can become perfect, immortal, and return to live as one with the hosts of heaven.

We Just Aren't Getting It

I see it in the divisions we create among ourselves. We separate by gay/straight, man/woman, black/white, rich/poor, and every single one of those separations is the exact antithesis of Zion.

When we oppress, tread down, and dis-unify with others we are fighting against God and Goddess, destroying the saints of God and sending them away.

http://thingsofmysoul.blogspot.com/2012/02/story-that-broke-my-heart-and-why.html

It is said over and over, if we would be Christ's, we must be one, as He is one with the Father. We must mourn with those who mourn, comfort those who stand in need of comfort, literally. We are commanded to love God, love each other and forgive all people. Not some of them, or just the ones we like, all of them. Every single one, without exception.

"If you do not accuse each other, God will not accuse you. If you have no accuser you will enter heaven. . . . What many people call sin is not sin; I do many things to break down superstition, and I will break it down."

• Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:445-446

This is the key, right here. Salvation alone is NOT salvation. Our Heavenly Parents' work and glory is to bring to pass the eternal life of Their children, not to pick and choose, or play favorites. Eternal life is life as They live - in perfect unity. If we would be like them, then we must be one. Unity, over and over again is the message.

And we just aren't getting it, like crabs in a bucket, pulling each other down to gain an imaginary advantage.

Oh, for the day when we join together and truly seek Zion - to be of one heart, one mind and to have NO poor among us, whether poor of spirit or poor of possessions.

Salvation

Personal salvation is deeply, desperately linked with communal salvation. Communal salvation is impossible without personal salvation, and personal salvation is empty without communal salvation.

Procrastinating the day of repentance

Some speculative thoughts on 2 Ne 28:8

And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

One thought that I have heard presented in discussions of universalism / progression through kingdoms is 'why repent and try to progress now when I can do it later and eventually get there?'

After giving it some thought, I have come to the conclusion that my answer to that is 'why not do it now?' In order to progress we need to repent (or change, as repentance is a process of transformation, of becoming). Repentance is a choice and we can procrastinate that choice forever, if we really want to, and never be truly saved. (If tomorrow, why not next year, or next decade, etc.) If we don't do it now, then when will we do it? When will we choose to become disciples of Christ?

Here is the thing. Discipleship has a cost - it involves love and relationships, which cause vulnerability, pain, and alienation. We suffer when others hurt us, through cruelty or ignorance, or carelessness. We suffer when their choices cause them pain. We suffer when they feel the desire to repent and feel the pain they have caused others. Thus, the weeping God of Mormonism.

Relational suffering is integral to the human and Divine experience. We have children, knowing that they will hurt us, push us away, disappoint us, and reject us. Nevertheless, we take the risk that they will eventually seek unity instead of or despite these things.

Should a person's opportunity to repent and enter into a relationship with the Divine suddenly terminate between one beat of the heart and the next? I don't think that this is merciful or just. I don't see any reason why the opportunity should be removed - those who are willing to pay the price, who are willing to bear one another’s burdens, I think will always be welcome in the Kingdom.

At the end of the day, though, it remains a choice. The relationship is voluntary, and perhaps for some, it will remain unchosen. I am speculating here, but I believe that the Celestial Kingdom, as it were, will be rather more full than we perhaps might suppose.