On 10/10/07, Mahonri Stewart <ldsplaywriter@???> wrote:
> Do we have any proof,
> scripturally, that there was any sort of neutrality in the pre-existence? I
> don't remember any revelation that even hints that this third path was
> possible. Instead we find the Lord saying in this life, "If you're not with
> me, you're against me." Why would have he taken any different of a position
> then?
Yeah, we may not have proof, but why couldn't someone decide to stay
neutral in premortality? The more I think about it, the more I don't
see why not. (And I'm not even talking about anything related to race
now.) Some people were so fearful of mortality that they chose not to
come, so why couldn't some abstain from the decision, which resulted
in their coming here only by default? What if some couldn't follow
Satan but at the same time didn't want to come here, so they just
said, "All right, all right, whatever--I don't choose to go, but I
don't choose to stay either."
After all, it was possible for someone to actually be on Satan's side
and still decide to come to earth, which makes reason stare even more
than the idea of someone trying to stay neutral. I mean, look at Moses
5:23-24, when the Lord says to Cain: "Except thou shalt hearken unto
my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee
according to [Satan's] desire. And thou shalt rule over him; for from
this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be
called Perdition; FOR THOU WAST ALSO BEFORE THE WORLD." In essence,
Cain was a double-agent for Satan who for some reason was allowed to
come and get a body. Was it just a matter of him saying, despite his
loyalties, "Yes, I want to go."
By the way, Mormon literature needs a great Master Mahan novel, don't
you think? John Gardner's GRENDEL comes to mind in thinking along
these lines, as well as a fantastic novel I recently read called FINN,
a dark, graphic rendering of the horrifying character of Pap Finn,
what's in his twisted heart, mind, and background. Race is very much
an issue in the book, by the way, and the way it's written is quite
mesmerizing. I'd love to see somebody do something of that caliber
with Master Mahan.
> The absence of evidence either way, doesn't justify a racially charged
> doctrine. If there had been a revelation, that would be a different matter,
> but as it is there wasn't. Imagining or speculating has no place in a
> conversation like this. So it is not fair to anyone with a racially diverse
> heritage to make the assumption that race has anything to do with how their
> Heavenly Father views them
One of my chief joys as a Mormon believer is thinking and wondering
about premortality, and I don't see how it's possible to completely
disregard questions of race in that area, so I'm not likely to lay off
that any time soon, even though it's an area that's full of pitfalls
and makes it easy to come across as politically incorrect. Anyway,
it's not like it's a regular hobby or anything.
I too have children with mixed races (one is half-black, the other
half-Hispanic), so I'm personally involved in the question. Actually,
my kids are only 10 and 12, but I haven't yet seen any indication that
race is something they care about or are affected by much, which I
imagine is true for many people in this more tolerant, diverse day and
age.
And I want to reaffirm that in most cases, I think earthly conditions
related to race probably don't have many, if any, connections to
premortality. In this day and age, I imagine that race is less of a
burden for many people than any number of other mortal conditions, and
indeed many no doubt view their race as a benefit and as something to
be proud of and preferred over any other racial option.
But personally I just can't logically close the door on the idea that,
in some times and places and under some conditions, race and
premortality may be connected in some way, either negative or positive
in different circumstances. And I also cannot deny the possibility
that some racial traits may have been introduced by God into the world
for whatever reason, even if those reasons don't still apply to people
who, generations later, still carry those racial traits.
> -- it's a non-issue according to The Book of
> Mormon, "For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that
> which is good among the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come
> unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto
> him, black and white, bond and free, male and female: and he remembereth the
> heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Nephi 26:33).
> The Lord denieth none, even when his servants do.
> --Mahonri Stewart
It's so hard to talk about this racially charged stuff without coming
across as insensitive or even prejudiced, and I fear some of the
nuances I tried to build into earlier posts have not come through
sufficiently. I totally agree with and embrace this scripture. Even if
premortality affects the conditions into which one is born, I believe
that everyone gets a totally fresh start in mortality and can come
unto the Savior with no reservations on either the person's part or
the Savior's. In fact, as I tried to say before, overcoming difficult
circumstances like being born into an oppressed race may even help
some people get closer to the Savior than those born into easier
circumstances.
Wow, this list has been giving my Mormon logic a good workout
lately... Stephen, have I been making your brow furrow again? Hell,
let's go ahead and do homosexuality too one of these days. I've
definitely got some Mormon-based thoughts on that.
--
Check out some provocative, unconventional, yet ultimately
faith-affirming Mormon books at http://ZarahemlaBooks.com. Check out
my personal blog at http://ckbigelow.blogspot.com.
