In 1971 I fell in love with a girl (we'll call her Linda - not her real name). She was also a LDS and we were the same age. We dated for a year and then I went on my mission for two years to France and Switzerland. She went on the get her Masters in Psychology and eventually left the Church.
The years passed but we kept in touch. Every so often, we would write to keep each other posted. She got into New Age, ascended masters, guardian angels, animal spirits, and spirit travel. Last month we connected again by email.
She hasn't changed much. She is still insular with her beliefs, but she asked me a thought provoking question which I think merits discussing. She wanted to know what I thought happens to us after we die. In particular, whether we end up as atom-like forms of energy and are swallowed up in the enormity of the universe. I suppose if that would make her happy, perhaps that is the way she should end up.
How would you like the movie to end? For me, I would like to be with my parents again. I would also like to visit my relatives, grandparents, forefathers and fore-mothers, historical figures and God. I wold also like to be be able to do that in a perfect, immortal body. I derive a great deal of sensual and emotional pleasure from my body and I think a perfected body would only accentuate those sensations.
I do concede with her that we are all energy, that even plants have a conscience and that in order for us to truly understand the "nature" of things we would eventually need to be "one" with them, as in part of the sun, a tree, and a host of other things that interest us.
We believe that the glory of God is intelligence and that there is nothing that we cannot know after we pass on. Our learning is eternal, and as long as we thirst for knowledge, it will be made available to us.
Of course, nothing would be possible without a perfect body that could at once penetrate all matter and yet remain immortal. For this we must thank Jesus Christ for the gift of the resurrection. Central to any kind of eternal progression is the perfect mission of him we call our Savior.
Needless to say, many will disagree.
The years passed but we kept in touch. Every so often, we would write to keep each other posted. She got into New Age, ascended masters, guardian angels, animal spirits, and spirit travel. Last month we connected again by email.
She hasn't changed much. She is still insular with her beliefs, but she asked me a thought provoking question which I think merits discussing. She wanted to know what I thought happens to us after we die. In particular, whether we end up as atom-like forms of energy and are swallowed up in the enormity of the universe. I suppose if that would make her happy, perhaps that is the way she should end up.
How would you like the movie to end? For me, I would like to be with my parents again. I would also like to visit my relatives, grandparents, forefathers and fore-mothers, historical figures and God. I wold also like to be be able to do that in a perfect, immortal body. I derive a great deal of sensual and emotional pleasure from my body and I think a perfected body would only accentuate those sensations.
I do concede with her that we are all energy, that even plants have a conscience and that in order for us to truly understand the "nature" of things we would eventually need to be "one" with them, as in part of the sun, a tree, and a host of other things that interest us.
We believe that the glory of God is intelligence and that there is nothing that we cannot know after we pass on. Our learning is eternal, and as long as we thirst for knowledge, it will be made available to us.
Of course, nothing would be possible without a perfect body that could at once penetrate all matter and yet remain immortal. For this we must thank Jesus Christ for the gift of the resurrection. Central to any kind of eternal progression is the perfect mission of him we call our Savior.
Needless to say, many will disagree.
Paul, I enjoyed your thought-provoking post! I have often wondered as well what happens to us after this life. Both of my parents have passed away, and I like to think that they are in a better place doing exciting things and meeting some really cool people, like Nephi and Joseph Smith, just to name a few.
ReplyDeleteI also think about some of the people that I knew growing up. Since I grew up in Utah but moved away after my time at BYU, I haven't been able to keep up with everyone that I grew up with. It is fun, though, to see what they are doing on Facebook. Isn't technology wonderful!
I look forward to learning more about you and your philosophy! If you are interested, I have a website at http://www.taylorsbookpub.com where I have posted some bios of some LDS authors, as well as a few other things that I am working on. It is a work in progress, but I am finding it very interesting!
Take care!