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| The Principle of Eternal Existence |
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Mormons proclaim that all mankind is co-eternal with God. God is eternal. We too are eternal. The best scriptural text to define the primordial state of man is found in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 93, verses 29-34. 29. Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. 30. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence. 31. Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. 32. and every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation. 33. For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; 34. And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy. The key to the scripture is verse 29. There are two sentences in verse 29. At first glance, they might seem to refer to two entirely different subjects, man and intelligence. From the verses which follow, however, it is clear that the term "intelligence" held a particular meaning for Joseph Smith. Verse 30 continues to speak of "intelligence" as a personified entity. "Intelligence" (as well as "truth") are given agency, the ability to act for themselves. That agency is immediately linked to that of man in verse 31 which follows. Though he makes a distinction between the terms 'man' and 'intelligence', Joseph Smith clearly links the two. The scriptures do not contain any clearer statements of Joseph Smith's message. For more clarity, we must turn to others who echoed that teaching. Parley P. Pratt expanded on this connection between man and intelligence in a conference sermon in Salt Lake City on April 7, 1854: What are [man's spirit bodies]? Why, they are organized intelligences. What are they made of? They are made of the element which we call spirit, which is as much an element of material existence, as earth, or electricity, or any other tangible substance recognized by man; but so subtle, so refined is its nature, that it is not tangible to our gross organs (JD 1:7-8). Intelligence, in Joseph Smith's terminology, has much more to do with a primordial state of man that it does mental capacity. Without worrying about the nature of that "intelligent" existence, we can understand that Joseph Smith taught that we are "co-eternal" with God ("The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is co-equal with God himself." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843-44, p.353). Developing on Parley P. Pratt's summary, he would posit three stages of the existence of Man; 1) as an Intelligence, 2) as a Spirit, and 3) as Man. To complete the picture, we must add at least a fourth stage, that of a Resurrected Man. The Principle of Eternal Existence posits that both Man and God are both eternal creatures. Neither Man nor God sprang from nothingness, but each has always been. This eternal existence hints that we bring with us a history and possibilities which transcend anything we perceive with our mortal eyes. Seeing ourselves as co-eternal with God, we see ourselves as an eternal potential. We see in our earth life, for as demanding and commanding as it can be, a temporary state which is subject to other laws and purposes. Our eternal existence makes of us more than we appear to be, and begs us to find out what that more might be. |
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| by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998 |
For Mormons, it
is impossible to understand time without understanding something of eternity. We cannot fully understand our temporal
existence without reference to our eternal existence. This insistence upon man as an eternal entity is the first
of the great underlying principles which distinguish Mormonism from all other Christian religions. It is not a
new idea, as witnessed by the exhortation of Clement: "Let us consider therefore, brethren, whereof we are
made; who, and what kind of men we came into the world, as it were out of a sepulchre, and from outer darkness.
He that made us, and formed us, brought us into his own world; having presented us with his benefits even before
we were born" (I Clement XVII:39-40. Cited in The Lost Books of the Bible. 1973, p. 130). Comprehending
ourselves as beings who have existed prior to this world changes our perspective on the nature of our own reality.
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