For reasons that will be readily be understood by some, I publish this post that was drafted on July 8, 2016, but never finished. Like so many different things, I never finished this or even shared it at the insistence of someone close to me. In addition to some of the questions below, I add, does this help us to understand the differences in gifts and talents (especially spiritual) we enjoy as a component of the wide divergence of personalities? The rest remains as left off….
As Mormons, we believe that our Eternal Father is literally the father of our spirit and that we lived with Heavenly Parents in the preexistence before coming to this earth. Though rarely directly stated, it is implied that we are part of one humongous family with one Father, one (or more?) Mothers, and every one of us a sibling to the rest.
But, what if…
What if Heavenly Father implies the same thing that “Father Adam” or “Father Abraham” does? What if our earthly family tree is patterned after a heavenly family tree? What if your immediate parents in heaven are different from mine? Is it possible that all the variety present in our personalities derive from a vast spiritual DNA pool?
What exactly do we believe about life in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom? In no particular order:
Everything in common — all that my Father hath…; nevertheless, many places prepared. Separate, but not distant (as though distance has an meaning for exalted beings)One heart, one mind — Father and I are one…Exhalted beings — internal increaseCouncilsEternal livesetc
Would this very idea be as heretical to a Mormon as Heavenly Father being the father of our spirits is to a traditional Christian? Would Mormons prefer to be married to spiritually consanguineous partners and committing the equivalent of spiritual incest? How might this alter how we then interpret “the promises made to the Fathers?” How would we then understand race, or a heaven with all things in common — being of one heart and one mind — being one with the Father? Would this change our understanding of Elohim (the inherently plural from of mighty one)?
Surely someone has dared to ask these questions before. Yes?