In referring to the Spirit World, I have often heard people wonder out loud how anyone there could possibly ignore or reject the teachings that are offered.  The presumption is that in that realm we will be free from false enticements, untruths, evil and conspiring men, and will have a full knowledge of what eternal life entails and how to achieve the Celestial Kingdom.  It is argued that upon death, the memory of our pre-earth life will return to us.  With those memories and with that knowledge, why would anyone fail to take the opportunities presented to them?

Recently a very good friend of my father-in-law passed away.  My father-in-law, Dave, preceded him in death by 13 years.  I imagined their reunion and was wondering if Dave would have the opportunity to teach his friend the gospel.

Dave's friend was a very devoted Catholic.  One thing that should rapidly become very evident to such a person upon death is that Catholicism is false.  This would become evident right away, I think, as one's pre-earth-life memory returned, as I think it must.  The doctrines we learned there would not square with Catholic, Buddhist or Presbyterian teachings.

Dave's friend, Art, will have that much advantage toward moving him to the truth.  The rest, I think, will be harder.

In the first place, he'll be in the spirit prison, not in paradise where the righteous dead are.  Dave may be assigned to go to Art, but Art's companions will be the unenlightened and the wicked.

In the second place, though I believe the spirit prison will be a better place than earth, Satan's influence may still be there because the scriptures speak of such individuals being turned over "to the buffetings of Satan."  What, if any, influence Satan has there, I'm unsure.

In the third place, and this I know, Art and his companions will still possess the gift and the right of agency—the privilege of choice.

In the fourth place, Art will not have all knowledge.  It will still be necessary to exercise faith.  Though he lived in the pre-earth existence, he's never lived in the Celestial Kingdom.  He's never been there, he's never seen it, so how is he to know that he even wants it?

There are several reasons, I think, why many, many people will reject the fullness of the gospel as presented to them in the world of spirits.  They are the same reasons people reject the Church's teachings here.

The first is comfort.  People here are comfortable in their lives.  They're comfortable with their lifestyles, their friends and their habits.  They don't want to change.  The Spirit World, I think, is a better and nicer place than earth life.  People will be comfortable there, even more so than here.  Why change?

The time element is involved, also.  We here on earth know that death will come, but we have a sense that it will be a long time coming, so why hurry to put our lives in order?  Our existence in the World of Spirits will be longer than earth life.  People there may be in no hurry to change, either.

Then there's the matter of habits. Change is difficult.  We won't have our bodies to help us effect changes, which will make change even harder.  Ingrained habits and ways of thinking will be hard to shake off.

Comfort, time, habits.  These are three elements to consider.  A fourth is service.  Those meriting a higher degree of glory after the resurrection must have learned to lose themselves in the service of others.  Many, if not most, people don't and won't put forth that kind of effort.  Section 76 says that individuals meriting the Terrestrial Kingdom are those who "are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus."  That word "valiant" denotes work and effort and selflessness, characteristics many people will probably never develop—even many members of the Church.

A fifth element to consider is that celestial teachings may not even be enticing to a lot of people.  The promise of living forever in a close family relationship with those you love holds no special enticements to those who, in this life, move from one relationship or marriage to another, and who choose to have no children or who abuse or abandon or ignore or lose track of them when they do have children.  Many people reach the end of their mortal lives with no close family ties whatever.  They're only fit for living "separately and singly forever," and are happy to do so.

Pride might be a sixth consideration.  "I was wrong in my choices on earth, but they were my choices, so I'll stick with them."

Faith will be a big consideration.  It's the seventh element.  Having not experienced heaven, we here on earth have trouble anticipating and living for a better life than what we currently have.  I suspect spirits will be the same.

Shame will be an eighth consideration.  It will go along with pride.  If we've done particularly bad things, we'll not want to associate with the righteous, and we'll especially not want to face the Savior and our Father.

Number nine is closed doors.  Many have closed doors for celestial opportunity because of unrepented acts committed here on earth.

 

—3 January 1998