FAIR has a service where questions can be submitted and they are answered by volunteers. If you have a question, you can submit it at https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/contact. We will occasionally publish answers here for questions that are commonly asked, or are on topics that are receiving a lot of attention.
Question:
In the time since General Conference, we have had several questions about the resurrection – whether our bodies will be resurrected in their perfect form, and what the difference would be between a Celestial versus a Terrestrial or Telestial resurrected body.
Answer from FAIR Volunteer David Smith:
The scriptures are clear that all of God’s children will be resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15:22; Alma 11:42; 40:4). The eternal kingdom inherited by a resurrected person, as well as the nature of a person’s resurrected body, however, will be determined by his or her faithfulness and obedience to God’s laws (see 1 Corinthians 15:40–42; D&C 76:96–98; 88:22–24, 28–31). Those who will inherit the celestial kingdom will have bodies that are celestial, “whose glory is that of the sun” (D&C 76:70). Those in the terrestrial kingdom will have bodies that differ from those in the celestial kingdom, “even as [the glory] of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament” (D&C 76:71; see also D&C 76:78). Telestial bodies will have a lesser glory, “as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament” (D&C 76:81). (“Chapter 28: Doctrine and Covenants 76:50–119,” in Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual [2018])
- “The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, . . . and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body.” (Alma 11:43–44)
- “Every fundamental part of every body will be restored to its proper place again in the resurrection, no matter what may become of the body in death. If it be burned by fire, eaten by sharks, no matter what. Every fundamental part of it will be restored to its own proper place.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Chapter 3: The Plan of Salvation,” in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith)
Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation; by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood; they will cease to increase when they die, that is, that they will not have any children after the resurrection; but those who are married by the power and authority of the Priesthood in this life, and continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to increase and have children in the celestial glory. (“History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843],” page 1551, entry for 16 May 1843, josephsmithpapers.org )
So far as the stages of eternal progression and attainment have been made known through divine revelation, we are to understand that only resurrected and glorified beings can become parents of spirit offspring. Only such exalted souls have reached maturity in the appointed course of eternal life; and the spirits born to them in the eternal worlds will pass in due sequence through the several stages or estates by which the glorified parents have attained exaltation. (“The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,” reprinted in Ensign, April 2002)
Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed. I take it that men and women will, in these kingdoms, be just what the so-called Christian world expects us all to be – neither man nor woman, merely immortal beings having received the resurrection. (Doctrines of Salvation 2:287–288)
So gender isn’t eternal? How does this jive with the family proclamation?
That’s not what was said. The last paragraph reiterates that gender is eternal but the ability to procreate will only be in the Celestial Kingdom.
Further answer to this question, including the fact of eternal gender and how that functions, is found here:
http://www.truthwillprevail.xyz/2017/02/the-lds-doctrine-of-sex-in-spirt-world.html
At 1:52:45 minutes in, Pres. George Albert Smith, in his Conference talk, teaches the same resurrection doctrine that Pres. Nelson did in his:
https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/0685bca7-bf20-498a-bbbf-5ee360f364c1/0/0?lang=eng
It has always been taught Celestial life means the ability to have an increase. Gender will always be female and male its an eternal truth, nothing changes that.
Why is there now a copyright restriction on the talk from George Albert Smith. I have to log in as a member to view this. Why is it not public?
I understand that the authors interpretation is that male and female is eternal, however, that is not what the quote from Joseph Fielding Smith actually said. We are supposed to take the prophets’ words as truth, no matter how harsh or hard to understand they are, at least until someone discredits a previous prophet’s teachings. So I didn’t interpret what JFS said. I took it at face value.
When was Joseph F Smith’s teachings on this discredited? Who discredited it, and what is the explanation for why he may have been wrong in saying this.
“ men and women will, in these kingdoms, be just what the so-called Christian world expects us all to be – neither man nor woman, merely immortal beings having received the resurrection.”
Also, when did JFS give this information and what is the story and question behind it? I’ll read more from the situation, but I’m curious what he said in total.
@CortC :
Your quote is missing a very important part:
“*I take it that* men and women will, in these kingdoms, be just what the so-called Christian world expects us all to be – neither man nor woman, merely immortal beings having received the resurrection.”
By saying “I take it that,” he is saying this is his personal opinion. He is giving a clue that it may not be doctrinal. Since prophets and apostles have consistently contradicted that idea for at least the last several decades (stating that gender is eternal), we can be sure this particular idea of his is not doctrinal. That is how doctrine works. In fact, Joseph Fielding Smith himself said the following:
“It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teachings of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear. We have accepted the four standard works as the measuring yardsticks, or balances, by which we measure every man¹s doctrine. You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards of doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works. Every man who writes is responsible, not the Church, for what he writes. If Joseph Fielding Smith writes something which is out of harmony with the revelations, then every member of the Church is duty bound to reject it. If he writes that which is in perfect harmony with the revealed word of the Lord, then it should be accepted.” ( https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_How_does_the_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_establish_new_doctrine%3F )
The Church has recently made the following clarification about doctrine:
“Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.” ( https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/approaching-mormon-doctrine )
More on the subject of doctrine can be found here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/si/questions/what-is-doctrine?lang=eng
As for the context of what he said, the book is part of a series of 3 books of items taken from talks, letters, etc., from Joseph Fielding Smith’s time as an apostle. They were selected by his son-in-law, Bruce R. McConkie. Since this book appears to be the only source of that particular quote, it was most likely a personal letter. By expressing his opinion in a personal letter, I am certain he did not intend to establish doctrine for the Church – nor did he have the authority to do so at that time.