Creation
Just a couple of quick, somewhat random thoughts on creation. This is kind of an exploration of the topic that I thought we could share.
As the children of God, creation is our divine heritage, and every human being is endowed with its powers. Now, not all people have the privilege to reproduce in this life, but we are all born with that potential. There are many kinds of creation aside from having children. In fact, it could be said that every worthy act is an act of creation.
What I mean by that is that any good thing will add rather than take away. In our interactions with each other, we should strive to edify - to build - and not to destroy. Sometimes the removal of a negative influence is necessary, but even though that could be classified as "taking away," it still has edification - or creation - as its motive.
This is one of the great differences (perhaps the great difference) between God and Satan. God creates, Satan destroys. While God holds the power to destroy, He makes it clear that destruction is only decreed as a natural consequence of evil actions by mankind. God himself never destroys arbitrarily or without giving every opportunity to escape destruction. In this way, destruction becomes something we bring upon ourselves by violating God's immutable laws. As we all know, creation and edification do not stipulate the absence of suffering, sacrifice, or struggle. Betimes quite the opposite.
To shed innocent blood is the worst forgivable sin we can commit in this life. Perhaps because the creation of life is the most Godlike thing we can do in this world, the misuse of the powers of procreation ranks second. Perhaps this is the reason why the care of those we bring into the world should be our highest priority and, according to the prophets, is the single greatest criterion by which we will be judged. How we act within our family defines our discipleship.
The power to procreate is a gift only given through the inheritance of the flesh - beings of spirit without flesh can't have children. This makes this life a fitting proving ground. By simply being born we take upon ourselves a more godlike nature than we have had in any previous stage of existence. To learn to master the flesh is to do our part in becoming worthy of the continuance of the gifts we have in mortality.
Family is the matrix for our greatest acts of creation now and in the eternities, and the privilege to continue creation in this context is the greatest of all the gifts of God - eternal lives.
Since our ultimate purpose is to progress to the point where we can take upon ourselves all the creative powers of our Father, we would do well to practice creation here and now. All human beings are creative. This doesn't mean that they all are artists or writers or musicians, but rather that they all use their own learning, observations, and experiences to construct the world around them. They make their lives into what they choose and they create influences - for better or worse - in others' lives.
I think we often consider the artists, authors, and musicians to be uniquely creative because they have practiced creating alternate worlds from the one in which they live. This seems like a good exercise to me and it is done to some extent by any honest profession - business people, construction workers, medical personnel, etc. Sales people create worlds in a way that I think often amounts to unrighteous dominion, but we all create worlds, if only for ourselves.
Our great study is the science and the art of how to create worlds without violating the principles of heaven. That is the task we are preparing for and everything we do impacts it.
In other words, we are creators whether we like it or not, and, unless we turn from this divine heritage completely in the unforgivable, ultimate act of destruction, there will be some degree of salvation for us.
As the children of God, creation is our divine heritage, and every human being is endowed with its powers. Now, not all people have the privilege to reproduce in this life, but we are all born with that potential. There are many kinds of creation aside from having children. In fact, it could be said that every worthy act is an act of creation.
What I mean by that is that any good thing will add rather than take away. In our interactions with each other, we should strive to edify - to build - and not to destroy. Sometimes the removal of a negative influence is necessary, but even though that could be classified as "taking away," it still has edification - or creation - as its motive.
This is one of the great differences (perhaps the great difference) between God and Satan. God creates, Satan destroys. While God holds the power to destroy, He makes it clear that destruction is only decreed as a natural consequence of evil actions by mankind. God himself never destroys arbitrarily or without giving every opportunity to escape destruction. In this way, destruction becomes something we bring upon ourselves by violating God's immutable laws. As we all know, creation and edification do not stipulate the absence of suffering, sacrifice, or struggle. Betimes quite the opposite.
To shed innocent blood is the worst forgivable sin we can commit in this life. Perhaps because the creation of life is the most Godlike thing we can do in this world, the misuse of the powers of procreation ranks second. Perhaps this is the reason why the care of those we bring into the world should be our highest priority and, according to the prophets, is the single greatest criterion by which we will be judged. How we act within our family defines our discipleship.
The power to procreate is a gift only given through the inheritance of the flesh - beings of spirit without flesh can't have children. This makes this life a fitting proving ground. By simply being born we take upon ourselves a more godlike nature than we have had in any previous stage of existence. To learn to master the flesh is to do our part in becoming worthy of the continuance of the gifts we have in mortality.
Family is the matrix for our greatest acts of creation now and in the eternities, and the privilege to continue creation in this context is the greatest of all the gifts of God - eternal lives.
Since our ultimate purpose is to progress to the point where we can take upon ourselves all the creative powers of our Father, we would do well to practice creation here and now. All human beings are creative. This doesn't mean that they all are artists or writers or musicians, but rather that they all use their own learning, observations, and experiences to construct the world around them. They make their lives into what they choose and they create influences - for better or worse - in others' lives.
I think we often consider the artists, authors, and musicians to be uniquely creative because they have practiced creating alternate worlds from the one in which they live. This seems like a good exercise to me and it is done to some extent by any honest profession - business people, construction workers, medical personnel, etc. Sales people create worlds in a way that I think often amounts to unrighteous dominion, but we all create worlds, if only for ourselves.
Our great study is the science and the art of how to create worlds without violating the principles of heaven. That is the task we are preparing for and everything we do impacts it.
In other words, we are creators whether we like it or not, and, unless we turn from this divine heritage completely in the unforgivable, ultimate act of destruction, there will be some degree of salvation for us.
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