And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end (1 Ne. The Book of Mormon discusses with great clarity the ultimate punishment reserved exclusively for the sons of perdition, or those who are filthy still (2 Ne. The kingdom that is not a kingdom of glory is called outer darkness. 25:30). The Book of Mormon teaches that after death, the spirits of those who "chose evil works rather than good" in mortality will be "cast out . Nephis words can thus be applied to Jesus parable: the reason the rich man could not cross the great gulf to Abrahams bosom, or the reason the wicked could not join the Saints of God at the tree of life, is because the justice of God does not permit it. spirit prison. Meanwhile, sixth President Joseph F. Smith, also taught that a full knowledge of the truth is necessary, adding that not even Judas Iscariotthe betrayer of Jesuswill be destined for Outer Darkness: It is probable that only personages who have acquired similar full knowledge, who willfully and deliberately deny the truth, when they know it to be the truth, can commit the unpardonable sin and become sons of perdition. St. Augustine wrote: Hell, which also is called a lake of fire and brimstone, will be material fire, and will torment the bodies of the damned, whether men or devilsthe solid bodies of the one, aerial bodies of the others; or if only men have bodies as well as souls, yet the evil spirits, though without bodies, shall be so connected with the bodily fires as to receive pain without imparting life. In the D&C, the definition of those who go to Outer Darkness is stated as: the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows; Neither was it revealed, neither is, neither will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers thereof;Nevertheless, I, the Lord, show it by vision unto many, but straightway shut it up again; Wherefore, the end, the width, the height, the depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man except those who are ordained unto this condemnation (D&C 76:45-48). As explained in D&C 88:11-13: To the Church in Smyrna the Apostle John wrote: He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death (Rev. He had a sure witness of the Lord and willfully chose to follow Satan instead. When the lights were out and we were on the verge of sleep, our camp counselor took advantage of the moment and endeavored to imprint his teachings upon the minds of his captive audience. While some apparently have taught that these spirits could be restored to a kingdom of glory, 12th President Spencer W. Kimball said this wasnt true: In the days of the restoration there apparently were those who taught that the devil and his angels and the sons of perdition should sometime be restored. ( Miracle of Forgiveness 129-30) The Lord Will Judge For persons not to receive forgiveness neither in this world nor in the world to come does not mean that they will be cast into outer darkness, for the sin of murder can be pardoned even though it is unforgivable. and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell (James 3:6). It is the closest Mormon analogy to the concept of hell in most other Christian traditions. Big Love's episode "Outer Darkness" Summary: It is not our intention to discuss details of the portrayal of the temple ceremony here. Outer darkness is something which cannot be described, except that we know that it is to be placed beyond the benign and comforting influence of the Spirit of God-banished entirely from his presence. So, in the Mormon view, none of these so-called polygamist marriages are valid, religiously or legally. 67, LDS Church Archives. He is damned by mortification and is his own condemner and tormenter. This is serving Satan. Please read, the source above, What is Official LDS Doctrine. has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 358). Temporary abode of the wicked. Utterly turn against god. Clearly you dont know what is and is not doctrine, and are trying to throw shade. As Joseph Fielding Smith put it, those mortals who fit into this nebulous category of sons of perdition will suffer permanently while the worst of the worst sinners will suffer only temporarily before receiving a kingdom of glory. Here is one more thing to think about: I work full time with a Christian ministry aimed at converting Mormons. Generally, the outer darkness is thought to be hell; however, many Christians associate the outer darkness more generally as a place of separation from God or from the metaphorical "wedding banquet" that Jesus is expected to have upon his Second Coming. 20:14), or the outer darkness (Matt. The first example would be spirits from the preexistence who sided with Lucifer rather than Jesus at the Council in Heavenwhere it was decided who would become the Savior of the World. One must be on a high eminence to fall so low; and few in worlds history have attained such a height. All missionaries are doing is trying to upgrade people to a premium plan of ruling over planets and polygamy. Latter Day Saint beliefs on hell are connected with the movement's doctrines of the plan of salvation, the degrees of glory and the telestial kingdom. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the tormented rich man in hell . It is provided through Christ's atonement and received by personal faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. This is a Son of perdition. No Mormon since the 1890 change has had the authority to marry any man to more than one woman. Lets go to modern revelation: that there would be no daughters of perdition. Joseph F. Smith Stan Larsen, ed., A Ministry of Meetings: The Diaries of Rudger Clawson, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Smith Associates and Signature Books, 1993) p. 560, Somebody called me up on the telephone and asked if there were daughters of perdition. King Benjamin and Alma also use the word as to preface their reference to a lake of fire and brimstone (see Mosiah 3:27; Alma 12:17). No exact details are given. . At the end of the twenty years, the knife would be withdrawn and again stabbed into us, with the resulting excruciating pain lasting another twenty years; this process would then be repeated for all eternity. lucifer. In harmony with this doctrinal truth that death and hell will deliver up the spirits and bodies of their captives, King David received the promise that his soul would not be left in hell (see Ps. Only a handful of "sons of perdition" would go. What is Outer Darkness? Twelfth President Spencer W. Kimball wrote. The Prophet Joseph Smith would not countenance the teaching of this doctrine, and sanctioned the decision of the bishop that any who taught it should be barred from communion (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 125). Mormon theology ultimately portrays Outer Darkness as heaven, and Satan as the God of that realm. Though we have this clarity in the scriptures that we carry with us daily, few members are aware that this insight is there." Unfortunately, Apple's iOS doesn't support home screen shortcuts in the Chrome browser. FAIRMormon says on this page even: When any man, except the President of the Church, undertakes to proclaim one unsettled doctrine, as among two or more doctrines in dispute, as the settled doctrine of the Church, we may know that he is not moved upon by the Holy Ghost, unless he is acting under the direction and by the authority of the President. It's not as simple as you make it out to be. T F According to a church manual, those who never were Mormon could never be sent to Outer Darkness. Those who must suffer with Satan for the deeds done in mortality will go with him into outer darkness. He also said,I think I am safe in saying that no man can become a Son of Perdition until he has known the light. In the parable of the wedding of the kings son, the king discovered that a guest was not properly attired in the required wedding garment, i.e., righteousness. The word hell is mentioned twenty-three times in the New Testament: fifteen times in the Gospels, twice in the book of Acts, once each in James and 2 Peter, and four times in the book of Revelation. Even if a person had once been a Latter-day Saint, Kimball said it still was practically impossible for a human to become a son of perdition: The sin against the Holy Ghost requires such knowledge that it is manifestly impossible for the rank and file to commit such a sin (Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 123) (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Religion 324 and 325, p. 161). As used in the New Testament, hell is an English word which is translated from two Greek words: hades (used ten times) and geenna (twelve times). Which means that really, no one knows anything about this. In revealing Satans tactics, Nephi wrote: And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is noneand thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. Another manual states, Baptism is the first saving ordinance of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:4). 15:29, 35; Alma 19:29; 54:7), sleep of hell (2 Ne. The Lord said no man knoweth So, theres probably a good reason that there is some debate and confusion on it. As with anything in Mormon doctrine, theres a lot of confusion, contradictory information and just all around ignoring a topic that should be as simple as asking a question and getting an answer. Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie have rejected the idea that those in perdition can ultimately be redeemed, which contradicts Brighams speculations. 40 talks in 40 days for General Conference, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 195456), 31.; Bruce R. McConkie, Seven Deadly Heresies, 1 June 1980, BYU Marriot Center.). For many are called, but few are chosen." They are sons of perdition because, Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to open shame (D. & C. 76:35). Gregory A. Boyd, Paul R. Eddy Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology pp285 2009 "For example, how can hell be a place of outer darkness (Matt. 12:16), hell which hath no end (1 Ne. Learn how your comment data is processed. The first three are referred to as the three degrees of glory, often compared to the sun, the moon, and the stars ( D&C 76:70, 78, 98 ). 21:8; cf. Just because Hitler, Mao, and Stalin along with Judas Iscariot (as mentioned above) never became Latter-day Saints apparently provides them with a much higher privilegea life in the telestial kingdom over those who once believed but left the true fold, kicking and screaming in their continued fight against the restored church of Jesus Christ. ). Hell is a state of suffering, both temporary and permanent. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. Wilford Woodruff in a meeting with the apostles, 1893 D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 1997) p. 795. A) Never had a body B) Did evil things in this world C) Never joined the LDS Church D) All of the above are true. Mormon Wiki, for example has a pretty specific definition of who doesnt go there but lacks any citations: Sons of Perdition as those few souls who have been born on this earth who have been made partakers of Gods power, yet suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy God by denying the Holy Spirit after having received it, denying the Only Begotten Son and put him to an open shame. They openly and knowingly fight against God and Christ, having sided with Satan even though they had once tasted of full gospel knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost.There are those who fear that they have committed the unpardonable sin, because they have not been faithful members of the Church. We believe that after the final judgment there are four places to which a person may be sent. outer darkness. Here, like John and Samuel, Alma equated the second death with the lake of fire and brimstone. In each New Testament passage that speaks of hell (the word hades is neutralneither a place of punishment nor reward but the place of departed spirits) the context associates it with suffering and punishment. 28:2223). Articles 1 - 7 will help your candle last longer and perform its best. Cain is a Son of Perdition. 9:710, 19, 26). Hell is outer darkness; it is the lake of fire; and it is the second death. If their Prophet wrote in a journal, or said to someone in passing, or gave a talk a local school saying that, Eating toast without butter is a sin worthy of hell! that does not make it a Mormon Doctrine. Even if I did, I still am not eligible for outer darkness. Yea, Alma wrote, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell (Alma 36:13). 21:8). We will, however, address some of the portrayals of other LDS beliefs and practices that were depicted in this episode. Salvation is release from the guilt and power of sin through God's gift of grace. [1] The pains of hell can also be experienced in mortality (Jacob 3:11). Divine Love in the Fathers Plan (Dallin H. Oaks, April 2022). Source: https://www.fairmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/What_is_Mormon_Doctrine.pdf. . John did not define the second death other than to make it synonymous with the lake of fire and brimstone that awaits the wicked. 23:33). 9:16), unquenchable fire (Mosiah 2:38), and hell fire (3 Ne. Thus the Book of Mormon does seem to contain a reference to the degrees of glory and outer darkness. The Book of Mormon contains six references to the second death: one reference by Jacob (Jacob 3:11), three by Alma (Alma 12:16, 32; 13:30), and two by Samuel the Lamanite (Hel. (You are not one of those spirits since you have a mortal body.). 18:8)? If he were ignorant, he could not have become perdition. Banishment from the joys of heaven. A lot of people wanted a source on that. 3. Today, interpretation of these "outer darkness" verses are a subset of Protestant discussion on hell and annihilationism. The apostle John saw the final judgment and wrote of the destiny of the wicked: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.