Transcription
The concept of a pre-existence is a fundamental aspect of Mormonism that shapes how many things in the religion are viewed. In Mormonism, we existed as unembodied intelligences, then as spirits, now as humans on our way to becoming gods. This is an eternal cycle.
However, almost all of these concepts are not supported by the scriptures at all, including the Book of Mormon, which is the most correct book on earth according to Joseph Smith. The Bible provides very little direct insight into whether we existed in some form before this life. According to the text, our existence began at the point of creation, with no mention of anything definitive prior to this point. Some have concluded that since the Bible doesn't directly refute this concept, then it should be viewed as a possibility. This, however, is an argument from ignorance and is not how fundamental doctrine should be determined. Most biblical scholars have simply concluded that there are no unambiguous teachings in the Bible that state we existed in some form prior to this life. Any other conclusions are based on presuppositions we make when reading the text.
For instance, in the late 1800s, Ji Maras, who was a professor at a theological college in South Africa, stated quite clearly that no scripture supports the idea of the pre-existence of man. He wrote for the first edition of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia and said, quote, "Nowhere does scripture teach the pre-existence of the soul." End quote.
This knowledge doesn't mean that the Bible doesn't teach the concept that God has foreknowledge of us and our actions. Many places in the Bible describe the foreknowledge of God. For instance, in Isaiah 46, God mentions there is no one like him and he knows the beginning and the end, including things that haven't happened yet. The text mentions, quote, "I am God and there is none like me," declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done. End quote. The concept that God knows our actions before we do them is referred to as foreknowledge or ideal pre-existence. In this way, the idea of something, namely mankind, existed in the mind of God before our actual creation, just like everything else did before its actual realization. The same concept can be applied to an example where someone picks up a rock and then drops it. They know the rock is going to fall to the ground before they drop it. However, their knowledge of this fact doesn't force the rock to actually drop. In this way, the idea and the reality are completely separate aspects of the rock actually hitting the ground. Yet the idea pre-existed the reality.
The Old Testament does have a few scriptures which are commonly proof-texted in the LDS church to support the idea of a pre-existence. When read in context, these verses don't support the idea, but are commonly used regardless. The first one of these is Jeremiah 1:5, where Jeremiah describes the commission he received from God. On the surface, this verse seems to clearly state that God knew Jeremiah before this life, which must mean also that Jeremiah existed before this life. The verse reads, quote, "I knew you before I formed you in the womb. I set you apart for me before you were born. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations." End quote. In this verse, it does seem that God is telling Jeremiah that he existed before this life and was ordained a prophet there. Certainly, this is how many in the LDS church would view this scripture. However, the text is simply stating that God had foreknowledge of Jeremiah, which is truthful for everyone. God knew Jeremiah would be the person that he decided to be. However, it didn't remove the agency of Jeremiah or require him to be ordained a prophet before this life. The entire verse speaks of the foreknowledge of God and nothing specifically about Jeremiah at all. If this verse, though, was an obvious example of the pre-existence of Jeremiah, then there is very little reason that Christianity as a whole would reject this interpretation. This verse only supports the idea of a pre-existence in the minds of those that have already reached the conclusion. This is the danger in proof-texting the scriptures.
Another often cited passage from the Old Testament is Job chapter 38. In the previous chapters, Job is recorded as lamenting his current situation and thinking that God had abandoned him. Then in Job 38, God finally answers him with an incredible rebuke. This rebuke, however, is completely misunderstood in those that want to see this as an endorsement for Job's pre-existence. In the text, God responds to Job by saying, quote, "Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" End quote. In the text, it does seem to be implying that there was a group of individuals that were aware during the creation of the earth and shouted for joy. According to the gospel principles manual, this group of individuals were all the children of God, which would have included Job. However, this frankly can't be the case. Joseph Smith did use this scripture in a March 29th, 1841 discourse as a justification to conclude that Job was among those in the pre-existence. However, this still doesn't make it true. In Job 38, God is specifically rebuking Job by saying Job doesn't have any idea what he is talking about. God does this by contrasting the sharp distinction between him and Job. God is an eternal being and Job is nothing more than animated dust. If, however, Job was there at the framing of the world, then Job could have simply told God this. Why would God be asking where Job was at the beginning of the world other than to illustrate the point that Job is finite and God is infinite?
In cases like this, it can help tremendously if we look at alternate translations. In the ISV, these verses read, quote, "Who is this who keeps darkening my counsel without knowing what he's talking about? Stand up like a man. I'll ask you some questions, and you give me some answers." Where were you when I laid the foundation of my earth? Tell me, since you're so informed, who set its measurement? Am I to assume you know? Who stretched a boundary line over it? On what were its bases set? Who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the divine beings shouted joyfully? End quote. In this text, it is clear that God is rebuking Job and telling him that he has no understanding compared to God's understanding. Job was not there at the beginning of the world. So he can't say anything about it. Job's understanding is limited to the ideas of men and he had no comprehension of the works of God. This is why God rebukes him so heavily. Job was speaking about how God should operate in relation to men. Yet Job had no understanding at all about the smallest sliver of the works of God. God was essentially saying, "How can you presume to challenge me when you are infinitely less than I am?" God was certainly not saying that Job was co-eternal with him, like the LDS church's conclusion of these verses says. You can only reach this conclusion if you actually don't read the text at all.
The New Testament is similar to the Old Testament in that there are no explicit mentions of a pre-existent state for mankind. There was, however, a small but growing group of believers that explored this concept during the Babylonian exile up to the time of the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. In apocryphal books written during that time, there are mentions of a pre-existence of some sort. These can be seen in the second book of Enoch and the apocalypse of Baroo, which speak of mankind's existence before the creation of the earth. Both books, however, are not accepted as scripture by any widespread Jewish or Christian groups. In the New Testament itself, there is no mention of a pre-existence. However, there are several mentions of Jesus existing before this life in some capacity. In Philippians 2:6-8, Paul mentions that Jesus was a god before this life who condescended to mortality. In John 1:30, the Apostle John records John the Baptist as saying that Jesus existed before John the Baptist was born. This existence would have had to have been in some other realm because John the Baptist was physically older than Jesus was. One other location to note is John chapter 3, where John the Apostle mentions twice that Jesus was a special type of being that came down from heaven. Other than these mentions of Christ being pre-existent, there are no mentions of a pre-existent state for mankind.
There is, however, one somewhat confusing question posed to Christ that many in the LDS church use to suggest the idea of a pre-existence. This question is found in John chapter 9 and pertains to the disciples asking Jesus if a person born blind had sinned before this life or his parents to cause the man to be born blind. It was a general belief at the time that situations like this were the result of sin and were a punishment from God. Jesus responds that he was simply born blind so the works of God could be made manifest. The question, though, presupposes a belief that the man existed in some kind of way before his mortal existence. The text reads, quote, "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" End quote. In the LDS church, this scripture seems to make sense that the disciples believed this man had a pre-existence in which he might have sinned and therefore was punished with blindness. According to LDS doctrine today, though, this should not be possible. There are, however, a number of other explanations for this question which make far more sense. For instance, there was a rabbinical teaching at the time that infants could sin while in the womb. There also were some contemporary groups which believed in the possibility of reincarnation, with Josephus claiming that the Pharisees were one of these groups. We can see a cultural understanding of this belief in the question that Jesus asked his apostles in Matthew chapter 16. Jesus asked them what people were saying about him. The disciples responded that people were claiming that he was a reincarnated John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or a different prophet. This would only make sense if there was a general belief in reincarnation for everyone or at least a reincarnation for specific individuals. In this sense, the man born blind could have been thought to have sinned in a previous life and then be punished in this life for those sins. This appears to be the prevailing Jewish thought at the time.
Christianity as a whole has accepted the idea that the spirit of man is created sometime between conception and birth. However, over time, there have been various groups that have advocated for a pre-existence state for man. These groups have always been on the outskirts of Christianity. However, some have had varying levels of acceptance. For instance, some of the early church fathers such as Justin Martyr and Origen advocated for the concept of a pre-existence. This was seen as an influence from Greek and Hellenistic Jewish culture and was consequently condemned. The ideas, however, prevailed for several centuries until dying out. Origen, who was one of the earliest of the church fathers, wrote about how all spirits existed before this life and had agency. This sounds similar to modern LDS teachings. However, Origen also taught that coming to earth was a punishment for those that were disobedient before this life. Most LDS members would disagree with Origen on that point.
In more modern Christianity, a popular Methodist preacher by the name of Lorenzo Dao was also very vocal in his belief of a pre-existence for our spirits. In 1804, he wrote about the heaven that our spirits existed in before this life and the fact that everything was created prior and was just waiting to be given a temporal existence. He wrote, quote, "When did God make the soul of the child that was born yesterday? Your idea that God makes new souls daily falls to the ground, and you can't deny it if the Bible be true." But says one, "Their souls were made in the course of six days. Where then have they been ever since? Laid up in a storehouse in heaven. If they were, they were happy." End quote. According to Dao, then all spirits had an existence prior to this life in a blissful state of happiness while we waited for our birth into mortality.
Throughout Christianity up to the present time, various other influential leaders have advocated for similar concepts using different modes of arguments. In Mormonism today, the concept of a pre-existence permeates almost all aspects of the religion. If a member was asked where the idea originated, they would probably say in the Book of Mormon somewhere; they might even say Alma chapter 13, which is about the foreknowledge of God, like Jeremiah chapter 1 is. However, the idea of a pre-existence is read into the text and is not what the text actually says.
For instance, Orson Pratt, who was an excellent theologian, was speaking about the pre-existence of man and mentioned that he never would have found it in the Book of Mormon without Joseph's later revelations. In speaking about the Book of Mormon, he mentioned, quote, "I do not think that I should have ever discerned it in that book had it not been for the New Translation of the Scriptures." End quote. The Book of Mormon itself mentions nothing about a pre-existent state of man. However, it does speak about the pre-existence of Christ, just like the New Testament does. For instance, Ether sees the spiritual finger of Jesus before he was born in Ether chapter 3. And Jesus told Nephi in Third Nephi 1 that he was going to be born the next day. Both are clear examples that Jesus was alive in some form prior to this life. However, there is nothing else in the Book of Mormon to suggest anyone else was in a similar state.
As mentioned, many will point to Alma chapter 13 to establish the concept of pre-existence. However, this falls into the same problem as Jeremiah chapter 1 does. For instance, when read without the understanding of modern Mormonism, then the text has a completely different meaning. In speaking about an order of priests that foreshadowed the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus, Alma chapter 13 says, quote, "And this is the manner after which they were ordained, being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works, in the first place being left to choose good or evil. Therefore, they having chosen good and exercising exceedingly great faith are called with a holy calling." End quote. Most members would read this as meaning that those special priests exercised faith and good works before this life; that is why they received the special order of the priesthood. Many, like Bruce R. McConkie in his book Mormon Doctrine, have interpreted it this way. As shown by Orson Pratt's lack of seeing it this way when read without a bias of modern Mormonism, this passage seems to only suggest that the calling or order of the priesthood was based on the foreknowledge of God. The text seems then to only suggest that the priesthood order would be given to individuals based on their faith and good works while in mortality. This seems far more consistent and doesn't imply a privileged status to only a relatively few individuals. If, however, the standard LDS interpretation is correct, then that would mean that those who are high priests in the church somehow exercised more faith and good works than billions of other people. You would expect them then to exemplify that in this life, which is typically not the case. The concept alone seems quite imbalanced. Honestly, if, however, the text suggested the idea of a pre-existence, then it should also apply to the New Testament where there is very similar language. For instance, Romans chapter 9 describes how some are beforehand prepared unto glory. Ephesians 1 says that some were chosen before the foundation of the world. And 1 Peter 1 says that some of the elect were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. As we have seen, though, very few interpret this as evidence of the pre-existent state of man. These are all evidence of the foreknowledge of God and examples of the works of God being eternal and prepared prior to this life.
When reading scripture, it can be very dangerous to interpret the text in ways the author never intended. In the early church, there was no unique idea that the spirits of man pre-existed their birth into mortality. It was generally believed that we began existing in all forms at the moment of our birth. However, the specifics of this were completely left up to the individual for their own understanding.
On May 6th, 1833, however, Joseph Smith received what is known today as Doctrine and Covenants section 93. In this revelation, it is mentioned that we existed with God prior to this life, not as individual spirits, but part of the very essence of God. D&C 93 reads, quote, "Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it to act for itself, as all intelligence also." End quote. In reading this verse, it is easy to confuse it with a later understanding of intelligences from the book of Abraham. However, this is not what the verse says and not how the verse was understood at the time. Earlier in the revelation in verse 23, the pre-existent nature of man is equated with the spirit of truth. Then in verse 36, this intelligence or spirit of truth is identified as the glory of God. According to this, then man was with God prior to this life, not necessarily as an individual entity, but part of the eternal spirit, truth, or glory of God. At some point, man was made individual and could operate independently from God. This is how Parley P. Pratt understood it according to his 1842 book, The True God and His Worship Contrasted with Idolatry. In the book, Pratt mentions, quote, "The spirit of truth proceeding from the Father and the Son is the light, life, and spirit of all things." End quote. According to Pratt then and D&C 93, the eternal nature of man was originally a part of God that was made unique and independent. The specifics as to how this happened or when it happened were not made clear. Almost nothing more was said about this concept until Joseph Smith continued his work on the book of Abraham, which was published in 1842.
In Abraham chapter 3, the text describes the council of God in which God overlooks eternally existing individual intelligences and begins a plan for their advancement. These intelligences are described as being co-eternal with God in the sense that they can't be created or destroyed. They didn't have a beginning and will have no end. By some chance, God was in their midst and benevolently decided to help them since they couldn't help themselves. Abraham chapter 3 reads, quote, "Spirits have no beginning; they existed before, for they shall have no end. They shall exist after, for they are know, or eternal." End quote. In Abraham chapter 3, these individual spirits are referred to interchangeably as spirits, intelligences, and souls. These appear to all be the same concept according to the text and are all the same way of referring to the eternal and individual aspect of man, and when combined with a human body, gives that body life. During the later years of Joseph Smith's life in Nauvoo, these spirits or intelligences were always taught as being eternal and uncreated. They existed with God, and God organized a means for them to receive physical bodies. However, after the death of Joseph Smith, then the teachings of the church shifted from intelligences and spirits being synonymous to actually being a distinct separation of the two. This separation resulted in the teachings that intelligences were eternal, but the spirits of man were created at some point prior to their birth in mortality. For instance, in a 1909 First Presidency statement issued to combat the concept of evolution, it was taught that our spirits were created by our heavenly parents through a divine act of creation. This act, which is unspecified, converted us from intelligences into spirits. The statement said, quote, "Man as a spirit was begotten and born of heavenly parents and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father prior to coming upon the earth in a tabernacle body." End quote. Joseph Fielding Smith further clarified this separation in a 1944 book, The Progress of Man, where he unequivocally stated that the intelligence and spirit of man were distinct and when merged together make an individual identity. He wrote, quote, "There is something called intelligence which always existed. This intelligence combined with the spirit constitutes a spiritual identity or individual." End quote.
Today in Mormonism, this is the generally accepted understanding. Intelligences existed forever and God fashioned spiritual bodies, then physical ones for these intelligences. When passages like D&C 93 or Abraham chapter 3 are read, they are interpreted this way, which is seemingly contradictory to the text in the original understanding. This is the complication when attributing later understanding to earlier text. You can see things in places that were never intended. In looking at the concept of the pre-existence of man, there is no justification from the scriptures themselves. This
Is true for the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon. There are various passages which can be read to support the concept of a pre-existence. However, they must be taken out of context and misapplied. Many of these are read in a way where pre-existence is assumed, and then the text is used as a justification.
In the Old Testament, only God and the divine council are described as existing outside of the confines of this mortal realm. In the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, the only individual with a pre-existent state is Jesus, who is described as God in the flesh. This was the understanding of the early LDS church. However, this subtly changed with the publication of DNC 93, which identified man as co-eternal with God and sharing in a portion of his divine nature.
This eternal nature of our spirits was taught by Joseph, however, was later changed by the leaders of the church. The spirit was no longer eternal but was a creation by God. Prior to this life, man was still eternal and existed with God. However, the eternal nature of man was changed to be a more primitive form of basic intelligence that God had to elevate to a spirit and then to a temporal body.
According to Joseph in a January 5th, 1841 discourse, this means that since our spirits had a beginning, then they must also have an end. The spirit can't be eternal, which is a serious problem for Mormonism today. Joseph said, "If the soul of man had a beginning, it will surely have an end. Spirits are eternal." As always, thanks for figuring things out with me.