Why are we not allowed to remember the pre existance?

[ZionsRodeVos]

I've read a lot here and have seen many of your thoughtful responses and wonder if anyone here has asked questions such as I have and if you happen to remember scriptures that helped you.

I've read the scriptures often and all the standard works more than once. Enough to know that I don't remember all I've read much less understood it all but lately I've been having questions that I have never bothered to ask before and I don't think the answers are in the scriptures, but its probably just that I don't remember it or didn't understand it as an answer.

Anyway, my first question is, why are we not allowed to remember the pre existance? I remember being taught that it is because we are here to be tested and that if we did remember then we would do everything correctly and it would not be a test. But, what bugs me about this is that all that I was in the pre existance is hidden from me and I don't know how much if any of it is influencing me now.

It seems to me that we would still have all the temptations we have now and all the distractions and so I am not so sure these would not have sway over us. But beyond that, why do we even need this test called life? Couldn't we just have come here with our memories, gotten our bodies, and continued to progress learning how it is to be mortal?

I'm thinking we all must have progressed at different rates in our premortal life and it seems that by having us forget, we are starting over. It would be such a shame for someone who had progressed a lot, to be damned here because they couldn't remember and couldn't gain the faith needed to do what is right here, when if they had remembered they would not have been damned because they would have continued to progress from the point they were at in the pre existance.

Why was it so important that we not be allowed to remember everything from our premortal life?

[pam]

Much of our testing is based on faith. If we had full recollection of everything there would be no faith needed.

[gopecon]

I think we bring with us the strengths that we had prior to this life, whether we are conscious of them or not.

I've always understood that life is a test - and if we remembered the glory of our heavenly home and family, I don't think it would be much of a test for many of us.

[HiJolly]

Ask God, and don't give up until He answers.

HJ

[LiterateParakeet]

I think you would really enjoy the book, The God Who Weeps, by Terryl and Fiona Givens.

They give some really thoughtful and beautiful answers to your questions. I would try to recap it for you here, but I couldn't it justice, they are both smarter than I am! Terryl has a PhD in Comparative Literature and Fiona a Masters in European History. That background comes through beautifully in their book.

Seriously, they dedicate a whole chapter to the pre-exsistence, and another whole chapter to what happens after this life.

If you are not certain you want to buy it, get it at the library. Even if you are not in Utah (I'm not either), with Inter-library loan, they will find a book from libraries nationwide and lend it to you.

Just do it. They will take you thinking to a different place than you have been before and you will be glad for the journey.

[ZionsRodeVos]

Originally Posted by pam

Much of our testing is based on faith. If we had full recollection of everything there would be no faith needed.

That brings up other questions which include why we need to live be faith.

Originally Posted by gopecon

I think we bring with us the strengths that we had prior to this life, whether we are conscious of them or not.

I've always understood that life is a test - and if we remembered the glory of our heavenly home and family, I don't think it would be much of a test for many of us.

I know I'm just using my limited ability to think here, but I don't remember ever really liking tests in school and a test that last 100 to 120 years just seems a bit too much at the moment. I question why this test is needed if it really is.

Originally Posted by HiJolly

Ask God, and don't give up until He answers.

HJ

Unfortunately, I am still struggling with my faith with respect to prayer and don't seem to have enough faith I'd get an answer on such a subject.

Originally Posted by LiterateParakeet

I think you would really enjoy the book, The God Who Weeps, by Terryl and Fiona Givens.

They give some really thoughtful and beautiful answers to your questions. I would try to recap it for you here, but I couldn't it justice, they are both smarter than I am! Terryl has a PhD in Comparative Literature and Fiona a Masters in European History. That background comes through beautifully in their book.

Seriously, they dedicate a whole chapter to the pre-exsistence, and another whole chapter to what happens after this life.

If you are not certain you want to buy it, get it at the library. Even if you are not in Utah (I'm not either), with Inter-library loan, they will find a book from libraries nationwide and lend it to you.

Just do it. They will take you thinking to a different place than you have been before and you will be glad for the journey.

I'm not in Utah. I've made a note of this book so that I can track it down.

[Vort]

Originally Posted by ZionsRodeVos

That brings up other questions which include why we need to live be faith.

Because we want to develop all Godly attributes, and faith is among the foremost of Godly attributes.

Originally Posted by ZionsRodeVos

I know I'm just using my limited ability to think here, but I don't remember ever really liking tests in school and a test that last 100 to 120 years just seems a bit too much at the moment. I question why this test is needed if it really is.

In this sense, "test" means "trial", not "examination". Our faith and other Godly attributes are tried, because only through trial are such attributes developed and improved.

[Anddenex]

Originally Posted by ZionsRodeVos

That brings up other questions which include why we need to live be faith.

Faith provides us all the opportunity to act and not be acted upon. Faith allows us an opportunity to show who we truly are as in character.

Think about children who live such righteous lives when they live at home, but when they move to college all of a sudden the right choices they made, are now no longer the choices they are making? Why?

The authority figure blessing them is no longer there. Since the veil, our minds have been blocked from total recall. This is one of the purposes of the Holy Ghost, to bring back what we already knew.

We see many of God's children, in his presence who accepted his will, kept their first estate, however when the knowledge of the authority figure is gone, their true nature is revealed.

We have the opportunity to prove our true nature, is it good...evil, or is it telestial, terrestial, or celestial.

It is our opportunity to prove to God that we are like him in glory, light and truth, or our opportunity to prove we are not. We cannot prove to God anything without these tests.

These are my initial thoughts.

[THIRDpersonviewer]

why do we need to live by faith? It is an attribute of God. To be like, God as is the purpose of the Plan of Salvation. We need this experience to help us develop it. I am sure we developed it before this life and can but this earthlife is probably better suited for people that rely so much on what they see. It makes it so it is faith in God that we rely on. No peeking right?

I personally dislike the test analogy. I view it more as a growing grounds. Think of being dropped from an airplane or something that hurls you and at first you are like whoa where am I, nothing makes sense, then when you orient yourself then you communicate with your limbs better to move how you would like. We are put here and at first we might be a little confused, but finding the rock of Christ will help orient you and allow you do focus your energy more effectively on what is necessary and important. All that matters in this life is whether you accept Christ as the rock and chart a course(as exemplified by how you live(not being perfect but whether you keep going in the midst of failure)) to eternal life based off that rock. If you don't then it says you rejected Him when you knew He was the rock. For those who don't know He is the rock get the opportunity to figure that out after this life.

I don't think hijolly meant that you would necessarily get the answer in the few weeks. Some answers can take years to receive. So keep praying and don't give up whether He answers tomorrow, next week, next year, next decade, next century, or next millenium. You could recive it tomorow, but it doesn't matter whether you receive it or not. It does matter if you give up.

An example from my life. I served a mission 2008-2010. I had a question sometime in 2006-2007ish. I got my answer in 2011. 5 years. As long as you never give up, you will receive the answer, just whenever the Lord feels its time to give it to you.

[estradling75]

Originally Posted by Anddenex

It is our opportunity to prove to God that we are like him in glory, light and truth, or our opportunity to prove we are not. We cannot prove to God anything without these tests.

These are my initial thoughts.

A slight disagreement.... I do not believe that we are here to prove to God anything. I think we are here to prove to ourselves. So that when God renders judgement we are going to have understanding and agreement that the judgement is just.