Levels of heaven in LDS theology?

[Mahone]

Originally Posted by tubaloth

I thought that was implied in the way I explained it, but I guess not.
That was the point of me explaing about Eternal marrage.

I think they way you said it made it sound like you had to be married for eternity for all three levels of the celestial kingdom when in fact it's just the first degree.

Which brings up an interesting question in my mind. Do we have any other information regarding these three different degrees of "celestial glory"? When I first read that, my immediate impression was that it was referring to the telestial, terrestrial and celestial; clearly most people don't interprete it that way. It's not clear as to what it means at all - can we be sure there are definately three different degrees in the celestial kingdom?

[Tough Grits]

Originally Posted by Mahone

[...]can we be sure there are definately three different degrees in the celestial kingdom?

Yes, we can be sure.

I teach Valiants 9-12 in Primary. This was our lesson a couple of weeks ago:

“Lesson 23: The Prophet Receives a Vision of the Three Degrees of Glory,” Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants: Church History, (1997),121

In 1843 Joseph taught some friends that the celestial kingdom is divided into three levels, or degrees. The highest degree is the only part of heaven where people will live with their families. The Prophet taught that a person must be married for eternity in the temple to obtain this highest degree of the celestial kingdom. These teachings are recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–4.

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by tubaloth

Now to add on to that, in the Celestial Kingdom there are three sub degrees. They don't have a name, but I like to call them A, B, and C. (‘A’ being the highest).

I can't remember whether Emmanuel Swedenborg had a name for these sub-levels either, but in line with King James English (sort of), would it not be wise to call these A-eth, B-eth and C-eth?

[mnn727]

Originally Posted by Moksha

I can't remember whether Emmanuel Swedenborg had a name for these sub-levels either, but in line with King James English (sort of), would it not be wise to call these A-eth, B-eth and C-eth?

Don;t get me started on King James English

[desirexnoel]

Originally Posted by BluePlastic

I just want to clear up my own confusion about this, and also to understand it so I might use it in the book I'm writing that has a Mormon character in it.

So, I know that the highest level of heaven, the one you really want to get into, is the Celestial Kingdom. Do you have to be married to go there? (I think I heard that somewhere...)

And, what are the other levels? I'm not that clear on it, and the one site I read that "explained" it, I don't have much confidence in -- there's a lot of misinformation around. :P

Yeah, you are supposed to be married to get into Celestial.

If I remember correctly it is:

Celestial
Terrestrial (I was told Terre means middle)
Telestial (Which my dad told me would actually have some pretty crummy people in it)

Then Outer Darkness where the Sons of Perdition go. Before all of that though there is the spirit world and spirit prision where you wait for the second coming. You are in the spirit prision if you aren't mormon.

[EruditioSalvatus]

Why do you have to be married to make it to A-eth level?
What if you find the love of your life and she's not a member or dies before a sealing, are you just out of luck?

[desirexnoel]

Originally Posted by EruditioSalvatus

Why do you have to be married to make it to A-eth level?
What if you find the love of your life and she's not a member or dies before a sealing, are you just out of luck?

My dad believes that he has tried to find a wife so he is all good, but according to the doctrine, you need to have ALL of the ordinances. Marriage is an ordinance as well.

[Just_A_Guy]

Originally Posted by EruditioSalvatus

Why do you have to be married to make it to A-eth level?
What if you find the love of your life and she's not a member or dies before a sealing, are you just out of luck?

Because the "A-eth" level (and this is not a Mormon theological term--it's just an ad hoc word coined by Tubaloth and Moksha) involves creating new worlds and creating new people to live on them. The standard LDS view is that it takes two (a male and a female) to create a new person--even in the eternities.

Sealing can be done by proxy after death, and (generally speaking) would be retroactively effective provided that the during the deceased person's life he/she was, to the best of his/her ability, true to the degree of light and knowledge he/she had been given.

[bytebear]

As I understand it, there are two estates. The first estate was given in the pre-mortal life, and those who rejected it are sons of perdition. Those who accepted their first estate, entered the second estate, which is mortality. They were given bodies. We are in our second estate. Because of that, we are promised a level of glory. If we deny the Holy Ghost with a sure knowledge (a very difficult position to be in) we cannot lose our second estate. But, what level of glory we have depends on our commitment to Christ.

If we have no commitment to Christ, we receive telestial glory.

If we believe and accept Christ, we receive terrestrial glory.

If we covenant with Christ through baptism we receive celestial glory.

If we further covenant with Christ (temple ordinances) we raise our glory within the celestial kingdom.

If we still further our covenant, and enter covenant with a spouse, we receive the highest level of celestial glory.

Of course, celestial glory depends on our fulfilling the covenant.

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Just_A_Guy

The standard LDS view is that it takes two (a male and a female) to create a new person--even in the eternities.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if somehow the requirements for creation involved a multiple configuration for this creation instead? For example, What if it required a Man and a bunch of Sister-Wives? Wait before you say, "there goes Moksha on one of his Sci-Fi benders again", hear me out. This is not beyond possibility. After all, stranger things have happened. Think of the lion laying down with the lamb, an Octomom and my favorite from some years back, the Jackson-Presley wedding.