Can variety exist with perfection?

[Justice]

If that is what it is, a tool, why would one have different features than another?

Because not everyone has the same tastes, and there can be perfection in variety. :)

[Seminarysnoozer]

Because not everyone has the same tastes, and there can be perfection in variety. :)

In the beginning of our immortal glorified lives, I agree. But in particular in the highest Kingdom with the eternities to continue to grow and learn I don't think there are unique tastes after development is completed. As those spirits worthy enough to make it to that kingdom of eternal increase continue to grow and develop why would one of them appreciate music more than another or appreciate or have talents or tastes undeveloped. As long as it is a good thing and productive towards Gods purposes, I think all those traits merge to one in the highest Kingdom over time. If that is true (maybe I am completely off) why would a permanent body, the immortal perfected glorified body have any physical limitation to that perfect growth. Its like a doctor in training wears the short white coat and then when they become attendings, independent doctors they put on the long coat. We can't change the 'coat' once we are assigned to our Kingdoms and yet we are still in training. So this is why I am wondering if the bodies of those in the highest kingdom, those that are in line for one purpose, will all look the same even though they may not have completed their spiritual, talent and knowledge development quite yet to become Gods at that moment.

Remember in the story of the 10 talents, the faithful servant was given the one talent of the unfaithful in the end, meaning he received a talent he didn't even work on or had during his probationary state.

For example, I have girlfriends in high school who played volleyball and had a propensity for it because they were like 4 inches taller than me. I played soccer in high school and loved the sport but I think I would have also liked volleyball but never had an opportunity to develop those skills. Now, I am not trying to say there are going to be sports in the Celestial Kingdom, I don't know but I think not, just using that as an example. I don't think one could have an immortal body to complete its purpose that would be any different in form and function than Gods if one is in the Celestial Kingdom. If one says, the body is just a covering, doesn't serve any other purpose than just to cover the spirit, then why go to the trouble of coming here to receive a body and why be created in his image and why give metaphors like his countenance will be in our countenance.

Yes, in the beginning of that existence there is variability as we have more perfecting to do. But once full development is reached and then further growth is just in terms of expanding one's dominion and influence and glory (like God is now doing), at that point, I don't think traits will vary. What taste would you have different from God if you were in the Celestial Kingdom at the height of your development? One of the purposes of the gospel is an instruction manual to align our 'tastes' to Gods. It is rudimentary in that purpose, but it allows God to know by the desires of ones heart whether that is something the person wants to do, be exactly like God. If one wants to have various tastes, if that is the desire of the heart, to be different and unique, there is a place for that, the Telestial Kingdom, as one star varies from another star. I think, obviously strongly so, that it is Satan's message and whisperings to want to be different and unique from God.

[Seminarysnoozer]

Another scenario is that in the pre-mortal world our spiritual bodies inherited the DNA of our heavenly parents, with variation of appearance but that variance is in degrees of perfection and beauty. In this mortal realm we inherit the DNA of our physical bodies from our imperfect earthly parents and the variance is in degrees of imperfection. The implication being much of our appearance may be quite different in the very short time span we are here in our second estate compared to the eons we lived in the pre-mortal existence. In the resurrection our spirits will organize the physical body after the manner and full glory of the spirit itself. Anyway I hope this is the case because many of us didn't win the genetic lottery in this life.

Yes, this is what we are discussing in another thread, "Can God control spirit creation variability....?"

I think that is an interesting discussion too because it allows for God not making Lucifer evil on purpose, that part of that creation (spiritual body) process is out of His hands, not knowing exactly how it is done as DNA is probably just part of a corrupted state, maybe what is meant by the no blood in the perfected body reference. These are interesting thoughts.

One thing to recognize also is that the inheritance of DNA from parents in this world is full of corruption; deletions, additions, inversions, mutations etc. I think that is a way to create individual tests for each spirit, kind of like when the teacher mixes up the order of the questions on a test so the students don't copy from each other. After the test is over, I don't see any reason to mix things up or vary the challenges though.

[Misshalfway]

I was reading in Abraham ch 3 yesterday afternoon and came accross one line that stood out. It said something about intelligences and that one had more intelligence than the other. I guess I wonder if this will be part of the variations inside the celestial kingdom. Maybe it will be a matter of different levels of intelligence just like with the rest of salvation.

[Seminarysnoozer]

I was reading in Abraham ch 3 yesterday afternoon and came accross one line that stood out. It said something about intelligences and that one had more intelligence than the other. I guess I wonder if this will be part of the variations inside the celestial kingdom. Maybe it will be a matter of different levels of intelligence just like with the rest of salvation.

Yes, I think I have read Abraham a hundred times (exaggerating), it is fascinating to me. The interesting thing about that is he describes the intelligences one greater than another and that he will make them rulers, but this was before he took some to make the world. And we know that Lucifer had authority in the pre-existence. So was Lucifer among the noble and great ones? It kinda sounds like it has to be. And if that's the case then 'intelligence' alone does not equate to glorification. 'Intelligence' is not an order of righteousness, it is just an order of potential, at least at that point. And the higher one goes the farther one can fall.

I tend to believe that even Lucifer had more "intelligence" than most people of this world. This also is supported by the terminology of "keeping" ones estate, no brightness lost. What would make Lucifer so bitter and vengeful is if he had a high potential, he was noble and great and he blew it all, he burned it all up in one great war. If he started out with little I don't see how he could be so angry as to continue the battle now.

The body variability could be based on intelligence. I think that fits with the reference to stars in describing intelligence in Abraham 3 and using sun, moon and stars in describing the Kingdoms, body of the sun, etc. I guess I always get stuck on the need to say the celestial kingdom is like the body of the sun, one ... the body of the telestial kingdom is many like the stars vary. Why say the sun is one, and why say the moon is one?