Beings of Light

[Traveler]

A while back I started a thread titled “The Dark Side”. That thread explored why anyone would be attracted to the “Dark Side”? This thread is the companion to that thread - why would anyone want to be a being of light? I have wondered if at the final judgment if G-d would show us the width and depth of the Celestial Kingdom - to which many would decide that it may be a great place to visit but not where they want to be for eternity.

As best as I understand - the Dark Side is all about getting all you want. A being of light is all about love, compassion, sacrifice and service. Love and compassion sounds like a real neat thing in eternity but I am thinking that is because those that so think are mostly thinking that they will be recipients rather than the thankless givers. And that is my point. G-d shows us that a being of light is compassionate and loving as an act of sacrifice and service. That if we only love those that love us and are compassionate to those that are thankful and friendly towards us - we really are not beings of light.

It seems to me that many think of heaven as a place void of the dark side - because the dark side personalities are all cast out to somewhere else. That since they are out of site they are also out of mind and therefore we will all be so happy to be rid of them. Certainly we will not be involved in acts of sacrifice and service towards those that will hate us for such things? But maybe we will - maybe that is what a being of light is - loving and compassionate willing to perform acts of real sacrifice and service for those that will never be thankful for it. Anyone really want to be a being of light? If so - why do you think that?

The Traveler

[jen4light]

I think to an extent we are all beings of light. We all have the light of Christ no matter who we are. But yes its true we can become filled with darkness and snuff out our nature. We were intelligence before spirits, intelligence in its spiritual nature is a matter of light. We have been of light since our most basic beginnings. The Holy Ghost operates on light, It cannot abide in a dark vessel, and we grow stronger in spirit and more receptive of it as we grow in light through righteousness (and yes through love and service, anything good which is of God). We may not be beings of light in full potential as one usually pictures them... (eg, angels, transfigured/translated individuals) but it is Gods light and power that will ultimately bring us to there.

D&C 50:24 That which is of God is light; (Are we not of God, his offspring? Made in his image?) and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

Thats my thoughts on it. We are told fore-ordination is a "light thing" too, still working on understanding that. (Nephi quoting Isaiah in 2 Nephi... don't remember the chapter)

I would hesitate to label 'the dark side' without clarifying. Dark side can seem to infer to people being evil. Few in darker places, those living in sin, are really dark spirits or personalities. Everyone has good at their core, it takes a lot to truly disperse of that. We all are imperfect and become tainted with sin. We can have desires that are dark that turn us from our true nature as beings of light, God's children. And that darkness can grow like mold and fill someone till they are Satan's, an Anti-Christ even. But take it from someone who has the gift of Discernment, until that point (maybe even at that point) there is always a level of good and light within everyone. Goodness and light is inherit within us. Its a hard thing to extinguish. Eventually, at the point where we are more like Christ, at a greater point of light, we will all see this and remorse in the loss of these our brothers and sisters that have and will be cast out and the light they have lost.

hmm and as Heaven being void of dark. Well, we all will vary in levels of light hence the kingdoms. As far as being void of dark... The Celestial kingdom at least will be. Terrestrial will even be to a greater point then here. Those are both higher degrees of glory, which infers levels of higher light, then here on earth. I don't say that the Terrestrial will be void of dark, to Celestial spirits it will feel a bit darker. (picture regret over not being worthy enough to be with family and with Heavenly Father) But it will not have Satan's influence or any real darkness in it, just a lesser degree of light.

And I'm just reflecting here... I love pondering such matters.

[Seminarysnoozer]

A while back I started a thread titled “The Dark Side”. That thread explored why anyone would be attracted to the “Dark Side”? This thread is the companion to that thread - why would anyone want to be a being of light? I have wondered if at the final judgment if G-d would show us the width and depth of the Celestial Kingdom - to which many would decide that it may be a great place to visit but not where they want to be for eternity.

As best as I understand - the Dark Side is all about getting all you want. A being of light is all about love, compassion, sacrifice and service. Love and compassion sounds like a real neat thing in eternity but I am thinking that is because those that so think are mostly thinking that they will be recipients rather than the thankless givers. And that is my point. G-d shows us that a being of light is compassionate and loving as an act of sacrifice and service. That if we only love those that love us and are compassionate to those that are thankful and friendly towards us - we really are not beings of light.

It seems to me that many think of heaven as a place void of the dark side - because the dark side personalities are all cast out to somewhere else. That since they are out of site they are also out of mind and therefore we will all be so happy to be rid of them. Certainly we will not be involved in acts of sacrifice and service towards those that will hate us for such things? But maybe we will - maybe that is what a being of light is - loving and compassionate willing to perform acts of real sacrifice and service for those that will never be thankful for it. Anyone really want to be a being of light? If so - why do you think that?

The Traveler

Great thoughts! thanks.

I remember when I was in nursing school and I would come home and tell my family about my day (still living with my parents at that time) they would say "stop talking about that, that's disgusting". My mom, though, would stay interested and seemingly really enjoyed my run down of the days events, even though she knew nothing about nursing or medicine. Just a little while ago my mother revealed to me that she also thought my discussions were hard to hear, especially around the dinner table but the reason she loved hearing them is because she was excited to see my excitement and that made her happy. The excitement she had over my learning overpowered the topic that she found to be gross.

I think the key in understanding the process of eternal joy is understanding what true compassion and charity allows. It allows a person to be connected in such a way that their achievements are shared in a vicarious way. Even God's glory is to bring about our happiness. That would not amount to much if it wasn't for the fact that He loves us so much that He is affected by our achievements.

This is why the characteristics of a Celestial being center around love because that is what it takes to be connected with others in such a way that we magnify our joy more than what we could do individually. Everything we do in the gospel is centered around that idea as we are to learn how to depend on Christ and in turn be Christ-like. Being a covenant people teaches us that, bearing our testimony and being a part of a family, both at home and in the ward, teaches us those concepts. One is truly happy when one can be equally excited about another's achievement as if it was their own.

Darkness is being single, disconnected and self centered. It is limiting in that one can only grow up and develop once at best. That is the most a single person could achieve. Being connected makes the process one eternal round experienced over and over again as God finds His glory in our progress.

Those are characteristics, not just preferences. Either a person has those characteristics or they develop them during our short probationary period or they don't have them and never will. At the end of the second estate test we will have revealed the level to which we can look beyond ourselves for happiness.