What makes us happy.

I want to share why Greg and I are happy.   This is about our beliefs.

I’m not trying to convert you.  I’m not asking you to change anything.  We love you just the way you are.  I’m just sharing the beliefs that make us happy.  Some of these beliefs may even seem familiar to you.  

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We have always existed as intelligence.   God the Father is a glorified human being who progressed in knowledge and power through countless ages to become omnipotent God.   God loves us.   So ages ago, our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother became our parents and we were born to them as spirit children with bodies made of spirit. 

These spirit bodies looked like we do now, but they were not made of matter.  We lived with our loving Heavenly Parents and brothers and sisters.  We had experiences that helped us progress in knowledge.

Eventually we learned all that we could in our limited spiritual state.  Our Father and our eldest brother, Jesus, created an earth for us.  They created the way for us to be born into the physical bodies we have now, similar in appearance to the bodies of our Heavenly Father and Mother.  

God has perfect unconditional love for us.  So he created commandments that are the plan of happiness for his children.  They are the blueprint that guides us though this life with the least pain. 

But God knew that we would not always follow his plan.  We would doubt, and make mistakes.   His eldest son, Jesus, volunteered to atone for our mistakes and pain.  Our older brother, Jesus loved us more than we can imagine. 

He would be the first person to be resurrected.  After he died, his spirit would return to his physical body, but that body would be a glorified, immortal body that would live forever.  This would open the way for all of God’s children to be resurrected.  It would be a free gift to all.

Jesus would have the power to do this, because he would be born to a mortal woman, but Heavenly Father, would be his father.   So he was born with the power of God.   He could do miracles.  

He would also suffer for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane so that he could pay for all our sins, pains, and sicknesses, and so that he would have a perfect understanding of everything we had ever gone through.

Not all of our brothers and sisters accepted this plan.   A third of our brothers and sisters, including our brother, Satan, viciously fought against the plan and were cast out of heaven.  Now they are bitter because they can never have a body and progress.  They are jealous of us.  These spirit demons whisper in our ears, trying to discourage us and tempt us to fight against God.  They lie to us.  They whisper that no one, including God, cares about us.  But it is all lies.  God loves us unconditionally.

So we were born on earth.  We are here to gain experience, and to learn to control our physical bodies.  We are here to learn how to love one another unconditionally.  God, our Father, and Jesus, our savior, are aware of us, they know us, and love us unconditionally.  Their only desire is for our happiness.  They want us to love and help one another. 

We can pray for our Heavenly Father for help.  He and Jesus will send feelings and ideas to us to help us.  They will inspire other people to help us.   They may send angels or cause miracles.

We all make mistakes.  But we have a conscience.  We feel sad when we hurt others or hurt ourselves.  But each time, when we repent of what we have done, we can pray for forgiveness, and if we have faith in Jesus Christ,  he will wipe away our sins.  Then we can feel good about ourselves again, and Heavenly Father will not remember the sin.

When we die, our spirit will leave our physical body.    But our spirit will not die, and our consciousness will continue.  We will be welcomed back by Jesus, our parents and others who died before us. 

Eventually, we will be judged on how far we have progressed in conquering ourselves, and learning to love others on earth.  We will be assigned to a kingdom of glory to live forever.   There will be many kingdoms.  We will be with people we feel comfortable with.  Those who have lived exemplary lives will have more glory.  Those who hurt others and did not repent will be in a kingdom of lesser glory.  Those who put their trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus, and repented of their sins, will return to live with him forever.

Everyone will have the opportunity for eternal progression though gaining more knowledge, and experience.

A very few (probably less than 10) people who are truly monsters will not be in a kingdom of glory, but will exist in “outer darkness” where Satan and his followers will be consigned.  They cannot progress.  The only way a person can qualify for this future is to have a perfect knowledge of God and Jesus Christ and their perfect love, and then willfully and maliciously fight against them. 

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This is a simplified explanation of the God’s Plan of Salvation.   If you have any questions, we would be happy to answer them.  If you don’t want to talk about any of this, that’s fine too.  Mormon.org is another place to ask questions if you want to.

Now you may be a bit curious about the Book of Mormon.  Here is a little bit of it:

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Book of Mormon

Third Nephi Chapter 8….

5 And it came to pass …there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land.

6 And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.….

11 And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

12 But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth;

….

14 And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate.…

19 And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours;…behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.

20 And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;

21 And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all; …

Chapter 9

1 And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land, crying:

2 Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!….

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning.….

21 Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.

22 Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.

Chapter 10

1 And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours;

2 For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.

….

9 And it came to pass that thus did the three days pass away. And it was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away.….

Chapter 11

1 And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place.

2 And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death.

3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn

….

6 And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:

7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.

8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

…

12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.

13 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:

14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

….

16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:

17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.

….

Chapter 17 ….

6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.

7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

8 For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.

9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.

10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.

13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground.

….

17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

….

25 And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.