What Do Beings Do In The 3 Degrees of Glory?
Glenn Reschke
degrees of glory do? We have substantial info as to what Celestial, exalted
being do, but know virtually nothing as to the activities of the Terrestrial
and Telestial inhabitants. Any thoughts?
Hedgehog
<dav...@hooked.net> wrote:
Celestial Kingdom: Card games without face cards.
Terrestrial Kingdom: Card games with face cards.
Telestial Kingdom: Strip poker.
Peace,
Hedgehog
Peggy Rogers
hasn't been seen on the newsgroup for nearly two years. And I like it!
Glenn Reschke wrote:
> Just a thought. Just what do the people who are assigned to the other two
> degrees of glory do? We have substantial info as to what Celestial, exalted
> being do, but know virtually nothing as to the activities of the Terrestrial
> and Telestial inhabitants. Any thoughts?
Well, yes. The following is a story I wrote a couple of years ago,
in response to someone who insisted that life in a place like the LDS
Telestial Kingdom would be hellish, because people wouldn't be all-
powerful and able to do all the same sorts of stuff that God does.
Doug Brewster thinks otherwise. (Maybe God does, too.)
When he thought about his former life (and it wasn't often) the
last thing that Doug Brewster remembered was climbing into his green
Pinto, pulling out of the parking lot of Last Chance Tavern, and
heading home. Of course he'd had a few beers--it was Friday night,
wasn't it? and his job at the steel mill was dry work. He deserved
a little recreation.
Next thing he knew, Doug was sitting in what seemed to be a
very comfortable chair. It was hard to see anything that was around
him, though, because the room (or whatever it was) was so bright
that it hurt his eyes. Then he was aware of a presence in front of
him, and a low, peaceful voice spoke: "Douglas James Brewster?"
Doug promptly rose to his feet. "Sir, yes, sir!" he said. Doug
had spent some time in the navy, and recognized a Personage of
authority when he encountered one. But he could hardly look at this
particular Personage, whose brightness and glory defied all
description.
The Personage spoke again, this time kindly. "Douglas, how
would you like to start learning about how beer is made?"
"Well," Doug replied, "Beer sure is one of my favorite things.
I've always thought that when I retired from my job at the steel
mill I'd like to try my hand at a little home brew. Never had the
time or energy, though, what with all the stuff Edna wanted me to
do around the house."
"Excellent!" said the Personage. "From now on, beer _is_ your
job."
Not long afterwards, Doug met Gunter Memling. Gunter had lived
all his life in a small city in Bavaria, where he had risen to be
the manager of the best brewery in that part of the world. Now he
was running a micro-brewery, and Doug became his assistant. As time
went on, Doug learned about hops, barley, malt, and the conditions
needed for fermentation. In the evenings, he and Gunter would sit
in the little pub attached to the brewery, and sample their wares.
Along with a friendly cohort of folks who wandered in (most of them
regulars) they'd discuss the subtleties of bitterness, mouth feel,
aroma, and head. Once in a while they'd close down the pub and go
off to a movie with a few of their friends. The movies were better
than the ones he remembered watching before, and so were the foot-
ball and basketball games that they sometimes went to. But what
Doug enjoyed most was his work in the brewery, and the satisfying
fruits of those labors.
At one point some visiting professors came to town, and offered to
teach a few extension classes. (They were visitors from what LDS
would call the Terrestrial Kingdom.) With a little encouragement
from Gunter, Doug decided to sign up for a class in chemistry--
hoping it would help him understand the processes that went on in
the brewery. To his surprise, the class was nothing like the classes
he remembered from high school. (Doug had never been exactly an
honor student.) At every class session there was something
fascinating to learn. And as a result of the things he learned, he
was able to make some suggestions for changes at the brewery that
really made a difference.
It seemed to Doug that he had been working at the brewery for about
three years. Actually, according to our calculations of time, it had
been more like three thousand years. Doug realized, though, that he
was just beginning to scratch the surface of learning about beer and
everything that went into its production. Sometimes he was able to
visit different breweries to see how things were done.
As it turned out, Gunter had been taking a class in watercolor
painting, and he decided that he would take a break from the brewery
business and travel around the world--painting landscapes and
portraits and anything else that struck his fancy. He left the
brewery in Doug's very capable hands.
Doug learned some things about interior design, and re-decorated his
little pub so that it was even more cosy and inviting. He learned
about marketing and distribution, and started to sell more of his
beer in neighboring communities. He experimented with new recipies,
and started making different kinds of stouts, ales, and porters. In
time he had to build a large annex on to the original brewery. Not
only did it have all the latest equipment and methods, but the whole
place was designed by an artist/architect who was one of the regulars
at the pub, so it was beautiful to look at as well. There was also
a little gym attached where Doug and some of the guys could work out
with weights. He'd been getting a bit of a beer belly, and decided
it was time for him to get into better shape.
It had been a long time since Doug had thought about his wife,
Edna. But when the new annex of the brewery was finished, he
thought how nice it would be to show it to her. After all, she
_had_ been awfully pleased with some of the building he'd done
around their old house. "I wonder what's become of Edna?" he
thought.
Just then there was a knock at the door, and who should be standing
on the other side but Edna! Edna looked terrific--with the fresh
complexion and slender figure of the girl he'd fallen in love with.
It occurred to Doug that he wouldn't mind a bit giving Edna a
tumble for old times' sake. But no, when he glanced at her again,
he saw that she had that "touch me not" look that he used to
notice sometimes after she came home from church. What's more,
she had that same glow about her that he'd learned to associate
with people who came, like his chemistry professor, from some
other world, or kingdom, or something.
While talking to Edna, Doug found out that she was a member of
some choir that was famous in the place where she lived. In fact,
she was here on tour with them, and that was why she'd been able to
come by for a visit. She started listing off the musical instruments
that she'd been learning how to play--oboe, harpsicord, cello,
ukulele, harp, psaltery, dulcimer. And she didn't just play them--
she'd also started learning about composition. In fact, the choir
would be using one of her melodies in the concert tonight. Doug
remembered, now he thought about it, that she'd always had the
radio or the phonograph playing in their house while she cooked or
did the dishes. But it had never occurred to him that she might
have any musical talent, or that she might want to do something
besides listen. He enjoyed showing Edna around the brewery, and
promised to use the tickets she gave him to her concert.
As Doug sat in the audience that evening, listening to the glorious
music that poured from the stage, he thought, "Hmmm...harps,
choirs, beautiful dresses. I'll bet old Edna thinks that she's
died and gone to heaven." Then he thought about his little pub,
his buddies, his new brewery, his plans for the future, and he
thought, "But she's wrong. _I'm_ the one who's died and gone
to heaven."
And he had. In time, he realized that there were other parts to
this "heaven," but he was always supremely satisfied with the part
where he found himself. The beer just kept getting better and
better, and his palate kept getting better and better, until he
could taste nuances so subtle that he had never guessed they
existed. He started to take an interest in agriculture, helping
a neighboring farmer to develop new varieties of barley and hops.
After a few million years, almost everyone agreed that Doug
Brewster brewed the best beers in the Telestial Kingdom--and that
meant the best beers in that part of reality, since most of the
Terestrials prefered wine or whiskey, and the busy-body Celestials
stuck to unfermented fruit juices.
William Blake wrote:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand,
And Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
But Doug Brewster found _his_ eternity in a mug of beer.
Peggy
Scott Marquardt
>Just a thought. Just what do the people who are assigned to the other two
>degrees of glory do? We have substantial info as to what Celestial, exalted
>being do, but know virtually nothing as to the activities of the Terrestrial
>and Telestial inhabitants. Any thoughts?
Yikes! I doubt that we really have substantial info on what exalted beings
do. In fact, whenever we start looking into the implications in these
parts, a lot of LdS put out the "speculation only" disclaimer.
Actually, I agree with you -- but I don't think many LdS do.
IMO, Mormons sometimes wonder what an orthodox idea of Heaven must be like,
kind of the same way you ask this question. Fascinating that both orthodox
and Mormons face the same kind of question.
- Scott
Mark Atwood
>
> Celestial Kingdom: Card games without face cards.
>
> Terrestrial Kingdom: Card games with face cards.
>
> Telestial Kingdom: Strip poker.
There are more than a few people who would be MUCH happier
playing Strip Poker than Go Fish or Old Maid.
--
Mark Atwood |
m...@pobox.com |
http://www.pobox.com/~mra |
Braenti
being the highest. The other two kingdoms, terrestrial and telestial are the
lower. D&C 132: 16-17 talks about the lesser two, but vaguely, saying men will
become angels, but not gods, as in the exalted level of the celestial kingdom.
Discussions of this sort rarely lead to true reason. We really don't know what
celestial, terrestrial, and telestial life will be like. I have done almost
everything I can to go to the celestial kingdom: All the ordinances, service,
sacifice, obeyance of commandments. However, I can always do better: that's
what eternal progression is all about. Anyway I don't worry about it, since it
is in God's hands. All we can do is worry about the here and now. Remember: the
greatest commandment is the one we are not currently keeping.
Regards,
Br. Brandon