Ever since I was a child, I was taught that if I believed I Jesus and repented and was baptized, I would be saved. I read on Mormon.org, though, that all people will be saved in three degrees of glory. So even if I don’t believe and don’t repent, I can still obtain the lowest kingdom of glory?Who will go to hell then? Or will everyone be saved? Thanks for your help.
2 Responses to “Ever since I was a child, I was taught that if I believed I …”
Carlos Cruz
2011-08-01 08:32:30
Hi Jose. I'm happy you posted your question here. Mormons believe in two concepts that correspond more or less to the credal Christian notion of "salvation": salvation, which we consider to be nearly universal, and exaltation, which is reserved for those who are extraordinary in their efforts to accept Jesus Christ by loving Him and trying their best to follow His commandments. The best goal is to achieve exaltation, not only salvation, because exaltation allows us to live forever with God and to progress spiritually under his constant oversight and tutelage. Exaltation is to live in the Celestial Kingdom with God. The other kingdom's of glory are not places of eternal suffering, but they are not places of eternal progression either. While these other kingdom's of glory are not the same as hell, I think it would be disappointing to live eternally knowing that your progress is limited because you were not totally dedicated to God.
There is a Mormon concept of hell called "outer darkness" that is reserved for the very most wicked. However, Mormons believe few people are sufficiently wicked in the face of genuine spiritual knowledge to make it there. I hope this answer helps! Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
There it describes what kind of people will inherit the three kingdoms as well as those who will be cast out to outer darkness.
All people who live on the earth will ultimately inherit one of these kingdoms after the resurrection and final judgement. However, there is also another state that we go through between the time of death and the resurection. When we die, we are not immediately judged and sent to one of these kingdoms. Instead, our spirits will reside for a time in a spirit world awaiting the resurrection. There are two divisions in this spirit world, one described as paradise for those who were righteous in this life and the other described as prison for those who were not. This is probably where most of Christendom's concept of heaven/hell comes from. However, this is not a permanent state. We even learn that those people who die without having ample opportunity to hear and accept the gospel of Christ in this life will have a chance to learn of and accept it in the spirit world.
There is a Mormon concept of hell called "outer darkness" that is reserved for the very most wicked. However, Mormons believe few people are sufficiently wicked in the face of genuine spiritual knowledge to make it there. I hope this answer helps! Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
There it describes what kind of people will inherit the three kingdoms as well as those who will be cast out to outer darkness.
All people who live on the earth will ultimately inherit one of these kingdoms after the resurrection and final judgement. However, there is also another state that we go through between the time of death and the resurection. When we die, we are not immediately judged and sent to one of these kingdoms. Instead, our spirits will reside for a time in a spirit world awaiting the resurrection. There are two divisions in this spirit world, one described as paradise for those who were righteous in this life and the other described as prison for those who were not. This is probably where most of Christendom's concept of heaven/hell comes from. However, this is not a permanent state. We even learn that those people who die without having ample opportunity to hear and accept the gospel of Christ in this life will have a chance to learn of and accept it in the spirit world.