Mormons accept the doctrine of resurrection laid out in the scriptures in "a most literal fashion," professor of ancient scripture Byron Merrill taught at BYU Education Week on Monday, Aug. 17.When ancient prophets wrote that not a hair of a person's head would be lost, that's really what they meant, said Merrill, who spoke on the resurrection and the spirit world. Merrill lectured in place of professor Robert J. Matthews, who underwent surgery a few weeks ago and is recovering. "Many Christian denominations hold that immediately following death, a person is welcomed into the presence of God. While even certain verses of Mormon scripture might lend themselves to this thinking, it's the wrong interpretation, Merrill said. Alma 40:11 states that people who die are "taken home to that God who gave them life," but Merrill said that doesn't mean the deceased meet God right away, and all latter-day revelation supports this. "There's no sense that we go into the immediate presence of God," Merrill said. "We must be resurrected first." The fact that a reunion with the creator doesn't take place until after the resurrection is an important distinction, he said. "Even Jesus himself didn't go into the presence of the Father when he entered the spirit world," he said. "In fact, when he was resurrected and appeared to Mary Magdalene, what did he say? 'Touch me not, I am not yet ascended to my Father.'"Merrill said Mormon doctrine on the resurrection is just the opposite of most other Christian denominations, which adopt the Greek philosophical understanding that the body is corrupt and evil. "The spirit ... considers itself in bondage without a body," he said. In fact, the term "spirit prison" refers to the state both righteous and unrighteous spirits find themselves in after death as they consider themselves in prison without the the advantage of their body. A fullness of joy can only be had by a body and spirit which have been reunited, never to be separated again. Bodies are a valued and eternal aspect of Mormon theology, he said, and central to that doctrine is the teaching that people's bodies will be restored, not replaced. The most detailed doctrine members of the church have regarding non-earth life is in regard to the experiences just before it and just after it, Merrill said. Far less has been revealed about the time long before birth, or the time far into the future, which is why he didn't discuss the three kingdoms of glory in any detail. While little is known about the later stages, much has been said and taught regarding the spirit world, where people's spirits go immediately following death. "The transition from mortality to immortality appears to be instant," Merrill said. Quoting heavily from Brigham Young and Joseph Smith, he said people who assume that when they die they'll be assigned a harp and spend the rest of eternity singing praises are wrong."Idleness is not part of the Lord's program — ever," he said. Merrill said he was recently impressed by a quote given by Victor Hugo, author of "Les Miserables," who said, "I feel I have not said the thousandth's part of what is in me. When I get to my grave I can say like many others I have finished my day's work, but I cannot say I have finished my life's work. ... My work is only beginning." Preaching the gospel will continue in the afterlife, as well as learning. The spirit world will consist of both righteous and unrighteous spirits, Merrill said, but they aren't likely to be as separate and distinct as some might think. While some spirits will be righteous and some wicked, they'll likely intermingle just as they do on earth, with separation occurring as subtly as it does on earth. "The world of spirits must be a whole lot like the world of mortals, both saints and sinners live in the same place," he said. Another doctrine unique to Mormons is the idea that men and women will have the same dispositions and inclinations in the afterlife as they do now, and there will be states of happiness and misery then just as there are now. "Where and when is hell? It starts right here, when we sin, and continues until the day of resurrection," he said. Brigham Young preached at length about the spirit world, said Merrill, who quoted the second prophet of the church:"When you lay down this tabernacle, where do you go? Into the spirit world. Where is the spirit world? It's right here. Do the good and evil spirits go together? Yes, they do. Do they both inhabit one kingdom? Yes, they do. Do they go beyond the boundaries of this organized earth? No, they do not." Merrill said his mother died of cancer 25 years ago, and on that day, the spirit world felt almost tangibly close. "It was as spiritual experience as I've ever had in my life."The spirit world is most intimately revealed to mortals on occasions when new spirits are coming into the world — at birth — or when they are leaving the world — at death, he said.
E-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com