Question #22832
posted on 02/04/2006 3:01 a.m.
Q:
Dear 100 Hour Board,
I was always taught that in the War in Heaven, Satan's plan was for us to come to earth and have no choice about whether or not to follow the commandments which would detroy our agency, but we'd all make it back to the presence of God. Since coming to BYU, I've heard several times that his plan was actually that we could do whatever we wanted to and there simply wouldn't be any consequences. Is there doctrine about this? If not, what are some of your opinions?
- Christine Daae
A:
Dear Christine Daae-
The idea that Lucifer could have compelled us to make the right decisions is false. He wanted God to give him His power and glory, which could have enabled him to compel our bodies to act certain ways, but even then, he could not prevent us from thinking or wanting whatever we desire. Our hopes and thoughts can still be choices, even when we are not free to act on them.
It seems more likely that he wished to eliminate consequences of decisions. Agency is the combination of the ability to choose and knowledge of the likely consequences. A good analogy of this is a youing child trying to stick a bread knife in an electrical socket. He is physically capable of not doing so, but he doesn't understand the dangers actually involved, so he's not exercising true agency. However, this alternative is also flawed; it would fulfill one of the goals of the Plan of Salvation, (overcoming physical death,) but fails to overcome spiritual death. It is true that we would return to God under this plan, but we could not become like Him without developing the same desire for good that he has.
It is common in the church to speak of "God's plan" and "Satan's plan," but the truth is that there was only one plan. Lucifer suggested changes to it, but whatever his suggestion was, it could not have actually worked. To better understand the Plan of Salvation, read Lehi's discourse in 2 Nephi 2.
-The Franchise
The idea that Lucifer could have compelled us to make the right decisions is false. He wanted God to give him His power and glory, which could have enabled him to compel our bodies to act certain ways, but even then, he could not prevent us from thinking or wanting whatever we desire. Our hopes and thoughts can still be choices, even when we are not free to act on them.
It seems more likely that he wished to eliminate consequences of decisions. Agency is the combination of the ability to choose and knowledge of the likely consequences. A good analogy of this is a youing child trying to stick a bread knife in an electrical socket. He is physically capable of not doing so, but he doesn't understand the dangers actually involved, so he's not exercising true agency. However, this alternative is also flawed; it would fulfill one of the goals of the Plan of Salvation, (overcoming physical death,) but fails to overcome spiritual death. It is true that we would return to God under this plan, but we could not become like Him without developing the same desire for good that he has.
It is common in the church to speak of "God's plan" and "Satan's plan," but the truth is that there was only one plan. Lucifer suggested changes to it, but whatever his suggestion was, it could not have actually worked. To better understand the Plan of Salvation, read Lehi's discourse in 2 Nephi 2.
-The Franchise