Son of perdition (Mormonism)
Encyclopedia
Son of perdition is a phrase used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and by Mormon fundamentalists to describe a person who will not take part in the glory of God
in the afterlife. This is in contrast to the vast majority of people, who will receive a "kingdom of glory" after the Final Judgment, and enter into one of three degrees of glory after the resurrection: Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial Kingdoms.
Most Latter-day Saints believe that the sons of perdition will be cast into outer darkness
; the scriptures do not use this exact phrase in connection with the sons of perdition, but state that they "shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels."
Mormons believe that free will
is one of the greatest gifts of God, and that there might be some who will completely reject Jesus Christ and salvation. God will not force someone, including Satan, to be saved if they do not desire to be saved. Therefore, the Sons of Perdition are allowed to remove themselves from the presence of God and live in whatever degree of darkness they desire.
In this context, the name "Perdition" is often regarded as a proper name that refers to either Lucifer
or Cain, both of whom are symbols of ultimate evil.
In the Doctrine and Covenants
, sons of perdition are described as inhabiting "a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory." The most comprehensive exposition of the phrase is found in Section 76 in the Doctrine and Covenants.
stated, "I doubt whether it can be found, from the revelations that are given and the facts as they exist, that there is a female in all the regions of hell." The next year he was even more emphatic: "Woman must atone for sins committed by the volition of her own choice, but she will never become an angel to the devil, and sin so far as to place herself beyond the reach of mercy." In the same discourse he explained his reasoning: "She is not accountable for the sins that are in the world. God requires obedience from man, he is lord of creation, and at his hands the sins of the world will be required." In 1903 another Church President, Joseph F. Smith
, also affirmed "that there would be no daughters of perdition."
However, such views are far from universal. After an 1893 meeting of Church President Wilford Woodruff
and a group of LDS Church Apostles, they declared, "That there will also be daughters of Perdition there is no doubt in the minds of the brethren". Such conflicting views suggests that this subject has not been settled by a consensus of the LDS Church leadership, nor by a revelation to one of the Church Presidents.
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
in the afterlife. This is in contrast to the vast majority of people, who will receive a "kingdom of glory" after the Final Judgment, and enter into one of three degrees of glory after the resurrection: Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial Kingdoms.
Most Latter-day Saints believe that the sons of perdition will be cast into outer darkness
Outer darkness
In Christianity, the outer darkness is a place referred to three times in the Gospel of Matthew into which a person may be "cast out", and where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth"...
; the scriptures do not use this exact phrase in connection with the sons of perdition, but state that they "shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels."
Mormons believe that free will
Agency (Mormonism)
Agency , in Latter-day Saint theology, is "the privilege of choice which was introduced by God the Eternal Father to all of his spirit children in the premortal state". Mortal life is viewed as a test of faith, where our choices are central to the Plan of Salvation...
is one of the greatest gifts of God, and that there might be some who will completely reject Jesus Christ and salvation. God will not force someone, including Satan, to be saved if they do not desire to be saved. Therefore, the Sons of Perdition are allowed to remove themselves from the presence of God and live in whatever degree of darkness they desire.
In this context, the name "Perdition" is often regarded as a proper name that refers to either Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
or Cain, both of whom are symbols of ultimate evil.
Two classes of sons of perdition
According to LDS Church theology, there are two classes of persons who will become sons of perdition:- The pre-mortal spiritSpirit BodyA spirit body is the organization of the spiritual element, made into the spiritual form of man, which according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was made in the same likeness of God the Father...
followers of SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. It is taught that, in the pre-mortal lifePre-existencePre-existence , beforelife, or pre-mortal existence refers to the belief that each individual human soul existed before conception, and at conception one of these pre-existent souls enters, or is placed by God, in the body...
, they chose to follow a plan proposed by Satan, rather than that presented by God the FatherGod the FatherGod the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
and JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Thus ensued the War in Heaven, which resulted in Satan and his followers being cast out of heaven and denied the opportunity of receiving a physical body. - Those in mortal life who "deny the Holy Ghost," which is generally interpreted as rejecting and denying Christ after receiving a personal witness and a "perfect knowledge" of Jesus and that mere faithFaithFaith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
or belief in him is not enough. Joseph Smith, Jr. taught:
- All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it.
In the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
, sons of perdition are described as inhabiting "a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory." The most comprehensive exposition of the phrase is found in Section 76 in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Daughters of perdition
A few LDS Church leaders have speculated whether or not there would be daughters of perdition, as well as sons of perdition. In 1860, LDS Church President Brigham YoungBrigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
stated, "I doubt whether it can be found, from the revelations that are given and the facts as they exist, that there is a female in all the regions of hell." The next year he was even more emphatic: "Woman must atone for sins committed by the volition of her own choice, but she will never become an angel to the devil, and sin so far as to place herself beyond the reach of mercy." In the same discourse he explained his reasoning: "She is not accountable for the sins that are in the world. God requires obedience from man, he is lord of creation, and at his hands the sins of the world will be required." In 1903 another Church President, Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, also affirmed "that there would be no daughters of perdition."
However, such views are far from universal. After an 1893 meeting of Church President Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
and a group of LDS Church Apostles, they declared, "That there will also be daughters of Perdition there is no doubt in the minds of the brethren". Such conflicting views suggests that this subject has not been settled by a consensus of the LDS Church leadership, nor by a revelation to one of the Church Presidents.