User:RobertC/Human nature

From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.

My son just deleted everything I wrote on this page (sorry, venting this is cathartic!), so here's a quick sketch of content I want to (re-)add:

Contents 1 The problem 2 Divine nature 3 Natural man 4 Related links

The problem

B/c of our unique view of divine potential/nature, we have a different view on human nature than other Christians. This is tied to other doctrines such as original sin, the fall, individual accountability, infant baptism, etc. The problem for the LDS theologian is to explain simultaneously our divine nature (and the fact that children have no need of baptism) and the (at least empirical) fact that we all sin.

My view is:

• Enticings: Since we are mortal, we have physical appetites in mortality.
• Inevitable stumbling: Like a child taking his first steps who inevitably stumbles, it is inevitable that we sin when we reach the age of accountability.
• Sin. When we are accountable, these stumblings become sin.
• Baptism. We are commanded to be baptized when we are accountable b/c it is inevitable that we will sin (except Christ, who has an extra-mortal nature; but I believe Christ was enticed/tempted, so why didn't he sin? my view is that his extra-mortal nature made him an exception to the inevitability of sin, but that it didn't make his non-sinning inevitable either—this part is pretty fuzzy and needs to be thought out more)
• Atonement and agency. The atonement pays for original sin and gives us our agency (ability to choose good or evil). Thus we are born with a clean slate and infants do not require baptism. But is inevitable that we will sin, so repentance and baptism when we are (old enough to be) accountable is also an inevitable need.

Divine nature

• in proclamation on the family
• Pres. Hinckley talk, Apr. 1995 (in Women's Conference; also April? 2006 visiting teaching message)
• 1 Peter: "partakers of divine nature"
• Ostler's book (volume 2), pp. 110-110 ("agape theory of ethics")

Natural man

• Mosiah 3:16: Natural man is an enemy to God
• Mosiah 16:5: "he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes in the ways of sin, and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state."
• Alma 41:11: "state of nature" = "carnal state," "have gone contrary to the nature of God"
• Alma 42:10: all become "carnal, sensual and devilish by nature"
• Ether 3:2: our nature is fallen—this suggests a dynamic rather than static property to our nature
• D&C 121: Nature and disposition of all men . . .
• Moses 5:12-13: "[A]nd they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be canal, sensual, and devilish."

(see also Alma 41:12-13, Alma 42:27, Alma 42:5 which I think emphasize the potential to change our nature from its fallen state)

• Ostler's book (volume 2), pp. 148-150

Related links

• New Cool Thang comments

• Geoff on King Benjamin's address and multiplying talents (??)
• Mark making a point about rebellious in the preexistence (before the Fall, thus "natural man" is not a consequence of the Fall, but means something more like "non-cooperating man."