The mission of the church, pertaining to the redemption of the dead, will only be a viable mission for those members who believe the doctrines of the resurrection and life after death. Only those of us, who truly believe that our ancestors continue to exist as spirits, awaiting the day of the resurrection, will have an interest in this work.
Mortals generally do not spend much time thinking about death— our own or anybody else’s—until we have a loved one, close friend or acquaintance pass away. Most of the grieving period is spent thinking about how much we will miss the person that passed, and we feel sorrow for ourselves and others closest to the person who passed. We will hear comments about how the person is in a better place now and won’t have to suffer anymore. We may even read, or hear, some scriptures about the spirit world and try to envision what that place must be like. Some see it as a far off place in the universe, and others believe it to be right here around us, that the spirits dwell close to home and family. There are those
who don’t even believe there is such a place and that death is the end. Regardless of what we believe, it is a hard concept for the human mind to put a handle on, mentally, or even spiritually, at least for many.
For members of the restored Church, the veil over the earth and our human mind, regarding our pre-earth existence, was made of a heavier material then we wish it had been made of. For that vision would surely give us more clues as to what the post existence may be like, as we were spirits there as well. Many of us would like to be able to see back through that veil, just to catch a glimpse. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, we read that, “Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face…”
Organized religions do not agree on the subject of the hereafter; some believe there will be a resurrection and others do not. This has been true in ancient times as well as today. Paul writing to the Corinthians (15:19) said that, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable.” Many mortals are, in fact, miserable, when they contemplate death or have to experience death in the family. Their fear is based on their lack of knowledge and/or faith in the resurrection and life after death.
Some believe the resurrection only pertains to the spirit and that the spirit goes on eternally while the body returns to the dust of the earth. The body, to them, was merely a temporary earthly shell for the spirit.
Latter-day Saints who understand the doctrine, on the other hand, will testify that the resurrection pertains to both the body and spirit, that all men will be resurrected as immortal beings and be assigned to a station in the hereafter appropriate to their works here in mortality. We believe that the family unit will continue as an eternal patriarchal organization linked together by generational ties.
To remember the way we have felt at the loss of a loved one, is to understand how each generation of our ancestors felt when they lost their loved ones. That understanding and that same emotion should be what drives us, who do believe in a continuation, to assure that the relationships and links are in place for all of our ancestors. God bless us in this important mission.