Every living thing will be resurrected
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that the effects of the atonement "cover all men, the earth itself and all forms of life thereon.... All forms of life, every living thing that has ever breathed the breath of life, every animal, fish, [or] fowl ... will come forth as immortal, resurrected beings and creatures. (D. & C. 29:22-26; 77:1-3.)" (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 64-65, 256.)
posted by R. Gary on 4/08/2007 12:24:00 PM
4 Comments:
I've often pondered this. Even the buh-zillions of cockroaches and mosquitos? In which kingdom will the lower-class life forms live? If they "fulfilled the measure of their creation," it's implied they will live in the Celestial Kingdom. Which means that many people in the Terrestrial and Telestial kingdomss won't have their pet cats and dogs with them. But then the people in the Celestial Kingdom will have to live with all the mosquitos and cockroaches who did fulfill the measure of their creation.
I'm open to the possibility of there being more than the three kingdoms/planets mentioned in Section 76, which will be the eternal homes of many of the resurrected animals.
But if I make it to the CK, I hope I can have a few of my pets with me.
Regarding the future state of animals, an official First Presidency statement proclaims:
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"God ... organized the earth, and all that it contains.... He made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the elephant; but He did not make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason and intelligence. Nevertheless, the whole animal creation will be perfected and perpetuated in the Hereafter, each class in its 'distinct order or sphere,' and will enjoy 'eternal felicity.' " (Ensign, Feb. 2002, p. 30.)
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As to where these animals go after the resurrection we can only guess, but President Joseph Fielding Smith expressed it as his opinion that "they, like mankind, will be distributed in the various kingdoms, celestial, terrestrial, and telestial [and] we may well believe that in each of these kingdoms such creatures will be assigned." (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:51.)
I actually find this doctrine very much in harmony with evolution. Of course non-human life will be resurrected because, historically, there is no sharp line dividing human from non-human.
Jeff G.
Actually, there is a very definitive sharp line between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom. Humans are the only species on earth with spirits that are offspring of God's.
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