Joakim Ruud (joakimr@ifi.uio.no) writes:  #Recently, I've asked myself a rather interesting question: What RIGHT does #god have on our lives (always assuming there is a god, of course...!) ?? # #In his infinite wisdom, he made it perfectly clear that if we don't live #according to his rules, we will burn in hell. Well, with what RIGHT can god #make that desicion? Let's say, for the sake of argument, that god creates #every one of us (directly or indirectly, it doesn't matter.). What then #happens, is that he first creates us, and then turns us lose. Well, I didn't #ask to be created. # #Let's make an analogue. If a scientist creates a unique living creature #(which has happened, it was even patented...!!!), does he then have the #right to expect it to behave in a certain matter, or die...?  Dear Joakim, let me begin by saying that these are excellent questions, but that by asking, you will find as many different explanations as there are respondents.  As a Latter-day Saint, I believe that all of us (you, me, etc.) lived once as spirit-children of God the Father (Hebrews 12:9) in the pre-mortal existance. In order to continue our eternal progression, an earthly probationary time was required.  (To live by faith, not by sight, to choose good over evil, and to prepare ourselves in all things to become worthy of a higher order of existance.)  We believe that all of God's spirit-offspring were once assembled to discuss the specifics of this earthly sojourn.  One-third chose for Lucifer's plan, most followed the Firstborn (the pre-mortal Jesus Christ).  Lucifer's aspirations ("I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . ." Isaiah 14:12-17, etc.) resulted into the rebellion of his followers against the Firstborn and those who followed Him, resulting in the casting out of Lucifer (who became Satan, the father of lies) and one-third of the hosts of heaven ("And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth . . ." Revelation 12:4) as demons (evil spirits).  To get back on OUR choice to be born on this earth, and to be subject to God and His plan (for good or bad, based upon our obedience and choices), we made that choice individually.  (God speaking to Job: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth, . . . when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:4-7).  We lost the knowledge of our pre-mortal existance (the "Veil of Forgetful- ness," somewhere in Psalms), in order to live by faith, not by sight.  You may not accept this scenario, neither do quite a few who rely on the Bible alone, which offers only fragmentary insights into this particular aspect of our existence as individuals, as sons and daughters of God.  #Who is god to impose its rules on us ? Who can tell if god is REALLY so #righteous as god likes us to believe? Are all christians a flock of sheep, #unable to do otherwise that follow the rest? # #Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.  (All Christians, by definition, ARE a flock of sheep, following the Shepherd as they understand Him  ;-)  --But in any event, not all Christians believe in the same theology, such as the one Latter-day Saints believe in.  (They will cry "heresy" and other accusations of "perverting" the doctrines of the Bible, while they themselves believe in a myriad of interpretations, as found in their catechisms and various do-it-yourself Bible-study manuals...)  As for me, I have a personal conviction that the pre-existance scenario as explained above, is most in harmony with Biblical doctrine, some Dead Sea Scroll books, the pseudographion, other (Jewish) sources, and last but not least, modern-day revelation on the subject.  #I just want to point out that this is not sarcasm, I mean it. # #                        How should one deal with a man who is convinced that #                        he is acting according to God's will, and who there- #     Jokke              fore believes that he is doing you a favour by #                        stabbing you in the back? # #                                                        -Voltaire