Ask a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: What is premortal life?

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Commentary by Julia Ditto | FāVS News Columnist

What is premortal life?

Thank you for your question. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the popular song that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints love to sing, called “I Am a Child of God.” The first line says, “I am a child of God, and He has sent me here.” 

The place referred to in the song — the place from which our loving Heavenly Father sent us here to earth — is what is called “premortal life,” “premortal existence” or “pre-earth life”; basically our life before we were born on this earth.

According to the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “In our pre-earth life, we lived in the presence of our Heavenly Father as His spirit children. We did not have a physical body. In this premortal existence, we attended a council with Heavenly Father’s other spirit children. At that council, Heavenly Father presented His great plan of happiness.”

The Atonement of Jesus Christ was the central part of this “plan of happiness,” and we were able choose whether or not we would follow our Heavenly Father’s plan. 

In the section, Premortality, it continues continues to say, “These decisions affected our life then and now. We grew in intelligence and learned to love the truth, and we prepared to come to the earth, where we could continue to progress.” 

There is a ton of information on premortal life at www.churchofjesuschrist.org, including links to scriptures, messages from church leaders, and more. Just type “premortal life” into the search bar when you get to the main page.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.