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One of the stereotypes regarding the FLDS people is that we believe all outsiders are wicked gentiles doomed to suffer the wrath of God in this world and the world to come. I was discussing this with my wife the other day as we returned from taking our young son to a doctor appointment outside of our community. We commented on how open and friendly he had been with the doctor and receptionists and compared his behavior to the way in which those outside our culture have portrayed us in books and in the media. We have taught our children that those outside our faith believe differently from what we do, dress differently, and act differently. For their own safety, we have cautioned our children to be wary of strangers who may stop them on the street to offer gifts or a ride. But we have always taught that every person is a child of our Father in Heaven, that He loves His children, and that He will bless each son and daughter with all that they will prepare for and are capable of receiving.

 

The Prophet Brigham Young, whose teachings are regarded as authoritative by members of the FLDS Church, preached several discourses on the extensive nature of the plan of salvation. Excerpts from two of his sermons as recorded in the sixth volume of the Journal of Discourses show quite clearly our views in regard to this important doctrine:

 

“I never could be persuaded that God would send every person to a lake of fire and brimstone, to be tormented by the Devil, to all eternity, for any little sin he might commit,—which was the doctrine handed down.” (pp. 280-281)

 

“I bring up these little items to prepare the way for the question, ‘What are you going to do with all these inhabitants of the earth?’

 

“The Methodists answer, ‘You must come to the anxious seat, or else be plunged into that lake of fire and brimstone, and there live for ever, without any end to your torment, among devils employed in pitching you around, adding brimstone to fire and fire to brimstone. You are to stay there for millions and thousands of millions and millions of billions of years… When you have lived there so many years, you are not any nearer the end of this awful torment than you were when it first began.’

 

“This has appeared to me, from my childhood to this day, a piece of complete nonsense, to talk about the inhabitants of the earth being thus irretrievably lost—to talk of my father and mother, and yours or our ancestors, who have lived faithfully according to the best light they had; but because they had not the everlasting covenant and the holy Priesthood in their midst, that they should go to hell and roast there to all eternity. It is nonsense to me; it always was, and is yet….

 

“With your mind’s eye look at the millions of them in all nations who are doing according to the best knowledge they possess. What! the Roman Catholics? Yes, and then every one of her daughters down to the latest Protestant Church that has been organized. They are all doing according to the best light they have—a great many of them, though not all. What shall we do with them? They pass from the world, their spirits go into the spiritual world, and their bodies go back to their mother earth, and there sleep, while their spirits are before the Lord.

 

“Are they happy? Every son and daughter of Adam who live according to the best light and knowledge they have, when they go into the spiritual world, are happy in proportion to their faithfulness. For instance, take a view of some of our late reformers; take the best specimen of reformers that we have, who are all the time full of glory and happiness and full of praise to the Lord—who meet together oft to sing and pray and preach and shout and give thanks to the Lord Almighty; and in a great many instances and in a great degree they enjoy much of a good spirit, which is the Spirit of the Lord, or the light of Christ, which lighteth the world.

 

“Now, this may be singular to some. What! they enjoy the Spirit of the Lord? Yes, every man and woman, according to their faith and the knowledge they have in their possession. They enjoy the goodness of their Father in heaven. Do they receive the Spirit of the Lord? They do, and enjoy the light of it, and walk in it, and rejoice in it.

 

“What will be their state hereafter? Every faithful Methodist that has lived up to and faithfully fulfilled the requirements of his religion, according to the best light he had, doing good to all and evil to none, injuring no person upon the earth, honoring his God as far [as] he knew, will have as great a heaven as he ever anticipated in the flesh, and far greater. Every Presbyterian, and every Quaker, and every Baptist, and every Roman Catholic member,—every reformer, of whatever class or grade, that lives according to the best light they have, and never have had an opportunity of receiving a greater light than the one in their possession, will have and enjoy all they live for.

 

“I am telling you the truth as it is, and you may write it down if you please, and call it revelation if you will. But it has been revealed before I revealed it here today. This is the situation of Christendom after death.

 

“You may go among the Pagans, or among all the nations there are, and they have their religion, their sacraments, and ceremonies, which are as sacred to them as ours are to us: they are just as precious and dear to them, though we call them heathen. They are idolatrous worshippers;   yet their religion is as sacred to them as ours is to us. If they live according to the best light they have in their religion, God is God over all and the Father of us all; we are all the workmanship of his hands; and if they are ignorant, filled with superstition, and have the traditions of the fathers interwoven like a mantle around and over them, that they cannot see any light, so will they be judged; and if they have lived according to what they did possess, so they will receive hereafter.

 

“And will it be glory? you may inquire. Yes. Glory, glory, glory to our merciful Father in heaven; for the least glory spoken of in this Vision given to Joseph Smith, junior, and Sidney Rigdon, cannot be described: it is so great and so exquisite that it is altogether beyond mortal perception…. [Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76]

 

“How many glories and kingdoms will there be in eternity? You will see the same variety in eternity as you see in the world….

 

“Now the inquiry on our minds is, Are all the world going to share in these blessings? Yes, all the world. Are there none going to be lost? Are there none going to suffer the wrath of the Almighty? I can say in the first place, as I have said all my life, where I have been preaching, I never had the spirit to preach hell and damnation to the people…. They will suffer, it seems; but I cannot get my heart upon anything else only salvation for the people. All nations are going to share in these blessings; all are incorporated in the redemption of the Savior. He has tasted death for every man: they are all in his power, and he saves them all, as he says, except the sons of perdition; and the Father has put all the creations upon this earth in his power. The earth itself, and mankind upon it, the brute beasts, the fish of the sea, and the fowls of heaven, the insects, and every creeping thing, with all things pertaining to this earthly ball,—all are in the hands of the Savior, and he has redeemed them all."  (pp. 292, 293, 296, 297)

 

In concluding this article, I would like to quote from the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who expounded on similar truths in what has come to be known as the King Follett Discourse:

 

“This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the principles of eternal life, and so can you….

 

“I have intended my remarks for all, both rich and poor, bond and free, great and small. I have no enmity against any man. I love you all; but I hate some of your deeds. I am your best friend, and if persons miss their mark it is their own fault. If I reprove a man, and he hates me, he is a fool; for I love all men, especially these my brethren and sisters…. I never did harm any man since I was born in the world. My voice is always for peace.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 361)