Choices

Of course, all will be revealed at Judgment Day.

A common topic that comes up in most LDS meetings is agency and it is apparently one of the breaking points that eventually led to the rebellion of Lucifer.

Most of us have heard that Satan, who was Lucifer, offered to be the savior by forcing everyone onto the right path. However, is that an accurate statement? Is this another popular Mormon cultural myths being perpetuated for generations?

The scripture referencing the debate about agency can be found in Moses 4:1-4. As far as I understand, agency consists of the following elements:

1. Opposition (2 Nephi 2:15)
2. Personal choices (Abraham 3:25)
3. Consequences (Alma 42)

For those of you who are too lazy to look up the scriptures, here's the rundown:

Opposition in all things is necessary part of this mortality. Life is simply full of choices. Many times, we can't have them all. The Plan of Salvation, in part, is to have us make correct choices out of many possible options. Along with opposition comes with the liberty to choose. The Book of Abraham indicates that each person is required to make good choices out of his or her volition rather than divine coercion. The Book of Alma has a long sermon about justice and mercy in terms of consequences of our actions.

Let's compare this to Moses 4:1-4.

1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

 2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thywill be done, and the glory be thine forever.

 3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

 4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.

The keyword here is redeem. The popular answer in LDS Sunday School is Satan got shut down because of his pride in the idea that he could make people do good against their will. I disagree.

The fact that Lucifer offered to redeem mankind suggests that he also believed that people would make mistakes, and therefore, become imperfect. The Apostle Matthew outlined the Lord's mission in his record, stating that He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). This is further expounded in Book of Helaman when Amulek taught the common misconception that the Savior would save people regardless of their state of being (Helaman 5:10). The real difference between Christ and Satan, in my opinion, is that Jesus will save us FROM our sins whereas Satan will attempt the impossible and save us IN our sins.

Verse 3 of Moses 4 states how Satan sought to destroy agency. If we read it in another perspective, I believe it is saying that the Devil seeks to break agency after his proposal was rejected. Agency is one of the core elements in this mortal trial. To deny anyone of it is to halt that person's progression and even freedom for eternity. By redeeming mankind in their sins, that would violate the balance between justice and mercy, or remove consequences for our actions. If what I listed above holds true, then it is the first step to take away the gift of agency.

In order to break agency, it appears that the formula is the exact opposite:

1. False sense of security (2 Nephi 28:7-9 and 1 Cor. 15:32)
2. Bondage/captivity (2 Nephi 2:27 and Galatians 5:1)
3. No more options (2 Nephi 2:29)

To summarize, it would appear that the ever-popular Sunday School answer is not entirely inaccurate, but rather, oversimplified. Satan didn't necessarily plan on forcing people to do good, but serving his own interests. My cynical synopsis is that getting the lead role in the Plan of Salvation was an attempt to become the sole sovereign of all God's children. Perhaps if Lucifer were to be successful, we would have become unprogressive for all eternity. The worst case scenario being everyone subjugated to his will due to the fact we were saved in our sins. Or perhaps the pattern I observed to break agency is simply a spiteful move to hinder as many souls as possible so they cannot return to their Heavenly Father?

Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this little tidbit of thought.