A Matter of Intelligence | |||
"Some of our writers have endeavored to explain what an intelligence is, but to do so is
futile, for we have never been given any insight into this matter beyond what the Lord has
fragmentarily revealed. We know, however, that there is something called intelligence which
always existed. It is the real eternal part of man, which was not created nor made. This
intelligence combined with the spirit [body] constitues a spiritual identity or individual."
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Not that 'Intelligence' is some sort of soul mix, but rather that which is the eternal light of truth, that have life about it in and of itself from which man has his basis upon, whether that be God himself or even he who was named Lucifer and now is but Satan or the devil. Some have attempted to place their own interpretations upon just what this 'primal stew' is and therein lays the problem for once you begin to attemp to make something that it is not said to be, it no longer is just what it was orignialy set out to actually be.
For instance, I will take but one minor point upon which there seems to be some point of differnence even among the brethren if you will. First Joseph Smith:
Now Joseph Smith had said and written 'co-equal' twice concerning man's relationship with God and so having that 'intelligence' when joined unto his spirit body. But the since publishers have taken to making that to mean [co-eternal] which they have placed in brackets following 'co-equal.' And then there is what Elder Neal A. Maxwell has stated upon the subject:
Now since neither have Elder Maxwell or Joseph Smith are here, or any other, an attempt is here made to possibly sort this out. Joseph Smith did state that the 'intelligence of man' and the 'intelligence of God' are co-equal. Now that makes good sense when speaking of initial or 'original' rudimentry 'intelligence' that is first combined with the spirit body. That initial or original 'light of truth' would hardly seem to be of an inferior nature to begin with, that would not be fair. Take is likely what Joseph Smith is refering to, when first the spirit body and the intelligence of the 'light of truth' are first joined in comparison with such comparative state of such of God's initial condition. What Elder Maxwell seems to be stating, is that the fully developed and Celestial Intelligence of God [A God] is not Coequal with that developed intelligence of mortal man. And certainly that would be true as well. For God has had far more years, if not ions of time over which he has highly developed his Godly intelligence into being, which is certainly greater by far than that of none perfected man's degree of intelligence development.
It seems to stem from understanding the little couplet— 'As man is God once was, and as God is man may become.' God's initial 'intelligence' or the light of truth was co-equal with that initial 'intelligence' or light of truth that was first given to man. There is no reason to think that the initial intelligence of the 'light of truth' is of any different degree just depending upon who it is being joined to when first joined with a person's spirit body, now is there? It would seem to be unfair if it was.
And as over time intelligence cleaves unto intelligence and grows and develops according to that which by choice it is exposed to and 'added upon from' this or that or the other. Then over the span of time, it certainly ought to be further understood that every one's intelligences have taken on differing degrees of diminsion and development. And the Godly developed intelligence of a God would certainly be expected to be much greater that the degree of the development of a mere mortal man, now wouldn't it. We are told that when we attain unto added degrees of intelligence during this life, the more it is to our advantage in the life to come. And if one is more dilligent in this development than another, the that would be expected to result in different 'unequal' exents of intelligence. That is only common good sense as well.
So the difference is that Joseph Smith was speaking of apples and Elder Maxwell was speaking of oranges. The 'apples' being rudimentary off the 'rack' intelligence as the 'light of truth' and the oranges being the difference in the eventual degrees of developed and enhanced intelligent growth and development.
Some have not followed President Joseph Fielding Smith's advice and they have attempted to give greater degrees of development intelligence to that original 'matter' of the 'intelligence' of the 'light of truth' spoken of also as the 'mind' of man at the beginning of when that intelligence in joined with the spirit body. They even have gone so far as giving the initial intelligence as already having diferentiated orhter things such as 'gender' and not just varying degrees of differentiated degrees of intellectual developments to begin with. And then they justify it by 'personalizing' that original intelligence of the light of truth that some how it has a personal identity that has been developing that 'light of truth' to various 'glories of development' even before it is joined unto the spirit body. President Smith has cautioned about doing such as this. But still they do it. And there by some teach that to begin with some are more intelligent than others at the time of their spirit birth.
They have proposed that there are inferior and there are superior grades of intelligence to begin with. As though the 'light of truth' could be dimmed or brighted to be more or less that what it was to begin with. Maybe a 20 watt light of truth on the one hand and maybe a 100 watt light of truth on the other hand. Well if that is the case, load me up with a 200 watt light of truth. And boy would I be ready to go. Or maybe that is just reserved for girls? In some of these instances, perhaps their boat has left the harbor and they are still trying to make it as a well lite light of truth, who knows?
Certainly not everyone can be correct in respect to their various flavors and President Joseph Fielding Smith would suggest not so speculate as to any such 'flavors' of intelligence. And Joseph Smith would seemed to have taught that at that original beginning the were of 'co-equal' status or the same status as each other fresh out of the gate. Why else would he have stated that they were 'co-equal' in their nature? If left to peoples various subjective perceptions of intelligence that is what you do get. And it is suggested to not even go there beyond what Joseph Smith has revealed as that is not the question?
In the first place basic 'original' rudamentary 'intelligence' has no such superior or inferior about it. It is the light of truth and is perfectly just what it is, nothing more or less than all of that 'intelligence' which is in that original eternal existence realm where it is found. If so that would mean that 'rudamentary intelligence' right off the self is already distinguishable in any number of various ways and in certain degrees. That perhaps there is smarter or dumber intelligence. That is 'God' level intelligence and stupid caveman intelligence. And poor be the person that gets the 'cave-man' slice of intelligence. What a conception, huh?
In fact, it ought to be agreed that what Joseph Smith is saying is that 'intelligence' as the 'light of truth' straight off the 'rack' is 'co-equal' with that same initial intelligence from which God himself was made out of. We then may considered that in that we all have the same 'equal' beginnigs as even God himself—co-equal. At that point, if we could or would take God back to that beginning point and us to our beginning point, that intelligence or 'light of truth' from which God was organized it that same 'co-equal' intelligence of 'light of truth' from which we also have been made, and was such as joined unto our spirit body by the organization of God. There just is no inferior 'intelligence' straight off the rack. There just is 'one' flavor of eternal immortal intelligence when first joined with the spirit body.
And what Elder Maxwell would then be seeming to say is that you cannot equate that degree of intellectual development of the intelligence of God which God has expanded his intelligence into becoming with that of the intelligence of man, even that man from whence God did progress from being. That is, fully developed and enhanced intelligence or intellectual development is not equal with partially or not yet fully developed perfect God intelligence. And then in each of their own perspectives both Joseph Smith's statement of equaly beginning rudamentary 'light of truth' intelligence is true and Elder Neal A. Maxwell's statement concerning 'God's' developed, advanced and perfected God intelligence is no longer to be considered equal with man's intelligence of which that man is still developing. And that makes good sense.
"For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth;
virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her
own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who
sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things."
~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:40
"All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all
intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence."
~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 93:30
The scriptures teach that intelligence cleaves to intelligence and if a man gains greater and/or more principles of intelligence while here on earth or even previously in the preexistence, then the greater the advantage that man has in the world to come. In this respect it is not the difference with initial 'intelligence' as being that 'light of truth'. It is what we each have done and will do with that intelligence that makes the diference. And there is a difference between underdeveloped and fully developed intelligence. And a person's free agancy has a whole lot to do with that.
So on the one hand no man is getting short changed right off the starting block by having been given second hand or inferior intelligence of greater of lesser intelligence. And when the scriptures speak of 'intelligence' or 'intelligences' one needs to be careful to decern just what they are speaking about. For instance:
Many take the series of scriptural verses where this one is found and build something concerning 'off the rack' eternal intelligence that is the light of truth. I will begin with this single verse here for it seems to give some context to the that specifically defines what is being said despite the series of verses concerned. If I were to state that I am spirit that would be true for though I have a body of flesh and bone I am still spirit also. If I were to state that I am intelligence that would be true also. For though I have a temporal body and a spirit body, I am intelligence as well.
In the single above verse it does so stipulate that the Lord, be it Jesus Christ speaking to Abraham, though he was at that time our spirit God empowered to stand in the stead of the Father in all things as though he is our fully empowered God, for certainly he is, it is still important to keep in mind who it is speaking to Abraham. And he states concerning 'spirits', that is speaking of the 'spirit children' of God who are of 'his generation'. And that is the persective from which Jehovah who is Jesus Christ our Ministering God is speak 'within' that of all the Father's spirit children, in comparision unto that he is more intelligent than they all.
And that is good logic for he is the Firstborn and thus in passage of 'time' it ought to be considered that his potential for intelligence development very well ought to be such. For he is the eldest and has had more developmental time, that he has been able to become more intelligent than they are for he has had that advantage of greater 'time development'. Certainly I would not think that he is stating that he is more intelligent that God the Father of Spirits. And is further projecting himself further back to his father's father and etcetera, I really don't think he is speaking to Abraham other than in that limited context of those who are of his own generation for Jehovah here is still but a 'spirit god' and has not yet experienced a mortal body or a body of a celestial God. And thus all such statements of surpulatives ought to be considered within the limited perspective in which they are so defining themselves.
One 'key' here seems to be that when it speaks in terms of 'intelligences' in the plural, it is speaking of the spirit children of God who have obtained their 'intelligence' of the light of truth and from thence there is that upon which these 'intelligences' as spirit children may be comparatively veiwed. And on the other hand, equally as a 'key', when it speaks of 'intelligence' as being that 'co-eternal' and 'co-equal' matter from which the children of God were organized, then therein it is speaking of that which is the intelligence of which is the 'light of truth' in its separte state of 'gnolaum' or eternal immortality existence when there is no differentiating between the rudamentary 'matter' of intelligence itself.
When one takes it upon themself to further 'expound' upon a matter that the Prophet has not developed himself, such as that of intelligence' by giving that intelligence further traites or characteristics beyond what the scriptures or the prophet has stated, then one tread in that field which can only tend to produce seedlings and growths that are not of the truth to be found. That scriptures state:
There is nothing here that says that man and god are of equal intelligence develoment. When it speaks of the 'beginning' it can only be speaking of man's 'beginning' as a 'beginning' is a marker of time, for only time has beginnings and endings, eternity does not. There are two sentences here, stating two facts. Man's beginning was in the presence of God. And Intelligence or light of truth, was not created or made, neither could it be. That the spirit child of God is a compound of imortal intelligence and spirit body is the truth. And certainly the child is not the equal of the Father. But since Joseph Smith has pointed out that God also had a beginning such as did the child, then at those two comparative beginning points the two would be equivalently co-equal that this points of 'creative orgainization' as an 'intelligence' of the light of truth joined with the spirit body.
That intellitual growth, development and differentiation through the attainment of additional principles of intelligence is true of the light of truth of intelligence and the spirit body. But each initial 'intelligence' organized as a part of the spirit body of man did not initially give that 'man' any advantage above or below another, it was all the same intelligence of the light of truth joined to each spirit body and they were co-equal at that point. It is only from that 'beginning' of that joining of the intelligence with the spirit body that the intelligence, now in the possession of man or woman, would begin to be effectively differentiated. Until that time 'intelligences' were what they were, developed light of truth and spirit body. So on the one hand all, even God himself 'began' on that 'equal' initial footing of 'equal' and 'eternal' intelligence. It is a matter of what is done with that intelligence from that point forward that makes intelligences, that is the spirit children of God different one from another. That is in this respect all of God's children have 'began' on equal footing of 'equal' entelligence. But certainly man's intelligence development is not to be confussed with being equal to that of God's who has had ions of time to further his intelligence develoment far beyond that of man's, even unto perfection.
When one attempt to even differentiate that initial 'intelligence' of the 'light of truth' to any degree different from one another, then then is the arbitary making of the matter not of an equal founding. And herein lies a danger, that is in so doing, that which Joseph Smith has revealed to be of 'equal' foundation of the starting point of all mankind, suddenly becomes warpped into being not as such, but of something else, and then were in is God perspective of having no fundamental respect unto each of his children? That is, wherein is God no respecter of persons, if persons already have began with unequal beginnings of deferentialted intelligent traites or characteristics and of one already being of a greater of less degree of intelligence right of the starting block or 'self' so to speak? They all have the equal beginning in that the initial intelligence is the same of them all from which they are organized and made. And only there after does one have a self deemed interest of developing what they have been given by the use of their free agency of self determination.
That is when Jehovah, the Firstborn son in the spirit spoke to Abarham as the God of this earth, Jehovah was 1) speaking form that perspective of spirit children of his generation and not further back beyond that 2) he was speaking of the intellectual development of increased intelligence to which all had since attained to. In that he state of all the spirit intelligences, he was the most intelligent of them all. In fact his intelligence was such that Elohim called, sellected and ordained and annointed him to be our Ministering God standing in the stead of the Father in all things.
It seems of a truth that one needs to be extremely careful to only speak within that bounds to which one may so speak inforatively. Moses was only shown that which pertained unto this world and its heavens, likewise Abraham. Thus beyond the beginning of our Ministering God Jehovah, caution of speculation can take some unforseen turns into the great unknown when one but innovates the supposed 'facts' of the matter.
It is truth that based upon some 'truism' that, 'As man is God once was and as God is man may become.' But when man jumps from there back into the ions of eternity, that seems to just be more than one step for man to go beyond. It is better to stay within those bounds that would be of immediate concern to us of this 'generation' to which we do belong and that seems to be the 'Generation of Jehoshua', that is to say Jehovah who is the same as Jesus in the Greek language.
rev. 4 February 2016