I previously point out that Christian denominations such as SDAs do not proclaim something about all humans being spirit brothers that lived before being born on earth.
I know of no apologetic for Christianity that relies on all humanity being "pre-existent spirit brothers" that came to earth.
If you have a denomination in mind - let us know which one it is. I only see the LDS group teaching that idea and I have found it impossible to get the missionaries they send out - to find it in the BoM.
in Christ,
Bob
If SDAs
believe there there is a devil & demons or fallen angels, then they believe in some aspects of the pre-existence drama! Even if they aren't willing to admit that, or reject the other aspects of the rest of the story, & reject earlier Christian doctrines on it, & reject earlier bibles that start with it. Even if also they were to reject thousands of early to later Christian art works that illustrate it. But then, even if they were to also agree with early to later anti-Christians, like
Celsus &
T. W. Doane, that the doctrine was "borrowed" from pagan myths, or is a silly story. For 2nd century anti-Christian Celsus knew of it being taught by early Christians & mocks the different versions of it that he knew of.
Some of the
early to later Christian apologetics that used the
pre-existence as
part of their defense & answers to early to later anti-Christians, were Justin Martyr, 2nd-3rd cent.,
John P. Lundy, 19th century Christian, & others. So,
Mormon don't hold the monopoly on the doctrine, or beliefs, for there are different versions of it in many cultures, besides historic Christianity. There are also modern studies where it is being discussed too, in Near Death Experiences, NDEs, & Pre-Birth Experiences, PBEs. People, when they've died & returned, like in car crashes, etc., are revived, talk of
seeing spirits getting ready or waiting to be born. Or they
meet the spirit(s) or future family members, or children they later have, when they return to life. Or they get to see
the war in heaven, etc. So in NDE news letters, they say things like, "We are spirits, having physical experiences" here in mortal physical life. Or like what former
Atheist, Howard Storm testified, after his NDE: There are worlds out there in the universe,
where spirits go to learn things in the physical on different types of levels of school type worlds.
Early to later Christains believed in the pre-existence, others, just parts of it, others rejected some parts, held to other parts. Some got talked out of beliefs in it. It was later rejected during the council of Constantinople 553 AD, or at least Origen's versions of it. It was illustrated in earlier bibles, thousands of art works, & eventually legendized in other areas of historic Christianity. In time, it became strange stories & interesting myths, about gobblins, trolls, underworld demons, like in
Lord of the Rings. Or like in Russian folklore, the dark creatures that haunt the forrests, streams, lakes, or water spirits, and caves or underworld creatures, are the fallen angels that fell down deep into the underworld.
As for LDS missionaries, they are often young 19-22 year olds, who haven't yet learned what LDS scholars have discovered in their studies of ancient histories. This is not to say that many of them have not read the works of such scholars or professors. But, heres a bibliography on how the
Book of Mormon & historic Christianity contains the beliefs in the pre-existence.
LeGrand L. Baker, & Stephen D. Ricks,
Who Shall Ascend Into the Hill of the Lord? in it is a number of references to "the sode experience" where a prophet sees a vision of the
council in heaven, etc., (BOM 1 Nephi 1:8-11). Other references to pre-existence themes in the BOM are: 1 Nephi 10:18-19; 11:7, descending out of heaven, like in early Christian art works of Adam, Christ & others descending out of heaven to earth. These are pre-existence themes. 1 Nephi 11:31, references to devils. Lamb of God (Christ) descending out of heaven, 1 Nephi 12:6, 2 Nephi 9:4-16, Christ taking upon himself a body, suffering the atonement in it. References to the complete opposition of deification, or the other extreme-demonification, where if Christ hadn't resurrected us & atoned for our sins, & raised us from hell, our spirits would have become like the devil & we become devils, angels to a devil (demonification).
This is illustrated in ritualistic types & color garment symbolism, all over the BOM & Jewish typologies, & in early to later Christianity. It's part of pre-existence themes & typologies, where what happens to garments, or robes, are types of what happens to souls as they journey from heaven & pass through mortal life. As the garment (soul) gains spots, becomes dirty, filthy, stained with blood, these are types of the soul becoming symbolically spotted with sins, until it is blackened (color symbolism). Its through the atonement that the soul is washed, or whitened, (
Whitesunday, in historic Christianity), purified of all sins, so it can
return to where the soul came from, heaven, (like in
The Hymn of the Pearl). Having
returned back to the heavenly home, thus cleansed, the soul is spotless before God's judgment, because of Christ. It's not still blackened like the "unclean" spirits & demons, (like in early to later Christian art works of the devil & demons). More BOM pre-existence themes, are Nephi citing Isaiah 14, in 2 Nephi 24:9-19, etc. Plus, how Lehi says he read about
an angel of God, that had fallen from heaven, and became the devil. (2 Nephi 2:14-30, note verse 17). There are other examples, such as the brother of Jared seeing the spirit of the Christ before Christ was born, (Ether 3:6-20).
Bibliography:
Alice K. Turner, 1993,
The History of Hell, (New York, San Diego, U.S.A.; London, England: Harcourt Brace & Company).
Angelo S. Rappoport, Ph. D.,
Ancient Israel Myths and Legends, (New York: Bonanza Books, 1987), 3 vols in 1. See the chapter on The War in Heaven.
A. S. Garretson,
Primitive Christianity And Early Criticism, (Boston: Sherman, French & Company, 1912).
Carl A. Raschke,
Painted Black, From Drug Killings to Heavy Metal—The Alarming True Story of How Satanism is Terrorizing our Communities, (New York, New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1990). Demonification is a popular theme in heavy metal rock music, the reversal of Whitesunday is Black Sabbath, also the wearing of black robes, symbolic of being demonified on the left hand path. Blackened (color symbolism), like the fallen angels & devil.
Chandler Rathfon Post,
A History of Spanish Painting, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1930—1958). (New York: Kraus reprint Company, 1970's). Numerous examples of pre-existence themes in art.
Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang,
Heaven: A History, (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1988).
Darell Thorpe,
The Pre-existence:
Our Pre-earth Life As Spirits In A "Family In Heaven" (1992).
E. A. Wallis Budge,
Coptic Apocrypha in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1913), 6 vols.
Ernst and Johanna Lehner,
Devils, Demons, Death and Damnation, (New York: Dover Pictorial Archive Series, Dover Publishing Inc., 1971).
Henry Ansgar Kelly,
The Devil at baptism: Ritual, Theology, and Drama, (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1985).
Huge Nibley, Dr. (Series):
The Collected Works of Huge Nibley, (Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies = F.A.R.M.S., and Deseret Book Company). Vol.1,
Old Testament and Related Subjects, (1986). Vol.2:
Enoch The Prophet, (1986). Volu. 4:
Mormonism and Early Christianity, (1987).
J. Eugene Seaich:
Ancient Texts and Mormonism, (Murray, Utah: Sounds of Zion, 1983).
The Heavenly Council, Mysteries and Sacred Ordinances, (unpublished research paper).
J. Charles Wall,
Devils, (London, England: Methuen & Company, 1904; Detroit: Singing Tree Press, Book Tower, 1968, reissued).
Jeffrey Burton Russell,
Satan, The Early Christian Tradition, (Ithaca, London: Cornell University Press, 1981).
Lucifer, The Devil In the Middle Age, (1984).
The Prince of Darkness, Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History, (1988).
Linda J. Ivanits,
Russian Folk Belief, (Armonk, New York & London England: M. E. Sharpe, Inc. 1989).
Louis Coulange (Father Louis Coulange),
The Life of the Devil (London, England: Alfred A. Knopf, 1929, translated from the French by Stephen Haden Quest).
Paul Carus, Dr.,
The History Of The Devil And The Idea Of Evil, From the earliest times to the present, (La Salle, Illinois: Open Court Publishing Company).
R. Joseph Hoffmann, (translator)
Celsus On The True Doctrine, (A Discourse Against the early Christians), (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987).
R. G. Hamerton-Kelly, (Professor of the New Testament McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago),
Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 21,
Pre-Existence, Wisdom And The Son of Man, A Study of the Idea of Pre-existence in the New Testament, (Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, Great Britain, 1973).
Roy Mills,
The Soul’s Remembrance, Earth is not our home, (Seattle, Washington: Onjinjinkta Publishing, 1999).
William G.T. Shedd, D.D.,
A History of Christian Doctrine, (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, third edition, 1883).
Brent L. Top,
Life Before Life, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1988).
Sarah Hinze works & studies on PBEs.
Terryl L. Givens,
When Souls Had Wings, Pre-mortal Existence in Western Thought, (Oxford Un. Press, 2010).
http://restoredapologetics.blogspot.com/2010/02/mormonism-shadow-or-reality-in-historic.html (Scroll down see art works).
