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Jim,
I really enjoyed your article. There were some great insights. Wondered if you had come across David A. Burnett’s work. You might find his “A Neglected Deuteronomic Scriptural Matrix for the Nature of the Resurrection Body in 1 Cor 15:39-42?” and “‘So Shall Your Seed Be’: Paul’s Use of Genesis 15:5 in romans 4:18 in Light of Early Jewish Deification Traditions” extremely insightful and further expanding your article’s focus.
I enjoyed the article. I love D & C 76. What a shame that these glorious truths were lost to apostate Christianity! I have wondered why the Book of Mormon does not discuss the 3 degrees of glory in the detail that D & C 76 does. I have a theory about that – a theory which, I acknowledge, is pure speculation. That speculative theory is as follows:
Perhaps, the lack of detail in the Book of Mormon about the 3 degrees of glory may be partially due to that most of the Book of Mormon teachings – while universally applicable – are given to members of the church and former members of the church. Thus, for members of the church and former members of the church, there possibly is a kind of heaven or hell, implying that members of the church and former members of the church are judged by a higher standard than are non-members because non-members are NOT violating gospel covenants as disobedient members of the church and former members of the church are. The Book of Mormon often seems to have 2 main groups: covenant keepers and covenant breakers — whereas Joseph Smith lived in a world of mostly non-members. As I said, this theory is pure speculation.