Other Worlds and Extraterrestrial Life
Mormon cosmology teaches that the Earth is not unique, but just one of many inhabited planets, each planet created for the purpose of bringing about the immortality and "eternal life" (i.e., the highest degree of salvation) of humanity. These worlds were, according to doctrine, created by Jesus. Mormon leaders and theologians have taught that these inhabitants are similar or identical to humans, and that they are subject to the Atonement of Jesus.
The doctrine of other worlds is found in LDS scripture, in the Endowment ceremony, and in the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. In addition, many LDS leaders and theologians have elaborated on these principles through exegesis or speculation, and many of these ideas are widely accepted among Mormons.
Read more about this topic: Mormon Cosmology
Famous quotes containing the words worlds and/or life:
“The soul’s dark cottage, battered and decayed,
Lets in new light through chinks that Time has made:
Stronger by weakness, wiser men become
As they draw near to their eternal home.
Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view
That stand upon the threshold of the new.”
—Edmund Waller (1606–1687)
“American family life has never been particularly idyllic. In the nineteenth century, nearly a quarter of all children experienced the death of one of their parents.... Not until the sixties did the chief cause of separation of parents shift from death to divorce.”
—Richard Louv (20th century)