OK, help me and BlueMoose out here. My understanding is that Mormons build what they call their “testimony” over the years. The earlier they start and the longer they are at it, the bigger and better their place in heaven becomes.
They earn “points”, and the more they have to cash in at the end, the bigger the prize.
That’s why those born into the church have an advantage, right? Those of you who came out of it, can you explain how it works?
Kinda. The theology is that (I was taught this and this was also taught by their leaders) is that those born LDS to temple married parents (called being ‘born in the covenant’ or BIC) were ‘more valiant’ in the pre-existance. This means that they were ‘better’ than some of the other spirits.
Converts, were less valiant than those born in the LDS church. Of course the younger you converted, the better you must have been.
There is this idea of earning ‘points’, the more faithful you are to the LDS church, the more ‘good works’ you do, attending the temple, doing your genealogy, bringing in converts, serving a faithful mission, etc. results in you achieving a higher level of ‘exaltation’ or ‘progression’ towards Godhood.
Those BIC have an advantage simply because they have a head start and knew the ‘truth’ earlier.
Hope this helps.