Would You Die For Your Faith?

Based on what you have stated (if I understand it correctly), I pretty much have nothing to worry about as far as my salvation goes. If I'm one of the elect, there's nothing I can do about it, I'm going to be saved at the last day because I'm one of the elect. If I'm not one of the elect, there's still no point in worrying about it, because there is no action that I can take that will change that already-decided-upon result. My free will (if I have any such thing) doesn't affect the outcome.

Completely wrong. Your free will is critically important to the outcome. Here is a truism: man will freely do what man wants to do. I wanted to cry out in my hopelessness for Christ to save me because I had already been born of God, just as the Bible says. It had pleased God to reveal Christ within me, just as the Bible says. Therefore, he turned for me my mourning into dancing and put off my sackcloth for gladness to the end that my glory may sing praise to Him and not be silent. Oh, Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

In the same manner, you can freely chose to come out of the LDS and embrace a saving faith relationship with Christ.

The one thing I don't understand is this: if there's already a final version of the list containing the names of the people who get let in to the Big Celestial Harp Band and Throne Dancing Brigade, and who don't, why do we even need a historical record of the teachings and resurrection of the Savior?

Because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, just as the Bible says!

It would seem that it would be important for me to know about it if my knowing about it would cause me to take actions that might change the outcome, but you've already told me that my actions don't matter one way or the other.

No, it is important that you do confess and enter a saving relationship with the REAL Jesus, just as the Bible says.

If I'm one of the good guys, I'll be drawn onto the correct path; if I'm not, no amount of trying to get on the path will do any good.

If you are not chosen by God you will never freely want to enter a saving relationship with him, just as the Bible says. The Word of God will have had its intended effect, just as the Bible says.

So, what's the point of worrying about it one way or the other?
Because those who seek, knock and ask will find Him, just as the Bible says. Ponder this verse:

But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you for salvation, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, whereunto He called you by our Gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are not chosen by God you will never freely want to enter a saving relationship with him, just as the Bible says.

I guess, at this point, I shouldn't be amazed that you don't see a logical disconnect between the previous sentence and the next one.

Because those who seek, knock and ask will find Him, just as the Bible says.

But, as you say, if I'm not chosen by God, all the seeking, knocking and asking in the world will do me no good. You've made it clear that without the first, the second is worthless.

My point remains: my salvation is entirely dependent on being chosen by God, and that choice has already been made. The results of God's choice will be made manifest in time, my behavior will result accordingly, and there's nothing I can do about it, except go with the predestined flow.

Que sera, sera. (A false doctrine if ever there was one.)

As to why God bothered to create the universe, Isn't the underlying question why He didn't just create man in his eternal state? Better yet, why didn't He create man as gods right away? The question is related to the If-God-wanted-us-to-fly-He-would-have-given-us-wings statement. Since Hell is conveniently removed from Mormon theology, how can they be expected to comprehend reward or punishment from our trial here on earth?

Mormon theology gives me all the answers I need to these questions. What I'm trying to find out is how mainstream Christians answer these questions.

Mormon hell exists. Imagine having a determination to learn how to do something difficult, or to understand something difficult to grasp, something that you're really and truly motivated to do, and having all the resources and materials and the time in the universe (and then some) to be able to do it or to learn it, and you still never figure it out or manage to accomplish it. It forever (and I do mean forever) remains beyond your grasp. That is how some Latter-day Saints view hell. Only in the Celestial Kingdom does growth and progress go on forever. As nice as the Telestial or Terrestrial Kingdoms may be, the description of "a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there" would seem to apply perfectly.

The remainder of LDS hell would seem to come in the form of recognized lost opportunity. You look back on your life, and the prospect of eternal non-growth and non-progress and for the remainder of eternity say to yourself, "if only...".

I'll respond to your post tomorrow or the next day because I have a Word to say to you from the Lord:

"When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, "Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, "Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

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