Anthony Sweat - Im Not Perfect, Can I Still Go to Heaven?: Finding Hope for the Celestial Kingdom Through the Atonement of Christ

To the imperfect yet faithful: there is hope

Sweat, Anthony.

I'm not perfect, can I still go to heaven? : finding hope for the

Celestial Kingdom through the atonement of Christ / Anthony Sweat.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60641-231-2 (paperbound)

1. Future lifeThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2. AtonementThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. I. Title.

BX8643.F87S94 2010

234'.5dc22 2009042226

Printed in the United States of America

Malloy Lithographing Incorporated, Ann Arbor, MI

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Preface

When I was a teenager, I was afraid to die. Not necessarily because my life would be cut short, nor because of the unknown of the next life. No, the problem wasnt the unknown of the next life; it was what I knew about the next lifeor at least what I thought I knew. I was a teenaged boy who had made some mistakesa young man who was still trying to figure things out. I was fearful that if I were suddenly called to stand before God to be judged, my sins would condemn me to a lesser kingdom, forever separating me from my earthly family and Gods heavenly home. For this same reason, I was afraid of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as well. I just knew I would be burned to stubble if He appeared suddenly as I walked between classes at school. Nor did I like it much in Sunday School or seminary when we had lessons on who qualifies for the celestial kingdom because, surely, I knew it wouldnt be me. Just as the teenaged Joseph Smith, I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections (Joseph SmithHistory 1:29). I simply felt that I had made too many mistakes to ever think of making it to the celestial kingdom. I wasnt perfect, so I just knew I wasnt going to heaven. And I wasnt alone in my thinking.

As a religious educator, I interact with LDS youth almost every day. Ive been fortunate to teach teenagers in gospel classes in a wide variety of places and circumstances. As Ive taught these faithful youth, Ive asked many of them to answer this simple question: If you died and were judged today, which kingdom do you feel you would go to? Their anonymous answers are generally the same: about half of them think theyll go to the celestial kingdom, and half of them dont. Here is the breakdown from a 2009 study involving 701 teenagers*:

52.8%=celestial kingdom

40.1%=terrestrial kingdom

5.1%=telestial kingdom

2.0%=outer darkness

These numbers are disheartening to me because the youth who took these surveys appear to be actively engaged in the gospel: regularly attending church and Mutual, serving in Church callings, and enrolling in programs such as seminary and Especially for Youth. These teenagers are the kind of kids who consistently read their scriptures, pray, and try their best to keep the commandments and do what is right. Yet half dont think they are celestial material. Why is this so?

The most common answer I hear from these youth goes something like this: Well, I have sins and Im not perfect, so I dont think I am good enough to go to the celestial kingdom. But I dont think Im so terrible that I will go the telestial kingdom either. So I think I will end up somewhere in the middle, in the terrestrial kingdom. This answerand I used to be guilty of this myselfreveals some confusion about what is really required of those who will inherit the celestial kingdom. Most unsettling, this line of terrestrial thinking demonstrates a possible misunderstanding about the fundamental role of Jesus Christs Atonement and His divine ability to save Gods children. The purposes of this book are to help clarify some of these doctrinal misunderstandings and to provide the hope we can all have for the celestial kingdom because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

The format of this book is a hypothetical gospel classroom with fictional students. However, most of the questions and comments come from real-life discussions with actual teenagers I have had as students over the years. Ive included a profile page at the beginning of this book for each character to help the reader understand the varied backgrounds and perspectives of the students being represented. You may find that some of the characters, and some of their questions, reflect your own thinking and ideas or those of teenagers you know.

It is my sincere desire that through the discussion that follows in Im Not Perfect. Can I Still Go to Heaven? we can all better understand what is truly required to inherit the celestial kingdom and find hope in the heart of the gospel that will take us there: the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

*Subjects for this study were drawn from participants in three separate sessions of Especially for Youth (EFY) conferences. Youth ranged in age from fourteen to eighteen years old and were from different parts of the United States. Participants anonymously answered a written survey questionnaire that posed the question: If you died and were judged today, what eternal kingdom do you think you would go to? followed by three choices: celestial (top), terrestrial (middle), and telestial (bottom). It is interesting to note that fourteen youth (or 2 percent) of sampled participants handwrote outer darkness or son of perdition to indicate their eternal destiny, which was not even an option on the survey.

Preface

Student Profiles

David Young

Describe yourself in 30 words or less:

Serious, motivated, kind, spiritual, musical, funny, smart, athletic, leader... all rolled into one.

Basic Information

Nicknames:

Dave, Davey, King David, Nephi Jr.

Gender:

Male

Height:

5'11"

Birthday:

September 28

Religion:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Personal Information

Activities:

I am pretty serious about my studies and enrolled in a lot of high school college credit courses, so I spend a lot of time doing homework. I want to get into med school so Im trying to get as far ahead as possible right now. I run cross-country in the fall and track in the spring. I sing tenor in the school choir during the winter and that keeps me busy. I play the cello. I am also into swing and ballroom dancing. I love fly-fishing, camping, and hiking, and other activities with my Scout troop. I am the first assistant in my priests quorum. I like to spend time with my family.

Favorite books:

Church books such as the Book of Mormon, Jesus the Christ, Mormon Doctrine.