The Plan of Salvation and Justice

[deacon blues]

Recent events have caused me to ponder human justice and divine justice as it seems to work according to the LDS Plan of Salvation. Human justice includes components such as "the 5th" (people are not required to testify against themselves) and equality (trial by a jury of ones peers.) The plan of Salvation appears to dismiss equality. A few souls hear the gospel message in this life, the rest in the next. Some souls, those who die young, or are mentally disadvantaged get a free pass to the Celestial kingdom. There is also a vague suggestion (it was much clearer in my youth) that some souls were born in more advantageous circumstances because of their pre-mortal righteousness. The suggestion that "God will work out all problems in the next life" seems inadequate. I lean toward a deistic/universalist view where a loving God who can judge us as a peer because of the mortal experience of Jesus Christ, will, in the end, accept all who him; And that those who fail to see their own faults (pharisees, etc.) will be at a disadvantage because they think they deserve more than others. Matt. 7:21-22, Matt. 20:1-16, and Luke 17:7-10

[Reuben]

I came to the conclusion before my faith transition that justice should only be necessary inasmuch as it provides a deterrent. Otherwise, it's just revenge.

There are a lot of indicators that rehabilitation is better than justice whenever it's possible. I figured that with God, it should always be possible as long as a person a wants to change. Then I got hung up on what it means to want something.

Regardless of what it means to want something, the atonement stopped making much sense when my notion of judgment changed to determining whether someone wanted to be changed. It was one of the last jars on my groaning shelf.

Oddly, that notion of judgment is well-supported by scripture.