I'd Rather Be Deriving

Adherence to atheism stuns me.  I have empathy for the individual who struggles to find God as there have been plenty of times in my life where I, too, have felt spiritually bereft and alone; however, I have genuine trouble accepting one of the core tenets of the atheist worldview that is born out of its original God-less premise:  If we are solely a product of cosmic randomness, then there is no inherent purpose to our existence.

Many folks around the world wonder what will happen to them when they die.  They (we) also want to know why we are all here.  The former question doesn't intrigue me as much as the latter because if I cease to exist after I die then there won't be any of my consciousness around to continue wondering the question.  If there is an afterlife and that afterlife is governed by God, then really the more important question is the latter and its corollary:  What does God want me to do while I'm alive? What is the purpose of my existence?

In an atheistic …

I read an article today about President Clinton's investigation of Mormonism where he said he:
"admires the church for its high ethical standards and belief in a celestial kingdom but said the idea of being in heaven without his non-Mormon friends was too much to give up." Fair enough.  I'd probably give it up, too.

Sometimes missionaries get it wrong.  Sometimes investigators misunderstand.  However, one need only go so far as the common misinterpretation of who can attend LDS worship services to remember that we Mormons have a reputation for being a pretty exclusive group.

(To set that record straight for the three people who read my blog:  Anyone can attend.  Services are every Sunday morning in LDS chapels, most of them are buzzing with believers by 9am.)

Anyway, what about heaven? Do our scriptures bear out the idea that President Clinton's "non-Mormon friends" won't be in heaven with him?  Let's check it out.

Doctrine and Covenants, Section…