I realize I'm going to offend some people by saying this, but so be it.
How can anyone read this and not recognize that it is not meant to be taken literally?
On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers. Jesus Christ was with the Father from the beginning. Lucifer, too, was an angel “who was in authority in the presence of God,” a “son of the morning.” (See Isa. 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) Both Jesus and Lucifer were strong leaders with great knowledge and influence. But as the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)How could two such great spirits become so totally opposite? The answer lies in the principle of agency, which has existed from all eternity. (See D&C 93:30–31.) Of Lucifer, the scripture says that because of rebellion “he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies.” (Moses 4:4.) Note that he was not created evil, but became Satan by his own choice.
When our Father in Heaven presented his plan of salvation, Jesus sustained the plan and his part in it, giving the glory to God, to whom it properly belonged. Lucifer, on the other hand, sought power, honor, and glory only for himself. (See Isa. 14:13–14; Moses 4:1–2.) When his modification of the Father’s plan was rejected, he rebelled against God and was subsequently cast out of heaven with those who had sided with him. (See Rev. 12:7–9; D&C 29:36–37.)
The very same people who believe this nonsense would no doubt immediately claim that Greek, Roman, and Viking mythologies are just so obviously absurd. But how precisely do they differ? Zeus ruled over Olympus, a place in which his sons and daughters formed alliances, sought to control and shape human destiny, and ultimately fought cosmic wars. The story is the same; only the names have been changed. And yet people act as if one is absurd and the other is reality.
I've always wondered...how do people who believe these stories fit the universe into their world view. These stories don't just assume that the Earth is the center of the universe; they assume that the Earth is the universe itself. But we know it isn't. This planet is a tiny speck of nothing in an incomprehensibly immense galaxy, with the galaxy a tiny speck of nothing in a nearly unendingly large universe. Given that people who believe this story believe that the Creator created everything, how do they explain his singular obsession with this one almost infinitely small bit of creation? Why place life here and nowhere else? Why fight for control of the beings on this rock and no other? What's the point of creating so much stuff and then ignoring 99.9999999999999999999999% of it?
Even as a child I understood that it made no sense to take these stories literally. If we can't know the mind of god, what makes us think we can assume we are so important that god would ignore literally everything he created to focus solely on us. Look at everything we do know about this universe. Look at how logical, how mathematical it all is. Math is everywhere, even in our genes and in our cells. If mathematics is the language of nature, then it must also be the language of nature's god. And yet somehow I'm supposed to believe that a god that based creation on mathematics is going to be deeply, profoundly illogical? Really?
I believe there is far more to this universe than any of us can or will ever understand. But these stories about snakes in a garden and great spirit brothers are just that: stories. Absolutely there is darkness and light in the universe. But that doesn't mean there's some super-human family somewhere who has organized their nuclear family around this dynamic. That's projection premised on hubris and nothing more.
I would prefer that we leave these sorts of theological disputes out of politics. Once upon a time, in fact, we did. But this is the party that Rove built, and these are its rules. If you want us to consider your religion, I'm going to have to consider its contents. If faith is important, we must discuss precisely what it is you have faith in. And I'm sorry, but if you believe that our fate was determined by the outcome of a dispute among some "heavenly family," you have under those rules disqualified yourself from my consideration.
Your rules, my judgement. So let it be written, so let it be done!
UPDATE: If you prefer this post as video, try this. Its brilliant the way they play with imagery and iconography, particularly when you watch the "duelity" version. In fact, don't watch it any other way.
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