[KenV]

What a fascinating discussion. Can I join in?

I believe that man's spirit (often called "soul" but I believe erroneously so) was created long before the earth. I believe our spirits were much the same as the bodies we have in life, but without flesh and bones. I believe that in this state we had free will and made choices, and were male and female, and lived "in heaven" with our heavenly father. This condition was wonderful, but limited. We could not really progress and make significant choices because being in heaven, there were no bad choices to be made. How could we learn while staying safely in the nest?

So the earth was created where our spirits would sojourn in a mortal body of flesh and bones for a lifetime, all the while confronted by many good AND bad choices. It was an opportunity to learn by experience. But our Father knew us and knew we would ALL make some bad choices while on Earth. ALL of us, without exception.

And since God is perfectly just we could never return to him and thus we would certainly be lost forever. UNLESS there was a mediator provided. The mediator must be an individual who was both willing AND able to pay the demands of justice for us, thereby enabling God's mercy to have claim on us and redeem us from death and sin. Thus we were provided a saviour, whom we know as Jesus Christ.

I believe the heavens and earth were organized in six creative periods (called "days" in many translations, but I believe not literally 24 hour days) and that mankind was the crown jewel of the SIXTH creative period. And I further believe that this was not the first Earth so created, nor will it be the last.

Is the above wierd? Or oddly familiar?