I have a little more research on the authors of this document that I want to do, that I'll post here later, but I wanted to go ahead and post this now: Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development: Implications for Theology

 

I took the time to read this carefully, and it's the primary subject that I've primarily been considering for a couple of years now.

This helps in a satisfying (as opposed to many theories on this topic, which I have found lacking) and big way, to answer questions I have had on this subject. God deals with morally primitive people at their level (speaking their language), while providing temple and other symbolism for those who wish and are able to look deeper, to provide justification for their budding beliefs (that God knew the questions you'd be asking and the moral dilemmas that you would face, long ago). It seems to answer the question I had on D&C 19 on "Eternal Punishment", which revelation originally ended with "I command you that you preach naught but repentance; and show not these things, neither speak these things unto the world, for they cannot bear meat, but milk they must receive: *wherefore, they must not know these things, lest they perish.*"

I'm so glad you posted this SB, it is *the* main question I've been praying about for the last two years. I went into this paper skeptical of the value it would offer me, but this exposition by Rachel Cory is what I consider "pure knowledge". I want to memorialize her exposition. I'm thankful for the chain of people who brought this to my attention (Lawrence Kohlberg > Rachel Cory > Jackson Snyder > Klaus Kuehl > SB).

Everyone thinks they are correct (even me), and it takes gentle persuasion, long-suffering and pure knowledge to help them understand a better way. We feel an identity with our beliefs, that they *are* us. They feel like physical part of us, which, if challenged, especially carelessly, it feels so terrifying that we believe that we would cease to exist or be punished by God for so believing if we have the faith to step out into something unknown—which we have to do—in order to test it. Denver has been so instrumental in helping me be able to more gently make the leap that I did away from the LDS church, and to cement many more new, better beliefs. I'm incredibly grateful that he has, despite the disagreements, or misunderstanding of intent behind what is "now underway." My son had a vision about a year ago, where he saw the destruction of the world and he noticed that the wicked who were fighting against God, thought they were right. That they were "doing God a service" (in the words of Christ). It's something I found curious about his experience and have been noticing it more in life.

This fleshes out a much fuller meaning to the scripture: "all these things [atonement, scourging, sacrifice] are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men."