To: President Russell M. Nelson, President and Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

From: Mormon Mouse

Re: Eternal Progression and Inheritance

Dear President Nelson,

Hello again! I hope all is well with you and Wendy and your familes. Thank you for speaking in another General Conference of The Church. It is always interesting to hear from you. I often find myself wishing I could have a private conversation with you though, because there are so many things I have sincere questions about that it seems only you should be able to give a definitive answer on.

I have some questions about The Plan of Salvation.

Over the course of my life in the The Church, if I’ve understood what I’ve been taught correctly, I’ve learned that we all had to come to Earth and pass through a mortal probation because we’d reached a point in our pre-mortal existence where we could not continue to progress otherwise. And if we are faithful in this life and endure to the end, properly repenting of our sins and worthily receiving all the necessary ordinances, we can gain eternal life and exaltation and eventually inherit all The Father has.

But didn’t Jesus progress to inherit all the Father has and become a God himself without ever having been born? Or am I misunderstanding the Gospel of St. John? And if Jesus became a God without first passing through a mortal probation, doesn’t that show that mortal probation is not required to progress to godhood? Or was Jesus simply a one-time exception to the rule for all eternity?

On a related note, how many people can inherit all The Father has? Even if what The Father has is infinite and eternal, if each person who qualifies to inherit all of it inherits all of it, wouldn’t that mean that no one inherited all of it? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that the exalted ones inherit a share of all The Father has? In Doctrine and Covenants 84:38 it says “all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.” But if all that The Father hath is given to another, then The Father dothn’t hath it all anymore doth he?

Sincerely,

Mormon Mouse