Does the individual have a place in Mormon ideology??

This thought was inspired by a brilliant post by my good friend Gaddian called ‘womanhood rant’. You can find her and the post over there ------> yep there she is, go read her stuff, I will wait.

I do not envy the role of women. While in early Mormon history and male dominated society you were a wife, an almost subservient being whose purpose is to create happiness for the husband. Now, in the women empowered future, you are to be a glorified baby factory, a container wherein is held the glorious and deific womb. From Wife to Mother, the placement did not change merely the angle wherein we view it.

Individualism is hard to place, If we look at scriptural examples of Zion societies. (Acts 4:31-35 (shortly after Christ’s mortal ministry), 4 Nephi 1:2-6, 10-18 (after his visit to America), Moses 7:17-21 (the city of Enoch), and D&C 42:18-36 (revealed law for early Mormondom). There is a common theme of Unity, being one heart and one mind. “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” This relegation of individualism seems to thread its way thru much of our religious thought.

Marriage, genealogy (turning hearts of fathers to sons and sons to fathers), The family unit, sealings, being one with Christ, being one heart and one mind, all things being equal and common. We are fairly insistent on removing individuality from godliness and of pointing out the fact that we cannot be saved alone. Even to achieve the greatest glory in God’s kingdom, exaltation in the highest degree, requires a voluntary loss of the individual. Exaltation is an eternal union between a man and a woman never to be separated, or between a man and three women for all those of you with polygamous tendencies.

However, there is a dissonance between this idea of Unity and Agency, the concept of teaching people correct principles and allowing them to govern themselves. Where does unity end and personal choice begin? Why have this great gift of agency only to be told how to use it.

I had this conversation with myself. What is the greatest thing to do with your agency? Why to do what god wants you to do of course. But is that not Satan’s plan, to take our freedom and return us safely to heaven? God is not taking our freedom we are giving it to him. But this works out to the same thing, a society which completely accepts Gods plan will look exactly the same as one that would have developed under Satan’s. Except with God you choose it.

Is wanting to follow gods will paramount or is merely doing it sufficient? You cannot compel Zion, Zion requires a people who want. You cannot force people to care about others. This must develop organically out of people’s desires and beliefs, so the question then stands how do we get a society to think this way? Is our current teachings the best solution or should we be approaching it another way. Are we more likely to achieve wanting to do good as individuals or as a part of a faceless mass?