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Gramps,
What happens to a child that died at the age of say 0-2 years old? My
question is when I go to Heaven can I raise that child at that age or is
he/she an adult? We had some LDS friends over and we were talking about
this. Please answer. Thank You, Brenda |
Dear
Brenda,
In
the transition from mortality to immortality there is the process of death and
the resurrection. At death the spirit that entered the body at birth, giving it
independent life, leaves the body and returns to the spirit world. Without the
guiding intelligence of the spirit, the body becomes disorganized and is subject
to the action of the elements.
However,
the resurrection is universal— For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22), but there is no growth in the
grave. As we are laid down, so shall we be raised up. Joseph F. Smith, the
fourth president of the Church, recorded the Prophet Joseph Smith as saying
“I
said to him, ‘Lorin, what did the Prophet say?’ and he repeated, as nearly
as he could remember, what the Prophet Joseph said in relation to little
children. The body remains undeveloped in the grave, but the spirit returns to
God who gave it. Afterwards, in the resurrection, the spirit and body will be
reunited; the body will develop and grow to the full stature of the spirit; and
the resurrected soul will go on to perfection” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel
Doctrine, p.456).
The
resurrected body, the child raised as a child and the old man raised as an old
man, will both grow toward perfection, with the development of an ideal immortal
adult body. There is no doubt that we will recognize one another and will hold
the same endearing affections as we had developed in mortality. There we may
watch our children grow to maturity, associate with them, converse with them,
and express our love and our concern for their welfare.
Gramps