[Pre-Mortal Personalities]

This is going to be a weird start of a blog post but.. here we go, but this topic is something I sat down, researched, and then wrote about.  ** POST EDIT: I guess upon writing this, I was hoping by the end, I would have some understanding of this concept, and would present a view to the world of what I believe... but I guess now, I'm pleading for others ideas and views. I pretty much confused myself on the subject.   If you read this PLEASE comment, I want ideas.

I posted this picture on Facebook yesterday:

The comments started out cute and funny:

Kristen: This Ultimately reminds me of me and steph. 

Steph: haha, yeah, its the thumbnail for your video isn't it?

Kristen: Yup, tis.  Does that make me Chris, and you Danny?

Laura: ~uhhhhh

Kristen: Just comparing here, Laura dear. 

Danny: Don't you even TRY comparing me to a girl. 

Kristen: Not even for funnsies? 

The comments continued, and if you want to read the rest of them, it can be found here.

Eventually the comments turned into this: (I love how we can break into Gospel topics at random intervals,and no one thinks anything of it... this is on a FACEBOOK picture mind you. )
Steph: Hey, me and Kristen were weird like that before you and Chris were weird like that- So there!  :D
Laura: She does have a point... they've been friends since babies... you guys just met at UVU a couple years ago. 
Kristen: This is truth! Steph! Thank you!
Danny: but I've been me since I was born, how old are you two?? Yeah- That's what I thought. I'v been me for longer than you've been you. 
Laura: Actually.. if we're going to go into specifics... you're both millions of years old. 
Danny: Okay - Specifics: I went through the veil first! It doesn't matter if we are millions o f years old or not. We started fresh, and I started first!
Chris: Not true, I did!
Kristen: Stephanie and I have still had a mortal friendship longer. 
Laura: You are who you are... on earth or in the pre-mortal... intelligences exist forever.. you don't change when you come to earth
Danny: You forget things. I developed them first here, so THERE!
Steph: I agree with Kristen, me and Kristen have been ourselves with each other longer! ^_^
Laura: Just because you forget things, doesn't mean it changes who you are... you are who you are... forever. 


What is the view for this?

For those of you confused, or don't understand Mormon beliefs, We believe we lived with God before we came to Earth.  If you want to know more, you can go here, where it will explain, or feel free to email me (Kikastrophe@gmail.com) with questions, and I'll be happy to answer them.

Elder Boyd K. Packer declared, "There is no way to make sense of life without a knowledge of the doctrine of pre-mortal life. The idea that mortal birth is the beginning is preposterous. There is no way to explain life if you believe that:'

My little reason for posting this, was Danny's comment: You forget things. I developed them first here, so THERE!
I'm curious on views on this... My immediate reaction, is that the only thing that changed, was you lost the memories of the pre-mortal life, and gained a physical body.  Who you are didn't change.  You have been who you are for the last forever that you have been in existence, which is to say, forever.

Each one of these people are different ^

I did some research.  The first thing that came to mind was the proclamation of the family:

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life - Link

I remember reading this statement in Seminary when it first came out.  We were discussing something else, and the comment was made by my seminary teacher: "Gender is eternal."  If you're going to come to earth to be tested, why test someone or something that's completely new?

But here broaches the question.... I have depression.  I also have an anxiety disorder, and am autistic. These influence my decisions and way I react, which is essentially who I am.  I'm pretty darn sure that I didn't have  these mental disabilities when I lived as a spirit. So, essentially, who am i?  We are all to be perfected at judgement day... who will we be then? Which quirks that I like about certain people, will disappear?  For example... Socorro is obsessive compulsive... her little quirks make me smile... when she's perfected, how will she change?  But I digress.

I found an article written by someone who was attempting to correlate Personality and the idea of SELF to the premortal life, and show how this could influence Psychology.   In here he quoted several people:

President Joseph Fielding Smith stated, "During the ages in which we dwelt in the pre-mortal state we not only developed various characteristics and showed our  worthiness and ability, or lack of it, bur we were also where such progress could be observed" (Smith, 2000, p. 14).

Also:

 Further, president David O. McKay noted that, as a result of prevailing opportunities for growth during our pre-earth life, "there were among those spirits different degrees of intelligence, varying grades of achievement, retarded and advanced spiritual attainment" (Smith, 2000, p.14; cf. Abraham 3:22-23).

And lastly:

Regarding the dynamic interplay between biology, environment and spirit as these relate to personality development, Bergin (2002) has written: Upon birth, mortal experience and pre-mortal dispositions begin interacring to create our mortal personality and character traits. As the brain and body mature, we express our inclinations and acquire distinctive ways of acting that emerge from within (our eternal spiritual intelligence), from the body (genetics, brain chemistry, hormones, etc.), from learning (in the family, church, and social context) and from new impressions to our spirits from the Spirit of God. (Bergin, 2002, p. 29)

The first 2, coming from Prophets, is cannon to what I believe.  However, the 3rd one confuses me, and actually counts against me.  Our MORTAL PERSONALITY and CHARACTER TRAITS.   What does this mean?! Thinking of it THIS way, would explain why we are who we are based on mental disabilities.

But here's another question: Say I fall in love with someone, and I decide this is who I want to be with in the eternities... When we die.. is he going to be a completely different person? a merge of the 2 personalities?

President Packer states:

There is another part of us, not so tangible, but quite as real as our physical body. This intangible part of us is described as mind, emotion, intellect, temperament, and many other things. Very seldom is it described as spiritual. But there is a spirit in man; to ignore it is to ignore reality. There are spiritual disorders, too, and spiritual diseases that can cause intense suffering. The body and the spirit of man are bound together. Often, very often, when there are disorders, it is very difficult to tell which is which. (Packer, 1977, p. 59)

Spiritual Disorders. I'll admit, this was something new to me upon reading this.  But I guess, it makes sense.  We had to learn somehow before we came here, I would venture a guess that we had Trials in the pre-mortal life too.

(Off topic, here's another question.. our looks and identities here on earth are based on genetics.  Do our Spirits look like us too?  Or when it says "we will be perfected" its the glorified Spiritual body that its referring to? )

But I found this.. which I guess essentially answers Danny's comment:

Some might express concern that the veil, which was drawn across, our memory of premortal life as we were born into mortality,  does away with the value of premortal experiences.  Not so. While the veil takes away the memory of pre-earth life, it does not do away with our personality and the development and growth we experienced there.  It comes through the veil with us. - David Ridges, Proclamation on the Family 

I guess that answers that....    * is very confused now *

What is your opinion, and if you have any good sources, I would love them!