Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that we existed in Heaven before we came to earth, as spirits waiting to take on physical bodies. We believe that we had the same personalities then that we do now, and that when we die, those personalities go with us into the next life. This is one of the many beliefs author Chris Stewart explores in his ground-breaking novel “The Brothers,” the prologue to the series “The Great and the Terrible.”
The novel focuses on the lives of four spirits: Samuel, Ammon, Luke and Elizabeth, who live together in Heaven as spirit brothers and sisters. They are each being prepared to come to earth and they have been educated in all the things they would need to know to be effective servants here on the earth. But Satan would do everything in his power to convince these four, as well as everyone else in Heaven, that his way is the only way, and that sending Jesus Christ to atone for our sins would be the worst mistake.
Many of the souls don’t know what to think. Satan’s argument is cunning and in a lot of ways, makes sense. He sets up his own city and begins to draw more and more followers. Samuel leaves his brothers and sister and goes to live in that dark city, breaking their hearts. Ammon goes to the city several times to try and find him, but he never succeeds. It would seem that Sam doesn’t want to be found.
Luke hates the idea of giving up, so he goes to the city as well. He finds it fascinating, and struggles to understand why everyone thinks Satan’s plan is so evil. After all, can they really depend on Jehovah to do what He said He would do?
I found this book to be thought-provoking and insightful. Who were we before we came to earth? What purposes do we have here? What can we accomplish while we’re here? The simple truths of live are taught: we are only beaten when we choose to surrender. There is always hope. There is always a way through the darkness. The only things that really matter are love and family.
While some of the terminology may be unfamiliar if you are not of the LDS faith, I feel there is much in this book that those of any religion will be able to relate to. A beautiful, fascinating book.
(This book was published by Desert Book in 2003.)
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