Diversity is Heaven

I just recently read this book entitled, "A Short Stay in Hell" by Steven Peck.  It is about a man who dies and finds himself unexpectedly in hell.  This hell is conspicuously marked by something that drives its residents to madness:  "Homogeneity everywhere, endlessly stretching into an eternity of monotony."  Soren, the main character observes, ". . . somehow I feared the defining point of this Hell was its unrelenting uniformity, its lack of variation from type.  If there was a heaven at the end of this, it must be filled with great variety, perhaps a multiplicity of intelligent species spread across universes,  Yes, heaven would be as full of difference as Hell was of sameness." It is the realization of sameness, under the rhetoric of perfectionism, on which Peck founds this Hell. You might say that, the first law of Hell is to be like everyone else in Peck's estimation.  The main character, as well as the author are both Mormon which is evident in his description of hell which is deeply Mormon because it describes so closely the Mormon folk-view of the Celestial Kingdom and brings its hellish qualities of sameness into a rather stark light.  I say Mormon folk-view instead of real view because I do not think this is truly how most Mormons view heaven, at least I hope.  The thought of a lack of diversity being a certain type of hell really struck me because I believe I think the same thing; how sad it would truly be if we left this life of delightful diversity, only to end up in an eternal world of sameness--white skin, white hair, white clothes, all of the same thoughts, opinions, desires, all carbon copies of perfection.  It made me realize how much I hope for and expect that when we die, there will probably be much more diversity in every area than we could ever dream of now.  It made me realize that one of the things I enjoy most is difference.  It is what draws me to people I respect and admire, and it is what I find the most beauty and enjoyment in.

Then on the same weekend as reading this book, Elder Uchtdorf gave a talk in the priesthood session, which was probably my favorite talk of all of conference.  In it, he spoke of God's genius who created so much diversity, and that to not embrace it and acknowledge it would be unfortunate indeed.

"While the atonement is meant to help us all become more like Christ, it is not meant to make us all the same.  Sometimes we confuse differences in personality with sin.  We can even make the mistake of thinking that because someone is different from us, it must mean they're not pleasing to God.  This line of thinking leads some to believe that the Church wants to create every member from a single mold--that each one should look, feel, think and behave like every other.  This would contradict the genius of God, who created every man different from his brother, every son different form his father.  It also contradicts the intent and purpose of the Church which acknowledges and protects the moral agency with all its far-reaching consequences of each and every one of God's children.  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God's commandments.  But we are diverse in our cultural, social, and political preferences.  The church thrives when we take advantage of this diversity and encourage each other to develop and use our talents to lift and strengthen our fellow disciples."  Robert, Christian, and Hunter were able to attend the priesthood session live at the conference center.  After Elder Uchtdorf was finished, someone in the audience yelled out, "AMEN!" for all to hear.  How I love his message and wholeheartedly agree with it!