asbestosman wrote:We don't know much about the pre-mortal world of spirits.
There's a very good reason for that. It's because the jackasses who first invented the concept and convinced others to believe in it are dead and gone, and those who followed didn't realize that they should be making it up as they went along, so instead they're living with "we don't know very much about that" and waiting, in vain, for that day when they finally, after all these centuries/decades/millenia, "receive further light and knowledge."
What we know is that while we were there, Heavenly Father presented His plan and Satan presented his plan. Everyone who was born chose God's plan.
This is ridiculous, and not even consistent with the rest of Mormon theology, and you know it. Apparently you don't care, and sweep the inconsistency under the rug, or allow that it may seem inconsistent, but if we knew more about it (there's that thing again), we'd find that it wasn't really inconsistent after all.
It's inconsistent because it's impossible. According to LDS theology, the Celestial Kingdom operates by certain laws, and only those who obey those laws
can possibly exist there. God's plan, which was dictated by the requirements of the laws the Celestial Kingdom is supposed to be governed by, was therefor the
only possible plan, and Satan's plan, which contradicted the fundamental laws of the Celestial Kingdom, was therefor impossible.
And everyone would have known this, particularly if we were aware of how Elohim himself had become a God (by obeying his Father in Heaven's plan, which just happened to be exactly the same as the one he was now offering, duh).
So, not only was Satan's plan impossible, and it never could have worked even if 100% of the spirits opted to follow it, but we all would have known this, because we would have had the example of the plans
every single other God had used to become God, all the way down.
This is all made up. Besides, imagine this. Satan rebels against God. What is the first law of Heaven, according to Joseph Smith? Obedience. Mormon theology says that it is not possible to exist in the Celestial Kingdom if one does not obey the laws that rule that kingdom. Obedience to one's God is part of that fundamental law. So, Satan rebels against God, how could there possible be a "war"? How could it require certain spirits to "escort" Satan from God's presence. Once Satan disobeyed, should he not have simply disappeared from the Celestial Kingdom (and "fallen" to some lower kingdom) as soon as his presence, by disobeying the laws that govern the kingdom, became impossible?
Oh, Seth, you're thinking too much.
Duh. Silly me.
As for valiant vs less-valiant, I do not have as much information. We are told that some LDS leaders were prepared for their roles before they were born. As to how valiant one was, I usually understand that to mean how much support one placed behind God's plan and did not consider Satan's alternative.
You've got plenty of information that you'd rather not have, actually. Recall how many Prophets, Seers, and Revelators were perfectly willing to explain that black people, and others born into less affluent situations than white Americans, were said to have been born into situations they deserved based on their level of valiance in the pre-existence. Chinese were mentioned as being thus disadvantaged based on merit (or lack thereof), in addition to the blacks.
If you take away all the silly, racist crap that past prophets and apostles taught about the pre-existence, you're left without much to talk about, aren't you? There's really nothing there. It's just mythology. It's like wondering about the true nature of the relationship between Aphrodite and Hephaestus. Or between Hera and Zeus.
"We don't know much about the relationship between Hera and Zeus. We're waiting for further light and knowledge on the subject."
Don't hold your breath.