Free agency (Mormonism)

In Latter-day Saint theology, free agency is a gift given by God to his human children. In essence, it is the ability to make choices for oneself, as well as the ability to learn the difference between right and wrong and to make ethical and moral decisions. Most non-human life is not believed to possess this gift, and such life is believed to live in a state of eternal innocence.

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This creed holds that it is wrong to deny someone of his/her free agency unless they have (criminally) abused it to infringe against the free agency of another, as it would bind a person from their own choices. Such offenses logically include crimes such as murder, rape and slavery.

Related Topics:
Murder - Rape - Slavery

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The creed also holds that free agency was part of the Plan of Salvation laid out in the pre-mortal existence. Because of this, a Savior was necessary to provide a way back for imperfect persons. Two angels volunteered; Jesus volunteered to follow the plan as outlined, which allowed some never to return. The second, Lucifer, attempted to amend the plan to deny men free agency. Jesus was accepted as Savior and Lucifer was cast out and became Satan.

Related Topics:
Plan of Salvation - Pre-mortal existence - Savior - Jesus - Lucifer - Satan

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The doctrine of free agency holds that Adam and Eve were meant to disobey God's commandments eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they had not eaten the fruit, they would have lived in eternal innocence and never known true right and wrong, nor true happiness nor sadness. But in falling, they learned sadness and remorse, and this made it possible for them to appreciate the opposite feelings of happiness and peace. This belief perceives Eve as a woman possessed an inherent female wisdom in her choice to eat the fruit and share it with Adam, thus turning the serpent's sabotage against it and catalyzing the natural expansion of human free agency.

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More recently, the term "free agency" has fallen into disfavor with some mormon leaders. For example, a church manual for teaching children in 2005 instructs teachers to avoid the term "free agency" and instead say simply "agency."

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