Doctrine and Covenants 130:2 - And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there [in eternity]
“And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there [in eternity], only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.”
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The footnote for ‘sociality’ talks about marriage and families. This interpretation extends the privilege that already exists in Mormonism for familial and marital relationships into the eternities. I think it’s important to remember we’re each part of the greater human family. Mormons teach we’re each siblings of each other, maybe the definition in heaven for who is ‘family’ isn’t going to be the narrow definition we use at church.
Our relationships are what matters. Family & marital relationships aren’t the only inter-personal relationships that exist in this world. Friendships are part of the sociality which exists here, and I think this verse suggests that friendships will also continue to exist.
Joseph Smith taught: “Friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of ‘Mormonism.’ … It unites the human family with its happy influence.”
Joseph’s use of “friendship” as a “grand fundamental principle” really strikes me given our current focus on 2-parent nuclear families. If families and friendships are eternal, we should work to maintain and improve them, to hold onto them.
Actual families come in all shapes and sizes, they include queer people, adopted people, some have split up and reformed, others are a household with only one parent or grandparents raising their grandchildren. Surely these family relationships carry on into the eternities as well.
I assume that the worst parts of our ‘sociality’ on earth will not be present in heaven, such as racism, patriarchy, sexism, queerphobia and all the other injustices. I can’t imagine ‘glory’ including those things. Those will be gone. Also gone will be economic class & status, we won’t separate according to rich and poor, or the other ways we like to divide people.
For some people, the idea they’re stuck with a difficult family isn’t reassuring. There’s a lot of messed-up families on earth and surely the continuation of those relationships wouldn’t be ‘glorious’ to those involved.
Maybe heaven is something we have to create. “That same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there.” We have scripture stories of whole cities going to heaven, they took the sociality they had here with them. Once they reached a certain level, they were taken. We should start creating the society we expect & want to see in heaven. I don’t think we’re expected to wait for heaven and assume everything will be magically fixed. We’re to work on things in this life. We should want to live better because of this teaching.
For people who are happily married, can you imagine heaven as a happy place without your spouse? What if heaven meant you were to view yourself as defective, broken, and you’re to be forever alone, because that’s often what gay couples are taught. How can that be ‘heaven’ for them without the sociality & love they enjoy during this life? Everyone has the responsibility and opportunity to build communities in which no one is left out.
Society is evolving and moving away from the old prejudices that are based on supremacy and oppression. The world is changing. I’m very hopeful when God says faith, hope, and love are enduring attributes and that love is paramount (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love will prevail.
