The following question has been asked to numerous LDS youth across the nation.  We are interested in how you would respond to it.  Here is the question:

If you died and were judged today, which eternal kingdom do you think you would go to?

a)      Celestial

b)      Terrestrial

c)       Telestial

If you are like most youth we have polled, you probably said that you would go to the Terrestrial kingdom.   A matter of fact, about half of the respondents to this question say that they will go the Terrestrial kingdom.  Why is this so?  Anthony Sweat, co-author of WHY?, addresses this question in his recently released book I’m Not Perfect. Can I Still go to Heaven? Writing about the fact that about 50% LDS youth think they’ll go to the Terrestrial kingdom, Anthony says:

“These numbers are disheartening to me because the youth who took these surveys are actively engaged in the gospel: regularly attending church and mutual, serving in church callings, and enrolling in programs like seminary and Especially for Youth.  These teenagers are the kind of kids who consistently read their scriptures, pray, and try their best to keep the commandments and do what is right.  Yet half don’t think they are celestial material.  Why is this so?

The most common answer I hear from these youth goes something like this:  ‘Well, I have sins and I’m not perfect, so I don’t think I am good enough to go to the celestial kingdom. But I don’t think I’m so terrible that I will go the telestial kingdom either. So I think I will end up somewhere in the middle, in the terrestrial kingdom.’ This answer—and I used to be guilty of it myself— reveals some confusion about what is really required of those who will inherit the celestial kingdom. Most unsettling, this line of terrestrial thinking demonstrates a possible misunderstanding about the fundamental role of Jesus Christ’s atonement and His divine ability to save God’s children.  The purposes of this book are to help clarify some of these doctrinal misunderstandings, and to provide the hope we can all have for the celestial kingdom because of the atonement of Jesus Christ.”

The format of this book is an engaging hypothetical gospel classroom with fictional students.  Click here to read a sample chapter from the book.

We are interested in your thoughts as well.  Why do you think so many LDS youth, and we assume LDS adults as well, don’t think that they’ll make it to the celestial kingdom?  Leave a comment and let us know what your experience has been and what has helped you.

Anthony says:  “It is my most sincere desire that through the discussion in I’m Not Perfect…Can I Still go to Heaven? we can all better understand what is truly required to inherit the celestial kingdom, and find hope in the heart of the Gospel that will take us there: the atonement of Jesus Christ”

Click here to see the book on Deseret Book’s website.