“Not the Destruction of the Soul”

Bryan Richards

Some denominations teach that at death, there is no spirit. The body is placed in the grave and the spirit of the individual does not exist until the resurrection. This comes from the incorrect interpretation of some scriptures in Ecclesiastes. For example, For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten (Eccles 9:5). This means that a dead man has no more earthly rewards and that the living will not remember them forever. Later in the same book, the principle that the spirit lives on after death is clearly taught, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it (Eccles 12:7). The Book of Mormon teaches what should be an obvious principle, that the spirit or soul is not destroyed but awaits the resurrection in either spirit paradise or hell.

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