‘The Divine Light: Understanding the Spirit of God In 1832, Joseph Smith revealed a concept that bridges scientific and spiritual sensibilities about the universe. Called the Light of Christ (or spirit of God), this primal energy source is not only defined as the life force, the source of enlightenment, and the intelligence from which we are made, but also explains many seeming mysteries regarding grace, atonement, and judgment. It also links LDS theology to Eastern mystic notions of the source of oneness with the mind of God and with each other. Awareness of these concepts transforms the way people live their religion. While these ideas fascinated early LDS theologians, recently they have gone unexplored. This session offers fresh perspectives to potentially re-invigorate this important discussion.

N. Lee Smith, Kim Bateman