I love being a storyteller because the sky is the limit to my speculation. I have my own theory as to why we're here, and why the veil is so important at this point in our existence.

Basically, I think the goriest part of the war in Heaven is still going on. I think our Heavenly Father loves us too much to expose us to that kind of pain, so He sent us to earth. I think we're here because we have to be strengthened before we can return to the battle, and the veil is in place to keep us from doing anything stupid in the meantime. I mean, hypothetically speaking, if you saw someone attacking your parents, what would you do? Me, I'd probably go to their aid as quickly as possible, and probably do something rash and stupid the process because I love them. But Heavenly Father didn't want us to do that. In my mind, He wants us to be stronger when we come home because that's the only way we'll stand a chance. I have no problem believing that He sent us here because things really did get that bad Upstairs, and that our only concern needs to be becoming righteous warriors!

. . . . Of course, I don't claim to speak for the Church with any of that. But even if I'm wrong, isn't it an awesome possibility just to think about?

I have often thought about the question I personally would ask Him... but you know something? What's stopping us from asking Him? Seriously, the only thing I could think of right this moment was a clarification of a line from my patriarchal blessing... and His spirit has given me a few thoughts on that already. And from that experience I've learned that no question is too petty or trivial to ask Him. If you want to know, ask! He might just tell you:)

(And by the way, if you thought Milgram was creepy, wait until you see Freud... I'm convinced: Because I took AP Psychology, I now need therapy)

You have asked a lot of questions, and many of them can not possibly be answered with any surety. But like Paradox I will take a whirl.

How can we be responsible for covenants we do not remember?

My guess is that there was a lot less to these covenants than we might suspect. I view them as vague general things such as agreeing to participate in His plan. I think the more detailed covenants happen here.

If God is omnipotent does he not know the outcome already?

I have come to believe that God knows all that is knowable. With true agency he can not possibly know every detail of future events. BH Roberts asserts this, and I reviewed his thoughts here. So I would say, no, he does not know every detail of the outcome yet.

Who is to say?

I don't believe that there is some unpleasant motive that God has.

Would you?? (peek behind the veil).

If God allowed it I would get as much of an eyeful as I could. Let Me AT It!!

If I could ask any questions of God, What would they be.

I would ask about the details of spirit birth (that's right, spirit birds and bees). I would ask for the details of degrees of Glory doctrine. I would ask about the eternal nature of intelligences. I would ask about how free will really works - how are choices really made if not based on our character and experience. I suppose that after a while he would kick me out and send me home.

How is the veil a blessing?

I think the veil makes things ......legitimate? We can prove to ourselves and anyone else who cares, who we really are.

As far as Paradox's comments, I hope that there is not a gory war continually going on. I view it as a more ideological debate that occasionally springs up, with some folks being kicked out of the pool. I don't want to view the CK as a place of terrible war going on.

What is stopping us from asking Him?

I ask all the time. No specific details.

I was teaching Sunday School today and this subject came up. We discussed how God has all points of time in common with him, meaning he sees all time at the same . . . time, so all time is present for him. Therefore, he is aware of all things, because he can see the present, past and future equally well.

We, on the other hand, need to prove things for ourselves. Are we really able to keep those covenants, both made in the premortal existence, and those made in mortality? Well, one of the prime principles of our God's universe is choice, with the atonement as the ultimate example of choice. Heck, look at the fall. Another big choice.

So, where do these choices lead us? Ultimately, we choose what level of obedience and glory with which we are comfortable. If we wish to live to live a telestial law, for instance, that is our choice. By so choosing, we also choose to live with telestial glory. Likewise with celestial laws and celestial glory. That is where the test comes in. To see where we choose to place ourselves. Not because the God of the Universe does not already know, but because we still need to go through the experiences, make the choices and place ourselves where we wish to go.

One final thought: Joseph Smith taught that "When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave. "

The road to Godhood still has to be traveled, one step at a time, regardless whether Heavenly Father knows the end result.

I don't know...

The debate between free agency and God's omniscience has been a key philosophical question for centuries...and I'd have to lean on the 'free agency' side. Considering free agency was essentially worth losing 1/3 of the spirits in heaven, I can't believe that God already knows--on an individual level--every choice that mankind will make already. I can see it as perhaps knowing every possible future for each person, but the idea that our individual destinies are already known (and thus predetermined)? That doesn't seem to fit with the idea behind the war in heaven and true agency.

Well, this is not a debate we will settle easily, and I seriously doubt I will lay this subject to rest, but I somehow have a hard time believing our Father in Heaven doesn't know your end from beginning, much less mine, on an individual level. Are you suggesting he could sit down with you or me (or anyone else) and merely know a chaotic branching timeline that suggests every possible future we could have at any give point in our life? Granted, it would take a greater mind than ours to comprehend all of that, but the truth is, that is still a limited body knowledge. Our God is all knowing. I personally do not see how this limits our agency. Sure, he probably knows all the possible choices we could make and all the possible choices, but are those as important as the choices we actually will make? Hmmm. Of course, it depends on the day that you ask me how I feel, but I don't see this one.

I suspect that there is a significant amount of information we are missing that would help us reconcile between agency and God's omnipotence. Perhaps in the next life.

In the interest of discussion, I also will dispute the use of the word "free" in the term "free agency." It was not free, but purchased by great price to ensure its continued meaning and efficacy. Sure, we had agency before this life, but even then, work and effort (even a great battle) were put into making sure the agency remained ours to use. But yes, it was given to us freely, so I suppose that term could still apply.

Here is my take on the agency/omniscience discussion.

Heavenly Father understands the exact nature of our spirits. He knows everything there is to know about our genetics. He knows everything there is to know about our social experiences. He knows our nature through and through. He also knows everything there is to know about the environment in which we live. Therefore, while we can CHOOSE to go through Door #1 or Door #2 in the grand options game of life, HE knows what we will choose. He is not dictating it. He merely understands it. Somehow, I don’t really have a problem with accepting the concept of omniscience.

I do have LOTS of issues about the nature of choice. I can only choose those things that seem possible according to my culture, according to the resources available to me, according to my own limited level of understanding.

I remember years ago seeing a poster with a picture of a group of little girls playing. The caption said: "At what age do little girls dream of becoming president? At what age do they realize they never can?" (This was when there was a big push on for Equal Rights Amendment.) What seems possible for me to choose may seem quite impossible for someone else, or visa versa. Factors such as age, race, gender, nationality, body size, intelligence level, and education are all going to have impact on what I am abale to choose.

One of my favorite passages of the Book of Mormon is in Helaman Ch 7:23-24 where it says:

"For behold, thus saith the Lord: I will not show unto the wicked of my strength, to one more than the other, save it be unto those who repent of their sins, and hearken unto my words. Now therefore, I would that ye should behold, my brethren, that it shall be better for the Lamanites than for you except ye shall repent. For behold, they are more righteous than you, for they have not sinned against that great knowledge which ye have received; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them; yea, he will lengthen out their days and increase their seed, even when thou shalt be utterly destroyed except thou shalt repent. "

This tells me flat out that God KNOWS the power of social influence and extenuating circumstances. He knows that when someone comes from a background where they are given opportunities to learn truth they start out with a different set of cards than someone from a background immersed by "the wicked traditions of men." Someone who grew up feeling nurtured and safe is going to respond to the world differently than someone who was routinely victimized.

He does not expect the same outcomes of everyone because while he is no respecter of persons in terms of our worth, he knows we are not all given the same opportunities or challenges. He will measure my degree of worthiness or sin within the spiritual crucible of the life I have lived, what I came up against, and what I was willing to do with it. I find that very humbling and very reassuring.

Is God ever surprised? I doubt it. But I’m sure there are moments when he is delighted. I’m also sure there are also many, many times when he hangs his head and weeps in anguish for the things that we do to ourselves and one another, even though he saw it coming.

Belladona:

So are you saying that this is not a test? If god knows every detail of the future, than there is only one way things can work out. Is there real choice going on? I say yes (see 2Nephi 2)

I was arguing just like you about a year and a half ago. I have pretty much come full circle now. I am not against God knowing 99.99% of the details about the future - just against him knowing 100% of every detail. With any free will there must be some real choice at some level. Otherwise our free wil is only hypothetical.

As a teacher in a community college I give tests for different reasons. Some tests I give are for me to have a way to measure whether or not my students have read their text book. I know that when I say something is going to be tested on there is a direct correlation with an increase in students studying those key points. Other tests are given because the test itself is a learning experience. I do quiet a bit of "open book / open brain" testing where I give them all the resources they need to get the questions all right, knowing that if they go through the process of finding and filling out all the answers they will gain mastery over certain things I want them to know. Still, many of them miss points because they ignore the "small and simple means" by which the class is run. Believe it or not I've had cases of students deliberately cheating on an open book test of 10 questions that they had an entire week to complete. Makes no sense, but they do it, and when I catch them at it they pay the price.

When Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac that was absolutely a test. God KNEW what Abraham would do. But Abraham did not know what Abraham would do until he went through the experience. He was tested in a way that was a forshadow of the sacrifice of the Savior. Only by having that testing experience could he build the solid knowledge of his own obedience that he would rely on as he became the father of very sacred lineage.

So yes, I do believe it is a test of sorts even if God knows how we will perform.

On the OTHER hand...at some points I've wondered if the purpose of human existence might not be to create a sort of spiritual power plant. We know from the scriptures that faith is the fuel that allows deity to perform wonderous miracles. Without faith, even Christ could not heal.

In Ether 12:12 it says:

"For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith. " then further down in verse 18 it says: "And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.

Also in 2 Nephi 27:23 it says:
"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith."

So what if our entire civilization is some sort of battery pack for God to go about doing God stuff? Gives a whole new perspective to the concept of nuclear waste, eh?