Exaltation and eternal progression

What it is: The belief teaches that redemption includes not only universal resurrection, but also degrees of glory and the possibility of exaltation in God's presence for the fully reconciled who are bound by specific covenants.

How the tradition understands it: Exaltation is treated as the highest form of eternal life. The historical language of deification and eternal progression is important, although not always explained in the same way in popular and academic teaching.

Textual or traditional basis: John 17, Romans 8, Doctrine and Covenants 76 and 132 are central texts in development of the doctrine.

Historical context: The idea developed gradually and became one of the movement's most distinctive theological marks.

Common objections: Critics understand the doctrine as too distant from classic Christian monotheism or as speculative theology.

Internal variations: The current church tends to treat the theme with more careful pastoral formulations than certain older or popular theological statements.