Beauty
Restoration theology treats beauty as something grounded in material order. Elements organized by intelligence, law, and purpose are the fullest expression of beauty.
Divorcing itself from the abstract idealism that views aesthetics as a subjective construct, Restoration theology treats beauty as fundamentally ontological. Joseph Smith introduced a cosmos where spirit is refined matter and the elements are eternal, existing alongside uncreated intelligence. Within this framework, beauty is the physical and structural manifestation of elements organized according to intelligence, law, and purpose. It is the visible result of matter conforming to natural law.
For the Mormon Transhumanist, to cultivate beauty is to participate in the divine mandate of transfiguration. Entropy, decay, and chaos are the natural forces that dissolve complex structures into formlessness. Theology and technology, when properly aligned, both act as bulwarks against this dissolution. To create beauty—whether through art, sustainable engineering, or synthetic biology—is to elevate raw material into its most functional, joyful, and radiant state.
Embodiment and the Aesthetics of the Divine Form
Historically, much of traditional Christian asceticism viewed the physical body as a prison to be escaped or a temptation to be subdued. The Restoration decisively shattered this paradigm, declaring the physical body a prerequisite for a "fullness of joy" (D&C 93:34). The body, in one sense, is akin to sacred architecture.
This theology provides a robust foundation for the transhumanist principle of morphological freedom—the right to safely modify and enhance the human form. If humanity is created in the image of God, and our divine mandate is eternal progression, then taking agency over our own biological evolution is an act of divine emulation, not hubris. We are called to be co-creators, beginning with our own embodiment.
Viewed through this lens, the resurrection ceases to be a static, inexplicable magic trick and becomes the ultimate posthuman milestone. A glorified, resurrected body represents the apex of bio-aesthetic perfection. It is vital, incorruptible, and capable of endless morphological adaptation. The pursuit of life extension and physical enhancement today is a precursor to this eventual, ultimate bodily refinement.
The Ethics of Enhancement: Transcending Vanity
As humanity develops the capacity to radically alter its form through gene editing, bio-printing, and cybernetics, the distinction between cultural vanity and true transfigurist beauty becomes crucial. Contemporary cosmetic enhancement is often driven by a desire to conform to transient cultural trends or market-driven insecurities. True enhancement, however, is characterized by increased physical vitality, expanded cognitive capacity, and a deeper capacity for relational connection.
In this tradition, Christ’s healing is described as restoring the “image of God” where it is marred; modern interventions are understood as continuing care that brings bodies back toward wholeness.
Healing is fundamentally an aesthetic act. When Christ healed the blind and the lame, he was restoring the "image of God" where it had been marred by the chaotic conditions of a fallen world. Modern biotechnological interventions that cure disease, halt senescence, and restore function are continuations of this ministry. They seek to bring the human form into closer alignment with its divine potential.
Furthermore, our concept of the sublime must expand to encompass the technological. Lincoln Cannon identifies the "sublime esthetic" as beauty at the edge of practical experience. Amplified without limit, it is what it feels like to be a compassionate superintelligence—a practical description of what scripture terms the Holy Ghost. When we experience the technological sublime, such as peering through the James Webb Space Telescope or curing a genetic defect, we are tapping into this divine feeling.
Zion and Ecological Transfiguration
"Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined" (Psalm 50:2). In the scriptures, the highest aesthetic achievements are never solitary; they are communal. Zion is the ultimate aesthetic triumph because it represents a society where relationships flourish, social equity is realized, and poverty—arguably the ugliest of human conditions—is eradicated.
This communal beauty extends to environmental stewardship. Mormon theology rejects the notion that the earth is a temporary testing ground destined for destruction. Instead, revelation states the earth will be crowned with glory, becoming a "sanctified and immortal" sphere (D&C 130:9). We are not passive observers waiting for this transformation; we are the engineers tasked with initiating it.
Mormon theology links beauty to environmental stewardship. Ecological restoration and sustainable engineering are treated as religious responsibilities.
Ecological restoration, sustainable design, and eventual planetary terraforming are deeply religious duties. The perfection of beauty requires a world where the built environment and the natural ecology are integrated and thriving. By utilizing our technology to heal the earth and uplift the human family, we actively participate in celestializing our sphere, transforming the mundane elements of this world into the eternal beauty of the next.