The Sacrament and the Gospel

While the sacrament is being administered to us, I generally whisper to one of my children (whichever is closest to me at the time) to ask them about the meaning of the sacrament and explain as necessary.  It makes for a lot of repetition, but I really want them to understand the importance and meaning of the covenant.  They know that when they're eight years old they'll be baptized, and then they'll start taking the sacrament each week also.  (Right now they don't; I don't want them to be taking the bread and water out of habit only, but rather to meaningfully renew covenants as they eat and drink.)

On another topic:

When we used to teach people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as missionaries, and as I've taught and been taught many times since, some central ideas about the Atonement of Jesus Christ are that He overcame two major obstacles for us: physical death ("the grave") and spiritual death("hell").  Because of the Fall we are mortal and subject to physical death, at which time our spirits will lose the marvelous bodies that God has given us.  Also, with our moral agency we are free to choose our actions, and we all will make choices that separate us from God (and thus causing spiritual death).  Jesus suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, suffering such pain that He bled from the pores of His skin.  He then died and was later resurrected.

Perhaps the connection is already obvious in stating this much.  In any case, here's what my whispered conversation with my kids tends to sound like:

Daddy: "Why do we take the sacrament?"

Child: (waits)

Daddy: "We take the sacrament to renew our covenants.  We make promises to Heavenly Father when we're baptized.  We covenant to be like Jesus, to take His name upon us, and to obey the commandments.  What does the bread remind us of?"

Child: "Jesus' body."

Daddy: "Yes.  Because Jesus died, and his body went in a tomb for three days.  What happened then?"

Child: "He was resurrected."

Daddy: "That's right, and because He was resurrected, we all will be, too."

As the water is being administered:

Daddy: "What does the water remind us of?"

Child: "Jesus' blood."

Daddy: "Yes, because Jesus paid for our sins and it hurt Him so much that he bled.  Because He paid for our sins, we can all repent and live with our Heavenly Father again."

I don't think I've ever heard anyone teach that the sacrament is directly related to Jesus' resurrection and His experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, but it makes sense to me that way.

Last thoughts for now:
I want my kids to be ready for baptism.  I want them to have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Just as elements of teachings in the temple are symbolic, the bread and water definitely are also.  Jesus is the bread of life and the water of life, He died and was resurrected so that we will be too, and He atoned for our sins so that we can repent and be forgiven.  All of us.

Paradise and Prison

I've never been certain about the barrier between Spirit Prison and Paradise. Is it two different locations, with an actual barrier or separation that keeps those who have not accepted the Gospel from those who have? Or is it just a distinction between two states of being? We certainly live in heaven or hell right now depending on what kind of people we are.

I tend to think it's probably an actual separation. When Christ was in the Sprirt World for three days, He only visited the righteous, that is, those who had truly accepted Him. But a commonly held perception of Hell combined with a distinct feature of temples gives me cause to wonder.

Many people with Christian backgrounds are told that "Hell" is a fiery, hot place, and that "Heaven" is in the clouds. The Church makes specific efforts to build temples such that fonts for proxy baptisms are located underground. Theory: the barrier between Paradise and Prison is the surface of the earth. The core of the earth is molten; anywhere under the surface is obviously dark. I think it would suffice as a place to let people suffer the pains of their own sins. When baptisms and confirmations are perfomed for the dead, the spirits would pass through the barrier in temples.

The bridging of the barrier also occurred simultaneously with the rupturing of the earth's surface (see 3 Nephi 8:18).

One might say that the classic version of "Hell" is of no importance, and I would say they're probably right. However, bits of truth, like pieces of a shattered mirror, can be found all over. Take Masonic symbols, for example.

One might also say that the location of temple baptismal fonts is just symbolic, and maybe it is. That's a lot of work for the sake of a single symbol, though, particularly when baptism already carries a lot of symbolism anyway. What symbolic meaning is really added?

Last thoughts for now:
I don't know of any prophetic statement that directly adresses this topic. It remains uncertain to me.