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Show An Understandable Religion BY ELDER Of the Council of the Twelve (Radio address Sunday, Jon. 16, 1944, ot 9:15 p.m. over KSL) Sunday we discussed the existence of God, and His personality. Tonight, let tis direct our thoughts to mans nature, to our own natutes. What is man? This question is asked today by every intelligent person. There are times when every one of you, every one of us, thinks about the mystery of life. What is the meaning of our existence, fhat are we? and what is our business on earth? It is probably impossible to formulate a satisfactory religion, unless these questions are answered. WHERE. DOES LIFE BEGIN? - On such occasions one of the most haunting questions t Is, whether our lives really began --with our birth on earth.-Ther- e seems to be a dim memory within us of a life before this; of another, earlier, home from which we came. With Wordsworth, we seem to know that Our birth is but a sleep, and a ' forgetting." That there may be a .life, before this, a life, a primeval place of liv ing, is not a new th ought. Philosophers have pondered it, and poets have snng abont It. Indeed, the doctrine of the of man has been in the feelings of humanity. All who accept Christian theology and the correctness of the scriptures, are driven to believe that, in the unseen world, are hosts of personal intelligences, who lived there before the earth was created. Jesus, the Son of God, lived with the Father before His earthly ministry. I AST age-ol- d - pre-existe- ever-prese- the heavenly host; something of an intruder there. A DIFFICULT DOCTRINE It is this doctrine that has made it so difficult for the churches to explain, rationally, the meaning of human life" In their attempts to satisfy our understanding, they have stood as before a dark curtain. Too often they have said, "It is a mystery. For example, in one of the most widely circulated books of the day, the head of one of the worlds most powerful churches, a man who speaks for millions, writes: , "If there were bo world, God would be Just what He is only (presamably) abont to make the world. For He is Impelled to make the world by His love. (William Temple, Christianity and The Social Order, p. 40) If God "is impelled to make the world by His love," we may fairly ask, for love of whom? Since man, according to the commonly accepted view, did not dt firstxist, his creatlon cannot be for love of mankind, except Os a potter may love his jars' in advance of making them. That would make the creation of man on earth nothing more than a pastime of a divine power. That God would so occupy Himself - cannot be' believed by the rational mind. TEXdkES TrTUirect opposition to this view, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints teaches the of all are not, as often humanity.-taught, called by Gods power Into being out of nothing." Every person lived before he came on earth. His spirit, possessed of personality, was in the beginning with the Father" (D. Sc 93:23), as stated in the revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith. How far back that goes is not given to man to know. The "beginning transcends human comprehenE We a sion. MAN STANDS APART One conclusion, of stupenHowever, a curious belief dous meaning, comes out .of be has grown up concerning us, men and women. It Is com ceded that we stand apart from the remainder of creation, in attributes of mind and spirit. We tame the lightning, and ac- . quire power over all natural 26- ' We stand . as ' rulers rURINO the week of Jan. fy forces. one the Feb. 1, 1844, thing among the multiplicity of liv- v importance among the ac.ing forms. We are endowed of tivities of Jhe Prophet Joseph with attributes of mind and - glea nedf rom-- a - record Smith,spiritrwhichseemTnferIoFto of his journal, was the account those of God, only In degree, of to become a candecision his - not In kind. According to the "Christian promise, we shall, in didate for the presidency of the United. States -- time, reside in the habitation of Under date of Jan. 29, the Lord. Even Jesus Christ, Prophet writes as follows: "the Only Begotten Of the At 10 a m., the Twelve willing to come on earth in human form, and pos- - Apostles together with my aess the attributes of mortality, brother Hyrum and J. , P. The psalmist, when lie asked, Greene, met at the mayors office to take into consideration . "What is man? recognizing the of man, was the proper course for this peomoved upon to add "that thou ple to pursue in relation to the art mindful of him. (Psalms coming presidential election. The candidates for the of, 8.4) fice of President of tile United Yet, according to the common States, at present before the belief. Respite these marvelous people, are Martin Van Buren possessions, that seem to re- and Henry Clay. It is morally late man to someone greater, impossible for this people in we do not really belong to the justice to themselves, to vote -orderof heavenly beings. They-liv- ed for the of President before the earth. We did Van Buren, a man who crimnot exist until we cable on inally neglected his duties as earth. This makes us inferior chief magistrate , in the cold to the remainder of intelligent and 'Unblushing manner which creation. By this view, man Is he did when appealed to in the at best an adopted member of Missouri difficulties. His heartless reply bums like a firebrand In the breast of every Fojm 10 Jon. 22, 1944 e. , GOD-LIK- E ence of God. This philosophy meets the stem disapproval of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daSaints. Fath is' but an idle word, unless translated into Works. Indeed, the Church doubts whether faith is really alive unless it compels its possessor to engage in works corresponding to the faith. Salvation is, and must be, a cooperative enterprise between God y pre-existe- Subject Given For Fourth Talk A GOSPEL FUNDAMENTAL This doctrine of the freedom of human action lies basically in the foundations of the gospel It is as sacred to God as to man. The Lord knows that the process of education of growth, must come from within; never from without. i- Therefore, force and coercion are strangers to the Gospel of Jesus Christ In the words of Brigham Young:- -; pre-existe- I am not going to drive a man or woman to heaven. A great many think that they will flog people Into heaven, but this can never be done, for the intelligence in us is as inas Gods. (Disdependent course, p. 64) We would not make everybody bow down to our religion, if we had the power, for this would not be godlike. (Discourses, p. 65) And this, we may add, applies to drivings by fear of future punishment, a burning hell, as . by physical torture, such as has been practiced in earlier, Prophet Announces Candidacy -- he e true friend of liberty, Yonr cause is' just but I cau do nothing for you. As to Mr. Clay, his senti ments and cool contempt of the peoples rights are manifest 4n his reply, You had better go to Oregon for redress 'which would prohibit any true lover of our constitutional privileges fr6m supporting him at the ballot box. It was therefore moved by Willard Richards, and voted unanimously. That we will have an independent electoral ticket, and that Joseph Smith be a candidate for the next presidency; and that we use all the honorable means in our power for his election I said, If you attempt to accomplish this you must send every man in this city who is able to speak in public, through out tha land to electioneer and make stump speeches, advocate the Mormon religion, purity of election and call upon the people to stand by the law and David put down mobocracy. Yearsley must go. Parley P. Pratt to New ,York; Erastus Snow to Vermont, and Sidney Rigdon to Pennsylvania. 5 , , and man. ent the-curr- Last Year Of A Noble Life - -L-t- God have made the plan and path and program available; but .their use depends on the man himself. It is by the exer-- , cise of this right that man may rise to his divine destiny. This doctrine is la direct opposition to the religions philosophy, which leaves man oat of the picttA of salvation; and lets God do all, by grace. This philosophy, at least in days past, ha at-lowed a man to have his sinful fling through life; bat if, upon his death bed, he con-leased - faith ia the Father -and the Son, he would find" himself, after death, among the blessed ones, in the pres- Man? Is JOHN A. WIDTSOE therefore, the - destiny of ' person is' determined by himself. The mercy and grace of the right to hold his head high. We knew, in the distant' past, what awaited us on earth. . We had qualified ourselves for the We had god like experience. powers given us with which to do battle against evil and for good. We may enter, fearlief in personal lessly, as fitted and authorized It makes hian' one of the eter- citizens of earth, into the connal realities. If he were in tests and joys of life. the beginning with the Father," DESTINY A he is eternal, indestructible. His eternity recedes Into the In brief, we are all everlasteternal past, and moves onward ing, of the past, as in the fuinto the endless future. He ture. We are of a divine spirbecomes an integral part of the itual origin; As actual spiruniverse. Then he Is, also, itual sons and daughters of from everlasting to everlasting. God, we are members of the heavenly .family. That gives RELATIONSHIP TO GOD us a possible God like destiny. The Church teaches, further, That declares and fixes our that the relationship between place in the universe. We are God, and all human beings, is not of the earth, debased, but that of Father and children. of the heavens, exalted. That We were begotten of, rather is the first distinguishing mark than created by, God. In that of man. state, we received - The second such distinguishour spiritual bodies. That ing mark, according to the gives us ft divine pedigree, and teachings of the.Church, is that man has always been a free agent In the life before this we could exercise choice. By our own anions, choosing between right and wrong, we preELDER John A. Widtsoe pared ourselves for life on of the Council ot the earth. Thifc- - power remains Twelve will deliver his with us here. As in the .spirit --fourth radio address of world, so here, we must conseries on Sunday, stantly choose between this Jail 23, 1944, at 9:15 p.m. and that, between' good and over KSL. eviL Every new truth, or law, The subject of this admust be obeyed or disobeyed. dress will be The ObThe laws of the universe canjective of Life. The title not be ignored by man, who is of his series is An Underhimself a part of the universe. standable Religion. Forever, we must decide and - A Special musical numbers choose. will also be provided. Imaylearntheevils of lifts ua to the dignity of a place, alcohol, yet I may drink;dis-I may know of the foal a rightful place, by the side of eases that follow Immorality, God. yet I may give no respect to I that period, my body. I may be taught we possessed personal pow-- . the way to health, yet may ers like unto those we now follow destructive appetites. enjoy. (We could think and By self effort, I may adlearn, accept or reject, go forvance or retrograde, may rise ward or backward.) Perhaps Or fall. There is no savor la we had powers - beyond fame, position, or power, an-- , those of earth. By the less one has earned it, with diligent nse of these powers the Lords help, by himself. we fitted onrselves for life A pian for our welfare may on earth. We earned the be laid out, a path made, and right to come on earth. That a program arranged; but it deis the simple, nnderstandable pends upon ourselves whether doctrine of the Chnrch. we shall fit Into the plan, Thus K comes about that travel the path, or hear the every one of us, on earth has program. To a large extent. After the April Conference, we will have general conference all over the nation and I will attend as ' many as convenient. Tell have had Whig and Democratic presidents long enough we want a president of the United States.- - If I ever get Into the -peoplewe presidential chair, I will protect the people in their rights and liberties. I will not electioneer for myself. Hyrum, Brigham Parley and Taylor must go. Clayton must go or he will apostatize. The Whigs are striving for a king under the garb of democracy. There Is oratory enough in the Church to carry me into the presidential chair first slide. Captain White, of Quincy, was at the Mansion last night, and this morning drank a toast: May all your enemies be skinned and their skins be made into drumheads for your friends to beat upon; also, May Nau-vobecome the empire seat of government "I dictated to Bro. Phelps the heads of my pamphlet entitled, Views on the Powers and Policy of the Government oMhe United States. " o evil ages. ALLOWED TO CHOOSE r Men are taught the truth; they are left to accept or reject it. After that has been done, they must be allowed to do as they choose, It is better tQaIlQwJt.hem fowalkindark- ness than to attempt by force to bring them into light temA man convinced porarily. against his will is of the same In the words of opinion still Joseph' Smith, the Prophet, when he was asked how he governed his people, I teach the people correct principles and govern themselves. (Journal of Discourses, VoL they 10, p. 57) . Admittedly, the free agent is under great and grave responsibilities. The free agent becomes n responsible agent. We mast 1 face -- the consequence of oar choice, soberly. My days, my future, are ns I make them. That makes the acts of living a serious business. Bat, in answer, by the responsibilities attaching to the right of free agency, each one of ns to lifted, as it were, from childhood to maturity, from being receivers to givers, from pa- - (Continued on Page Twelve) |