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Show V- - ,.rr V4 Radio Address DrTWest Names Subject Of Address KINGDOM OF GOD,'1 - is "THE the subject to be discussed by BY DR. FRANKLIN L WEST Church Commissioner Of Education .Address delivered. SundayJune 16, 1946 overKSL believe that religion la Instituted viK YV of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or magisprivate devotion; that the civil trate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the At the same time . . . holding souL sacred ,the freedom of conscience." (Doctrine and Covenants 134:4,5.) There is basis in the Latter-da- y Saint Church the principle of free agency. Church members are taught that they are, responsible to God and society anafor their own activities. Of course, absolute freedom is imthe possible for we are limited by our power of God and the limits of own nature. Also we are conditioned by the forces of natnre, both asphysical in all and social. In the Church, social institutions, we limit our own activity in the interest Is of the good particularly whole, and this tflbe true in the ease of Ihe Church. Religion, to function effectively, must be organized. Jesus trained leaders and that organised His movement in order the work might continue after He had gone. You remember He chose twelve apostles and later seventy men and sent them to preach, to heal the sick, and to baptize for the remission of their sins. His instructions were followed not only during His life but after His death. Paul. Peter and others proclaimed the gospel with power, baptized many and established churches through out Asia Minor and Southern Europe. The officers who directed its affairs did dot obtain their livelihood from the Church. Peter and otheri were fishermen. Paul wa a tent .maker. They took the fact they supparticular pride Inand mission acported themselvestheir their own labors. No tivities through money wts received lor their personal service in the Church. APOSTASY EVIDENT - The Latter-da-y Saint Church maintains, and has much evidence to supthe ritual was port the claim, that one to a complex changed from a simple one, and worship from a simple devo... tion to elaborate pageantry with a mul-.this sacraments. Throughout of tipliclty a wide departure was made ' apostasy from the plain, simple teachings and Church. organization of the primitivedivine in- For this reason, through the Joseph of the. Prophet strumentality Smith, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Priesthood were restored to the ' ? earth. y It is a marvelous fact that In its present organization there are more than 200,000 positions of responsibility held members who occupy by the Church without financial remuthese positions d willingly. neration, doing it gladly-anthrough They receive joy and satisfaction work of service in the this volunteer the Lord. Salat Church ahowi The Latter-da-y evidence of its divine origin not only obla Hs form of organizationas and it does jectives, hat in operating on the basis af continuous revelation, mercy, utilising principles of Justice, wide lave and mutual helpfulness, withmemits participation on the part af bers which helps them cultivate the ability t adapt themselves to new - and changing situations. ' Some educators are teaching, and with considerable power, that there is no such thing as individual freedom. The type of choice a man makes, they claim, is entirely determined by' what has gone before, for example, by his inheritance and all his previous ence, by his habits and .his attitudes. of There- some people to justify their mistakes help it; they by claiming that they can't are just made that way. Or others claim that it is due to their training, orblaming their society or the government homes or their teachers, in fact, everyone but themselves. These same people who rationalize and blame others for - their own sim would be Insulted if they were told they are irresponsible. It is my confident belief that a considerable amount of our moral relapse and the increase in lawlessness is due to the deterministic philosophy Just stated. It Is also duo to the fact that there is lwk ing any feeling of responsibility to God . or obligation to obey His laws. MAN A CHILD OF GOD Saint Church recog The Latter-da- y ... nizes some truth in this philosophy and attempts to tr&la its young people in habits of honesty and integrity so that all they might almost habitually and-times respond in the best possible way With satisfaction and live the most satisfying life. It does claim, 'however, and with great power,- - that man is a child of God, has his free agency, and within certain limits is determiner qf his own destiny and is the master of his own fate. He is accountable and responsible for his behavior both to society and to God. He has a choice in deciding whether he will take the high road, use his talents and his time for the benefit of bis fellows, and experience the joy which comes from continuous growth and development through service; or whether he will travel the low road of selfishness, greed and lust, compromising with evil and slowly disintegrating. The Bible the wages of sin is death." says, (Romans 6:23) It is true that our freedom is limited by our own nature and by society. For example, we are not free to go without food indefinitely. We cannot touch a high voltage electric wire without serious consequence. Neither with impunity can we break the laws of the land. at Freedom may thus be considered as unrestricted activity within the limits of just law and rfchtful authority. Sensible people willingly obey laws. It is through a jliscovery of the laws of nature and operating In conformity with them rather than in opposition to them that men have been able to harness the forces of natnre and direct them into useful channels. For example, instead of trying to force water into flewlng upstream it is possible to divert it to one i side into pipes and. then peqnit it to flow downhill. This rapidly moving water drives the dynamos, and in this power is generated. Thus obedience to physical law makes it possible for our work to bo done by the electrical energy giving us leisure and freedom for other things. Members of society learn to submit to the rules and regulations of tj organizations to which they belong.- - To grow in intellectual and moral stature and bower, however, they must do something besides submit Submitting is the work of slaves. To submit to injustice may be a mark of weakness and cowardice. Men frequently grow fastest and work with the greatest zeal when pro- - Jle Seventy 3 ay-electrical Colu The Sermon On The Mount BY LEVI EDGAR YOUNG - that it hath been said. Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despite fully use you, and persecute you. ' But thou, when thou n rarest, enter Into thy eloset, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." But when ye pray use not vain repetitions, as the heathen dm -- for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be net ye therefore like unto them: for yeur Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.' . After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father' which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give ns this day eur daily bread. , And forgive ns eur debts, as we forgive eur debtors And lead ua noi Into temptation, but deliver ns from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. - -- JESUS CHRIST grew up in the little. town of Nazareth In Galilee. 'Nazareth stands on the side of a kill, from whose summit one may see the beauty of the mountains of Samaria and far to the West, the blue waters of the Mediterranean. The town consisted of one room cottages, built of mountain stone or burnt clay, with fig trees and palm trees between them, and with vines, clambering over the wails." The chief r building was the Synagogue, where the children were taught the Law and the Ten Commandments. A student of that o has written: Jesus saw the vulture hovering In the asure deep of the Syrian d sky, and the hen mothering its chickena in. the dusty of the little white houses; Ho watched the sparrow on the housetops and listened to the cooing of the dove. He saw the husbandman sowing grain over his stony Helds, and noticed the tares springing up with the wheat;' Hr marked the difference between good and bad land. He saw ; the labourers going up and down with their baskets between the vines. The farmera prophesied what westher was to come from the colour of the clouds. He watched the fox making fordts earth, and the hooded shepherd carrying the lamb in his arms down the hillside. Wo may surely think that He brought homo with Him for His mother littto nose-gaof wild flowers, gathered la the fields, flowers more beauti- ful than Solomon in all his glory." long-ag- court-yar- ys , From His teachings as wrtiten in the parables'. He knew the beauties of the great and the eternal lesson that man is to deal direct with God The only companion of His spirit was the voice from Heaven. After a night of prayer and the calling of the Twelve, Jesus in he early morning descended to the mountain side. Here had gathered a Galilean multitude to listen to His teachings. St. Luke explicitly states that He out-of-do- lifted up His eyes on His disciples and gave his Sermon On The Mount," which has been designated by William Alexander Grist' as the Ordination Discourse to the Apostles and Seventies" as they were called to preach the Gospel, of Faith, Repentance, and Baptism. These men were .. taught by the Savior, for they were to be the servants of the Gospel of the Lord His Disciples were to learn and then to teach. They were to be the Apostles of Light to the whole world . . i ALL" MEMBERS , Ye have heard moting a cause of their own choosing, and when opportunities are provided for doing original, creative thinking and planning. For nearly forty years, you remember, Moses encountered great difficulty in leading the Hebrew slaves out of the wilderness. In slavery they had submitted so long they could not easily become the soldiers of courage and resourcefulness required to conquer Canaan which was a walled city occupied by civilized people. It was left for Joshua, with the help of God, to lead a new generation of younger and free men, reared in the open, establishing them in the Promised Land. God speak. . as 1 was with ing to him said, Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of, a good courage: . ,J . meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to da according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:5, 6, 8.) The project was a success. It was a combination of the help of God, the courage of the leader, the knowledge of and obedience to the moral law, coupled with the courage and resourcefulness of the soldiers. - Of The First Council Of Seventy "Arid seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came into him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying. Blessed art the poor inspintifor theirs is the kingdom of x heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inhefit' the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. obtaiiu mercy.. Blessed are ihe merciful:for , they-sha- ll Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God, . Blessed are they jchtch ere persecuted for righteousness ' sake: for theirs is the kingdom pf heaven, Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you.and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. ' Dr. Franklin L. West, Church Commissioner of Education, Sunday, June 23, 1946, at 9 p.m. over KSL. This' is the final address in a series that has been given on the Radio- -- Church under the title of Education and Life. PARTICIPANTS I once knew a farmer, a very good man, who made all the decisions in the management of his farm. His son's inheritance. as far as lands and herds were concerned, was bounteous. But the boy, having had no experience in management, vyhen forced to make decisions for himself, fell very short of his fathers success. I know another man who made a great deal of money in almost every one of his -- business . ventures, who told his hoys he hoped they would have as much pleasure spending it as he had had in making it; They were given little or no opportunity to make decisions or participate in the business management. Not having had experience under their fathers guidance in the making of money, they' soon spent their inheritance and then had great difficulty in making an honest living for themselves. In the Latter-da- y Saint Church all male members over twelve years ef age are entitled to hold the priesthood. These men function not only as members in some organisations bnt as officers of others. Experience is given them both to be followers and to be leaders. An early Church leader, when ence asked how ho was able to govern the people so successfully, they were taught correct principles and then governed themselves. Men are free to accept or reject - membership .In - the - Church, free-t- o accept or reject its teachings. Great freedom is experienced (a the many held throughout the Church. The members have learned, hewever, that in the acceptance of its teachings, the responsibilities of becoming officers in its auxiliary organizations, in paying their tithes, in listening to the eounsel of their brethren, and obeying the laws of God great joy and happiness follow. It was one of the early principles of the Church that the policies and practices of the Church, and even its teachings, were to - be accepted by common consent. Frequently these matters were carried to the body of the Church when it was small in numbers. One of the revelations given through Joseph Smith in the 'Doctrine and Covenants says, For behold, it is not meet that 1 should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a" slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I. say. men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. But he that doeth not anything Until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with- - slothfulnessth-sam- e is damned." (Doctrine and Cove. nants 58:26-29- .) re-pl- ied ss-discussions ENTITLED TO INSPIRATION MEMBERS . . All members of the Church are entitled to, and do receive the blessings of the inspiration of God if they are humble and seek for guidance and if their lives are in harmony with gospel principles. The leaders of the Church are entitled to and do receive inspiration to guide the affairs of the Church. Ths . Doctrine - and Covenants - cautions, however, it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they |