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Show i uvc j EDITORIAL PAGE t rviva h cI orecasters week 40 percent of all Americans attend church services, in contrast to 5 percent in such nations as England, Scandinavia and West Germany. Yet in the face of this increased interest, of doom say that America is the way out as a leading world power. But those who have faith in America see a bright future, despite the growth of crime and corruption in so many places. Which are right? Which way will America go? This is a vital question for every citizen to consider. A generation ago a great economist, Roger W. Babson, wrote this very wise statement: Try as you will you cannot separate the factor of religion from in America. He economic development submitted figures, charts and graphs to prove his point. (Fundamentals of Prosperity Babson). 'Of course Latter-da- y Saints who believe the Book of Mormon fully agree with him, for. that volume plainly, repeatedly and emphatically announces that this nation will prosper only as it serves the God of the land who is Jesus Christ. FOR DECADES NOW interest in religion has been declining in America. All will remember the God is dead philosophy of the 1960s, and the steady decline in church attendance, with many congregations merging, others breaking up, and numerous church buildings left vacant. Based on a Gallup Survey the Aug. 9, 1976, issue of Time Magazine said that a new interest in religion is being bom in America; with 94 percent of the citizens saying they believe in God and 69 percent admitting a belief in life after death. , The magazine said that those who believe religion has an influence on American societyhavejumped from 14 percent in 1970 to 39 per cent last year. In a typical on which the U.S. News & World Report also confirms, there is the paradox of more failing churches, more mergers of dwindling congregations, and more chapels boarded up. ON THE OTHER hand the clenched fists of student rebels of a few years back have given way to more young people showing a serious interest in school, more normal dating, more hunting for jobs and a nearly total absence of student riots. Some young people are still holding on to their hippy type of life while philosophizing over a new saved concept of religion. All trends toward faith are to be commended, for even a small interest in religion is better than none at all. But it is still true that faith without works is dead, and there can be no lasting benefits from renewed faith without the works that give meaning to that faith. Repentance is the crying need of America, repentance combined with faith which leads to a devoted Christian life. Until America is willing to give up its indulgent ways and really determine to serve the Lord, there will be no genuine progress in this respect. IT IS STILL true that not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matt. 7:21) Our Home Gardens but steady growth in home gardening over the past three years with 43 percent of the households planting a garden in 1974, 46 percent in 1975, and 48 percent having or intending to have a garden in 1976, they said. FROM THE BEGINNING of President Spencer W. Kimballs administration in the leadership of the Church he has urged Latter-da- y Saints to plant home gardens as a further measure of self preservation in the face of world difficulties. It is interesting how other people, particularly in the United States, have done likewise, as is noted in the Washington dispatch from United Press International: Nearly one in every two American households has a vegetable garden, according tc Agriculture Department statistics. Evelyn F. Kait and Jon P. Weimer of the Economic Research Service, said Monday that a nationwide survey last spring showed the interest in home gro wn vegetables, which began several years ago when food prices started going up suddenly, The survey included interviews with 1,500 people selected to represent a cross section of the population of the continental United States. Saving money did not emerge as the leading reason for gardening. About 50 percent of the households which had gardens in 1975 said they grew their own produce because of a preference for the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables. ABOUT 40 PERCENT cited a desire to save money, while about 33 percent said they regarded the outdoor gardening work as a hobby. is still rising. The survey results indicated a slight 1$ , WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER CHUftGH Vv ... ,m ' - M Slia npy 25, 1976 - VIGNETTES OF FAITH Family Worship Services Elder Abraham O. Woodruff of the Council of the Twelve returned home from the Sevier Stake conference of June 1901 impressed by what he had observed. Even more than what had been said at the meetings he remembered the example of the family who had hosted him during his overnight stay in Richfield, Utah. It was the custom of Stake Pres. William H. Seegmillers family, he told the October general conference, to begin each day with a family devotional. Every morning before beginning the days work, the family met in the parlor for about 20 minutes. They sang a hymn while one of the daughters played the organ, read together from the scriptures, and knelt in family prayer. The practice of a family worshipping together at home in this manner was strongly recommended by Elder Woodruff to all members of the Church. It had been encouraged among the members before, and other Church leaders were soon repeating the admonition. They, too, had seen the benefits to families of learning the gospel in a regular program of home study. Elder Marriner W. Merrill had observed it in northern Utah: How beautiful was the spirit that prevailed in that family circle! Elder Matthias F. Cowley had found that the family worship service was a general practice among the Saints in Wyomings Big Horn Basin, where it was being encouraged by stake officials as a regular happening before evening prayer. In 1909 the Salt Lake Granite Stake attempted to formalize file concept by furnishing parents with suggestions for conducting a family home evening one night a week. The following year President Joseph F. Smith published an article encouraging acceptance of the plan Church-wide. From these beginnings early in the century came the Family Home Evening program formalized in the 1960s as an aid to teaching the gospel in the home. den M. Leonard |