EVIDENCES AND RECONCILIATIONS John A. Widtsoe Arranged by G. Homer Durham Salt Lake City, Utah Text (c) 1960 by Bookcraft Table of Contents EVIDENCES AND RECONCILIATIONS CONTENTS Foreword 1. The Approach to Truth 2. The Godhead 3. Revelation 4. The Bible 5. Science and Religious Questions 6. Salvation 7. Priesthood 8. Freedom Versus Organization in the Church 9. Marriage and the Family 10. Joseph Smith 11. Delusions 12. Miscellaneous I The Approach to Truth 1. What is Truth? 13 2. How May a Testimony of the Truth of the Gospel be Obtained? 15 3. How Can the Existence of God be Verified? 18 4. Does the Church Have a Monopoly on Truth? 23 5. Can the Experimental Method be Employed in Religion? 25 6. Can Faith be Built on Theories? 28 7. Is it Wrong to Doubt? 31 8. How Do You Account for Gospel Resemblances in Non-Christian Religions? 34 9. How is a Testimony Kept? Lost? 39 10. Does Higher Education Tend to Diminish Faith in the Gospel? 41 11. What is a Liberal Religion? 45 12. Is the Gospel Changing 47 II The Godhead 1. Why are the Terms "God" and "Father" Applied to Several Personages? 53 2. Why is Jesus the Christ Sometimes called the Eternal Father? 58 3. How Does God Have Constant Knowledge of the Whole Universe? 62 4. Are There Many Gods? 65 5. What are the Facts Concerning the So-Called Adam-God Theory? 68 6. What is the Meaning of the Atonement? 72 7. What is the Difference Between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost?76 8. Why do we Partake of the Sacrament? Who Should Partake of the Sacrament? 79 III Revelation 1. Why Cannot Things of God be Known Except by the Spirit of God? 85 2. Why did Joseph Smith, the Prophet, Need the Help of the Urim and Thummim? 89 3. To What Extent May Prophecy be Interpreted? 92 4. What Shall be Done With Personal Spiritual Manifestations? 97 5. Does the Church Receive Revelations Today as in the Days of Joseph Smith? 100 6. Was the "Manifesto" Based on Revelation? 103 7. What is an Angel? 107 8. Whence Came the Temple Endowments? 111 IV The Bible 1. Is the Bible Translated Correctly? 117 2. Are the Early Books of the Bible (the Pentateuch and Joshua) Historically Correct? 121 3. Did the Flood Cover the Highest Mountains of Earth? 126 4. Did the Sun Stand Still upon Gibeon? 129 5. What is the Message of the Old Testament? 131 V Science and Religious Questions 1. What is the Attitude of the Church Toward Science? 13 2. How Trustworthy is Science? 143 3. How Old is the Earth? 146 4. How Did the Earth Come into Being? 150 5. What is the Origin of Life on Earth? 153 6. To What Extent Should the Doctrine of Evolution be Accepted? 159 7. What Does Evolution Teach Today? 166 8. Does Science Contribute to Religious Faith? 170 9. Does the Progress of Science Diminish the Challenge of Religion? 173 10. Is Religion Needed in an Age of Science? 176 11. Are We Progressing? 179 12. What is Eternal Progression? 182 13. Is there Progress in Heaven? 184 VI Salvation 1. What is the Meaning of Salvation? 189 2. Was the "Fall" Inevitable? 192 3. What is the Need of Ordinances? 196 4. How May Membership and Exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom be Won? 198 5. Will all Men who Lived on Earth Before Christ be Resurrected Before Those Who Came After Christ? 202 6. Is it possible to progress from one glory to another? 204 7. What is Evil? 205 8. Is There a Personal Devil? 208 9. Who are the Sons of Perdition? 212 10. What is the Mormon Meaning of Hell? 215 11. Why does the Lord Permit War? 217 12. Should a Soldier Love his Enemy? 220 13. What is the Meaning of Intelligence? 223 14. Should Church Doctrine be Accepted Blindly? 226 VII Priesthood 1. Who was Melchizedek? 231 2. What is the Distinction between the Priesthood and the Keys of the Priesthood? 234 3. When Does a Prophet Speak as a Prophet? 236 4. Did the Nephites Have the Higher Priesthood Before the Coming of Christ? 240 5. Who is Elias and What is His Mission? 243 6. Who are the Sons of Levi, and What is Their Future Offering in Righteousness? 245 7. Who is the Man Like Unto Moses? 248 8. Which is Greater -- Priesthood or the Church? 249 9. What is the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood? 252 10. In the Event of the Death of the President of the Church Why does the Council of the Twelve Apostles Take over the Presidency of the Church? 255 11. What is the Meaning of the Title "Prophet, Seer, and Revelator"? 256 12. Who is President of the "Twelve"? 260 13. How is a President of the Church Chosen? 263 VIII Freedom Versus Organization in the Church 1. Are the Latter-day Saints a Free People? 26 2. Is There Coercion in the Church? 273 3. What is Orthodoxy? 276 4. Why Does Not the Church Confine itself to Spiritual Matters? 279 5. Why is it Undesirable to Join Secret Societies? 282 6. Why and How Should Tithing be Paid? 283 7. What Tithes and Offerings Were Required of Ancient Israel? 288 8. Does the Payment of Tithing Cause Economic Distress? 292 IX Marriage and the Family 1. Why Marry in the Temple? 297 2. Why not Marry Outside of the Church? 302 3. What is the Place of Woman in the Church? 305 4. Should Birth Control be Practiced? 310 5. Why Should Family Prayers be Held? 315 6. Which Comes First -- Church or Home? 318 7. What is the Meaning of Patriarchal Blessings? 321 8. Why are Buildings Dedicated? 326 X Joseph Smith 1. Is the "History of Joseph Smith" Trustworthy? 331 2. When did Joseph Smith Have the First Vision? 334 3. Did Joseph Smith Introduce Plural Marriage? 340 4. Did Joseph Smith Plan the Westward Migration of the Church? 345 5. Which Prophet is the Greatest? 350 6. What is the "Inspired Translation" of the Bible? 353 7. Why did Joseph Smith Become a Mason? 357 8. What was the Vocabulary of Joseph Smith? 360 XI Delusions 1. Why is Reincarnation a False Doctrine? 365 2. Is There a Master Race? 370 3. Are Communism and its Related "Isms" Preparatory to the United Order? 374 XII Miscellaneous 1. Wherein Lay the Greatness of Brigham Young? 381 2. What Did the Pioneers Contribute to the Welfare of Others? 386 3. Why Did the Church Practice Plural Marriage in the Earlier Days? 390 4. Where Was the Garden of Eden? 394 5. Who Are the Children of Abraham? 398 6. Are There Guardian Angels? 401 7. Where Are the Lost Tribes of Israel? 404 FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION Books come into being in many different ways -- some because writers choose to write, and some, like this one, because readers make insistent demands. Throughout his professional life as scientist, educator, public servant, and churchman a distinguished and almost unbelievably varied career going back nearly half a century -- Dr. John A. Widtsoe has been receiving questions from confused and alert and honest and eager students -- students of life, students of the gospel, and students engaged in formal academic pursuits. These questions have come by letter, in Church gatherings, from the mission field, in the classroom, and on informal occasions. Some years ago Dr. Widtsoe began to make permanent record of such questions as they came to him and, beginning nearly five years ago, to answer in print in the pages of the Improvement Era those most persistently and most frequently asked. "Evidences and Reconciliations" was the general title adopted, with a subtitle "Aids to Faith in a Modern Day"; and that the series filled an urgent need is attested by the fact that requests for permanent compilation began to increase as the writings progressed through the months thus repeating the experience of other writers who, by reason of demand, have been obliged to publish their serial efforts in book form. Dr. Widtsoe's pen has long been active in the cause of truth all truth. His scientific papers are numerous. His articles and books crusading for better irrigation and dry-farming practice have been translated into many languages. His Church books, courses of study, and compilations go back to his early young manhood. Books and manuals written by him and published number more than a score and a half, in addition to magazine and newspaper articles, pamphlets, tracts, and encyclopedic and other writings. As a research scholar schooled in the finest institutions of two continents, as a former president first of a state agricultural college and then of a state university, as a consulting chemist, as director of an agricultural experiment station, as a member of government commissions and of scientific societies, as a churchman of many assignments, and as a world traveler, he has the stimulating manner of a true teacher, the open mind of a true scholar, the engaging charm of a true gentleman, and the true humility of a man of God. His pen, sparing in its use of words and direct in its approach, is nevertheless colorful in expression -- and it quickly focuses attention on fact, avoiding unsupportable generalization. With this brief glimpse of a man and his work, neither of which needs introduction, it is gratifying to bring this volume to the readers who have asked for it and to the many students, both of science and religion, who will find in it many "aids to faith in a modern day." Richard L. Evans Salt Lake City, Utah 1. WHAT IS TRUTH? Truth is the desired objective of all rational human action. Science and religion alike are built on truth. Jesus, the Christ, frankly declared to Pilate that "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." (John 18:37) The meaning of a word so commonly used should be generally and correctly understood. Yet, subjected to philosophical speculation, truth has often been given diverse meanings, or left befogged in clouds of abstraction. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith occurs a very simple yet comprehensive definition, "Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come." (D. & C. 93:24) -- that is, truth is synonymous with accurate knowledge or a product of it. This cuts away all underbrush. Without knowledge, truth may not be found. Truth is revealed by knowledge; and knowledge is gained by man through his various senses assisted by such aids as he may secure. That is, the facts of observation, in the visible or invisible world, lead to truth; and truth must conform to human experience. To the seeker after knowledge, truth is constantly being revealed. The dictionary agrees well in one of its several definitions with the Prophet: "Truth is conformity with fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or will be." This also expresses the thought that truth issues from knowledge. This throws the burden of discovering truth upon the individual. As he obtains knowledge in any field, he will gain truth. But the knowledge must be correct, factual, or it does not lead to truth. There has been endless speaking and writing about ultimate or final truth. It may as well be admitted at once, and without reservation, that mortal man, gathering knowledge through imperfect senses -- his only avenues to truth -- must remain content, in many fields of endeavor, with partial truth. The eye of man, sweeping the heavens, gathers some knowledge of the universe; with the aid of telescope and spectroscope more is won; but full knowledge of the starry heavens is yet far beyond man's reach. Nevertheless, the knowledge gained by the bare eye, or by the aid of instruments reveals truth -- partial but noble truth, fit to stand by the side of all other truth. With the progress of time, knowledge-seeking, truth-loving man will ever approach the fulness of truth. The attempt has also been made to limit man's search for truth to the material universe. This implies that there is no other universe, or that man is incapable of exploring spiritual domains. Both alternatives are unacceptable to sound thinking. Man and the eternal universe cannot be confined within the limits of materialism. Therefore, in the search for truth man may touch the source of life, as also the immobile stone; the eternal past, as the endless future; the Lord of the heavens, as the humblest of His creatures; the spiritual, as the material worlds. In the search for truth it becomes, of course evident that there are divisions of knowledge. One deals with facts alone; another with the use of the facts for man's good or evil; yet another, to those who believe in God, with the conformity of statements or actions to divine laws. In a world of living things, knowledge that helps man is of greatest importance, and highest value. Indeed, knowledge of the universe is of value only as it serves man in his upward, progressive journey. Within that statement lie the truths of religion; and therein the importance of religion becomes evident. Simply to gather truth without regard to man's welfare spells an empty life. Or, to gather truth for the purpose of injuring man, makes a devil of such a seeker after knowledge. Only those who seek to find the use of truth for every man's advancement, are the acceptable seekers after truth. In its noblest sense, truth is knowledge gathered and used for human welfare. Truth is the most precious possession of man. Light is its fellow traveler. He who walks in the light, may travel intelligently and safely. (D. & C. 93:29, 36) There, also, is a test of truth. (D. & C. 50:23, 24) 2. HOW MAY A TESTIMONY OF THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL BE OBTAINED? Members of the Church frequently "bear testimonies," one to the other. They declare that they know the restored gospel to be true, and voice the joy found in the possession of the gospel. Such testimonies are statements of certainty of belief. They imply that the united experiences and powers of the man or woman confirm the truth of the gospel. Doubt is dismissed. Faith becomes the ruling power. The beginning of a testimony is faith in God as the Father of the spirits of men; than in a divine plan of salvation for all men, with Jesus, the Christ at the head; and finally in the restoration of the gospel or the plan and Priesthood authority through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The learned and the unlearned, the youth and the veteran, the high and the humble, may bear such a testimony alike. Each one learns the truth through his own powers. To each one may come the conviction that truth is the substance of the gospel and its claims. The man, rich in learning and experience, may be able to marshall more evidences for his belief than the adolescent lad; but, since both have tested the gospel with the means at their command, and found it not wanting, they may both claim respect for their separate testimonies. A conviction of the truth of the gospel, a testimony, must be sought if it is to be found. It does not come as the dew from heaven. It is the result of man's eagerness to know truth. Often it requires battle with traditions, former opinions and appetites, and a long testing of the gospel by every available fact and standard. "Faith is a gift of God," but faith must be used to be of service to man. The Lord lets it rain upon the just and the unjust, but he whose field is well plowed is most benefited by the moisture from the sky. Specifically, what must a person do in his quest for a testimony? First, there must be a desire for truth. That is the beginning of all human progress, in school, in active life, in every human occupation. The desire to know the truth of the gospel must be insistent constant, overwhelming, burning. It must be a driving force. A "devil-may-care" attitude will not do. Otherwise, the seeker will not pay the required price for the testimony. A testimony comes only to those who desire it. Saul, as an enemy of Christ, was sincere in his persecutions. As his desire for truth developed, the Lord could bring to him the conviction of his error. Running through the Pauline epistles is the glorification of truth as the foundation of all wisdom. Desire must precede all else in the winning of a testimony. Second, the seeker for a testimony must recognize his own limitations. He is on a royal road, traveling towards the palace of truth, in which all human good may be found. There are truths beyond the material universe. Indeed, a testimony may be said to begin with the acceptance of God, who transcends as well as encompasses material things. The seeker for a testimony feels the need of help beyond his own powers, as the astronomer uses the telescope to enlarge his natural vision. The seeker for a testimony prays to the Lord for help. Such a prayer must be as insistent and constant as the desire. They must move together as the palm and back of the hand. Then help will come. Many a man has strayed from the road because his desire has not been coupled with prayer. Prayer must accompany desire in the quest for a testimony. Third, an effort must be put forth to learn the gospel, to understand it, to comprehend the relationship of its principles. The gospel must be studied, otherwise no test of its truth may sanely be applied to it. That study must be wide, for the gospel is so organized that in it is a place for every truth, of every name and nature. That study must be constantly continued, for the content of the gospel is illimitable. It is a paradox that men will gladly devote time every day for many years to learn a science or an art; yet will expect to win a knowledge of the gospel, which comprehends all sciences and arts, through perfunctory glances at books or occasional listening to sermons. The gospel should be studied more intensively than any school or college subject. They who pass opinion on the gospel without having given it intimate and careful study are not lovers of truth, and their opinions are worthless. To secure a testimony, then, study must accompany desire and prayer. Fourth, the gospel must be woven into the pattern of life. It must be tested in practice. The gospel must be used in life. That is the ultimate test in the winning of a testimony. Certainly, the experience of others who have consistently obeyed gospel requirements is of value to the seeker after a testimony. Children are wise in accepting the experiences of their parents. Beginners do well to trust those who are seasoned in gospel living. But, there comes a time when every person must find out for himself, in his own daily life, the value of the gospel. A sufficient testimony comes only to him who "stands upon his own feet." A testimony of the truth of the gospel comes, then, from: (1) Desire, (2) Prayer, (3) Study, and (4) Practice. This is really the formula given by Moroni, the Nephite prophet: And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4, 5) Thousands have tried this approach to truth; and have found the testimonies they sought. So far, no one who, with flaming desire, sincere prayer, earnest study, and fearless practice, has sought the truth of "Mormonism" has failed to find it. Some, for lack of courage, though truth stared them in the face, have kept it to themselves. But, the approach never fails, so declares fearlessly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 3. HOW CAN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD BE VERIFIED? There is really no more important question before man. And, in the words of the Apostle Peter, we should "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15) However, it is useless to attempt to satisfy anyone who asks this question unless he really desires to know God. Desire to know always precedes knowledge. Religious truth begins with a knowledge of God. Once the existence and nature of our Father in heaven have been established, religious doubts soon vanish, and life's proper course of action becomes clear. Too often theological misunderstandings come because the testimony of God's reality has not been obtained. In winning a certainty of God's existence, every power and faculty possessed by man may be employed. Observation, experimentation, feeling, prayer, and every process of thought are legitimate avenues to a knowledge of God. The attempt to confine the pursuit of religious truth within a compartment away from many-sided life simply leads to confusion and mystification. In every other activity man is obliged to use his natural gifts -- senses of body and spirit, and power of mind to arrange acquired knowledge in an orderly manner -- so why not in the search for God? All methods by which truth is discovered may be used in finding the answer to this foremost question. Man knows things chiefly by their effects or by reports from others. Likewise in the search for religious truth we often know things, conditions, persons and personages from their effects, or the testimony of others. God, who does not reveal Himself in person to all, may be known through His works, or through His revelations to others. Jesus, the Christ, declared a search for truth through its effects to be legitimate. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and believe ... (John 10:37, 38) By this test we, two thousand years later, may know that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Son of God. By this test we may know that there is a God. So important is the question concerning the existence of God that thousands of men, from the earliest times, have sought for the answer. Out of this long search have come convincing evidences for the reality of God. These evidences have increased as men have more diligently sought God and respected truth. The existence of God, tested by all human powers, is the most firmly established fact in man's possession. The searcher for God may turn for evidence to the external universe, to his own inner self, and to human history for his answer. Three hundred years of advancing science have revealed many of the secrets of nature. In one respect the result of the study of nature has always been the same. Every process of nature is orderly. Chance, disorder, chaos are ruled out of the physical universe. If every condition involved in a system is precisely the same, the result, anywhere, everywhere, today or at any other time, will be the same. The sun does not rise in the east today and in the west tomorrow. That means that the phenomena of nature are products of law. The infinitely large or the infinitely small move in obedience to law. In man's earnest search for truth, no exception to this process has been found. Apparent deviations, such as the famous uncertainty principle operating in the subatomic world are but expressions of man's incomplete knowledge, which always disappear with increasing knowledge. The universe exists under a reign of eternal law, surpassing the imperfect laws of human government. Such orderliness, such domination by law, imply intelligent planning and purpose. Nothing happens of itself. Nowhere, in the age-old experience of man, has continued order been found except as the product of intelligent direction. Man's simplest machine, from the Indian scalping knife to the high-powered automobile, is a product of intelligent action. So convincing has the accumulated knowledge of man become that sober men of science, of foremost rank, declare that to them the universe appears as a Great Thought. The conclusion is evident. There can be no planning or purpose without a mind; there can be no thought without a thinker. The universe, itself, declares that there is intelligent purpose in nature, and that there must be, therefore, a supreme intelligence directing the universe. This is God. Thus, every discovery in science becomes an additional evidence for God. The day of materialism is laid low. Only those who are content to gather facts without thinking about their meaning in the scheme of things are atheists in this day of enlightenment. "Faith in science is faith in God." The evidence for God which comes from the invisible world, the world as yet only feebly explored by science, is equally convincing. Man's knowledge of the universe is not confined to the narrowly limited senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and tactile feeling. He has other senses which enable him to gather truth from the larger part of the universe beyond the reach of eye or ear. The existence of such scenes and fields is no longer questioned by sound thinkers. It is recognized that in the invisible as in the visible world cause and effect travel together, and may be sensed by the human organism; and that when a person uses these powers, places himself "in tune " he receives knowledge pertaining to the part of the universe closed to the grosser senses. Such, for example, is the evidence of conscience. If one seeks to do right, he is warned whenever he is tempted to stray from the proper path. Similar is the evidence of prayer. The vast majority of mankind agree that prayer helps people meet or solve the problems of life. Or, note the results of obedience to the law of the Lord. They who obey law find a joy not otherwise to be secured. From such conformity, prayer, and heed to conscience has come to millions of people the revelation, the certain conviction, that God lives and guides His children on earth. The message is as real as the words issuing from the radio tuned to the broadcaster. Certain it is that man has within himself the power to find and to know God. The reality and validity of such knowledge or convictions, often called spiritual, is now very generally admitted. It certainly should be. That there are mountains on the moon is accepted as a fact because thousands of normal people testify that they have seen them through the telescope. That prayers are heard; that guidance is received from the unseen world; or that God lives, have been testified to, throughout the generations of time, by more thousands of honest normal persons than have ever testified to a scientific fact. And it is notable that there is full agreement among the believers in God as to the nature of their experiences. The very tests applied to the science of the external world, may properly be used in testing spiritual experiences. And the results should be received with equal respect. Scoffing is the refuge of the uninformed. An evidence of the highest value remains. Millions of men and women have come to be believers in God, and have sought to place themselves in harmony with him, by yielding obedience to His will. As a result they have undergone a thorough-going change. As they have accepted God fully, and in sincerity, this change has become more marked. They have become more law-abiding. They have increased in power. They have been more useful to society. They have learned to accept the vicissitudes of life with more equanimity, and to look with more tolerance upon their fellow men. Love has flowed from them. They are the ones who have moved the world forward. The study of the world's history justifies these statements. Believers in God reflect His qualities; even as the warm earth represents the warmth of the sun. Under the law of cause and effect this is a powerful evidence for the existence of God, the source of strength and love and progress. As a supplementary evidence is the further historical fact that a number of men have declared that they have seen God, and even spoken with Him, or that they have received messages from Him for themselves and others. The historicity of their claims is in most cases well established. That which was done, for example, by Paul the Apostle and Joseph Smith the Prophet after their heavenly experiences helps confirm the truth of their claims. The existence of God may then be verified from external nature, from the "inner nature" of man, from the effects of conformity to God's law, and from the statements of men who have seen God. The first three types of evidence rest upon the testimonies of hundreds of thousands of men and women, increasing tremendously the probability of truth. It must be added that no knowledge of God can be won unless it is earnestly, honestly, and prayerfully sought. Those who thus seek will receive the testimony, by the Holy Ghost, that God lives. The knowledge so received is as genuine as if God had revealed Himself in person. So, innumerable lovers of truth, who have sought Him in spirit and deed, have testified. No knowledge to them has become more certain than that God lives and directs the affairs of men. To them, "closer is he than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet." (Tennyson, "The Higher Pantheism") And they are the happy ones on earth. 4. DOES THE CHURCH HAVE A MONOPOLY ON TRUTH? Such a question reflects a complete misapprehension of the claims of the restored Church of Christ. A monopoly of truth would mean the possession of all available truth, and the exclusion of those not in the Church from participation in the benefits of truth. Nothing could be farther from the teachings of the Church. It has been taught from the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith that the light of truth enlightens every man born into the earth. All who seek truth may find it, whether in or out of the Church. Those who seek earnestly in libraries, laboratories, or open nature will be rewarded from the inexhaustible fountain of truth. The Author of truth is generous. The Church urges that in every clime, by all men, at all times, the search for truth be continued; for as truth multiplies among men, human joys may increase. However, there are many kinds of truth. Some truths concern themselves with the physical conditions of earth and the heavens, under which material things move and operate. That is valuable knowledge, which has brought humanity many of its blessings. The discovery of such truth has called into being our present civilization which speaks with the stars and gives light and comfort to the humblest home. There are higher kinds of truth -- such as pertain to human conduct, that is, to man's manner of using the knowledge that he possesses; truths concerning the God of heaven and man's relationship to his divine Father; truths that explain the mystery of the past, reveal the meaning of the present and foretell the future destiny of humanity; truths that enable man, if he but uses them, to approach, forever, the likeness of God. This latter kind of truth forms the framework of the plan of salvation as set forth in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is a product of the mind and will of the Lord. It teaches that a divine purpose runs through the universe, encompassing every fact, law, and principle, and enlivening livening all the works of nature. Thus the gospel in its fulness becomes the home of truth, into which all truth, of every kind, may be fitted. As the home of truth, the gospel includes all truth, and places every truth in its proper place and position with respect to the present and future welfare of man. The truths of the gospel, as all other truths, are available to all mankind. Indeed perhaps all men possess a part of this basic knowledge for their comfort. Certainly in every church professing God there is some of this higher truth. That is the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints. The gospel is operated on earth under the authority of the Lord. He placed man on earth and gave him the gospel. He has watched over the children of men throughout the ages of time and has reestablished His Church from time to time as the apostasy of man made it necessary. To the care of the Church the gospel has been committed, together with the Lord's authority, called the Priesthood. Only the Church possessing this authority is the complete Church of Christ, and there can be but one. All others lack the necessary authority and are therefore incomplete. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints possesses the full truth relative to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one divine plan of salvation, and also the authority to officiate in God's name in the upbuilding of the Church of Christ. There is but one gospel; there can be but one Priesthood; there is but one Church which encompasses the whole truth of the gospel, and into which all truth may find its place. In that sense the Church claims to possess the full fundamental truth, call it monopoly if you choose, necessary for full salvation in the celestial kingdom of God. This the Church does humbly and gratefully, keenly sensible of its high commission and vast responsibility, to lead all mankind into a fulness of the knowledge leading to eternal progression in the presence of the Lord. 5. CAN THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD BE EMPLOYED IN RELIGION? Civilization and enlightenment have come when men, using the experimental method, have begun to test the correctness of their beliefs. The highway to truth is paved with such rigid tests. On the contrary, the black cloud of superstition and confusion, twin enemies of progress, has obscured human vision when untested opinions or unverified claims or personal guesses have ruled human actions, or when assumed authority has claimed precedence over patient inquiry. The blind acceptance of unsupported statements, or placing theories upon a pedestal for human worship, has always been a source of sorrow. Whenever men have set up devices or experiments to test the validity of their opinions, whenever men have demanded proofs of the verity of offered teachings, the world has moved forward. To test current beliefs, Galileo dropped stones of unequal weights from a height; Lavoisier weighed mercury before and after heating; Pasteur filtered air through tufts of cotton; Lister washed wounds with a solution of carbolic acid -- and each destroyed a false belief and revealed a new truth: stones of all sizes fall through the air with equal velocity; mercury becomes heavier when heated in air; microscopic living things, in the air, are often capable of injury to man; in wounds are germs which if not destroyed may delay healing. Out of each of these experiments a vast volume of truth has grown. Our civilization rests upon innumerable such experiments. The same principle appears in the field of living things, from animals to men. The complex relationships of social living must be tested for their value, if the path of safety is to be found. Though experimentation in this field is somewhat more difficult because of the human will (the power to accept or reject) yet, for example, the desirability of organization, cooperation, and democracy, and the ill effects of autocracy, tyranny, and dictatorships, have been demonstrated by actual trial. Spiritual principles that affect human life, are likewise subject to experiment. Prayer, attendance at Church meetings, the Word of Wisdom, tithing are but remote beliefs until put into practice and thus tested for their value. Intelligent man cannot pass worth-while opinion on these and other principles until he has tried them himself or observed their effects on others. Authority, itself, must bow before the experimental method. The reality of authority is best established by the efficacy of that which it declares and commands. Authority which is not willing to submit to such a test may well be questioned. There are today innumerable fantastic cults, leading thousands astray, which have no foundation beyond the unsupported claims of their originators. This does not mean that the experimental method is the only approach to truth but that it is one of the most important. Nor does it mean that every man must get drunk to learn the evils of alcohol. Human experience is filled with the sad examples of those who have toyed with evil and have been destroyed by it. We can learn from the experience of others, as from our own as to that which is good or evil. We can also learn from those wiser than we are. But in accepting guidance from them we must be certain of their wisdom. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ advises men to test its truths in human life. It approves distinctly of the experimental method. The Savior laid down the principle in a luminous statement: My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:16, 17) On another occasion He repeated the thought: "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works." (John 10:37, 38) The words of the Apostle Paul, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21), are of the same import. There is constant advice in the scriptures to let the effects of gospel living be evidence of its truth, as for example: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16); or "Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:12) Joseph Smith, the Prophet, recognized this method of testing truth. He read the words of James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5); and, believing in God, he went into the grove to test the reality of the promise there made. Thus came the great First Vision. Running through the scriptures Is the doctrine that truth as well as untruth may be recognized by its effects, and the counsel is given to test the claims of the gospel by rendering obedience to its principles of action. Obedience itself becomes but a call to do certain things so that certain rewards may be received. Obedience may therefore be counted as a phase of the experimental method. All should test their religious beliefs. But all such testing must be done in the right spirit and by the right method. Every testing must be a sincere and honest search for truth. The truth or the goodness, not the untruth or the evil, of a system must be sought; then untruth or evil, if it exists, is automatically discovered. There must be no bending of means or methods to bolster up prejudice. An honest seeker after truth must accept truth unhesitatingly when found, and yield full surrender to it. The truth-seeker must be single-minded -- for truth. Errors must be thrown out, however appealing they may be to man-made appetites. The experimental method is applicable and should be used in the field of religion as in every other field of human activity. Only then can a full conviction of its truth be won. "Practicing our religion" is the most direct method of gaining a "testimony of its truth," and that should be the constant concern of every Latter-day Saint. 6. CAN FAITH BE BUILT ON THEORIES? There is danger in confusing facts and theories. Let it not be held, however, that theories are in themselves objectionable. They play an important part in human progress. They are man s best inferential explanations of existing facts. The history of theories is largely the history of the world of thought. They have been steppingstones to the discovery of truth. Only when theories have been held aloft as unchanging facts or guides to life, have they become dangerous in the search for truth. New facts of observation as discovered either confirm or disprove a theory. When increasing knowledge confirms a theory, that theory approaches the status of an unchanging fact of nature; if such knowledge weakens the theory, the inference must be modified or abandoned. Most theories are forever changing as new truth appears. That is the main reason why one cannot build firmly and finally on a theory, and feel assured that he is on the safe road to truth. Claudius Ptolemy, an Egyptian astronomer, living about one hundred fifty years after Christ, inferred from the daily movement of the sun from east to west, that the earth was the center of the solar system. This theory ruled for many centuries until an accumulation of observations threw doubt on its correctness. At last, Copernicus, born 1473 A. D., from existing facts concluded that day and night result from the earth's rotation upon its axis. The theory of Ptolemy fell with a crash. The telescope was invented; more observations were recorded. All heavenly bodies were found to be in motion and rotation. Mighty men appeared: Bruno, Galileo, Kepler, and many others. Our new theories of the solar system are supported by all available knowledge. Yet we are ready to change or modify them as new knowledge appears. The best thinkers among the Creeks believed that fire was an element, the ultimate principle of the universe. In the seventh century after Christ, a careful investigator, Stahl, set up the theory that an inflammable principle, largely immaterial, devoid of weight, escapes from a burning substance. This he called phlogiston. Every combustible body contains, therefore, more or less phlogiston. This theory was accepted by the scientific world only to be overthrown within a hundred years. Lavoisier, called the father of chemistry, showed by a simple experiment that fire is but the energy released where combustible substances combine with the element oxygen. Modern theories of the structure and origin of the earth, of the structure of matter, of heat, light, disease, population, the mind and man, are but heirs of earlier, mistaken inferences. The history of theories forms one of the most engaging chapters of human progress. No fault is found with those who propose theories, provided they base their theories on existing facts, and treat them as theories and not as facts. The history of the theory of evolution is an excellent answer to the question at the head of this writing. The theory of evolution, a storm center of thought for many years, has been modified until it is vastly different from its original form. Leaving aside the doctrine that all life has a common beginning (see also pages 150-158), the basic idea in Darwinism was that the many life forms on the earth could be,, traced back to "natural selection," the "survival of the fittest in the struggle for existence. Students of life in every department seized avidly upon this explanation of conditions among men and lower animals. Thousands of books and pamphlets in the fields of natural, economic, and social sciences have been based on the theory of natural selection. During the last generation, however, facts have appeared to cast serious doubt upon the validity of the doctrine of natural selection. Recently, two books, almost epoch-making, written by men of the highest scientific standing, declare natural selection to be insufficient to explain the variety in nature. Moreover, these two notable investigators have proposed new explanations inferences from their own work and that of others, to replace the doctrine of natural selection. Dr. Richard Goldschmidt American scientist declares, among other things, that "species and the higher categories," originate in single steps, independent of natural selection as completely new genetic systems." That is, they appear by sudden variation, which is mutation. He adds that he believes Dr. J. C. Willis, European scientist, frankly entitles his book The Course of Evolution, "by differentiation or divergent mutation rather than by selection." He concludes that "The process of evolution appears not to be a matter of natural selection or chance variations of adaptational value. Rather, it is working upon some definite law that we do not yet comprehend. The law probably began its operations with the commencement of life, and it is carrying this on according to some definite plan.... Evolution is no longer a matter of chance, but of law. It has no need of any support from natural selection.... The theory of natural selection is no longer getting us anywhere, except in politics (the dead hand)." He goes on to argue for the explanation of "the increasing divergences of characters as one goes up the scale from species to family," by mutation, a law in opposition to natural selection. In essence these two eminent experimenters and thinkers are in agreement. Future basic changes in the doctrine of evolution may well be expected. Had the proponents as well as the opponents of evolution, as a whole or in part, kept in mind that they were discussing a theory, subject to frequent and fundamental change, the civilized world would have been spared much unseemly behavior. Again the warning: Distinguish clearly between facts and the inferences from facts. Certainly, it is a mistake to accept theories in building faith in anything, from religion to our everyday life pursuits. 7. IS IT WRONG TO DOUBT? Doubt usually means uncertainty. You doubt the presence of gold in the ore, though there are yellow flakes in it; or that the man is a thief, though stolen goods are found in his possession; or that a principle of the gospel is correctly interpreted by the speaker. What you really mean is that the evidence in your possession is insufficient to convince you that there is gold in the ore, or that the man is a thief, or that the gospel principle has been explained correctly. Doubt arises from lack of evidence. Intelligent people cannot long endure such doubt. It must be resolved. Proof must be secured of the presence of gold in the ore or of the dishonesty of the man, or of the correctness of the doctrinal exposition. Consequently, we set about to remove doubt by gathering information and making tests concerning the subject in question. Doubt, then, becomes converted into inquiry or investigation. After proper inquiries, using all the powers at our command, the truth concerning the subject becomes known, or it remains unknown to be unravelled perhaps at some future time. The weight of evidence is on one side or the other. Doubt is removed. Doubt, therefore, can be and should be only a temporary condition. Certainly, a question cannot forever be suspended between heaven and earth; it is either answered or unanswered. As the results of an inquiry appear, doubt must flee. In other words, doubt, which ever is or should be a passing condition, must never itself be an end. Doubt as an objective of life is an intellectual and a spiritual offense. A lasting doubt implies an unwillingness on the part of the individual to seek the solution of his problem, or a fear to face the truth. Doubt should vanish as it appears, or as soon as proper inquiry can place it either with the known or the unknown facts of life; with the solvable or the unsolvable; with the knowable or the unknowable. The strong man is not afraid to say, "I do not know"; the weak man simpers and answers, "I doubt." Doubt, unless transmuted into inquiry, has no value or worth in the world. Of itself it has never lifted a brick, driven a nail, or turned a furrow. To take pride in being a doubter, without earnestly seeking to remove the doubt, is to reveal shallowness of thought and purpose. Perhaps you are questioning the correctness of a gospel principle. Call it doubt if you prefer. Proceed to take it out of the region of doubt by examination and practice. Soon it will be understood, or left with the many things not yet within the reach of man. But remember: failure to understand one principle does not vitiate other principles. When proved false, one doctrine may cast distrust upon other doctrines, but the others must be tested for their own correctness. Doubt of the right kind -- that is, honest questioning -- leads to faith. Such doubt impels men to inquiry which always opens the door to truth. The scientist in his laboratory, the explorer in distant parts, the prayerful man upon his knees -- these and all inquirers like them find truth. They learn that some things are known, others are not. They cease to doubt. They settle down with the knowledge they possess to make the forces of nature do their bidding, knowing well that they will be victorious; and that more knowledge will come to them, if sought, to yield new power. On the other hand the stagnant doubter, one content with himself, unwilling `to make the effort, to pay the price of discovery, inevitably reaches unbelief and miry darkness. His doubts grow like poisonous mushrooms in the dim shadows of his mental and spiritual chambers. At last, blind like the mole in his burrow, he usually substitutes ridicule for reason, and indolence for labor. The simplest truth is worth the sum of all such doubts. He joins the unhappy army of doubters who, weakened by their doubts, have at all periods of human history allowed others, men of faith, to move the world into increasing light. Faith is practically the opposite of doubt. Faith rests securely upon "evidences" and "assurances." Note the definition by the Apostle Paul: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith knows, and goes forth courageously to use knowledge in the affairs of men. It declares itself the master of things; it lays mountains low; it lifts valleys; it promotes the welfare of man. Joseph Smith is an excellent example of proper doubt. The ministers of his day were contending for the membership of the boy. He went to God for help; received it; and doubt disappeared. From that day on, doubt did not reappear. His doubt was lost in the desired knowledge he gained from proper inquiry. So may every man do. The unknown universe, material, mental, spiritual, is greater than the known. If we seek, we shall forever add knowledge to knowledge. That which seems dark today, will be crystal clear tomorrow. Eternal progress means the unending elucidation of things not known or understood today. No! Doubt is not wrong unless it becomes an end of life. It rises to high dignity when it becomes an active search for, and practice of, truth. Doubt which immediately leads to honest inquiry, and thereby removes itself, is wholesome. But that doubt which feeds and grows upon itself, and, with stubborn indolence, breeds more doubt, is evil. 8. HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR GOSPEL RESEMBLANCES IN NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS? The great world religions have much in common. Hinduism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Mohammedanism hold to some tenets fundamental in Christianity. They all believe in an overruling power, God; in man s immortality in some form; and in a divine plan for the guidance of man to happiness. All of them recognize that growth and progress come through self-effort, by self-control and self-discipline. The brotherhood of man, cooperation, and the golden rule are generally accepted as obligatory upon all men. These doctrines are impressively similar to those of Christianity. (H. M. Woodward, Humanity's Greatest Need) There is a like similarity, though not so marked, in the practices or ordinances of the religions of earth. For example, baptism, the initiatory Christian ordinance, is not peculiar to the Christian Church. In some form it is practiced by many non-Christian communities; in fact, the doctrine of entering through water into a new life is very old. Among the Hebrews a practice equivalent to baptism was observed long before the days of Christ. In ancient Egypt, a corresponding rite was in operation from days immemorial. Other gospel practices likewise appear in non-Christian religions. Even the substance of the Ten Commandments dates back into far non-Christian antiquity, and among others than the Hebrew people. The Ten Commandments were given by God to Moses among the thunderings and lightnings on Mount Sinai. Yet, in other forms their teachings were known by peoples who lived before the days of Moses. The code of Hammurabi, a contemporary of Abraham, contains injunctions for correct living resembling the Ten Commandments. (B. F. Harper, The Code of Hammurabi) Such similarities might be multiplied. How may they be explained? It is a fair question. In the abundant literature attempting to answer this question, two opposing answers or explanations appear. The first, for the moment the fashionable one, sets up the theory of the independent development of such similarities in different lands and among different peoples. That is, religious beliefs and practices have arisen spontaneously and independently in various countries. The founders of the various great world religions developed from the foundation, and independently of other religions, their respective bodies of laws and regulations. The striking similarities that exist, despite independent origin, are explained by a "psychic unity that leads men independently ... to arrive at the same destination." Some supporters of this theory speak of a "convergence" of human ideas towards the same conclusions. In short the blind or chance operation of some mystic force explains the similarities appearing in the religious systems of the world. This explanation is not confined to religious beliefs and practices, but is extended to the general cultural history of mankind. In economic and social fields, in literature, art, mechanics, and crafts, remarkable similarities exist among various peoples the world over. All these, this theory declares, had an independent origin in different lands. Similar myths, legends, and folklore exist among all primitive peoples. The theory of "independent development holds to the belief that from out the shadows of the forest, the presence of death, and other experiences that stir the feelings of man, primitive magic was formed alike in different lands. From this magic came religion, which in time, as people progressed, became science. (James C. Frazer, The Golden Bough; Folk Lore of the Old Testament) The second theory to explain the similarities in the religions and other cultures of different peoples holds that there has been a diffusion of religious, cultural ideas from a common source or center. This theory does not deny the possibility of "independent development," but insists that such development can not be proved. It claims that observed facts are much more easily explained on the theory of diffusion. In support of this theory are historical evidences of the diffusion of ideas, handicrafts, and arts pretty much over the whole earth. From early times the human race has traveled widely, often by sea. Intercommunication among widely separated countries has long been going on. The wisdom and the skill of man have been passed on from land to land, from individual to individual. The accumulation of facts in favor of the diffusion view is large and most interesting. Its modern founder, Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, and his followers, have produced a large and convincing literature dealing with the diffusion theory. This theory agrees with the former that there is a gradual development of culture from primitive to more advanced peoples. It also admits that there are occasional difficulties in this as with every other theory. For example, the trilithons of Stonehenge in England, and those of Tongatabu in Oceania, though very similar, seem so far removed in distance as to have no relationship. Yet, the general intercourse of mankind, since early days, does not make it seem impossible that the idea behind these ancient monuments had a common source. In the field of religion, it has been well established that there has been a wide diffusion of ideas. Mohammedanism is a good example. From Arabia it has spread over Asia, parts of Europe and Africa, and into many islands of the sea. What has been done in this case, within easy historical times, may have and probably has been done with earlier religious ideas. (Sir G. Elliott Smith, The Diffusion of Culture) As a sidelight on this theory, it is interesting to note that the diffusionists are inclined to believe that the center from which our present culture has diffused was Egypt; and that the diffusion began about 4000 years before Christ. (Sir G. Elliott Smith, In the Beginning) These two contending and opposite theories -- the independent development and the diffusion theories -- have followers of equal scholastic standing. As said, the independent development theory has been the fashionable one for some time. But the history of scientific theories is that they rise and fall in popularity from time to time. The diffusion theory may soon be the one in best standing. Latter-day Saints agree with both of these theories in part, and differ with them in part. Revelation, the communication of man with God, is fundamental in the gospel structure. Every man born into the earth may receive knowledge and guidance through the omnipresent Holy Spirit. Should it be the will of the Lord, there could be no reason why two men, widely separated, and inaccessible one to the other, should not receive through revelation the same truths. To that extent, the doctrine of "independent development" can be accepted by Latter-day Saints. Historically, however, the doctrine of diffusion seems to Latter-day Saints the more likely in explaining the religious and cultural similarities of the varying religions and races of men. Modern revelation, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, has given the clue. Adam was taught the gospel, was baptized received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and was ordained to the Priesthood. While details are not given, the inference seems justified that the father of the human race received a knowledge of the fulness of the gospel and all its gifts. We know that he was ordained a presiding high priest. Adam taught the gospel to his children and his children's children. Upon those who were worthy he conferred the Holy Priesthood. The gospel with its principles and practices, its Priesthood and powers, was generally known among the people of Adam's long day. Satan succeeded in those early days to turn many from righteous lives. These people lived sinfully. Yet, as they departed from association with the people of the Lord, they carried with them the knowledge of the gospel. Such parts of it as seemed to fit their desires they retained, often warped beyond recognition. But, from the days of Adam, gospel truth was diffused among the peoples of the earth. The same thing happened after the flood. Noah, a righteous man, ordained to the Priesthood, and knowing the gospel, taught the plan of salvation and the doctrine of the gospel to his day and generation. Some listened and obeyed, more heard the message with unwilling hearts. Self-conquest precedes full acceptance of the gospel. Nevertheless, even those who refused full obedience, took of the gospel such truths as they desired, and without authority built their religions in imitation of the full truth. This explains to Latter-day Saints the many striking similarities among the non-Christian and Christian religions. The early knowledge of the gospel has spread over the earth, as men have so spread, and as inter-communication among nations has continued. The founders of the great world religions, and of less important ones, for that matter, have used to their liking, often in their desire to serve their own people, parts of the truths of the gospel. It may be that these founders were led by inspiration to assemble the truths of the gospel for the use of their fellowmen. Even a minor gospel truth is a blessing, and better than none. However, any such system can only be an approach to the covenant people which is the objective of the gospel. Sacred history leaves the conviction that in the increasing purpose of the Lord with respect to the human family, such peoples as have not been prepared for the gospel have been given parts of it, as much as they could comprehend. Remember that the Higher Priesthood was taken from Israel in the wilderness because of their unfitness for the higher privilege. This view seems well confirmed by the following passage from the Book of Mormon: For behold the Lord does grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have. (Book of Mormon, Alma 29:8) The person who rails at Old Testament accuracy because the substance of the Ten Commandments is found in the code of Hammurabi makes little impression upon Latter-day Saints who understand the spread of the knowledge of truth from Adam and Noah. The truths embodied in the Ten Commandments are part of the gospel as taught to Adam. They were diffused among mankind. They were summarized and restated by the Lord to Moses and preserved in that form for the benefit of Israel and all the world. Much foolish Bible fault-finding disappears in the light of modern revelation. Such then is the answer to the query at the head of this chapter. 9. HOW IS A TESTIMONY KEPT? LOST? How may a testimony be kept? Since a testimony is a compound of knowledge and the use of knowledge, it is much as a living thing. It is never static, like a stone. The small testimony may grow larger, the large testimony become smaller. Therefore, it must be cared for, as any other type of life. Our treatment of it is of prime importance. First, to keep our testimony we must feed it, regularly and plentifully. The steps that lead to a testimony: desire, prayer, study, and practice, must be trodden continuously. The desire for truth should stamp our every act; help from God in all things must be invoked; the study of the gospel, which has not been plumbed to its depth by any man should be continued; and the practice of gospel principles, in all our labors, must never be forgotten. He who would retain his testimony is required to give constant study to the gospel. He cannot live forever on that which he learned yesterday. By a little such study every day, light will follow light, and understanding will increase. This is doubly important since we live in a changing world, which requires continuous applications of gospel truth to new conditions. To keep his testimony, a person must increase in the use of gospel principles. There must be stricter conformity with the higher as well as the lesser laws of life -- more activity in Church service; increasing charity and kindness; greater sacrifice for the common good; more readiness to help advance the plan of salvation; more truth in all we do. And as our knowledge of gospel law increases, our activity under gospel law must increase. By such feeding, a testimony may be kept; may remain whole and sound; and may grow to become an increasingly certain guide, and a constant joy in life. There is no other way to preserve a testimony. Look about you. Have you not seen people who have fed their testimonies? Is it not good to be with them? How may a testimony be lost? A testimony, being a living thing, may die. Sorrowfully, all of us may have seen such a passing. Witness the life of any apostate. Refuse to do the things that lead to a testimony, and, gradually, it will starve, wither, and perish. It does not matter how strong it may have been. It must be fed to be kept alive. Starvation of a testimony usually begins with failure to keep properly in touch with divine forces, to pray. Then, desire to learn and to live the gospel law soon weakens. Sacred covenants are forgotten. Study of the gospel is set aside for some other study or activity. There is less and less participation in the life of the Church. Eyes are blurred so that the laws of life are forgotten. There are many attacks by the evil one upon a weakening testimony. Commonly, a feeling of superiority, ending in ambition for office, overshadows all else and leads to testimony starvation. Personal ambition has always been a destructive force in human lives. Sometimes, and closely related to the feeling of superiority, are false interpretations of scripture. These rise to such magnitude, though at variance with accepted, revealed doctrine, that they endanger the spiritual life of the individual. The various cults that arise, like mushrooms, from time to time, are but variations of this manner of destroying a testimony. They can a I ways be recognized, for they are in opposition to some principle or regulation of the Church. Most frequently, however, the loss of a testimony is due to finding fault with one's fellow believers, and with the leadership of the Church. Every action of bishop, stake president, or General Authority seems wrong, to such unfortunate people. Their vision distorts the world and all in it. The dying testimony is easily recognized. The organizations and practices of the Church are ignored; the television takes the place of the Sacrament meeting; golf or motion pictures, the Sunday worship; the cup of coffee, instead of the Word of Wisdom; the cold, selfish hand instead of helpfulness, charity for the poor, and the payment of tithing. Soon, the testimony is gone, and the former possessor walks about, somewhat sour and discontented, and always in his heart, unhappy. He has lost his most precious possession, and has found nothing to replace it. He has lost inward freedom, the gift of obedience to law. 10. DOES HIGHER EDUCATION TEND TO DIMINISH FAITH IN THE GOSPEL? Higher education usually means education beyond high school. Since the main purpose of education lower or higher, is the same, the above question should probably read. "Does education tend to diminish faith in the gospel?" Really, the constant advocacy by the Church, over a hundred years, of study and learning should be a sufficient answer to this question. Schools and universities mark the course of Mormon history. Today the largest single expenditure of the Church is for education. Mormon students are found everywhere in collegiate institutions. In proportion to its membership, no group of like size in the world has higher literacy or more graduates of colleges and universities. The Church has ever been mindful of the doctrine that "The glory of God is intelligence" (D. & C. 93:36); and its great objective is to become increasingly like God. The Church could not do otherwise, for the revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith are replete with instructions to gather knowledge. If education had been found to destroy faith, such support would not have been given it. The true objectives of education -- to gather knowledge, and to learn how to use it for human welfare -- are fully accepted by the Church. Therefore, any decrease of faith among educated men does not depend upon their education, but upon some other coincident factor or factors. For example: Faith in the gospel is much like a living organism. To be healthy and vigorous it must be fed. If starved, it sickens, weakens, and may die. Loss of faith may always be traced to neglect, mistreatment, or sin. The food of faith is simple but imperative. Knowledge of the gospel must be maintained and increased by regular, continuous study; and this knowledge must be made alive by active obedience to the practices and requirements of the Church. Real intelligence or wisdom, the true purpose of education, is a compound of knowledge and the use of that knowledge for human welfare, according to the plan of salvation. Neglect to maintain familiarity with gospel principles through regular study, coupled with neglect to practice gospel precepts in daily life, is a fruitful cause of loss of faith. It is always a pathetic picture to see a man who through long studious years has moved towards an advanced degree in some academic principle -- chemistry or biology, English or economics -- but who during that time has given only passing attention to his religion -- sit in judgment on the gospel. It is an erroneous assumption on his part, unworthy of an educated man, that knowledge of the gospel comes as it were, with breathing, while to secure academic knowledge requires toil and more toil. One wonders at the intelligence quotient of the man who does not comprehend that the prayerful man alone can pass upon the virtue of prayer; the Word of Wisdom keeper upon the Word of Wisdom; the tithe payer upon tithing; the regular student of the gospel upon the content and meaning of the gospel, and so on throughout the several gospel requirements. Some so-called educated men make themselves absurd by passing opinions on spiritual matters when they live only material lives. To become an adept in religion -- which includes the science of human behavior -- requires more study and practice than to become the master of any one of the many groups of knowledge recognized by collegiate institutions. And one cannot depend on previous knowledge. The past fades away with the progress of time. Every person whether in religion or science must keep his knowledge fresh and up-to-date, else he goes "on the shelf." The student who, every day, will place his needs before the Lord, who will spend say ten minutes in gospel study, and conform to gospel requirements, will find his faith grows as he increases in secular knowledge. His understanding of the true meaning of all his efforts will become clearer and more comprehensive. Excuses for neglect of Church duties are easily found b students of higher education. There may be no Church meetings in the university town; and the Sabbath is spent as any other day. Urgency of work makes prayers irregular. A meagre purse justifies disobedience to the law of sacrifice. These are specious excuses, which, if nurtured, take on the aspects of necessity. At least one group of three, the only Church members, in a university town, held regular Sunday meetings, partook of the Sacrament, bore testimony to one another, studied the gospel together, remembered to give of their slender means, and now after many years, rejoice in a robust faith in the gospel, and at the same time have record of distinguished service to their fellow men. Others have done likewise; and others may happily follow their examples. Loss of faith may be suffered also by those who adopt habits of their colleagues -- students or teachers -- contrary to gospel teachings. They who do so have not the courage to maintain their own convictions. They are weak, timid souls, not destined for leadership. They drink, smoke, or carouse with the group with which they associate. A distinguished scholar is a nicotine victim, therefore they imitate him; another sips his cocktails; yet another scoffs at faith. They who imitate such leaders fail to understand that men are often great in some field despite their weaknesses, and they forget that he who battles for the right always wins the esteem of his fellows, be they of one kind or another. The diminution of faith that follows the tampering with forbidden things cannot be charged to education. Some students, while in pursuit of truth, fall into immoral practices. Unless quick and sincere repentance follows, they are certain to fall into unbelief. The unclean life poisons faith. As a rule, the person who has lost his faith because of sexual impurity, becomes an enemy of spiritual truth, and seek to find occasion against the Church. He displays an evil type of self-justification. Here then are four of the factors that have contributed to loss of faith among a small proportion of those who seek or have sought higher education: (1) Starvation of faith through lack of study and practice of gospel principles; (2) imitation of persons who have acquired improper habits of life; (3) immorality; and (4) the failure to understand the real relationship that religion bears to all truth. These are among the most important causes of unbelief. The unbelief or gratuitous judgment of the gospel by those who are guilty of one or more of these things is really unworthy of discussion. Let one set his own house in order before he passes judgment upon the abodes of others. Behind all these causes lie the desire and the will to retain and develop faith. Without a strong desire for faith, the cause is helpless. There is no personal progress in any activity, scientific or religious, except upon the condition of desire coupled with a determined vigorous will. Education, higher or lower, does not diminish faith; but the lives and attitudes of those who seek education do determine the nature and the degree of faith. 11. WHAT IS A LIBERAL RELIGION? The word liberal, correctly used, has a noble meaning. The true liberal hates slavery of every kind. He battles for human freedom. He wants liberty in thought and action. He is tolerant, free from bigotry, and generous in all his deeds. He places truth above all else and hungers for full truth. He welcomes all new improvements and calls for more -- the telegraph, electric light, telephone, printing press, typewriter, railroad, airship, radio. He insists that every new invention must be used for human welfare, with full respect to civil and moral law. In short the liberal seeks to make better the day in which he lives, and he becomes therefore a crusader for the betterment of the human race. Such a liberal, to accomplish his purpose, holds fast, without the least concession, to the convictions of his soul. He is anchored to the rock of truth, as he may see it. He never wavers from the basic, underlying principles of the cause, whether of church or state, to which he is committed. All the world knows how and where he stands. His liberalism lies in his constant attempt to make the underlying unchanging principles of the cause he represents serve the changing conditions of the day. He may differ with the superficial conventions of the past, but not with its established truths. He may refuse to continue the church architecture of the past but will insist that the ancient truths of the gospel be taught in every building dedicated to worship. He may be forever seeking, under changing conditions, to make the doctrine of human brotherhood more effective in behalf of the needy. He is a believer who seeks to use his beliefs in every concern of his life. Unfortunately, the word liberal is not always properly used. It has been used, or misused, for so many purposes that its original meaning has largely vanished. Word-juggling, making a good word cover a doubtful or an ugly cause, is an age-old pastime. Words are too often used as shields to hide or disguise truth. Many men are inclined to hide their true motives behind a word. It is folly to speak of a liberal religion, if that religion claims that it rests upon unchanging truth. Neither can one be a liberal in religion except in the application of the underlying doctrine to human needs. It would be as preposterous as speaking of a liberal science, since science rests upon truthful observations of nature. It is only in the use of scientific discoveries that the word liberal may be used. One either accepts or rejects truth. There is no middle course. Under the true definition of liberalism, the Church of Jesus Christ is preeminently liberal. First, it makes truth and love of truth its foundation. The whole latter-day work was initiated by Joseph Smith's search for truth. "In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right?" Thus came the first great vision of Joseph Smith; and as a consequence of his search for truth came the other revelations, and the enduring light-giving structure of the Church. In his differences with the beliefs of the churches of his day, he did not seek cover under the name of an existing church. Instead he frankly formed another Church and fought out the issue on the basis of his own fundamental doctrine. It is understood that every worthy member of the Church must likewise seek and find truth for himself. Then, the Church insists that its truths must be used for human good. The gospel has value only as it fosters the welfare of those who have accepted it. Further, the Church recognizes that there is constant change on earth but insists that every change must respect and use the basic doctrine of the Church. It declares that men "live and move and have their being" under the law of progress. Change steps upon the heels of change in the unfolding of a progressive universe. The simple eternal truths of existence are combined and combined again, in different ways, but progressively, to serve man on his never-ending journey. It is much as the endless combination of the few numerical digits from simple to increasingly larger numbers. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not need to look elsewhere for a liberal Church. 12. IS THE GOSPEL CHANGING Definite principles and ordinances constitute the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first of these principles is faith. It is the beginning of all wisdom. The second is repentance: the sorrow of the man of faith for his past errors, and the resolution to commit them no more. Following these two principles are two ordinances: first, baptism by immersion, the outward sign or witness of a person's readiness to accept Jesus Christ, and to conform to the laws of the gospel; second, the laying on of hands for the reception of the gift of the Holy Ghost, to enlighten, protect, and bless all who enter the Church of Christ. It is the reward to all who by faith, repentance, and obedience prepare themselves for membership in the Church of Christ whether on earth or in heaven. These basic, eternal principles and ordinances are made as one by the authoritative Priesthood committed to the Church, which on earth holds the gospel in its keeping. Not by a "jot or tittle" may these principles and ordinances be changed. They will ever remain the foundation stones of the Church of Christ. Then, there are other principles and ordinances designed for those who have won membership in the Church. Such, among others, are the law of sacrifice, temple service for the living and the dead, and missionary work. These are equally permanent. They cannot be changed or abrogated; they are eternal. This view is verified by the leaders in this dispensation. For example, Joseph Smith said, "[Jesus] set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 168.) "Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundations of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed." (Ibid., p. 308.) Brigham Young: ". . . from the day that Adam was created and placed in the Garden of Eden, to this day, the plan of salvation and the revelations of the will of God to man are unchanged. . ." (Discourses of Brigham Young, 1941 Edition, p. 103.) John Taylor: "God is unchangeable, so are also his laws, in all their forms, and in all their applications." (The Gospel Kingdom, p. 103.) Wilford Woodruff: "The gospel consists of the simple principles taught by the Savior and contained in the New Testament, which principles never deviate one from another." (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 19.) Joseph F. Smith: "The principles that underlie the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ are irrevocable, unchanging and unchangeable." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 12.) This then is the answer to the question at the head of this article. The gospel is not changing, nor can it change if it is to remain the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, at various times and in various places people have lived and live under different conditions. In the early clays of the restored Church, pioneer conditions prevailed. Nearly all were tillers of the soil or husbandmen. Transportation was by ox or horse team. Communication was by slow mail. Little money was in circulation. Education was not easy to secure. Today, many members of the Church follow other arts than that of agriculture. The continent is crossed in a few hours by railroad or airplane. By telephone, telegraph, or radio, communication with distant places is accomplished almost instantly. Much money is in circulation. Halls of learning are within reach of every one. The gospel, founded in intelligence, must meet such changing conditions. Indeed, could it not do so, it would fail of its saving purpose. It must help all men under every condition. Sometimes changes are required, but only in applications or outward forms. Baptism was first performed in out-of-door ponds, lakes, or streams; now, very often in beautiful fonts in meetinghouses. In earlier days tithing was paid in kind; now, more often the new day makes it simpler for the farmer to sell his crop and pay tithing in cash. Formerly, all missionaries went out without purse or scrip; now, many are obliged because of new conditions to pay their way in the mission field. Some people, noting such outward changes, fail to recognize that the law itself is not affected. The ordinance is unchanged whether one is baptized in the open or indoors. The law of sacrifice is fully respected whether tithing is paid in kind or in cash. To bear witness of the restoration of the gospel is not dependent upon whether the missionary travels with or without money. Yet, it often happens that thoughtless people confuse eternal, unchanging principles and ordinances with their applications in a changing world. President Brigham Young understood this condition. At the laying of the cornerstones of the Salt Lake Temple, he told the people that in vision he had seen the completed temple. It would have six towers he said, three at each end. Then he warned those who confuse principles with their applications, "Now do not any of you apostatize because it will have six towers, and Joseph built only one." He understood of course that the sacred temple ordinances may be performed in a building properly dedicated, whether it has one or many towers, or has none. It is really a glorious thought that the Church may meet any emergency, any new demand, any legitimate human aspiration by the use of everlasting gospel principles. It opens the door to individual as well as to Church progress; yet preserves the stability of the Church and its members. The experience of more than a century shows that by gospel truth every problem confronting humanity may be solved. Some people allow themselves to be disturbed by new, often necessary, applications of gospel principles. By brooding upon their views, the spirit of apostasy may creep into their hearts. A little prayerful reflection will show that there has been no violation of basic law. In the steady growth and progress of the Church that is the one thing that needs to be watched. The Church in its growth employs the unchanged principles underlying the gospel but applies them freely in meeting the needs of any time or place. In its essence the gospel is unchanging; in its applications it is everchanging to fit the needs of the day. 1. WHY ARE THE TERMS "GOD" AND "FATHER" APPLIED TO SEVERAL PERSONAGES? The supreme, personal intelligence and power in the universe is God. That is his name in the English tongue. He is the Organizer of the universe. He is the one and only God to whom we pray and whom we worship. We speak of Jesus Christ also as God. He is frequently referred to in sacred writ by that term. On the title page of the Book of Mormon he is called the "Eternal God." The personage known as the Holy Ghost is also called God. Thus there are God the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Ghost; the two latter are under the direction of God the Father. It is evident, therefore, that since the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are distinct personages, the word "God" is not only a name, but may be used also as a title describing an attainment or office. Such application of titles is not unusual. In the Book of Mormon it is stated that the Redeemer of man shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning." (Mosiah 3:8.) These are titles that refer to Christ's relationship to the Father and to his mission under the Father. In the same manner the title "God" may be applied to anyone who has attained to Godhood, that is, who has risen so high as to partake sufficiently of the essence of divinity. Joseph Smith the Prophet declared that there is a plurality of gods. An indication of such plurality runs through the scriptures, ancient and modern. In the very beginning of time Adam and Eve were promised that they should "be as gods" (Genesis 3:5); and Jesus reminded the Jews that in their scriptures it was written "ye are gods." (John 10:34.) Paul spoke of "lords many and gods many." (1 Cor. 8:5.) Modern revelation presents the same truth when it says according to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was." (D. & C. 121:32) This implies that many personages may have attained the power and place of Godhood. This does not make them in any sense coequal with God, or with his Son, or the Holy Ghost. Those who are denominated gods have a rank in the eternal councils, with corresponding power to help foster the purposes of the Father. There may be many generals in an earthly government, but only one commander-in-chief. Even so in the government of heaven. This doctrine is familiar to Latter-day Saints. The gospel teaches that the hosts of intelligent beings here and in the spirit world may progress forever. The condition is obedience to eternal law. These personages are in various stages of progression, some beginning, others far on the way. Some, through the eternities, may already have won sufficient of the attributes of divinity to be spoken of as gods. The destiny of all who are faithful is godhood. Modern revelation makes the promise to all who comply with certain requirements "Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them." (D. & C. 132:20) The conditions under which Godhood may be attained have not been set forth fully. Necessarily so high a place can be obtained only by rigid obedience to God's laws. Those who aspire to such exaltation must be sealed as man and wife for time and eternity. Then they may continue the work of the Father in behalf of the waiting intelligences in the spirit world. Their "glory shall be a fullness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever." (D. & C. 132:19) This doctrine explains why the word "god" is applied in the holy scriptures to various personages. There is no need to stumble over such use of divine titles, if this is understood. The word "father" is also applied to different personages. God is the father of the spirits of all men. They were begotten spiritually by him in the pre-existent state. The relationship between God and man as father and son is real. Jesus Christ himself was the First Begotten of the Father. (D. & C. 93:21) Therefore, we speak of God, the Father, to distinguish clearly among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. But, the title "Father" is used also in behalf of Jesus Christ who was commissioned by his Father to create the earth and all things on it. Mosiah, a Book of Mormon prophet, speaks of Jesus Christ as "the Father of heaven and earth" because he was the creator of "all things" as pertaining to the earth. (Mosiah 3:8; also Helaman 14:12; Ether 4:7; 2 Nephi 25:12) Adam likewise, being the first man, has been called the father. (D. & C. 29:34) This is not an uncommon use of the word. George Washington is called the father of his country. A man who creates a great business is called the father of the institution. The Indians are said to speak of the great father in Washington. The leader of any cause is frequently referred to as its father. Some students, noting this use of the word "father," have become confused. They have thought that Jesus is really God the Father. Others have attempted to identify Adam with God, the Father, or with Jesus Christ. That these are distinct personalities is made clear in numerous passages in holy writ. For example: But God ... called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh. And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you. (Moses 6:50-52.) If God, the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and Adam, irrespective of their titles, are not distinct personages, the above words become meaningless and absurd. Readers should distinguish carefully between specific and general meanings of words, as may appear in the sacred books or in gospel discourses. If this is not done, much confusion of thought may arise. In fact, many who have failed to do so, have been led astray from the truth. A good example of the unfounded foolish notions that may arise from careless reading is the famous discourse of Brigham Young, used by apostates and enemies of the Church. (Journal of Discourses, 1:50) In this address, Brigham Young spoke of Adam as our father and our God. Reference to the preceding and following paragraphs of the sermon makes clear the intention of the speaker. President Young used the words as titles. The apostate world had long taught that Adam and Eve were the basest and most sinful of the human race. They had brought sin into the world. President Young, in contravention of this false teaching, pointed out that Adam, a son of God of high degree, was called to be the progenitor of the human race. What he did was in harmony with a preordained plan. Adam was in reality the noblest of mankind and would ever stand at the head of his earth family as the presiding officer and patriarch, even as a god. These were the clear ideas of Brigham Young. Every contemporary commentator, and there were several, speaking from personal knowledge of President Young, made this intention and doctrine clear. (See Millennial Star, 15:801) In the sermon referred to, President Young places Adam unequivocally as a separate character, "Michael," under the dominion of the Trinity. "The earth was organized by three distinct characters, Elohim, Yahovah, and Michael." There was no substituting of Adam for the God to whom we pray. Likewise, the term "father" was constantly applied by Brigham Young to Adam, because Adam was associated with Jesus Christ in the making of the earth; and also in a more literal sense, because, as the first man, he was the father of the race. Yet there are those who have nursed the irrational conclusion that President Young implied that Adam and God, the Father, are one and the same individual. Brigham Young's much-discussed sermon says that "Jesus was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the Garden of Eden and who is our Father in heaven." Enemies of the Church, or stupid people, reading also that Adam is "our father and our God." have heralded far and wide that the Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of Adam. Yet, the rational reading of the whole sermon reveals the falsity of such a doctrine. It is explained that God the Father was in the Garden of Eden before Adam, that he was the Father of Adam and that this same personage, God the Father, who was in the Garden of Eden before Adam, was the Father of Jesus Christ, when the Son took upon himself a mortal body. That is, the same personage was the Father of Adam and of Jesus Christ. In the numerous published sermons of Brigham Young this is the doctrine that appears; none other. The assertion is repeatedly made that Jesus Christ was begotten by God, the Father, distinct by any stretch of imagination from Adam. This is a well-established Latter-day Saint doctrine. Absurdities of the first order may arise unless the meanings of words are carefully sought. And any statement in doubt should be compared with other statements on the same subject by the same speaker. Then the true meaning will be revealed. Again, the warning: Read the scriptures with care; do not become mystified by words; remember that the same word is often used in several ways; and defeat the evil one who is the lover of confusion. And there is no profit in dealing with those who deliberately and usually unscrupulously "wrest" the scriptures. They do not love the truth. 2. WHY IS JESUS THE CHRIST SOMETIMES CALLED THE ETERNAL FATHER? Three distinct personages, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, constitute the Godhead, or Presiding Council in the heavens. That is the settled doctrine of the Church. In the first vision of Joseph Smith, he saw "two Personages," the Father and the Son. Each one spoke to the boy. There was no confusion of form or substance. Two separate individuals stood before him. (Writings of Joseph Smith in Pearl of Great Price 2:17, 25) In the revelations that followed, there is always a clear distinction made among the three members of the Godhead. In numerous references in the Book of Mormon, the members of the Godhead stand out as distinct personages. The Bible, if read fully and intelligently, teaches that the Holy Trinity is composed of individual Gods. The early Christian Church, on its way to apostasy, departed from this truth. Several church councils, in which men fought for their own theories, foisted upon the Church the incomprehensible and unnatural doctrine of "one in three and three in one." They twisted the doctrine of unity of nature and of purpose among the Trinity into a oneness of personality. They would quote Jesus' prayer to his Father, that his disciples "may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us." (John 17:21) Yet at the same time they ignored the clear evidence in the prayer that Jesus was on earth, at that time, speaking to a Being elsewhere; and the equally clear meaning of the prayer that he did not propose that his disciples should be fused into one personage, but that they should be of one mind with him and his Father. This false doctrine, which has been nurtured through the centuries is an excellent illustration of philosophical-theological error and nonsense. Latter-day Saints prefer to cling to the revealed word, and to read the word of God intelligently. Only that which we can understand can be used safely by mortal men; that which is incomprehensible is useless to us. A definite purpose with respect to humankind emanates from the Godhead. It was clearly stated to Moses: "... Behold, this is my work and my glory -- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) To accomplish this purpose, a plan, the plan of salvation, was proposed by the Father. In full conformity with the eternal law of free agency, the plan would not be attempted without the consent of those concerned. Consequently, the great council in the heavens was called. So vast a "work" would be of wide extent and manifold requirements. Someone would be needed to supervise and carry to conclusion the divinely formulated plan. Organization belongs to heaven as to earth. The chief episode in that famous event, after the plan had been proposed, is simply told in the words of the Lord to Moses: "... Satan ... came before me, saying -- Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me -- Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." (Moses 4:1, 2) Thus, by the will of the Father, the leadership of the plan was entrusted to Jesus. He was appointed the head of the execution of the plan on earth. He was to organize the earth, place man upon it, atone for human errors, and bring men back to God, all according to the plan. By this appointment he became the maker or creator of the earth, the Savior and Redeemer of men, our advocate with the Father -- in short, the member of the Godhead in charge directly of affairs and people on earth. The scriptures declare this commission of Jesus Christ. In ancient Nephite days it was stated that he is the creator of the heavens and the earth. (Mosiah 3:8) When he visited the American continent, he declared, "I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are." (3 Nephi 9:15) To the Prophet Joseph Smith he said, "I am Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who created the heavens and the earth." (D. & C. 14:9) Jesus is the central figure of the plan of salvation. It was Jesus the Christ who at sundry times revealed himself to prophets of former and latter days. Necessarily, all that Jesus Christ has done and will do in behalf of the earth and its inhabitants, is in conformity with the plan of salvation, with the consent and under the direction of the Father. Jesus cannot rise above his Father; Jesus is, in these matters of man's salvation, not only one with the Father, but also in a sense his agent. The time will come, when the plan has been completed, that Jesus, his mission ended, will present the results of his stewardship to the Father, the presiding authority in the council of the Godhead. The commission thus given to Jesus explains why, for example, we pray to the Father in the name of the Son. It explains also why the revelations to Joseph Smith after the first vision, were received through Jesus the Christ; that is, he was the speaker. That explains many a saying in the scriptures which otherwise would be difficult of understanding. It makes clear why, in pursuit of his assignment, he may be called the Father of the earth and all upon it. Whenever or wherever in the history of the world, the gospel has been taught in its fulness, the place of Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation has been understood. With that knowledge in mind, writers have often spoken of him as the Eternal Father, or God of this world. Thus Isaiah, in his famous prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus, says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) The ancient Nephite prophets, who understood well the mission of Jesus, called Jesus the "Son of the Eternal Father." (1 Nephi 13:40) They also, speaking of the mission of Jesus, gave Jesus the title Eternal Father. Ether speaks of him as "the God of this land." (Ether 2:12.) Mosiah says that he is the "Father of all things;" (Mosiah 7:27) and the "very Eternal Father." (Mosiah 16:15) Alma relates that Zeezrom asked Amulek bluntly, "Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?" Amulek answered, "Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are." (Alma 11: 38, 39) In the use of the title Father for God, the Father of Jesus and of us all, the presiding authority of the Godhead, and in the use of the same title for Jesus, with reference to his mission of earth, there need be no confusion. One need only understand which Being is discussed. Then the term may as properly be applied to one or to another. The word eternal, of course, denotes Godhood, and the everlasting nature of the plan of salvation. In the light of the mission of our Elder Brother, the appellation to him by prophets of old, of the title of the Eternal Father, is understood, and is found fully justified. Only those who know not the fulness of the gospel fail to comprehend it. 3. HOW DOES GOD HAVE CONSTANT KNOWLEDGE OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE? It is an established doctrine of the Church that God is in constant communication with the whole universe, and every person therein. He may, himself, as he has done at various times, appear to men. But, since God is a personal being, he must use helps and helpers to secure complete, constant contact with all creation. His associates in the spirit world, angels and other personages, may be sent out to administer God's purposes. There may also be other means beyond man's present knowledge. While little has been revealed on the subject, it would appear that the Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, is, as it were, in charge of the divine system of communications. It is one of his functions to manifest the will and power of God to the children of men. Joseph Smith, the Prophet, speaking of the Priesthood says that, "The Holy Ghost is God's messenger to administer in all those priesthoods." (Teachings, p. 323) Brigham Young speaks similarly of the Holy Ghost: "He is God's messenger that diffuses his (God's) influence through all the works of the Almighty." (Discourses, p. 30-1941 edition) James E. Talmage says: "The Holy Ghost may be regarded as the minister of the Godhead, carrying into effect the decisions of the Supreme Council." (Articles of Faith, p. 160.) Such a commission is of vast importance, and justifies the dependence on the Holy Ghost, by believers in God and Christ. The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, and of limited dimensions, who cannot, himself, be everywhere present. (D. & C. 130:22) Therefore, President Joseph F. Smith says, "The Holy Ghost as a personage of Spirit can no more be omnipresent in person than can the Father or the Son. ... The Holy Ghost in person may visit men." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 61) Consequently, the Holy Ghost needs must use agents in performing his mission. The chief agent or agency by which the Holy Ghost accomplishes his work, is usually spoken of as the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God. It is a universe-filling medium, or influence, by which divine messages may be transmitted to man, and man's desires carried to the powers of heaven. It may be comprehended, to a limited degree, in our day, by recent discoveries and inventions. Any one of us may send messages by wireless or telegraph to persons far distant, or actually speak with them over the telephone. By radio devices, far distant objects may be controlled and directed in their movements, in the air or on land or sea. This agent is also called the light of truth, as in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith: Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space -- the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things. (D. & C. 88:12, 13) This divine universe-filling medium, which holds all things together, places every soul born into the earth in communication with the members of the Godhead. Through it flow the truth and power that touch the intelligence and conscience of men. That we understand the nature of the Holy Spirit cannot be claimed. Yet, its effects are well known. Only by analogy with discovered phenomena of nature does it become somewhat understandable. We know the effects of electricity or magnetism, but their nature is yet far from human comprehension. In summary, the Holy Ghost, a personage who cannot be everywhere at the same time, may at will visit any individual in person; but by the universe-filling influence radiating from God, or the Light of Truth, the Holy Ghost may be in constant touch with all creatures. In reading the scriptures, one should carefully determine whether the writer has in mind the person of the Holy Ghost, or the means by which he performs his mighty work among men. It has caused some confusion that the terms, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, and Spirit of God, as rendered by Bible translators with an imperfect knowledge of the gospel, appear to be interchangeable. In common speech, also, the tendency has been to use these terms loosely, without exact definition. This has confused students of the gospel and has led to frequent questions. With the restoration of the gospel, this confusion vanished. We can now better understand the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that, "The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim, ... where all things ... are manifest, past, present, and future." (D. & C. 130:7, 8) This place is in our poor human words, the control station of God's all-pervading influence. 4. ARE THERE MANY GODS? The Latter-day Saints believe in one supreme God. He is God the Father, to whom we direct our prayers, in the name of Jesus, the Christ. Associated with the Father are his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. These three separate and distinct personages constitute the Godhead, the governing council of the universe. The Church believes and teaches that the personages of the Trinity are distinct personalities but that they are as one because they are united in all things of faith and action. Undoubtedly, in working out the Father's plan of salvation, the three members of the Godhead may have had different assignments. Jesus was commissioned to organize the earth, to place man upon it, to secure for man eternal association with his body, through his atonement upon the cross, and when the time comes, to present to the Father the results of man's journey on earth so that proper judgment may be rendered. The Holy Ghost was given the high office to help weak man searching for truth win salvation. This he would accomplish by establishing contact between himself and every person on earth. By that contact he may warn against sin, point out the path to righteousness, give guidance to all who really love the gospel, and become a witness of truth when it is found. Thus, through the influence from the Holy Ghost, man is never alone but may always be in the presence of divinity. This revealed doctrine of the composition and nature of the Godhead teaches that there are at least three Gods. The Prophet Joseph Smith, challenged by unbelievers that he taught a plurality of Gods, replied in a sermon, "I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always, and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the elders for fifteen years. "I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ, a separate and distinct personage from God the Father and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural; and who can contradict it?" However, in the restored gospel the word god does not always refer to the governing council of the Gods: the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There are in the universe innumerable intelligent beings, some of whom have come to this earth. These beings, if faithful to the law of the Eternal Father, are steadily progressing toward his likeness. Those who have risen high in their progressive development are often spoken of as gods. This is thoroughly consistent with the doctrine that all are children of God the Father, therefore of his nature, and capable of rising towards his image. This promise is clearly stated in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, wherein the destiny of the faithful is discussed: "Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God." Likewise, speaking of the faithful, "then shall they be gods, because they have no end." The plurality of gods is further stated in contemplation of the wonderful laws, things, and properties of the universe. "According to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was." While then, there are many gods there should nevertheless be a clear distinction between the Holy Trinity and those who because of righteous labors have won the title of gods. With this doctrine in mind, President Brigham Young preached the sermon which has been construed by enemies to teach that Adam is the God to whom we pray and whom we worship. President Young merely followed the sound doctrine taught by Joseph Smith that when the earth story is finished, the heads of all the dispensations will deliver their stewardships to Adam, who in turn will deliver them to Jesus the Christ, under whose commission the earth work has been done. That places Adam, the first man, foremost in the family of men (Jesus excepted, who was begotten of God the Father) The Prophet Joseph said that: "The Father called all spirits before Him at the creation of man, and organized them. He (Adam) is the head, and was told to multiply. The keys were first given to him, and by him to others. He will have to give an account of his stewardship, and they to him." "Adam holds the keys of the dispensation of the fulness of times; i.e. the dispensation of all the times [that] have been and will be revealed through him from the beginning to Christ, and from Christ to the end of dispensations that are going to be revealed." ... Certainly, under Christ, Adam stands at the head of the human race; as certainly, he will be blessed with the title God. Moreover, in the sermon referred to, Brigham Young spoke of Adam as Michael, the archangel, the Ancient of Days, so that nowhere can an intelligent reader confuse Adam with either member of the Godhead. The answer to the question at the head of this writing is that there are many gods. 5. WHAT ARE THE FACTS CONCERNING THE SO-CALLED ADAM-GOD THEORY? Those who peddle the well-worn Adam-God myth, usually charge the Latter-day Saints with believing that: (1) Our Father in heaven, the Supreme God to whom we pray, is Adam, the first man; and (2) Adam was the father of Jesus Christ. A long series of absurd and false deductions are made from these propositions. Those who spread this untruth about the Latter-day Saints go back for authority to a sermon delivered by President Brigham Young "in the tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 9th, 1852." (Journal of Discourses, 150) Certain statements there made are confusing if read superficially, but very clear if read with their context. Enemies of President Brigham Young and of the Church have taken advantage of the opportunity and have used these statements repeatedly and widely to do injury to the reputation of President Young and the Mormon people. An honest reading of this sermon and of other reported discourses of President Brigham Young proves that the great second President of the Church held no such views as have been put into his mouth in the form of the Adam-God myth. In the discourse, upon which hangs the Adam-God myth, President Brig ham Young discussed the earthly origin of Jesus Christ. He denied that the Holy Ghost was the father of Jesus Christ; and affirmed that the Savior was begotten by God the Father. He explained that "Our Father in Heaven begat all the spirits that ever were or ever will be upon this earth; and they were born spirits in the eternal world. Then the Lord by His power and wisdom organized the mortal tabernacle of man." That is, every human being is in direct descent from God the Father. In the course of his remarks President Young was led to discuss the high place of Adam among the generations of men, for Adam "helped to make and organize this world," and as first man, the father of us all, Adam stands at the head of the human race, and will ever be the representative of his children before our Father in heaven, the Father of our spirits. It was in connection with this thought that the oft-quoted statement was made about Adam, that "he is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." He spoke of Adam as the great patriarch of the human race, a personage who had been privileged and able to assist in the creation of the earth, who would continue his efforts in behalf of the human family, and through whom many of our needs would be met. All this was in contradiction to the common doctrine the world over that Adam was a great sinner, and not to be held in affectionate remembrance. Nowhere is it suggested that Adam is God, the Father whose child Adam himself was. On the contrary, in the sermon of April 9th, 1852, itself there is a clear distinction made between Adam and God the Father, in the following words: "The earth was organized by three distinct characters, namely Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael" -- the last previously defined as Adam. There can be no confusion in this passage of the separate personalities of these three great beings. A discourse delivered August 8, 1852, within four months of the discourse in controversy (Journal of Discourses, 3:94) contains the following: "The Lord sent forth His gospel to the people: He said, I will give it to my son Adam, from whom Methusaleh received it; and Noah received it from Methusaleh; and Melchizedek administered to Abraham." Clearly, President Young here distinguishes between God, the Father, and Adam, the first man. The sermon of April 9, 1852, also makes the statement that, "Jesus, our Elder Brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the Garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven." The dishonest inference has been drawn and advertised widely that President Young meant that Adam was the earthly father of Jesus Christ. This deduction cannot be made fairly, in view of the context or of his other published utterances on the subject. Adam and Eve were not the only persons in the Garden of Eden, for "they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." (Genesis 3:8). President Young undoubtedly had this personage in mind, for he did not say Adam, but "our Father in heaven." In many discourses, President Young refers to Jesus as the Only Begotten of the Father, which would not have been true had Adam been the earthly father of Jesus. At one time he declared (Journal of Discourses, 1:238), "I believe the Father came down from heaven, as the Apostles said he did, and begat the Savior of the World; for He is the Only Begotten of the Father which could not have been if the Father did not actually beget him in person." On another occasion (Journal of Discourses, 2:42) he said, "And what shall we say of our Heavenly Father? He is also a man in perfection, and the Father of the man Jesus Christ, and the Father of our spirits." It seems unnecessary to offer more evidence that Brigham Young held the accepted doctrine of the Church, that God, the Father, and not Adam is the earthly Father of Jesus. In all this, President Young merely followed the established doctrine of the Church. Joseph Smith the Prophet, in discussing the Priesthood, touched upon the position of Adam. [The Priesthood] commencing with Adam who was the first man, who is spoken of in Daniel as being the "Ancient of Days," or in other words the first and oldest of all, the great, grand progenitor of whom it is said in another place he is Michael, because he was the first and father of all, not only by progeny, but the first to hold the spiritual blessings, to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity into the end, and to whom Christ was first revealed, and through whom Christ has been revealed from heaven, and will continue to he revealed from henceforth. Adam holds the keys of the dispensation of the fulness of times, i.e., the dispensation of all the times that have been and will be revealed through him from the beginning to Christ, and from Christ to the end of all the dispensations that are to he revealed.... This, then, is the nature of the Priesthood, every man holding the Presidency of his dispensation, and one man holding the Presidency of them all even Adam. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 207-209) On another occasion the Prophet Joseph Smith stated further: The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed, as in Genesis 1:26, 27, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature.... Our Father Adam, Michael, will call his children together and prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. ... The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol 3, pp. 385-387) The perspective of years brings out the remarkable fact, that, though the enemies of the Latter-day Saints have had access, in printed form, to the hundreds of discourses of Brigham Young, only half a dozen statements have been useful to the calumniators of the founder of Utah. Of these, the sermon of April 9, 1852, which has been quoted most frequently, presents no errors of fact or doctrine, if read understandingly and honestly. 6. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE ATONEMENT? The universe is dual: spiritual and material, composed of "spirit-element" and "matter-element." These two realms are closely interwoven, perhaps of the same ultimate source; yet they are distinct in their nature. Mastery of the universe means acquaintanceship with and control of both of these elemental divisions of the universe in which we live. All men had a spirit birth, and, before the earth was created, lived in a pre-existent life, often called the first estate. In that existence, the spirit children of God, later to become the men and women of earth, possessed the faculties we enjoy here. They could learn, choose, grow or retrograde even as on earth. God, their Father, provided means for their development, but did not rob them of their free agency. (D. & C. 29:35) These pre-existent beings possessed only bodies of "spirit-element." Therefore, they were limited to an intimate acquaintanceship with the spirit world. The material world could not be satisfactorily explored, nor known and controlled by beings having only spirit bodies as their means of communication and labor. Nevertheless, their divine destiny was to know the whole universe to which they belonged -- to become like their Father. To do this they needed to acquire bodies of "matter-element" -- later to become refined and celestialized. Such material bodies would be tools by which the world of matter might be known, and controlled for man's progress. When God, the Father of the spirits of men saw that His children were ready for the experiences of the material world, He called them together to discuss their further education. In the great council which followed (Pearl of Great Price, Moses, 4:1-3; Abraham, 3:22-28; D. & C. 29:36; 76:25-29), the Father presented a plan for this further education known as the Plan of Salvation, or the gospel of Jesus Christ. This plan was accepted by two-thirds of the council, and rejected by one-third. There was no chance for neutrality. The plan had to be accepted or not accepted. The sorrow of the opponents to the plan is that they cannot acquire matter-bodies which would give them knowledge and power that they must now be without. The plan provided that "matter-element" should be collected and made into an earth, as a schoolhouse, upon which the spirits of men might dwell with bodies of earth-element, in pursuit of their preparation for the more complete mastery of the universe. The eldest spirit-son of God, known to us as Jesus, the Christ, was chosen to lead in the execution of the plan; and Adam, another among the chief sons of God and Eve were chosen to be the first to go down on earth to take upon themselves earth-bodies, and to become the earthly parents and heads of the race of men to be born on earth. The education of the spirit children of God was to be exacting. For a great gift one must give much. They would go to the earth in forgetfulness of the past, depending upon their own free agency, to be clothed in bodies of "earth-element," provided by their earthly parents; subject to the conditions of earth, instead of the perfected state of their spirit home. More terrifying was another requirement. Sometime in their earth career their earth-bodies would be separated from their spirit-bodies, in a process called death, and they would for a time be so separated until divine forces acting under a higher law, would reunite the earth-body, purified and celestialized for an eternal existence, with the spirit-body, which because it is a child of God, is also eternal. All this was planned for the education of man, and to insure his eternal progress amidst the elements and forces of the universe. Clearly, the processes involved in the operation of the plan are beyond the full comprehension of man. Yet enough has been revealed to make the essentials of man's entrance upon earth, and progress in the hereafter, understandable to the human mind. To subject an eternal being to the dominion of "earth-element" -- that is, to forgetfulness, the many vicissitudes of earth, and eventual death -- appeared to be a descent in power and station. The first man, to bring himself under such dominion and domination would have to break, or set aside, an established law; hut unless this were done, the plan could not be inaugurated. Man, made to walk upright, must bend his back through the tunnel through the mountain which leads to a beautiful valley. Adam and Eve accepted the call to initiate the plan, and subjected themselves to earth conditions. That was the so-called fall of Adam, an act necessary for the winning of bodies of earth-element by man, and for the fulfilment of divine law. (Pearl of Great Price, Moses, 4:7-13; 5:10, 11) Just how this "fall" was accomplished is not known, and probably cannot be understood by the mortal mind. One thing must be kept in mind: The fall was not a sin in the usually accepted sense of that word. It was a necessary act in a series of acts by which ultimately all men will win an eternal possession of their earth-bodies. In the gospel sense, the fall of Adam brought life, not death, into man's eternal existence. Here then would be the condition of man after he had acquired an "earthly body" and then was separated from it by the process called death: He was rich in earth experience but without the earth-body to be used by him as an eternal tool to help him win his place among the realities of the universe. The "fall of Adam" had made possible the earth experience, but another act was necessary to restore to the eternal spirit the body of the earth, purified and fitted for eternal life. Someone had to secure this reunion of body and spirit and fit the body for eternal existence. Someone must cancel out the effect of the fall. It was one of the tasks of Jesus Christ to accomplish this return of body to spirit. He was born of a mortal woman, but begotten by God, an Eternal Being. Hence, He was both man and God, of earth and of heaven. By His death and subsequent resurrection, the bodies of all men, laid in the grave by Adam's act, were or will be raised into eternal life. In this matter he atoned for the "fall." The death of Jesus, who had immortality within His reach, was not as the death of mortal men. Just how His death brought about the resurrection is not known, and, as with the "fall," is probably beyond human understanding. Yet, vicarious acts, faintly comparable to the vicarious acts of Jesus and Adam, appear in daily life. One man may for certain purposes cut the wires that supply a city with light, leaving multitudes to find their way in darkness. Another man may reunite the wires,