--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Fowler, D. H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 10 number: 9 published: 1907-07 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'D. H. Fowler, "Why?," *Improvement Era* 10, no. 9 (July 1907): 679–682.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1009unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1009unse start_page: 679 end_page: 682 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1907-07) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1009unse publication_year: 1907 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1907, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Why? WHY? BY ELDER D. H. FOWLER, A NORTHERN STATES MISSIONARY. "For this know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, * * * despisers of those that are good, * * * lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. ' ' — Paul, In this day of mad chasing after dollars and pleasure-seeking, — we are confronted with the question Why? One will say, men have become a prey to greed and sensuality, !.?• ause they have allowed the selfish tendencies inherent in human kind to be devel- oped out of all proportion to their spiritual natures. This is no doubt true; but why this one-sided development? Let us see if the systems of so-called "Christianity" may not be partly respon- sible for this state of affairs. It is natural for man to worship a god. It may be of wood or stone or the sun. It may be a river or a reptile. Ancient Israel, generally speaking, worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Men of today, adore a god of gold, pleasure. We pick up almost any newspaper, and see the result of their allegiance to this golden deity. It is the story of "get," and how many fellow beings may be crushed in the process is not considered. Gold must be had —to worship. The vaudeville and the ball-room are closely packed to the doors, while the minister of modern "Chris- tianity" goes on Sunday to his church and talks in a great meas- ure to empty space. Why do people forsake hearing the WorcJ to run madly seeking after the god of gold and of pleasure?^' ihe clergy are asking themselves. Wonder if the kind of gQd'-go- called "Christianity" teaches us to worship may not have to" do with this problem? In the first place, it would have men and wo- men worship a being (?) without body, parts or passions, who is 680 IMPROVEMENT ERA. everywhere present and nowhere to be found. People are taught to pray to such a personage (?) and do so, little expecting an an- swer to their prayers. But they are drifting more and more to the belief that such a god could not hear a prayer. It taxes reason to the utmost to conceive of such a thing, and men and women are gradually becoming indifferent to the church or prayer. The fact that Christendom has long since ceased to worship the God of our fathers — he who created the heavens and earth, — and consequently has ceased to enjoy the flow of his Spirit, largely accounts for this indifference. Some go to church because mother did, and pray for the same reason, or for form's sake. But many "honest souls" wander to and fro, seeking the word of God, and cannot find it, or do not think for a moment to look where it may be found in abundance. But it is unpopular to look to that body 'Of maligned worshipers who believe that God has again unsealed the heavens and revealed himself as he is — an exalted personage of flesh and bone. The name is derided, so it is taken for granted that he cannot be there. A few continue to go to the sanctuary that perchance they may receive a morsel of bread, but are usually ten- dered the proverbial stone, hence the exodus f r )m the churches. However, men must worship something, and as they know not God, they worship Mammon. It is difficult to believe that sons of the Great Father should so generally give their allegiance to the money god, or be "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God," if they really had a right conception of the true and living Creator, instead of a vague notion of a bodiless, loveless being. (?) ' 'We walk by faith and not by sight, " said the apostle. Today "walk by sight and not by faith" would be the slogan in the world of "Christianity." Mankind go after things that can be seen and handled and enjoyed in this life only. How much is the modern conception of Deity to blame for this? The spirit of "get gain" is rife throughout the nations. Men stoop to all manner of questionable acts for worldly wealth. The one aim in life seems to be, "What scheme can I devise to get more?" So they vie with one another in heaping together the golden shekels six days of the week, and then take to the woods to hunt game on the Sabbath. Their greatest anxiety in the said questionable feats is that they may not be found out by their fel- WHY? 681 lows. They take little thought of the All-seeing Eye that discerns our every movement. Why should they? The deity they have been taught to serve has no parts, consequently no eye to see and no heart to judge. And if perchance their evil act may by some mys- terious power be made known to this being, (?) he is believed to be "without passion," and consequently will not visit wrath on evil-doers. So it is not unreasonable to say that the sectarian notion of God has had a marked influence on these social questions. Then again, the other phase of the subject. People desert the churches to follow up light pleasures and amusement, probably for two reasons; namely, since they have ceased to worship the true God, he does not pour out his Spirit upon them, leaving the meet- ing cold and joyless; and partly because they have ceased to do the will of the Father. This is the condition in the world. A Baptist minister made the statement, in the hearing of the writer, that twenty-nine churches of that creed had gone out of * 'business" in the last ten years in Wisconsin alone. This was for lack of financial and moral support. This,according to current literature on the subject, is an example of the condition in other states. If here and there a church is found enjoying a fair attendance, it is evidently due to the personality or native ability of the pastor, or the promised discussion of some theme of unusual interest. "Lov- ers of pleasure more than lovers of God," because they know him not. Paul no doubt understood that these "perilous times" would be the result of the falling away from the correct ideas of God and the gospel principles in general. Certain it is that John the Divine saw it in his vision recorded in Revelation 14. The angel was to fly bringing the everlasting gospel to be preached to every nation, and "Saying with a loud voice. Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water. Ihe mythical, sectarian god is not he "who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water." As we have seen, their deity amounts in sum total to —nothing. Hence the vast importance of Joseph Smith's mission to call men to worship the great, all-powerful — Creator him who made heaven and earth. His followers have the advantage of a knowledge of the true God, therefore enjoying his 682 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Spirit in their worship and in their daily walks, if they will live for it. If we as Latter-day Saints individually do not enjoy the Spirit, it is because we do not the will of the Father. There are thousands of honest souls who are hungering for the true spirit of worship, but as the name of that body of religion- ists who enjoy that great boon is branded as ignominious, they do not think for a moment to investigate that system. These will no doubt receive the Truth with open arms when the Almighty sees fit tomake bare his arm in the sight of all nations, and show in an unmistakable manner that his power is with the Saints. Then the nations will begin to know the true God, and greed, avarice and sensuality must of necessity give way to the worship of him who made the heavens and the earth. La Crosse, Wisconsin