Religion and Reason

RELIGION AND REASON. BY WILLIAM HALLS. by many of our best friends that as the Saints It is believed become better educated, and their reason more fully developed, they will outgrow their religion. If so, their religion is not what it professes to be. If a religion and reason are incompatible, there is something wrong with one or the other; either the religion is not true, or the reason is deduced from false premises. Man is instinc- tively religious. He is also endowed by his Creator with reason. He is essentially a religious being; it is one of the faculties that distinguish him from the lower orders of the animal kingdom; to suppress his reason would destroy his manhood. Religion without reason degenerates into fanaticism; reason without religion leads to a soul-destroying skepticism. There is no conflict between true religion and sound reason. That religion must suppress reason or reason will dethrone religion,is one of the errors of the false and vain philosophies of uninspired men. A system that is only adapted to barbarians and the most illiterate of the race, that must recede before the advance of edu- cation and reason, is not worthy to be called religion; it is at best a moral force. It may serve to restrain the baser passions of a primitive people, but it does not contain the fulness of the gospel of Christ, the power of God unto salvation, and eternal life in the world to come. A religion that comes from God will contain the fulness of the gospel of Christ, with all its ordinances, powers and spiritual gifts; with an authorized, organized, and inspired priest- hood to administer therein. It will be a world religion adapted to all races of men. Its initial principles will be so simple that the

RELIGION AND REASON. 945 most illiterate may understand and apply them; yet will be a sys- tem so profound in its scope that the most intelligent may fail to grasp its fulness. It will be a fountain of light and truth "re- vealed line upon line, precept upon precept." It will have no stereotyped creed with finite limitations, but ever expanding, con- formable to th'> varying conditions of men in their progressive evolution through time and eternity. It will make ample pro- visions for the social and industrial requirements of men, without being supplemented by social clubs, fraternal orders, or secret combinations. A great deal is said and written on the "Age of Reason." It has been enthroned for ages. The world's greatest philosophers have worshiped at its shrine, it is the touch-stone by which all systems have been tested and approved or found wanting, not that it has been valued too much, but other faculties just as important, too little. Reason is dependent upon the receptive faculties for material to work on, as the stomach is dependent on the hands. If no physical objects are impressed on the mind, through the senses, reason can form no judgment on natural things; also, if no spiritual truths come to the mind through the spiritual faculties^ reason is powerless to form a judgment on spiritual things. Reason makes no mistakes, if furnished with truth on which to form deductions; but if furnished with false premises, its con- clusions are incorrect. To the natural senses, the earth appears to be flat and stationary; the sun seems to rise in the east, pass over the earth, and set in the west in darkness and oblivion. A new sun seems to rise in the morning and pass on to give place to another, and so on from day to day. Reason, guided by these illusions, formed a false judgment that stood the wear and tear of ages. Reason wishes to be justified of her cuildren, and is very jealous of her judgments, and when it was announced that the earth is round, and in constant motion, reason stood aghast, horrified at the presumption of an iconoclast. Truth is knowledge of things as they are, as they were, and as they will be. By experience, history and tradition, reason may form a partial judgment of the past and present, but has no means of knowing the future, only by the past, which is very uncertain, as nothing is standing still, all things being in a state of evolu-

946 IMPROVEMENT ERA. tion. Judging the future by the past, reason would say, "The sun will continue to shine on the earth, the seasons will reoccur as usual;" but the scriptures say, "The sun and the moon shall be dark and the stars withdraw their shining." "The day shall come that shall burn as an oven." "The elements shall melt with fervent heat." "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea." Reason, based on experience without religion or revelation, is an uncertain and often dangerous guide. When Noah called on the antediluvians to repent, and warned them of a universal flood, as there had been no such thing from the creation, and no natural signs to show there would be, their reason, based on experience, convinced them he was the victim of a delusion, and they went on to destruction, while Noah, led by reason, based on revelation from God, was saved. The Egyptians, following the dictates of reason based on experience, lost their first born, while the Hebrews, guided by reason dictated by revelation through Moses, saved their first born. When the Israelites were dying of their wounds from the fiery ser- pents, reason would never have suggested looking on a brazen ser- pent as a means of being healed; reason would pronounce it a gross superstition. When Jesus appeared among the Jews there was a mystery about his birth which reason failed to reconcile; they knew him only as the carpenter's son; and for the blasphemy of calling himself the Son of God, they crucified him, saying, "Let his blood be on us and on our children." That this prayer has been answered, the history of the Jews testifies. After his death, the greali stumbling block was the testimony of his disciples of his resurrection; since the days of Adam, man had died and been buried, the grave closed over the mortal remains, apparently for- ever; experience, history and tradition, all united in testimony that no voice had ever been- heard from the silent tomb. This last delusion was worse than the first, so reason mar- tyred the apostles. Reason, based on prejudice and false reports, made Saul of Tarus a persecutor of the Saints, going so far as to assent to the death of the martyr Stephen. Reason, based on revelation from heaven, made him, Paul, the ambassador of Christ, the great apostle of the Gentiles.

RELIGION AND REASON. 947 The same reason that caused the persecution of the Former- day Saints and killed thoir apostles, has persecuted the Latter-day Saints, driven them from their homes, confiscated their property, and slain their prophets and elders. It is quite significant that all these murders have been in "the land of the free, the home of the brave," and the blood of their martyrs is crying from the ground under the shadow of the "Goddess of Liberty."' As their is no evidence of anything that did not exist being created, nor of anything that did exist being annihilated, man con- ceived it to be self-evident that he always did and always will exist in some form, hence, he is not satisfied with a knowledge of his present state, he wants to know something of his condition before he was born in the flesh, and also of his future in the world to come. How shall he know? Can he find out by his reason, without revelation? Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Ghost would lead them into all truth. It would show them things to come. All truth covers the whole ground, past, present and future. In the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants is recorded a vision given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in which they were shoArn the condition of mankind in the world to come, after the resurrection, that their degree of glory would be according to their works: that those things are governed by law; the conditions by which exaltation and eternal life are gained were made plain to their understanding. In the preface to this vision Joseph says: "We, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, being in the spirit.'' "By the poweir of the Spirit our eyes were opened and our under- standings, enlightened to see and understand the things of God." The knowledge revealed in this glorious vision was not for their benefit alone but for all who would receive it; every faithful member of the Church may receive a testimony of these things. And when these truths are impressed on the mind, it is the province of reason to form a judgment on them, on the same principle that it does on material things, which shall determine the attitude and govern the actions of men in regard to spiritual things; the minds being thus enlightened, and their duties made plain, the more education they get, and the more their reason is developed, the closer the har-

948 IMPROVEMENT ERA. mony between their religion and their reason appears, and there is no possibility of outgrowing their religion. The Saints are spending today more, perhaps, in proportion to their numbers, than any other people, for the education of their children; and this has been the policy of the Church from the beginning. As early as 1832, in a revelation to Joseph the prophet (Doc. and Gov. section 88) the Saints are commanded as follows: "And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another." "That you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine" of "things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad, and a knowledge of coun- tries and of kingdoms." ''That you may be perfected in your minis- try to go foith among the Gentiles." "Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom, yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith-" The world having been left for ages to their own devices, imaginations, and the uncertain guidance of human reason, men have incorporated innumerable errors in their systems, not only in their theology but in their social, industrial, educational, scien- tific, metaphysical, philosophical and all other systems, which show the mark of the beast, the confusion of mystic Babylon. "For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." It is the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to correct these errors, to dissipate this dark- ness. This mission cannot be filled by an ignorant people. To combat the learned ignorance, wise folly, and the crystalized error of ages is not the work of illiterate men, but rather of men educated in the broadest sense, with reason well trained and highly developed, men also inspired with knowledge from on high by the gift of the Holy Ghost. The wisdom of their wise men will perish and the understand- ing of their prudent men will be hid in the light of the gospel of Christ, as revealed from heaven in this glorious dispensation of the fulness of times. The morning breaks, the shadows flee; Lo! Zion's standard is unfurled!

' — RELIGION AND REASON. 949 The dawning of a brighter day Majestic rises on the world. The clouds of error disappear Before the rays of truth divine; The glory, bursting from afar, Wide o'er the nations soon will shine. *For the knowledge of the glory of God shall cover the earth ' as the waters cover the sea. Mancos, Colo CHEER UP! {For the Improvement Era.) ["In my travels." says the author, "I have been surprised to note how easily some men and women become discouraged. At the first little evidence of adversity, — down, down, down go their hopes! Their eyes roll, their heads droop, and they sit quietly down awaiting the end; whereas, a little bracing up, a little asserting of man and womanhood would quickly dispel the mists, and let the glorious sunlight in." He explains further that, while thinking of these people, the jingle which follows came into his mind as a result Editors.] What's the use of sitting with your head upon your breast? You can't see the stars in that position ! Just the same, they're in the sky, and shining at their best; Brightenin' up the world, 'cause that's their mission. Take a look around you, see the people passing by! Don't you think each one there has his sorrow ? What if every one of them 'ud just sit down and sigh? D'ye think this world u'd last until tomorrow? Who'd do the harvestin, and who u'd make the bread? Who'd keep che wheels of commerce turnin' 'round? If only just their sorrows keep a-crowdin' to their head. Till every other thought of life was drowned ? D'ye think that all the heroes are struggling on the battlefield? There's hundreds of 'em 'round you every day; Men and women sorely press' d, but yet who never yield; Because they know there's nothin' gained that way. Ain't you just as good as they, 'course you are! brace up ! Throw your chest out; take a good, deep breath ! Now, then ! you've a might pile of pleasures to "chase up." Who was it talked a while ago of Death ! Salt Lake City, Utah. Lorenzo J. HAorocK.