The Real, the Final, the Absolute Truth

IMPROVEMENT ERA. Vol. XII. DECEMBER, 1908. No. 2 "THE REAL, THE FINAL, THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH." BY WILLIAM HALLS. In Great Truths the author, on page nine, asks, "Which of all the religions of the world is the real, the final, the absolute truth?" answering, ' 'We must make our individual choice and abide by it as best we can." This is a world's question; it concerns all mankind. Religion is at once the most important, yet the least understood, of any subject in the world, on which we should be the most united, but on which we are the most divided. We have different schools of philosophy, medicine and science. We have different conceptions of government, resulting in political parties, more or less antagonistic; we have different theories in regard to education; but in nothing do we differ so much as in religion. There is an awakening in regard to education, and many reforms are suggested. We are willing to include in our curriculum instruction on every subject except religion. The most vital part of education is left out; and necessarily so, because if we could agree to incorporate religion is our school system, we are so divided that it would be impossible to unite as to which it should be, so we have to leave it out altogether as "a disturbing element." As many students, therefore, belong to no church, they

82 IMPROVEMENT ERA. have no religious training; their spiritual natures are undeveloped; an indifFerence or antipathy to religion is created, resulting in a widespread skepticism, a menace to stable government. We have eliminated religion from our systems of education and government, and as far as possible we exclude every man who is at all prominent in religion from taking any leading part in politics, education, finance, industry or commerce. If it be true that religion unfits a man for usefulness in the every day affairs of life, the less there is of it the better; for if it should become universal the world's work would stop and we would all starve. We have relegated religion to a very narrow sphere. It is not uncommon to hear a man say of a neighbor, "he is a good honest man, but belongs to no church." We frequently hear a man say of himself, "I believe in being honest and virtuous, in being true to my family and friends; in doing to others as I would they should do to me, but I have no use whatever for religion." This attitude of antagonism is surely the result of misunderstanding of the nature and effects of true religion. Morality, in a restricted sense, may be defined as our duty to our fellow-men, without regard to our duty to a supreme being; as governing our conduct in purely secular affairs. Religion may be defined as our duty to God; but it should not be restricted, as our duty to God must of necessity include our duty to men. We can not love God, and hate our brother. We may say a man is strictly moral, but irreligious; but cannot say, a man is strictly religious, but immoral. Honesty, virtue, temperance, industry, and truth, are the foundation stones on which religion stands, they are the lower rounds of the ladder leading up to the new birth, regeneration and spiritual development. It is not the design of our creation that we remain on these lower rounds, but that we advance to higher planes of spiritual life. Religion includes every phase of morality; so, just as far as a man is moral, just so far he is religious. To say that a man is religious should imply that he is in harmony with his being; that he is doing his full duty, that he is perfect as a man. Jesus said to his disciples, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect." Perfection, as here used, must be taken comparatively. Kternal progression and absolute perfection are incompatible, a contradiction

"THE REAL, THE FINAL, THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH." 83 of terms; absolute perfection is inconceivable. The mathematician is perfect as far as he understands mathematics; but there are problems unsolved. The chemist is perfect as far as his analysis extends, but he is still learning. A child may be perfect as a child, but he does not remain a child; he progresses to manhood, and from manhood to Godhood. Eternal life is freedom to progress; death is to be bound by limitations. "Adam fell that man might be;" that spirits might have bodies of flesh. An evil spirit can never become a child and have a body, he remains in his present condition; those spirits that rebelled and were cast out of heaven, cut themselves off from further progression; this is their condemnation. The student who masters arithmetic does well, but if he ignore algebra and geometry, he cuts himself off from filling important positions in life that require a knowledge of these higher branches; and there is no goodwill nor friendship that can put him and keep him in a position that, through lack of training, he is unable to fill. , So, a man who observes the moral law does well, so far; but should he fail to accept the new birth, as offered by the atonement of Christ, and reject the higher law, he cuts himself off from the celestial kingdom. As an honorable man of the earth, he may come forth in the resurrection and inherit the terrestrial kingdom typified by the moon, but there is no sovereign grace nor divine mercy that can give him an exaltation in the celestial kingdom, as he has failed to obey a celestial law. "For he that is unable to abide the law of a celestial kingdum can not abide a celestial glory;" not that be is cut off by any arbitrary decree, he simply cuts himself off. By being content with the development of his mental, physical and social faculties, and neglecting the spiritual, he deprives himself of spiritual blessings; as religion properly includes morality, so the spiritual includes the mental and social faculties. We may say a man is strong mentally but weak spiritually; but we cannot say a man is strong spiritually but weak mentally. A man may explore the lower ridges of the mountain range without ever reaching the summit, but he cannot reach the summit without passing over the lower levels. That a man, by confining his life to the observance of the moral law, cuts himself off from the kingdom of heaven is made

84 IMPRO VEMENT ERA . very plain by the words of the Savior. Nicodemus was no doubt strictly moral, but Jesus said to him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The Jews, in the days of Jesus, were very strict in their observance of the moral law, but Jesus said to his disciples, "I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." In the case of Cornelius we have an example of a strictly moral man, but that was not enough to save him; so, God in his mercy sent an angel to him, who told him to send for Peter who would tell him what more he must do to be saved; if he had told the angel that he was living a moral life, that he was satisfied, that he had no use whatever for religion, and had refused to send for Peter, would he have been justified, would he have been saved? Seeing that by the observance of the moral law alone, we can not be saved, the question of the author of Great Truths is all important. The answer to this question is quite simple. It must of necessity be, "That religion which comes from heaven by direct revelation." A religion of human origin will be bounded by human limitations; it will contain all the author has, and no more; it will be without divine authority, will not be binding on mankind, and may be ignored without risk of condemnation. Its members will be in constant doubt and uncertainty in regard to its doctrines. Its creed will be subject to revision, as the light of reason reveals its errors. While the religion that comes from heaven by direct revelation, will be an open fountain of truth. Not that its members will be in possession of a fulness of truth in mortality; they must grow in grace and in knowledge of the truth, as it is revealed, "precept upon precept, line upon line," as their minds expand to receive the truth, and apply it in their lives. It will be with divine authority and binding on mankind, and may not be rejected without condemnation. Its members will be free from doubt and uncertainty in regard to its doctrines; "they will know the truth, and the truth will make them free." It will not be limited by any finite creed; and will never be revised, as truth never changes. Religion, in its broad sense, is the all in all; it is the science of eternal life,

"THE REAL, THE FINAL, THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH.'' 85 the perfect law of eternal progression. It is inconceivable that the Creator would reveal a system of government for his creatures that is incomplete and must be supplemented by innumerable human devices. A true religion was established by the Savior, with apostles and prophets, ordained to the priesthood, with authority to preach the gospel and administer its ordinances, and instruct the saints as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit; but the Jews crucified the Savior, anH the Jews and Gentiles killed the apostles. Revelation ceased, the church was broken up into fragments, each fragment led by uninspired teachers, none having, "the real, the final, the absolute truth." This condition continued, sects multiplying, confusion increasing, till the year 1820, when Joseph Smith found himself in precisely the same condition as the author of Great Truths finds himself. He wished to know which of all the religions of the world was right, and which he should join to be saved; he also mast make his individual choice, and abide by it as best he could. But in making his individual choice, he sought an infallible guide. Not trusting to human wisdom, he bowed in humble prayer, and in child-like, simple faith, he asked the Lord which church he should join. In answer to his prayer, he was told to join none of them, that they were without divine authority, that their ministers taught for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. He was informed that the Lord would soon restore the priesthood and re-establish his Church, arid that if Joseph were faithful he should be called to that mission. In this connection, he had a peculiar experience such as no other person ever had either before or since, as we read of. As soon as he commenced to pray an evil power seized him, not an imaginary power, but a real being from the unseen world, which sought to overpower and destroy him. It is evident from the New Testament that evil spirits knew Jesus as the Christ. So Satan knew Joseph Smith and the mission he was born to fill, and determined if possible to destroy him. Little could the youthful Prophet imagine at this time the effect the announcement of this vision would have, the thorny path he would have to travel, the opposition he would meet; how men and evil spirits would combine for his destruction, and that in a few years he must give his life for his testimony.

86 IMPROVEMENT ERA. The announcement that all the religions of the world were without divine authority, that all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, sacraments, and ceremonies, performed by their ministers, for centuries were of none effect, that nothing they had sealed on earth had been satisfied or sealed in heaven, was too true to be passed over in silence. If this had not been true, if the ministers of the various churches had been conscious of their divine calling, that the Lord approved of their administrations, and that their members had an abiding testimony by the Holy Spirit, of the truth of their doctrines, they would have given very little attention to the story of an illiterate forteen-year-old boy. But being aware of the weakness of their position, and filled with fear and anger at seeing their craft in danger, it is not surprising that they commenced a warfare against Joseph Smith and the Church he organized, which has continued till the present time, and will continue; for, as the little stone cut from the mountain smites the feet of the image and breaks in pieces the iron and the clay, so the truth strikes their systems of human origin, and exposes the error in their creeds. When Jesus first established his Church, in the meridian of time, it was the iron age in the political history of the world; and, as the Prophet Daniel predicted, the saints were warred against and overcome. But when he re-established the Church through Joseph Smith, the iron age was passed. For ages the Lord had been preparing the way for this work. He preserved this continent for that purpose; and, in his own time, he caused it to be discovered, and moved upon some noble spirits to come to this land, and from among them he raised up wise men and inspired them to found this government, and frame a constitution guaranteeing freedom of conscience, under which his Church could claim religious freedom. And though the Saints have suffered persecution, it has been the result of ignorance and prejudice, and not the fault of the government, but in violation of the constitution. But, as education has become more general, intelligence increased, and the character of the Saints better known, prejudice has given way till in places from which the Saints were driven by mob violence a generation ago, they are now welcomed and live in peace. The Church as a whole never was in as good condition as it is

"THE REAL, THE FINAL, 1HE ABSOLUTE TRUTH." 87 today. Its quorums of priesthood are more fully organized, and working in more perfect harmony; its auxiliary organizations more complete and efficient; its splendid system of Church schools, better equipped than ever before. Its missionaries are better educated and of a higher average of intelligence, and command more attention and respect, and are more efficient in their work. As a consequence all the missions are in better working order, more people are being reached, and more converts made, than ever before. As one of the signs of his second coming, Jesus said, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come." This is now being fulfiled, and there is now no necessity for men to remain in doubt as to the divinity of this work. In making their individual choice, they can do as Joseph Smith did, they can go to God for wisdom to guide them. In the Book of Mormon, on page 621, there is a precious promise as follows: 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. That this promise is true has been verified by thousands who have put it to the test. Having heard the gospel as taught by the Saints, and found, by comparisons, that in its organization, ordinances and doctrines, it agrees with the scriptures, they have sought a testimony of its divinity by humble prayer; and, having been convinced by the power of the Holy Spirit, and being baptized into the Church, they have found by experience that all the gifts of the gospel are fully enjoyed. God is no respecter of persons, and every man, including the author of Great Truths, who will go to God and ask for a testimony, with a determination to take upon him the name of Christ, and do the Father's will, may receive a knowledge of the divinity of this work, and that the religion given to the world from heaven, through the mission of Joseph Smith, is "the real, the final, the absolute truth." Mancos, Colo.