Our Conception of Life

Our Conception of Life *

by axel a. madsen, of the third ward, salt lake city (liberty stake)

The one problem which has confronted all mankind since the beginning of the race, and which is still the most vital and im- portant question before the world today is, no doubt, the problem of life.

Upon the manner in which this question has been viewed

and the attitude which the world has taken toward it has depended the progress of the race. To the savage, the aim and purpose of life is merely to maintain an existence and to satisfy the animal desires. Man emerged from savagery only as he was awakened to a higher conception of the pur- poses of existence, and was able to take a more enlight- ened attitude toward life. The history of the world is merely n c<»rjes of concrete illustra- tions of this truth applied to nations. The world has had to make room for the people or the nation which has stood for the highest ideal of living. Undoubtedly the greatest factor in determining man's attitude toward life is his re- ligious belief. And so we j have prehistoric man deifying and worshiping fire or water or some natural phenomenon. Then, in the succeeding stages of progression, we find him bowing be- fore some sacred animal or idol finally made in the image of man. Then adoring some being with human weaknesses but super- human power, and finally becoming Christianized, he worships a divine and perfected being.

This, in brief, is the character of the religious ideas which have brought man up to his present enlightened state. For as a

axel a. madsen

*The oration which won first prize in the M. T. A. general ora- torical contest, Saturday, June 7, 1913.

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by-product of broadened religious faith lias come the develop- ment of all the useful arts and sciences known to man.

The van of progression has never been drawn by the un- believer. One who looks upon the sublime grandeur of nature and the organized splendor of the universe and says, "this is the work of chance," who looks upon his own divinely-endowed being, saying, "I am the mere creature of accident, the hopeless victim of circumstance" — what is there to stimulate such a one to carve out a great destiny? No wonder that history shows the world has received little benefit from such, and that a nation so narrow and stultified in its range of vision has soon become cor- rupt and has sunk beneath the feet of a hardier and a more >tnrdy race. It was the sophistry of "eat, sleep, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die," the logical outgrowth of atheism that proved the destruction of the once proud nation of Greece. \t best, atheism is merely passive in its nature, but more often it is a negative, destructive force, and cannot be considered as an agent of progression. Theism is the moving power of all worthy action, and has supplied the creative element in the world.

And so, in the light of tlu past, we may justly conclude that religious belief is essential to man's survival and to the advance- ment of the race. And furthermore, if it be true, as shown by the experience of the past, that the progress of the world is deter- mined by man's attitude toward life and that his religious belief governs his conception of life, we must regard as most vitally important and as highest and best that religion which is of the greatest practical value to man here, which extends to him the highest possibilities in life and the strongest incentive to right living.

And now, in the face of these facts, the question which comes home to us is, "How does our faith measure up to these requirements?" Using these broad general truths as a standard from which to judge, whit basic fundamental principles are there in our belief which make it superior to all other beliefs and philos- ophies as a force in uplifting man ? What is there in it which will inspire the noblest comprehension of the ideal life and offer the greatest incentive to right living that we may be assured it shall stand and endure and not be supplanted as have been the beliefs of the past by one more perfect?

In answer we may briefly reply that our faith is founded not on a far-off and incomprehensible being without form or parts, or passions, everywhere present, yet nowhere in particular, but our faith is founded on a tangible personal being with body, parts and passions, clothed upon by the glorified and immortalized per- fection of Deity, who is literally our heavenly Father — the Author of our being. For we verily do believe in an "eternal progres- sion." that we lived in the spirit world before coming here^that

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this life is but one stage of progression, that we live when we die, and go on and advance and progress and gain in soul growth, moral growth, intellectual growth until finally some time, some- where, we may become something worthy to be called divine.

By this belief man rises above the sordid gloom of mortality and surveys the order and significance of creation from the heights of eternity. And this is the one key to the knowable uni- verse, the one viewpoint from which he can interpret his experi- ence of life and bring all into an intelligible unity — "He must seek to see it as God s.ees it."

And so it is that all worldly beliefs and philosophies, while they gather about them many truths, must ultimately be outgrown and fail because they attempt to comprehend and explain the infi- nite universe from a merely human finite point of view. They begin in haze and end in confusion, leaving life a hopeless enigma.

But on the other hand, viewed in the higher light, the prob- lems of life become mere stepping stones to future greatness, the trials and adversities of existence, blessings in disguise. And we come to look on life not as some unfortunate souls have regarded it as "the desert waste between the two cold and barren peaks of eternity," for this is the key to a vain and profitless existence, but we regard it as a wondrous probationary state filled with limitless possibilities that shall decide our fate for the eternities, a glorious privilege to demonstrate our worthiness to inherit immortal glory in the kingdom of our Father. The basic principle of our belief declares man to be the offspring of Deity, and commands "Stand erect ; thou art in the image of God."

Through this belief, man becomes linked with eternity, and is given the assurance that by obedience to eternal laws of truth and right he may himself aspire to Deity. And he becomes not the enfeebled slave of circumstances or the passing toy of a merci- less fate, but he stands a Royal Prince, the ultimate master and ruler of the forces governing the universe — an eternal being to whom all things are possible.

What nobler conception of life could there be than this? What grander or more glorious destiny could be held out to man ? What stronger incentive to earnest effort and right living? It reaches from a glorious beginning to a perfected end, from eter- nity to eternity and can never be outgrown, for its goal is perfec- tion. And we fearlessly challenge the world with all its belief, theories and philosophies, to produce anything that can compare with it in beauty or grandeur or as a living force in moulding and perfecting the lives of men and solving the problems of humanity.

There is none equal to it, there can be none greater. And in the onward march of progression, the high and the low, the small and the great, must one day forsake their narrow human creeds.

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and flocking to our standards march onward beneath the banner which commands: "Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Gracie's Message

It might have been a fancy, perhaps I only dreamed. But Gracie, darling Gracie, appeared to me, it seemed. She came in light and beauty, in pleasant accents said: "Do not weep for me, dear papa, behold, I am not dead!

"My disembodied spirit, this spirit you now see, Still lives in realms of glory, from all afflictions free. Papa, I fain would show you death's hidden mystery, Would tell you of the spirit life when from the body free.

"But this is not my province, nor can it be explained, 'Tis only through death's portal, this knowledge is obtained. But this much I can tell you, to set your mind at rest, When death destroys the body the spirit joins the blest.

"The just ascend in glory to regions far above, Where all is life and beauty, affection, peace and love. Tell ma to cease all grieving, tell sister Lottie dear, Tell grandma, too, and Launie, that I am happy here.

"There all your best beloved ones, in the Elysian home, With patience now are waiting to see our parents come. And when we here shall meet you, no parting, nene will grieve, Mv time has come, dear papa; good night, I now must leave."

She then with noiseless footsteps walked quickly to the door, Then turning threw a kiss and said, "Tell ma to grieve no more." Distinctly, then, repeating what she before had said, "Don't weep for me, dear papa, behold, I am not dead!"

Then in a cloud of beauty, a cloud of peerless white, That darling, on receding, was lost again to sight; And thus my dream was ended, if dreaming it could be, And yet, I cannot but believe that Grace appeared to me.

OGDEN, UTAH. ISAAC Groo_