The Origin and Destiny of Man

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IMPROVEMENT ERA Vol. XXIII MARCH, 1920 No. 5

The Origin and Destiny of Man With a Sidelight on Evolution —the Great "Miracle of Unbelief By Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, of the Council of the Twelve*

My Brethren and Sisters: —Throughout the discussion of this topic, I would like you to keep in mind the following passages of scripture:

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth; but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ^ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (I Cor. 2:11-14). Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it (Ecclesiastes 8:17).

The great difficulty with most scientists is that they are searching to find out God and all his works through the spirit of man, which knows not the ways of the Lord which are spiritually discerned. No man by searching, without the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, can find out God. It is the holy Priesthood that "holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom even the key of the knowledge of God; therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest; and without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the Priest-

*Remarks at a meeting in the Tenth ward, Salt Lake City, Sunday evening, December 28, 1919. Especially revised for the Era by the speaker.

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hood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh" (Doc. and Cov. 84:19-21). No man by delving into the earth or searching the heavens will learn the way of life and eternal truth by which man is saved, unless he also seeks the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord. I do not mean to say that no great truth, no wonderful discovery, will be revealed to man by searching the heavens or the earth, for man is bound to see many of the great truths which nature will reveal to all who search. But the great path of safety in searching for truth is in following the teachings of the Lord and his servants, as herein set forth. In no other way will the great mystery of life be revealed. Abraham was a scientist, the greatest astronomer, perhaps, that this world has seen. He knew more about the stars, their times and seasons, than all the astronomers of this "enlightened age" put together, because, as you read in the third chapter of the Book of Abraham, he was taught of God. The Lord revealed to him many great truths pertaining to other earths and the inhabitants thereof, and by urim and thummim he was able to see them in a manner far beyond the scope of modern devices for the study of the heavens to reveal. Let me call your attention to the fact that all down through the ages the teachings of science have had to be changed. Many there are who would blame these false teachings of the past to the church; but this cannot be done successfully, notwithstanding the fact that for the greater part of the past two millenniums, the Church of God has not been on the earth, and that which was called the church was but a man-made organization. Theories that were taught two or three hundred years ago, we laugh at today, because we think we have superior light. It was a scientific teaching at that time that the earth was flat; the the sun, moon and stars revolved around the earth, which was the biggest thing in all the universe. This makes us smile today because we know it is not true. Abraham, thousands of years ago, knew better than that and taught that this earth was one of the smaller bodies in the heavens. We need not laugh at the foolish doctrines of the dark ages, whether they be promulgated by false religionists or by the scientists of that day, for even now we are confronted by theories that are far more foolish than the doctrine of the middle ages that the earth was flat. One of these I shall discuss somewhat tonight. However, before we take this subject up, let me say that the scientist of today is constantly forced to change his base. Theories which were advanced as absolute truth, or as nearly so as theory could be, less than a quarter of a century ago, are today cast into the discard as useless or