--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - P. Joseph Jensen collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 33 number: 12 published: 1930-10 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "P. Joseph Jensen, “Theology and Evolution: From the Historical Point of View,” *Improvement Era* 33, no. 12 (October 1930): 810–811." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3312unse 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: improvementera3312unse start_page: 810 end_page: 811 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1930-10) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3312unse publication_year: 1930 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 1930, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Theology and Evolution: From the Historical Point of View Theology and Evolution From the Historical Point o£ View (By P. JOSEPH JENSEN Teacher of History in the L. D. S. College SINCE 1903, when the so- called "Langley's Folly" made its flight, the aviator with the aeroplane has accomp- lished many remarkable feats. We all remember the great popularity of Captain Lindbergh in his "lone eagle" flight, and note with in- terest the elevation attained by German "airmen," approximately eight miles. Yet more remarkable by far than these are events which theological history records. For example, Joseph Smith writes: "He (an angel) called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni." (Writings of Joseph Smith 2:33) While our "airmen" did not "fly" to another planet, theological history records testimonies that heavenly messen- gers do come to our planet — the earth, to communicate the word of God. "DESTALOZZI made a contribu- tion to the cause of education in what has been called the object lesson in the teaching of children. It has proved to be of permanent value in the field of learning, for it is based upon a fundamental in our psychical constitution and nature. Applying this principle to the study of theological history we cite first the unique instance in theological object-lessons. Com- bining sentences from the histori- ans John and Luke, we have, "Then the same day at evening, being the first of the week, — came Jesus, and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." "But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, why are ye trou- bled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Guide Posts in Theological History me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet * * * wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honey comb. And he took it, and did eat before them." "RUT Thomas was not with them when Jesus came." Those who had had the above ex- perience told it to Thomas. "But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not be- lieve." Eight days later Jesus came when Thomas was with the other ten disciples. Then said Jesus to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy lhand, and thrust it A UGUSTINE, in his "Confes- sions." tells of a dream in his early Christian life, when as a young lawyer he was intensely absorbed in Cicero, and all his tastes were Ciceronian. He thought he died and came to the celestial gate. "Who are you?" asked the keeper. "Augustine, of Milan." "What are you?" "A Christian." "No, you are a Ciceronian." Augustine asked an explanation, and the angelic gatekeeper replied: "All souls are estimated in THIS world by what dominated in THAT. In you, Aug- ustine, not the Christ of the Cos- pet, but the Cicero of Roman juris- prudence, was the dominating force. You can not enter here." Augustine was so startled that he awoke, and resolved that henceforth Christ and not Cicero should rule in his thought and heart and life. into my side, and be not faithless, but believing." From this object- lesson Thomas learned the truth and exclaimed reverently, "My Lord and my God." We leave the reader to reflect on this unique object-lesson concern- ing a messenger from the Father and God to man on earth with this question: Could any class in our scientific age be able to make a more careful scientific test than did the eleven apostles of our Sa- vior's visit to them? |*T is with a somewhat similar object-lesson that theology be- gins in world-history and is re- peated not a few times throughout the ages down to our own day. The historical characters, Abra- ham, Moses, and Joseph Smith are typical. To the student of his- tory their influence in theology shows a standard of intelligence which is second only to that of our Lord himself, in fact, they declare it is through him as his prophets that they speak and act. For ex- ample, note the following: "Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talks with another." (Abraham 3:11) And Moses "saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses." (Moses 1:2) "I saw a pillar of light ex- actly over my head * * * when the light rested upon me, I saw two personages * * * One of them spoke to me, calling me by name, and said (pointing to the other) , This is my beloved Son, Hear him!" (Writings of Joseph Smith 2:17) HPHESE men, chronologically ar- *• ranged, Abraham, Moses, Pe- ter, James, John, Thomas and Joseph Smith, all historical char- acters, at various times in the past four thousand years, have borne testimony to the world that they know of heavenly messengers com- ing to earth to teach mankind. The Improvement Era for October, 1930 811 In addition to these which we history. In the book of Moses prove it, nor had students through- call miraculous events, the written we read: "For a book of remem- out one hundred years of study, word -of the Lord in theological brance we (Enoch is speaking) seen it. In a foregoing paragraph, history is by direction of its au- have written among us, according too, we named seven men who thor to pass through a thorough to the pattern given by the finger knew of messengers coming from historical test. For example, "and of God: and it is written in our God who "created man in his own unto three shall they (the plates own language." (Moses 6:46.) image." of the Book of Mor- mon) be shown by the power of God: wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true. And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be estab- lished." In compliance with this theological history test, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, all honorable American citizens, declare — "We have seen the plates which contain this rec- ord (the Book of Our Moral Leader Editorial from "Daily Oklahoman," March 21, 1930 \J F ALL men it seems most strange to see a pillar of the Mormon Church appearing in congress as the advanced cham- pion and protector of the public morals. In view of the opposition encountered by Joseph Smith when he originated the Mormon movement, of the obstacles thrown in the way of Brigham Young when he was converting the Church into a political republic, and of the criticisms of the Church voiced in the days when the Edmunds act sought to prohibit polyg- amous practices in Utah territory, it is passing strange to see Senator Smoot of the Mormon faith leading the senatorial forces which battle to preserve the purity of American homes and morals by making imported literature simon-pure. When a Mormon pillar becomes the acknowledged leader of the moral forces of the country, it is something to think about. nrHE significance of the distinction be- tween the statements of these two groups of men is fundamental. The former thought, the latter knew. A few lines from John Mill helps to emphasize this. They are, "What is the difference to our minds between think- ing of a reality and representing to our- selves an imaginary picture? I confess I can see no escape from the opinion that the dis- tinction is ultimate and primordial. There is no more Mormon) and we also know that Again, "and a book of remem they have been translated by the brance was kept, in the which was difficulty in holding it to be so power of God * * * wherefore we recorded, in the language of Adam, than in holding the difference be- know of a surety that the work is for it was given unto as many as tween a sensation and an idea to true." called upon God to write by the be primordial. It seems almost "A fundamental contention of spirit of inspiration; and by them another aspect of the same differ- the higher criticism of the Penta- their children were taught to read ence — I cannot help thinking, teuch is that it was not written by and write, having a language therefore, that there is in the re- Moses, but that it constitutes which was pure and undefiled * membrance of a real fact, as dis- a compilation of various tradition- * * and a genealogy was kept of tinguished from that of a thought, ary narratives made about nine the children of God." (Moses 6:5, an element which does not consist, hundred years after the time of 6, 8). Moses." This liberal school of Biblical criticism endeavors to har- . rf the word of God with the 1 men>s knowledge of Go£( monize prevailing philosophy — the doc- trine of evolution. "DUT theological history estab- " lishes what Mr. Whiston sug- gests in a footnote on a passage in the Antiquities of the Jews. It follows: "Josephus here takes notice, that these ancient geneal- ogies were first set down by those that then lived, and from them were transmitted down to poster- ity, which I suppose to be the true account of that matter. For knowledge of messengers from God, and his spoken and written word that we give the name the- ology— "a revealed science which treats of the being and attributes of God and his relation to us." Furthermore, it is such data as this which gives the evidence to us who have not seen God,, for in a difference between the mere ideas which are present to the mind in the cases. This element, how- ever we define it, constitutes be- lief and is the difference between memory and imagination. From whatever direction we approach, this difference seems to close our path. When we arrive at it, we seem to have reached, as it were, the central point of our intellectual nature presupposed and built upon in every attempt we make to ex- our faith in him which the apostle plain the more recondite pheno- mena of our mental being." (Quoted by James, psychology, Vol. II, p. 285.) Paul defines as "evidence of things not seen." In a former article we named there is no reason to imagine that five men who had become promi- men were not taught to read and nent in the doctrine of evolution, write soon after they were taught Th°se men are Charles Lyell, The- to speak; and perhaps all by the ^oret Schwann, Herbert Spencer, Messiah himself, who, under the Charles Darwin' and Ernest ! NEVER knew one man or woman who steadily evaded the house of prayer and public wor- ship on the Lord's day, who Haeckel. We made typical quo- tations from two of them which are characteristic of all. Those quotations show that those men habitually neglected it and had a only thought evolution had taken theory on which it was neglected, Chapter 3). This thought we place. Not one of them gives an who did not come to grief and repeat is established by theological instance which he had seen to bring other people to grief. Father was the Creator, or Gover- nor of Mankind and who fre- quently in those early days ap- peared to them." (p. 37, Bk. I,