Read Ebook: The Vitality of Mormonism: An Address by Talmage James E James Edward

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"All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church."

The one-time general conception of heaven and hell is regarded today as antiquated, unreasonable, unscriptural and untrue. I speak of the heaven and the hell once thought of as the only places or conditions prepared for the souls of men, to one or the other of which states every being that has or shall have tabernacled in the flesh is to be consigned, perhaps on a very narrow margin of merit or desert. True, the support of scriptural warrant was lacking for the churchly dogma; but many centuries were required for the world to discover the fact. Paul, writing to the Corinthians in the long ago, said:

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead."

To this portentous scripture a very narrow exposition was accorded in the dogmatic exegesis of the earlier commentaries, and the dictum of a heaven and a hell was scarcely shaken thereby. Belief in graded conditions in the hereafter is widespread today, and in this rational substitution of ennobling truth for degrading error, "Mormonism" is again the world's teacher. Joseph Smith avowed that in February 1832 he received a Divine revelation, in which conditions in the hereafter were shown to be the direct result of the individual life in mortality, and by which the existence of distinct kingdoms of glory, each with its own numerous gradations, was made plain. These are called in descending order the Celestial, the Terrestrial and the Telestial. Far below the lowest of these is the state prepared for the hopelessly unregenerate, those who have sinned against light and knowledge, those who, having learned the laws of righteousness and having received the testimony of the Christ have ruthlessly trodden the priceless pearls into the mire, those few who are fit companions for the devil and his angels throughout eternity, those who are known by the awful name "sons of perdition." Of them the revelation last referred to avers:

"Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves, through the power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born, For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity; Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come, Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father having crucified him unto themselves, and put him to an open shame. These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels, And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power; Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath."

In immeasurable contrast is the state of those who attain not only salvation but exaltation in the Celestial kingdom. We read:

"They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given, That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power. And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are the church of the First Born. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things--They are they who are Priests and Kings, who have received of his fullness, arid of his glory, And are Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son; Wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the sons of God Wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's and Christ is God's. And they shall overcome all things; Wherefore let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet--These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just."

Of those who attain the lesser glory of the Terrestrial it is written:

And of the inhabitants of the Telestial:

"Mormonism" proclaims the possibility of eternal advancement within the several kingdoms provided in the hereafter and teaches that even repentance is possible beyond the grave. It utters solemn warning, however, against procrastination and wilful neglect here, holding that this life is strictly a probationary period given unto men for repentance and valiant service, and that to neglect is to lose the ability to repent. It repudiates what it regards as a strained and irrelevant exposition of a certain isolated passage from the Preacher of old: "If the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." This we do not believe was ever intended to mean that as the man is when he dies so shall he be eternally; nor do we admit that the tenor of Holy Writ supports any such inference. Neglect, wilful procrastination, evil life here shall surely be a handicap to eternal progress; but however far behind his more faithful fellows a sinner may fall, he shall yet advance if he will but repent and try. Is it empty assumption to say that such doctrine as this, given to the world through the Book of Mormon in 1830, is more vital than the dogmas of neverending torment and eternal damnation?

It was long taught that the body is a hindrance and a burden to the spirit, a thing to be contemned and despised. Carried to its inevitable extreme this belief led to the abnormalities of asceticism, monastic isolation, celibacy, and resultant evils. The spirit of this age impels to healthful living, to the preservation of the body and the conservation of its God-given functions, to the prudent observances of sanitation and hygiene, to abstinence from intoxicants, narcotics and stimulants generally. As early as February the Lord gave a revelation to the Church touching matters of hygiene and diet. "The Word of Wisdom" it has been rightly called; and its precepts are now proclaimed by the teachers of men. Hear it:

"That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly. And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man. Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine. All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good for the food of man, as also the fruit of the vine, that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground. Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain. And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel, and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint; And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen."

Hot drinks against which the people are warned have been and are understood to include tea and coffee, and the inhibition was preached and published prior to the discovery by chemists that theine, caffeine and kindred alkaloids are of pronounced deleterious and actually poisonous effect. Here again has "Mormonism," as a living teacher, led the way to the paths of a better life, not for the hereafter alone, but for this world.

The most potent of all forces operating to maintain the vitality of "Mormonism" is found in the Divine source of its powers and authority. It teaches the actuality of present day revelation as the needs of the Church require. The system lives and shall never die because it is imbued with the spirit of eternal life. Men cannot destroy the Divine; the mortal is impotent in assault upon the immortal; the finite is powerless to prevail against the infinite.

Had "Mormonism" died in its infancy the splendid results of its effects upon mankind would be unknown even as history. To the vitality of the system, to its inherent virility, is due the development at which today the world marvels. Among the practical results of "Mormonism" are the following.

A system of church organization unknown, since the disintegration of the Primitive Church through apostasy. This organization comprises all the essential offices and officers of the olden Church-apostles, high priests, seventies, elders, bishops, priests, teachers, deacons. The religion of "Mormonism" is practical, dealing with the spiritual it is true, but also in a prominent degree with the essentials of every day life.

An effective missionary system, by which the Gospel message is proclaimed throughout the world, and that message of salvation is delivered without money or price. Elders and missionary women are sent out into the several fields, bearing their own expenses except so far as they may receive assistance through the generosity of the people amongst whom they labor.

A coherent and mutually helpful body, in which the ties and prejudices of diverse nationality and of varied tradition are swallowed up in the common love for the Gospel and in the individual testimony of its genuineness. When one of the early presiding officers of the Church was asked by an earnest investigator wherein lay the secret of the marvelous influence by which so great an aggregation of foreign and otherwise diverse people were governed, the answer was: "We teach them correct principles and they govern themselves."

This effect of the Gospel is apparent in the happiness and satisfaction manifest among those who have become members of the Church after real repentance. Apostasy from the Church is a rare phenomenon. Even excommunication for failure to live aright is more common; and, be it known, that the Lord's revelations to the Church provide that transgression, if not followed by sincere contrition and earnest effort to make amends, is to be visited by disfellowshipment.

Every Latter-day Saint is expected to be true to the sanctity of his individual testimony. He is directly answerable to his God. As to his conviction that the Gospel taught by the Church is genuine, he is held to have undergone the test prescribed by the Christ that of doing the will of God and thus learning for himself that the doctrine is true. The peace and satisfaction evinced by converts to "Mormonism" well nigh surpasses human belief.

A self-supporting organization, not dependent upon the gifts of a wealthy few, but upon the proportionate giving of all. In the material support of the Church as a human institution the widow's penny is as acceptable as are the goldpieces of the millionaire. The system of tithepaying has been a success in the Church from the first. Every member should consider it a duty to pay a tenth of his income, whether that tenth for any given period be a dime or a thousand dollars; but no payment is arbitrarily exacted, for compliance with the law of the tithe, to be acceptable before God, must be voluntary and willing. The people are taught that while the Lord needs their tithes and offerings, their need to be tithed is many times greater. Besides the tithing other free-will offerings are made. On the monthly fast day each family is asked to contribute the cost-equivalent of the meals from which the members have fasted; and the means so obtained is administered by the bishops for the relief of the deserving poor. Special offerings are called for and willingly given as occasion requires. A recent request for aid to the war sufferers resulted in the voluntary and eager giving of over ,000 in a single day; and this amount was forwarded and distributed without diminution for commission or other administrative expense, the Church organization proving ample for the purpose.

A series of auxiliary associations which operate as helps in government. These include the Relief Society, the Sunday School Union, the Young Men's and the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, the Primary Association, and the Religion Classes. The purpose of these is in general indicated by the names. Church schools are maintained for such members as prefer denominational to secular education; and these institutions range from the kindergarten to the normal school and the college. We believe that true education comprises the development of body, mind, and spirit; and facilities for this symmetrical training are provided. To "Mormon" pupils in the public schools of both common and secondary grades instruction in religion and ethics is given through the Religion Classes, which are conducted outside the regular school hours and as a supplement to the secular curriculum. This instructional feature, now advocated by eminent educators for all public schools, has been in successful operation among the Latter-day Saints for over a quarter of a century.

A community whose vital statistics tell of prolonged life, high birth and low death rates, high marriage rate, few divorces, and general material prosperity. I present to you a few comparisons of data obtained from the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, showing the condition of Latter-day Saints in the organized stakes of Zion, for the six-year period ending with the year 1915, as contrasted with the latest reports for such States of the Union as maintain statistical bureaus and are classed in official reports as the registration area.

Among the Latter-day Saints resident in the Stakes. In the country at large so far as reported

Birth rate per 1,000................39.........................25

Death rate per 1,000............... 8.7........................14.1

Marriage rate per 1,000.............16.........................13

Divorces per 10,000..................4.........................10

Average age at death.................38........................32

The statistics of infant mortality are strikingly significant. Deaths from all causes among children under one year of age averaged for the three years ending with 1915 fewer than 59 per thousand births in "Mormon" families, while the latest report from the United States registration area shows 249 deaths per thousand. Deaths of children under five years of age, including those who die under one year, separately reported, average 82 per thousand births among "Mormons" and 349 for the country at large.

A letter from the Presiding Bishopric to the author, accompanying the statistical report from which the foregoing items have been culled, contains the following statement: "A detailed record is kept of all the causes of death among Latter-day Saints in the intermountain region. This is carefully supervised by local officers and compiled, and we think it is even more accurate than are the average statistics of the best regulated States of the Union. Details concerning any group of causes of death under the international classification are on file subject to examination by any who may be interested."

One of the certified causes of death in which "Mormons" lead the country is old age. In Latter-day Saint communities the families owning their own homes constitute 75 per cent of the whole number of families. Think what this means the absence of rent-collector or landlord, whose shadow too often converts the home into a dreary house.

Yes, "Mormonism" is alive. The world is better for its presence. It extends to all peoples the invitation to come, to drink at its fountains, to partake of its fruits, and to rejoice in the countless blessings offered by the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.

ARTICLES OF FAITH

OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

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