A Rational Theology, As Taught Part 10

Animals were created spiritually before they were given material existence. If the meaning of this doctrine is that animals lived before this, they certainly may live hereafter. That which is essential in animals is probably indestructible. Our knowledge of this subject is extremely limited, and whatever is said about it, is conjectural and subject to revision.

**All for the Use of Man.** Nevertheless, rocks and trees and beasts, are for the use of man, to be used by him in moderation and with wisdom. Man is at the head of the creations on earth. It is his duty to make proper use of them all. Whoever teaches that any part of the universe is not for the benefit of man, is in error.

**Man's Conquest of Nature.** It is the simplest of present-day doctrines that the vastness of nature makes it impossible for man to comprehend more than the minutest part of it. Yet, in the true philosophy of life, nothing is more certain than that the greatest mystery of nature may at some time be understood. The great purpose of man's existence is a complete understanding of all the mysteries of nature. True, the understanding that will give him full mastery over nature will come little by little. In the end, man shall know all that he desires. Even in that happy day he shall not be able to change one law of nature; only by intelligent control may he apply nature's laws to desired ends. With this certainty man may go onward hopefully.

Nature is inexhaustible and man shall not, in all the endless ages, explore it completely; he shall only in the eternal days become more conscious of its infinite majesty--thereby comes the everlasting joy of man. Great hope of conquest enables man to meet his daily tasks, with lifted head and fearless courage. Man knows that all his search shall be successful, if he only search with might and main and have patience to wait.

**Miracles.** Man is of limited power; whatever he can not understand or duplicate may be called miraculous; and only in that sense can miracles be allowed. The miracles of the Savior were done only by superior knowledge. Nothing is unnatural. All that has been done, man may do as he increases in power. The conception of intelligence guiding the destinies of men, makes it possible that, in our behalf, wonderful things are often done, that transcend our understanding, but which are yet in full and complete harmony with the laws of nature.

For ourselves we must discover all of nature that we can. In time of need, when our own knowledge does not suffice, the Master may give his help. Thus, after man has used his full knowledge and failed, the sick may be healed, the sorrowing, comforted, or wealth or poverty may come, provided we draw heavily enough upon the unseen forces about us.

Help so obtained is not unnatural. A miracle is simply that which we can not understand, and at which we marvel.

**Harmony of Man and Nature.** Vast, unnumbered forces lie about us.

The possible power of man, as he grows in knowledge, is quite beyond our under standing. All that is required of man is that he place himself in harmony with the interacting forces, operating in all directions. If the forces are not fully understood, he must search them out, and as best he can, must place himself so that they are with him rather than against him. To enjoy nature is our privilege and duty. No life finds joy above its harmonious a.s.sociations with the things that lie about it in nature. All this is merely in accord with the fundamental doctrines already laid down. The Church possessing the truth, always fosters, encourages and respects all honest investigation of nature.

MAN AND HIMSELF.

CHAPTER 32.

THE SOUND BODY.

Consideration has been given, in the preceding chapters, to the pre-existent life, the course of the Gospel on the earth, and man's relations.h.i.+p to G.o.d, to the Church and to his fellowman. Man must, also, give respectful consideration to himself, as an individual.

**The Importance of the Body.** Attention has already been called to the fact that the condition of the body limits, largely, the expression of the spirit. The spirit s.h.i.+nes through the body only as the body permits. The body is essentially of the earth; and, in the earth career, the earthly envelope of the spirit would naturally determine the expression of man's powers. If the body is in poor condition from birth, man must strengthen it as the days increase; if it is strong from the beginning, he must make it stronger.

**Food.** A first consideration for the proper maintenance of bodily health, is the proper feeding of the body. Man should use food adapted to the body and seasonable according to nature. In accordance with the Word of Wisdom, meat should be used sparingly, and no food should be used to excess.

**Exercise.** The elimination of una.s.similated food from the human body is quite as important as the taking in of food. For that purpose, physical exercise must be taken regularly. Moreover, exercise develops and strengthens all parts of the body. Manual labor, which usually is looked upon as inferior to mental labor, is in reality a means of improving the body, permitting hard mental labor and making possible a fuller expression of man's spirit. Man's life should not be given wholly to physical work, but it should const.i.tute a vital part of it.

**Rest.** Just as necessary as is food or exercise, is the change called rest. If the same muscles be exercised continuously they will surely tire and good work can, then, no longer be done with them.

Regular rest should be given the body. Frequently, a change from one kind of work to another is a sufficient rest; but in many cases, cessation from effort is necessary to recuperate man's strength, properly. The natural law requiring regular sleep should be obeyed, though none should sleep too long. One day out of seven, the Sabbath, should be devoted, particularly, to matters concerning G.o.d and the spiritual life, which too often are submerged during the other days, in the material affairs of life. An occasional fasting is very desirable, since, for a few hours, it gives some organs of the body a complete rest. At present, the Church practice is to fast twenty-four consecutive hours once each month. The food thus saved, in conformity with the fundamental spirit of brotherhood, is distributed among those who have need of it, by ward officers specially appointed for that purpose.

**Stimulants.** In normal health, food, exercise, rest, love of G.o.d and fellowman and daily work, furnish a natural and sufficient stimulation for all the duties of life. In fact, none other should be allowed, if the best physical health is to be retained. Therefore, alcohol in all its forms, tobacco, tea, coffee and the variety of drugs should not be used. There is double danger in the use of stimulants: first, they tend to undermine the strength of the man, and, second, they take away from man his mastery of himself. Under the influence of a drug, man is urged on by the drug itself, and not by his own strength of will. This is most dangerous. A man who loses control of himself, never knows just what he may do.

**Moral Purity.** The body is much concerned in the moral purity of the man. Men and women must keep themselves pure or there will be a loss of life and procreative power. Moreover, men must keep themselves as pure as do women. No reasoning, based on natural law, justifies two standards of morality, one for the man and the other for the woman.

**The Gospel and the Sound Body.** The sound body is a Gospel requirement, for only with a sound body can man work out his mission and have full joy. Working effectively and to make others happy, can be done only in a healthy body. Every effort should be made to keep our bodies as sound as possible. It is a part of a rational theology.

CHAPTER 33.

EDUCATION FOR THE INNER LIFE.

After all, the body is only the tabernacle of the spirit. The spirit within, the essential part of man, must be developed as much as possible during the earth career.

**The Senses.** Knowledge is the material on which the mind works. In every progressive life fresh knowledge must be gathered as the days go by. The senses of man are the gateways through which that knowledge enters. The senses of man must be developed, therefore, as completely as is possible. Seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling must all be developed fully and joyously for the pleasure and benefit of man. Without sharp senses, man may not have the highest earthly joy.

**The Reasoning Power.** It is not sufficient for the contentment of man that he gather knowledge, and add fact to fact. All new information must be compared with other information, so that conclusions may be drawn, and new knowledge brought into view. By this process of reasoning, on the basis of acquired knowledge, man may rise by sure steps to a high degree of understanding. Man must train himself, with all his might, to use this wonderful faculty of reason, so that he may intelligently read new knowledge from all he learns. A fact, of itself, is lifeless; only when it is compared with other facts, does it leap into life, and show forth its hidden meaning.

**The Feelings.** The sense of feeling is but a poor expression for the one great sense by which man may directly communicate with the region of the unseen. Through this sense, man stands on the border line between earth and the external universe. Those who have communion with the forces about them, because of their greater refinement of feeling, have comfort which is attainable in no other manner.

Moreover, our feelings with respect to our fellow men should be cultivated. We must learn to sympathize with them in their distresses, rejoice with them in their joys, and pity them in their sins. The education of the feelings is a great duty of man.

**The Spiritual Sense.** This sense is closely akin to the feelings.

The virtues of man, such as hope, charity, and mercy, can reach high development only on the basis of the conviction that the unseen world may be known. When this conviction grows upon a man, and he reaches out for a fuller understanding of it, his spiritual sense develops, new worlds are opened to him and he conforms to the intelligent love which made the Great Plan possible.

**Symbolism.** Moreover, as man develops, he learns to be content to know eternal truths only in great symbols. That is, he learns to be satisfied to know that he does not fully know. This has already been dwelt upon and need not be further emphasized. The Sacrament, as an ordinance of the Church is one of the great symbols of the suffering and death of Jesus for the sake of mankind, that the Great Plan might be fulfilled. Bread is eaten and water is drunk as symbols of the body and blood of the Savior, given in the atoning sacrifice. Every other ordinance is similarly symbolic. Back of the symbols lies the whole Great Plan in all of its gradations. G.o.d demands that the sacrament be partaken of frequently, so that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus may be held before the people continually; so with the other great symbols of the Church. By them the realities of eternal life are held before us.

**Education.** The whole of life is education, or training for further work. No wonder, therefore, that, in the correct philosophy of life, schools and other devices for the training of man's powers are foremost. Education is and must be carried onward fully and abundantly, in the Church of Christ. The support of education is, indeed, a test of the truthfulness of the Church.

CHAPTER 34.

SATISFACTION WITH DAILY WORK.

All must work--in defense if for no other reason. Without some kind of labor, body and mind will deteriorate. Clearly, however, all cannot do the same work, unless each man does practically all the variety of work necessary for the production of the things necessary in his life.

In a complex civilization of many needs, that would be impossible or wasteful. The great satisfaction of earth-life is to be content with whatever work may come.

**Variety of Earthly Tasks.** In obedience to G.o.d's command, man must devote himself to the work of subduing the earth. This is no simple task, for the earth is an organism of many elements. Moreover, the needs of man are varied and manifold, to the satisfying of which, the subjection of the earth is ordained. There is an endless variety of tasks, for body and mind, to be accomplished by the men and women of earth. These tasks differ greatly; some concern themselves chiefly with the body; others, chiefly with the mind; and yet others with both body and mind. Some deal with this, and others with that, essential need; some with this, and others with that, necessary condition. The vocations of man are almost numberless. Much unhappiness has come to men because they have been obliged in life to follow one vocation when they would rather follow another. If a man thus be unhappy in his daily work the whole of his life is akin to failure, because he does not truly realize the possible joys of life. Occasionally, the discontent is due to the unwillingness of the man to earn his bread in the sweat of his brow. This is due to ignorance. Earnest, sincere labor, requiring steady and full effort, is the source of many abiding joys.

**All Work May be Intelligent.** If intelligence pervades all things, and if all things belong to the Great Plan, including the labors in which man lives and moves, then all tasks may and should be made intelligent and appealing to mind as well as to body. Rational as it is, it is however a relatively new thought, that to every task, if properly illumined by knowledge, many forces of the mind may be applied. As man has gained added knowledge, this has become more and more evident. The fact that intelligence may be made to illuminate the so-called humbler tasks, lifts much of the so-called curse from the labor of man. This is another reason for the education of man into an understanding of the full meaning of the necessary tasks of life. It justifies the support of research into all divisions of nature, and stamps with approval honest study and investigation of every kind. All kinds of work must be done; full preparation for every kind of work is fully justified.

**Nothing Temporal.** G.o.d has never given a temporal commandment. All G.o.d's creative works are first spiritual, then temporal. That is, they were first begotten of the intelligent mind, and must represent some necessity in the Great Plan. Whatever, therefore, is brought into operation on earth for the good of man, must represent great, eternal, spiritual realities. In conformity with this thought, every task, however apparently humble, however apparently remote from fundamental principles, has a spiritual counterpart, and is necessary for the completion of the plan under which man works. It matters little, therefore, whether man devote his life to the tilling of the soil, the making of shoes or the writing of books, so that the work be well done. All such tasks are proper, dignified and necessary parts of the Great Plan, and will lead man along the path of eternal progression.

This means that, no matter to what work a man may give himself, providing it is honorable and he do it with all his might, he may rest secure that on the last great day, the work will be trans.m.u.ted into spiritual values, and as such will be written into the eternal record.

The quality and not the kind of work is the final test of man's achievements.

Man knows relatively little. He accepts his part without knowing its meaning in the full economy of G.o.d's plan for his children. Wise is the man who spends his strength, with a full heart, in the accomplishment of the nearest work. He will find his work trans.m.u.ted into things glorious beyond his dreams. More than that: Man need not wait long for the trans.m.u.tation of his honest work. Strength comes to the man of honest and full endeavor, irrespective of the kind of work, and on this earth his efforts are trans.m.u.ted into a great and n.o.ble joy. All work is holy, and, well done, will bring its own reward, here and in the hereafter.

Without question, men should seek the work they think they love best, or for which they are best fitted. Yet,' the majority of men can do most work in a satisfactory manner. The work that we finally must do, we should accept in the light of its eternal value.

**Subjection of Self.** Nevertheless, to accept a place in society--not always the place one desires; to do well the work that is near at hand--not always the work one wishes; to love and to cherish the work, and to forget oneself in the needs of others, all that is not always easy. Such a life means a subjection of self which can be accomplished only if there is a clear understanding of the plan of salvation.

CHAPTER 35.

THE HOPE OF TOMORROW.