A Rational Theology, As Taught Part 4

THE G.o.dS OF THIS EARTH.

The conception of a universe directed by a G.o.d of intelligence can not include a G.o.d of mystery. In mystery there is only confusion. It does not follow that because he is not mysterious he is fully comprehended.

In our general conception of G.o.d, his origin, his destiny, and his relation to us, we understand him clearly; but, in the details of his organization, powers and knowledge he transcends our understanding.

Intelligent man dwelling in a universe containing many superior intelligent beings will often find need of the help that higher intelligence only can give. Earth-bound as we are, we need a close acquaintance with the G.o.d who shapes the destinies of men. The better G.o.d is known, the better may the eternal truths we learn be applied in our daily lives.

**The Order of G.o.ds.** G.o.d has had no beginning and will have no end.

From the first, by the exercise of his will, he has constantly acquired new knowledge and thereby new power. Because of the wisdom which he has gained, and the love thereby begotten for the unnumbered hosts of striving intelligent beings, he formulated the plan which will lead them readily and correctly in the way of continued progression. In so far as man accepts the plan of salvation he is being educated by G.o.d, to become even as G.o.d is. G.o.d and man are of the same race, differing only in their degrees of advancement. True, to our finite minds, G.o.d is infinitely beyond our stage of progress.

Nevertheless, man is of the order of G.o.ds, else he cannot know G.o.d.

**Plurality of G.o.ds.** Since innumerable intelligent beings are moving onward in development, there must be some in almost every conceivable stage of development. If intelligent beings, far transcending the understanding of man, be called G.o.ds, there must be many G.o.ds. G.o.d, angel and similar terms denote merely intelligent beings of varying degree of development. The thought, however, that there is a plurality of G.o.ds and other beings of varying grades, is a thought of fundamental truth, which may be applied in every-day life, for it gives the a.s.surance that it is possible for all, by self-effort and by gradual steps, to attain the highest conceivable power.

A division of labor is necessary among men on earth, and it is only reasonable that a similar division of labor may exist in all intelligent systems. The conception of a community of men may be applied to the community of heavenly beings. In the community of men, different men have different duties; so, perhaps, on an exalted scale, the G.o.ds are organized with a perfected division of labor.

**G.o.d, the Father.** G.o.d, the Father, the greatest G.o.d concerned in our progression, is the supreme G.o.d. He is the Father of our spirits.

He is the being of highest intelligence with whom we deal. To our senses and understanding he is as perfection. In his fulness he can not be fathomed by the human mind, and it is, indeed, useless for man to attempt to define in detail the great intelligent beings of the universe. G.o.d, the Father, the supreme G.o.d, has gone through every phase of the Great Plan, which we are working out. Therefore, he has had our experiences or their equivalents, and understands from his own experience the difficulties of our journey. His love for us is an understanding love. Our earth troubles we may lay fully before him, knowing that he understands how human hearts are touched by the tribulations and the joys of life.

G.o.d, the Father, the supreme G.o.d of whom we have knowledge, is the greatest intelligence in the infinite universe, since he is infinite in all matters pertaining to us and transcends wholly our understanding in his power and wisdom. We know no greater G.o.d than the omniscient, omnipotent Father.

**G.o.d, the Son.** With the Father is a.s.sociated his only begotten Son on earth, Jesus Christ, who came on earth and submitted himself to a painful and ign.o.ble death so that all men might be raised from the grave with the body of flesh and bones made indestructible and everlasting. Because of the central position occupied by Jesus in the Great Plan, he is essentially the G.o.d of this earth. He, also, is beyond our understanding, he sits on the right hand of the Father, and is one with the Father in all that pertains to the welfare of the human race. To us he is perfect, possessing all the attributes of the Father. Whether he is as far advanced as the Father is an idle question, since he surpa.s.ses our understanding. In all matters pertaining to the earth, the Son is the agent of the Father. Through him the will of the Father pertaining to this earth is given. All our communications with the Father are made in the name of the Son, so that they may be properly authorized. This is in simple accord with the order that prevails in the heavens and that should prevail everywhere on earth.

**G.o.d, the Holy Ghost.** The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost const.i.tute the G.o.dhead, or Trinity of G.o.ds, guiding the destinies of men on earth. G.o.d, the Holy Ghost, is a personage of spirit, who possesses special functions which have not yet been clearly revealed.

We know that this member of the G.o.dhead is a knowledge-giver and an inspirer of all that is great and n.o.ble and desirable, and that his functions in the G.o.dhead are indispensable to the welfare of man.

**Other Beings.** Many other intelligent beings, superior to us, no doubt take part in the work of man on earth. There are angels and spirits who no doubt have a.s.signed to them the care of the men and women who walk upon the earth. Man is not alone; he walks in the midst of such heavenly company, from whom he may expect help if he seek it strongly. A plan for the schooling of intelligent spirits, walking in semi-darkness through the acquiescence of beings of higher intelligence, must of a certainty include such continuous though invisible help.

**s.e.x Among the G.o.ds.** s.e.x, which is indispensable on this earth for the perpetuation of the human race, is an eternal quality which has its equivalent everywhere. It is indestructible. The relations.h.i.+p between men and women is eternal and must continue eternally. In accordance with the Gospel philosophy there are males and females in heaven. Since we have a Father who is our G.o.d, we must also have a mother, who possesses the attributes of G.o.dhood. This simply carries onward the logic of things earthly, and conforms with the doctrine that whatever is on this earth, is simply a representation of great spiritual conditions, of deeper meaning than we can here fathom.

CHAPTER 13.

MAN'S COMMUNION WITH G.o.d.

Man is not left to himself on the face of the earth. Though his memory has been taken away, he will not be allowed to drift unwatched and una.s.sisted through the journey on earth. At the best, man is only a student who often needs the a.s.sistance of a teacher. It is indispensable, therefore, to know how communication may be established by man with intelligent beings wherever they may be.

**The Will to Ask.** The first of the fundamental principles by which man may confer with G.o.d, is that man must show his desire to receive, by asking for help. Man has the right to reject whatever is offered him; in the midst of plenty he may refuse to eat. Therefore, whatever a man gains from the surrounding wisdom is initiated either by a pet.i.tion or by a receptive att.i.tude which is equivalent to a request.

Unless a man ask, he is in no condition to receive, and ordinarily nothing is given him. On extraordinary occasions, when G.o.d uses a man to accomplish his purposes, something may be given without the initiatory prayer, but such gifts are rarely of value to the man himself. To get help from without, a man must ask for it. That is the law. History confirms this doctrine. Adam prayed to G.o.d and the angel came to explain the plan of salvation. Joseph Smith, the latter-day restorer of the Gospel, prayed in the grove and the Father and the Son appeared. It is unnatural to believe that gifts are given without prayer. That the answer is often overwhelmingly greater than the expressed desire, is only a sign of the love of the Giver, and does not remove the necessity of asking, as the first step in obtaining what a person desires. It is probable that no request, addressed to a being of superior intelligence, is refused. However, the answer comes at a time and place not predetermined by man.

**By Personal Appearance.** In answer to prayer, G.o.d may appear personally. There is no physical or spiritual reason why G.o.d should not appear to his children in person whenever he so desires. In fact, sacred history indicates that G.o.d appeared to Adam in the Garden of Eden, to Abraham in the Holy Land, to Moses on the mountain, to Joseph in the sacred grove, and to many others at various times during the earth's history. Likewise, Jesus Christ, the Son of G.o.d, lived upon this earth and walked and talked with men. To limit the powers of G.o.d by saying that he cannot or will not now appear to man, is to make him a creature of less power than is possessed by man.

**By the Visitation of Angels.** The will of G.o.d may be transmitted to man by visible representatives who are beings of a lower degree of intelligence. Angels have frequently visited men and brought to them divine messages concerning their own affairs or the affairs of the world. After Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, an angel came and laid before him the philosophy of man's existence. Similarly, angels appeared to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph Smith and numerous others, many of which are not recorded in history. These vivid personages, intelligent beings vastly superior to man, knowing well the laws of nature and therefore able to control them, may be with man, though they are not seen with the natural eye. Most probably we walk in the midst of such invisible intelligent spirits. The development from the earth-journey comes largely from the self-efforts of man, who, apparently, must depend upon himself. If at will he could bring to his aid visible, supernatural beings, to tide him over his difficulties, his need of self-development and self-dependence would become very small, and the man would not grow strong.

**By the Holy Spirit.** G.o.d is a personal being of body--a body limited in extent. He cannot, therefore, at a given moment be personally everywhere. Time and s.p.a.ce surround him as they surround us. It is difficult to believe that G.o.d can in person answer the numberless pet.i.tions reaching his throne. Nevertheless, it is known distinctly that G.o.d, by his power, will and word is everywhere present. It is almost as difficult to believe that, in spite of the hosts of heavenly beings, personal administrations are possible in the great majority of the countless pet.i.tions to G.o.d. G.o.d must be, therefore, in possession of other agencies whereby his will may be transmitted at his pleasure to the uttermost confines of s.p.a.ce. The chief agent employed by G.o.d to communicate his will to the universe is the holy spirit, which must not be confused with the Holy Ghost, the personage who is the third member of the G.o.dhead. The holy spirit permeates all the things of the universe, material and spiritual. By the holy spirit the will of G.o.d is transmitted. It forms what may be called the great wireless system of communication among the intelligent beings of the universe. The holy spirit vibrates with intelligence; it takes up the word and will of G.o.d as given by him or by his personal agents, and transmits the message to the remotest parts of s.p.a.ce. By the intelligent domination and infinite extent of the holy spirit, the whole universe is held together and made as one whole. By its means there is no remoteness into which intelligent beings may escape the dominating will of G.o.d. By the holy spirit, G.o.d is always with us, and "is nearer than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet." The intelligent earthly manifestations of the holy spirit are commonly spoken of as the natural forces. It is conceivable that the thunders and the lightnings, the movements of the heavenly bodies, the ebb and flow of the oceans, and all the phenomena known to man, are only manifestations of the will of G.o.d as transmitted and spread by the measureless, inexhaustible, infinite, all-conducting holy spirit.

By the holy spirit, which fills every person, man may obtain information from G.o.d. By its means come the messages which transcend the ordinary methods of acquiring knowledge. By it man may readily communicate with G.o.d, or G.o.d with him. When a person utters his prayer in faith it is impressed upon the holy spirit, and transmitted, so that G.o.d may read the man's desire.

This doctrine of a rational theology has been duplicated in a modest way by the development of wireless telegraphy. According to science, the universe is filled with a subtle substance called the ether, on the waves of which the message is spread throughout the universe to be taken up by any person who has the proper receiving apparatus.

**The Eternal Record.** So thoroughly permeated with the holy spirit is the immensity of s.p.a.ce that every act and word and thought is recorded and transmitted everywhere, so that all who know how to read may read. Thus we make an imperishable record of our lives. To those whose lives are ordered well this is a blessed conception; but to those of wicked lives, it is most terrible. He who has the receiving apparatus, in whose hands the key is held, may read from the record of the holy spirit, an imperishable history of all that has occurred during the ages that have pa.s.sed in the world's history. This solemn thought, that in the bosom of the holy spirit is recorded all that pertains to the universe--our most secret thought and our faintest hope--helps man to walk steadily in the midst of the contending appeals of his life. We can not hide from the Master.

CHAPTER 14.

MAN WALKS WITH G.o.d.

The knowledge of means of communication between man and G.o.d is of great help to man in all the affairs of his life.

**Reading G.o.d's Message.** In possession of the holy spirit is a record of the will of G.o.d with respect to all things and all occurrences, great or small, in the universe from the first day. The big problem of man is to read the message of G.o.d as it is held by the holy spirit. In wireless telegraphy, a spark coil sets up waves in the ether and other coils similarly "tuned," receive the waves anywhere in the universe. In wireless telegraphy the all-important thing is that the transmitting and receiving instruments be tuned alike, for only then may the message be read. The same principle holds with the holy spirit. The giver and the receiver must be "tuned" alike, that is, must be in harmony, if the messages are to pa.s.s readily and understandingly from one to the other. The clearness of the message depends wholly upon the degree to which this tuning approaches perfect harmony.

**Spirit Blindness.** There are many who, walking among vast spiritual forces, yet feel themselves wholly alone. They do not have the a.s.surance that there is something or someone near them which may not be known by the ordinary judgment of the senses, yet which may be known by man. These persons are so untuned as to be unable to understand the messages of the holy spirit. Many will not be brought into an understanding harmony with the holy spirit; others merely find it so hard to be brought into tune with the infinite that they would rather be without the messages than to do the necessary labor of acquiring harmonious relations with the holy spirt. Those who can not feel and in part commune with the holy spirit, are blind to the larger part of the universe, which lies outside of the circ.u.mscribed world, swept by our immediate senses. In terms of the unseen forces will the earth at last be cleared of all its mystery. In yesterday and tomorrow shall today be glorified. The eternal concern of man will be, as it has been, to secure an understanding knowledge of all the forces of s.p.a.ce. They, therefore, who cannot on this earth possess a direct a.s.surance of the existence and a.s.sistance of the great unseen world, are indeed spiritually blind, and much to be pitied.

**Prayer.** As already stated, all communication between man and a higher intelligent Being must be initiated by a request from the man.

Thus, the place of prayer in the life of man is at once established.

Prayer is a request for further light, protection, or whatever else is desired. Prayer is the first and greatest means of reading G.o.d's messages, for by intense prayer man gradually places himself in tune with the infinite so far as his request is concerned. Those who do not ask, naturally do not establish an understanding relations.h.i.+p with the unseen world, and no message appears. The Being of higher intelligence, to whom the request is directed, may or may not grant the prayer, but some answer will be given. Prayer has been said to be "the soul's sincere desire." Only when it is such will the highest answer be obtained, and it is doubtful if such a prayer is ever refused. No prayer is unheard. The place and time of prayer are of less importance. Morning, noon and night, prayer is always fitting.

However, it is well to be orderly, and to beget habits of prayer, and certain hours of the day should therefore be set aside for prayer, both in private and in the family. Frequent and regular prayer helps to remind man of his dependence on a Being of higher intelligence in accomplis.h.i.+ng the great work of his heart. A man should pray always; his heart should be full of prayer; he should walk in prayer. Answers will then be heard as G.o.d pleases. Seldom is a man greater than his private prayers.

**Active Prayer.** To become properly tuned with the guiding intelligent Being, one must not pray in a stereotyped way. A man must give himself to the matter devotedly desired, in the form of prayer, and then support it with all his works. Prayer is active and not pa.s.sive. If a thing is wanted a man must try to secure it. Then, as a man devotes all of himself to the matter of the prayer, his att.i.tude becomes such as to make him susceptible to the answer when it shall be sent. Prayer may be said to be the soul's whole desire.

**The Gift of Understanding.** Every now and then a man is found who seems to possess a knowledge above that of his fellow men. Knowledge is gained by tremendous self-effort, and the men who know most are usually those who have exerted themselves most to learn. However, it is well known that those who have given themselves with all their might to a certain study, often have great flashes of insight, whereby they leap as it were from knowledge to knowledge, until their progress becomes tremendously rapid, compared with that of ordinary men.

This means of acquiring knowledge may be compared crudely with the switch of an electric lighting system. When the switch is out, though the great dynamo in the canyon mouth hammer and generate its electricity, there is no flow of current through the city system and all is darkness. Yet a man, with a slight effort, can raise the switch and connect the wires, thereby flooding the city with light. The result appears to be infinitely greater than the cause. Thus, those who by great effort build up systems of truth often reach a place where by relatively little effort a flood of new light may be thrown upon the subject to which the mind has given itself. That is one of the compensations to those who strive with all their might for the mastery of any subject. This power becomes the gift of understanding, which may come to all who study deeply.

The gift of understanding is the result of the operation of the holy spirit. The holy spirit which is in communication with the whole universe, is in a measure subject to those who give themselves devotedly and with all their heart to any righteous matter. It is one of the most precious of gifts, and one that should be sought after by all men, because by its aid, the chance for development is greatly increased.

**Man Walks with G.o.d.** Literally, then, through the a.s.sistance of the mighty and all-pervading holy spirit, man is, indeed, always in the presence of G.o.d and his agencies. From this point of view man is immersed in the light and power of G.o.dliness. He, who by earnest prayer, close attention, and n.o.ble desires seeks the intelligence above and about him is not alone. He walks hand in hand with intelligent beings and draws from them the power that he does not of himself possess. In times of need such a man may reach into the black unknown and bring out hope, born of high knowledge.

MAN AND THE DEVIL.

CHAPTER 15.

THE KINGDOM OF THE EVIL ONE.

If there is progression, there may also be retrogression; if there is good, there may be evil. Everything has its opposite.

**Descending Beings.** In a universe containing eternal, intelligent, personalities possessing free agency, there may be beings who are in opposition to the general law of progress. In fact, such opposing intelligent spirits or men have always and everywhere been found.