THE GODS OF THIS EARTH.
The conception of a universe directed by a God of intelligence can not
include a God 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 God, 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 God who shapes the destinies of men. The better
God is known, the better may the eternal truths we learn be applied in
our daily lives.
**The Order of Gods.** God 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 God, to become even as God is. God and man are of
the same race, differing only in their degrees of advancement. True,
to our finite minds, God is infinitely beyond our stage of progress.
Nevertheless, man is of the order of Gods, else he cannot know God.
**Plurality of Gods.** 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 Gods, there must be
many Gods. God, angel and similar terms denote merely intelligent
beings of varying degree of development. The thought, however, that
there is a plurality of gods and other beings of varying grades, is a
thought of fundamental truth, which may be applied in every-day life,
for it gives the assurance 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 gods are organized with a perfected division of labor.
**God, the Father.** God, the Father, the greatest God concerned in
our progression, is the supreme God. 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. God, the Father, the supreme God, 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.
God, the Father, the supreme God 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 God than the
omniscient, omnipotent Father.
**God, the Son.** With the Father is associated his only begotten Son
on earth, Jesus Christ, who came on earth and submitted himself to a
painful and ignoble 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 God 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 surpasses 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.
**God, the Holy Ghost.** The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
constitute the Godhead, or Trinity of Gods, guiding the destinies of
men on earth. God, 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 Godhead is a knowledge-giver and an
inspirer of all that is great and noble and desirable, and that his
functions in the Godhead 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 assigned 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.
**Sex Among the Gods.** Sex, 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 relationship
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 God, we must also have a
mother, who possesses the attributes of Godhood. 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.