=Article 11.=--We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God
according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all
men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they
may.
=1. Man's Right to Freedom in Worship.=--The Latter-day Saints
proclaim their unqualified allegiance to the principles of religious
liberty and religious toleration. Freedom to worship Almighty God as
the conscience may dictate, they claim as one of the inherent and
inalienable rights of humanity. The inspired framers of our charter of
national independence proclaimed to the world, as a self-evident
truth, that the common birthright of humanity gives to every man a
claim to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is
foreign, liberty but a name, and life a disappointment to him who is
denied the freedom to worship as he may desire. No person possessing a
regard for Deity and a sense of duty toward that power Divine, can be
happy if he be restricted in the performance of the highest duty of
his existence. Could one be happy, though he were housed in a palace,
surrounded with all material comforts and provided with every facility
for intellectual enjoyment, if he were cut off from communion with the
being whom he loved the most? To the man who has learned to know his
Divine Father, freedom of worship is preferable even to life.
=2. What is Worship?=--The derivation of the term suggests an answer.
It comes to us as the lineal descendant of a pair of Anglo-Saxon words
(_weorth_, meaning worthy, and _scipe_, the old form of _ship_,
signifying condition or state), and conveys the thought of
_worthy-ship_. The worship of which one is capable depends upon his
comprehension of the worthiness characterizing the object of his
reverence. Man's capacity for worship is a measure of his
comprehension of God. The fuller the acquaintance, the closer the
communion between the worshiper and his Deity, the more thorough and
sincere will be his homage. When we say of one, in figurative speech,
that he is a worshiper of the good, the beautiful, the true, we affirm
that he possesses a deeper and a more complete conception of worth in
the object of his adoration, than has another whose perception does
not lead him to reverence those ennobling qualities.
=3.= Man, then, will worship God according to his conception of the
Divine attributes and powers; and this conception approaches the
correct one in proportion to the spiritual light that has come to him.
True worship cannot exist where there is no reverence or love for the
object. This reverence may be ill-founded; the adoration may be a
species of idolatry; the object may be in fact unworthy; yet of the
devotee it must be said that he worships if his conscience clothe the
idol with the attribute of worthy-ship. We have spoken of "true
worship;" the expression is a pleonasm. Worship, as has been affirmed,
is the heart-felt adoration that is rendered as a result of a sincere
conception of worthiness on the part of the object; any manifestation
of reverence prompted by a conviction inferior to this is but a
counterfeit of worship. Call such "false worship" if you choose, but
let it be remembered that worship is necessarily true, the word
requires no adjective to extend its meaning, nor to attest its
genuineness. Worship is not a matter of form, any more than is prayer.
It consists not in posture nor in gesture, in ritual nor in creed.
Worship most profound may be rendered with none of the artificial
accessories of ritualistic service; for altar, the stone in the
desert may serve; the peaks of the everlasting hills are temple
spires; the vault of heaven is of all the grandest cathedral dome.
=4.= Man is at heart an inferior pattern of that which he worships.
The savage, who knows no triumph greater than that of bloody victory
over his enemy, who regards prowess and physical strength as the most
desirable qualities of his race, and who looks upon revenge and
vindictiveness as the sweetest gratifications of life, will assuredly
ascribe such attributes to his deity; and will offer his profoundest
reverence in sacrifices of blood. All the revolting practices of
idolatry are traceable to perverted and fiendish conceptions of human
excellence, and these are reflected in the hideous creations of
man-made, devil-inspired deities. On the other hand, the man whose
enlightened soul has received the impress of love, pure and undefiled,
will ascribe to his God the attributes of gentleness and affection,
and will say in his heart, "God is love." He alone who has acquired a
proper understanding of the glory and responsibility of parenthood,
can intelligently use the Son's title of invocation, "Our Father."
Knowledge, therefore, is essential to worship; man cannot adequately
serve God in ignorance; and the greater his knowledge of the Divine
personality, the fuller, truer, will be his adoration; he may learn to
know the Father, and the Son who was sent; and such knowledge is man's
guarantee to eternal life.
=5.= Worship is the voluntary homage of the soul. Under compulsion, or
for the hypocritical purposes of effect, one may insincerely perform
all the outward ceremonies of an established style of adoration; he
may voice words of prescribed prayers; his lips may profess a creed;
yet his effort is but a mockery of worship, and its indulgence a sin.
Our Father desires no reluctant homage nor unwilling praise. Formalism
in worship is acceptable only so far as it is accompanied by an
intelligent devoutness; and it is of use only as an aid to the
spiritual devotion which leads to communion with Deity. The spoken
prayer is but empty sound if it be anything less than an index to the
volume of the soul's righteous desire. Communications addressed to the
throne of Grace must bear the stamp of sincerity if they are to reach
their high destination. The most acceptable form of worship is that
which rests on an unreserved compliance with the laws of God as the
worshiper has learned their purport.
=6. Religious Intolerance.=--The Church holds, that the right to
worship according to the dictates of conscience has been conferred
upon man by an authority higher than any of earth; and that, in
consequence, no worldly power can justly interfere with its exercise.
The Latter-day Saints accept as inspired the constitutional provision,
by which religious liberty within our own nation is professedly
guarded, that no law shall ever be made "respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"[1190] and they
confidently believe that, with the spread of enlightenment throughout
the world, a similar guarantee will be acquired by every nation.
Intolerance has been the greatest hindrance to true progress in every
period of time; yet under the sable cloak of perverted zeal for
religion, nations while boasting of their civilization, and professed
ministers of the gospel of Christ, have stained the pages of the
world's history with the record of such unholy deeds of persecution as
to make the heavens weep. In this respect, so-called Christianity
ought to bow its head in shame before the record of even pagan
toleration. Rome, while arrogantly, though none the less effectively,
posing as the mistress of the world, granted to her vanquished
subjects the rights of free worship, requiring of them only that they
refrain from molesting others or one another in the exercise of such
freedom.
[1190] Constitution of the United States, first amendment.
=7.= But as soon as the gospel of Christ was established upon the
earth, its devout adherents immediately, and its more pretentious
though less sincere devotees of a later day, came to regard themselves
as of such sanctity and excellence that all who believed and professed
not as did they, were wholly unworthy of consideration. Nay, even long
prior to the advent of the Teacher of Love, Israel, knowing the
covenant of Divine favor under which they had flourished, counted
themselves sure of an exalted station, and looked upon all who were
not of the chosen seed as unworthy. Christ, in His ministry among the
Jews, saw with compassionate sorrow the spiritual and intellectual
bondage of the times, and declared unto them the saving word, saying,
"The truth shall make you free." At this, those self-righteous
children of the covenant became angry, and boastfully answered, "We be
Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man; how sayest thou,
Ye shall be made free?" Then the Master reproved them for their
bigotry:--"I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but ye seek to kill me,
because my word has no place in you."[1191]
[1191] John viii, 32-45; see also Matt. iii, 9. See "Jesus the
Christ," p. 408.
=8.= There is little cause for wonder in the fact that the early
Christians, zealous for the new faith unto which they had been
baptized, and newly converted from idolatrous practices and pagan
superstitions, should consider themselves superior to the rest of
humanity still sitting in darkness and ignorance. Even John, now known
as the Apostle of Love, but surnamed by the Christ, he and his brother
James, Boanerges, or Sons of Thunder,[1192] was intolerant and
resentful toward those who followed not his path; and more than once
he had to be rebuked by his Master. Note this incident:--"And John
answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy
name, and he followeth not us; and we forbade him because he followeth
not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which
shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For
he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you
a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ,
verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward."[1193] And again,
while traveling with their Lord through Samaria, the apostles James
and John were incensed at the Samaritans' neglect shown toward the
Master; and they craved permission to call fire from heaven to consume
the unbelievers, but their revengeful desire was promptly rebuked by
the Lord, who said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For
the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save
them."[1194]
[1192] Mark iii, 17.
[1193] Mark ix, 38-41; see also Luke ix, 49-50, and compare Numb.
xi, 27-29.
[1194] Luke ix, 51-56; see also John iii, 17, and xii, 47.
=9. Intolerance is Unscriptural.=--The teachings of our Lord breathe
the spirit of forbearance and love even to enemies. He tolerated,
though he could not approve, the practices of the heathen in their
idolatry, the Samaritans with their mongrel and unorthodox customs of
worship, the luxury-loving Sadducees, and the law-bound Pharisees.
Hatred was not countenanced even toward foes. His instructions
were:--"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in
heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."[1195] The Twelve were
commanded to salute with their blessing every house at which they
applied for hospitality. True, if the people rejected them and their
message, retribution was to follow; but this visitation of cursing was
to be reserved as a Divine prerogative for the judgment day. In His
Parable of the Tares, Christ taught the same lesson of forbearance;
the hasty servants wanted to pluck out the weeds straightway, but they
were forbidden lest they root up the wheat also; and were assured that
a separation would be effected in the time of harvest.[1196]
[1195] Matt. v, 44-45.
[1196] Matt. xiii, 24-30.
=10.= In spite of the prevailing spirit of toleration and love which
pervades the teachings of the Savior and His apostles, attempts have
been made to draw from the scriptures justification for intolerance
and persecution.[1197] Paul's stinging words, addressed to the
Galatians, have been given a meaning wholly foreign to the spirit
which prompted them. Warning the Saints of false teachers, he
said:--"As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any
other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed."[1198] With such an utterance, self-styled ministers of
Christ, who, if the whole truth were considered, are perhaps preaching
doctrines foreign to the apostolic precepts, seek to justify their
sectarian hatred and unchristian cruelty; forgetting that vengeance
and recompense belong to the Lord.[1199]
[1197] See Note 1.
[1198] Gal. i, 9; also 8.
[1199] Deut. xxxii, 35; Psa. xciv, 1; Rom. xii, 19; Heb. x, 30.
=11.= The intent of John's words of counsel to the Elect Lady has been
perverted, and his teachings have been made a cover of refuge for
persecutors and bigots. Warning her of the ministers of Antichrist who
were industriously disseminating their heresies, the apostle
wrote:--"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine,
receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed: for he
that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evil deeds."[1200] By no
rightful interpretation can these words be made to sanction
intolerance, persecution, and hatred.
[1200] II John, 10-11.
=12.= The apostle's true meaning has been set forth with clearness and
force by a renowned Christian writer of the present day, who, after
deploring the "narrow intolerance of an ignorant dogmatism,"
says:--"The Apostle of Love would have belied all that is best in his
own teaching if he had consciously given an absolution, nay, an
incentive, to furious intolerance.... Meanwhile, this incidental
expression of St. John's brief letter will not lend itself to these
gross perversions. What St. John really says and really means, is
something wholly different. False teachers were rife, who, professing
to be Christians, robbed the nature of Christ of all which gave its
efficacy to the atonement, and its significance to the incarnation.
These teachers, like other Christian missionaries, traveled from city
to city; and, in the absence of public inns, were received into the
houses of Christian converts. The Christian lady to whom St. John
writes is warned, that if she offers her hospitality to these
dangerous emissaries, who were subverting the central truth of
Christianity, she is expressing a public sanction of them; and by
doing this, and offering them her best wishes, she is taking a direct
share in the harm they do. This is common sense, nor is there anything
uncharitable in it. No one is bound to help forward the dissemination
of teaching what he regards as erroneous respecting the most essential
doctrines of his own faith. Still less would it have been right to do
this in the days when Christian communities were so small and weak.
But, to interpret this as it has in all ages been practically
interpreted--to pervert it into a sort of command to exaggerate the
minor variations between religious opinions, and to persecute those
whose views differ from our own--to make our own opinions the
conclusive test of heresy, and to say with Cornelius-a-Lapide, that
this verse reprobates 'all conversations, all intercourse, all
dealings with heretics'--is to interpret scripture by the glare of
partisanship and spiritual self-satisfaction, not to read it under the
light of holy love."[1201]
[1201] Canon Farrar. _The Early Days of Christianity_, pp. 587,
588.
=13. Toleration is not Acceptance.=--The human frailty of running to
extremes in thought and action finds few more glaring examples than
are presented in man's dealings with his fellows on matters religious.
On the one hand, he is prone to regard the faith of others as not
merely inferior to his own, but as utterly unworthy of his respect;
or, on the other, he brings himself to believe that all sects are
equally justified in their professions and practices, and that
therefore there is no distinctively true order of religion. It is in
no wise inconsistent for Latter-day Saints to boldly proclaim the
conviction, that their own Church is the accepted one, the only one
entitled to the designation "Church of Jesus Christ," and the sole
earthly repository of the eternal priesthood in the present age; and
yet to willingly accord kind treatment and a recognition of sincerity
of purpose to every soul or sect honestly professing Christ, or merely
showing a respect for truth, and manifesting a sincere desire to walk
according to the light received. My allegiance to the Church of my
choice is based on a conviction of the validity and genuineness of its
high claim to distinction, as the one and only Church possessing a
God-given charter of authority; nevertheless, I count the sects as
sincere until they demonstrate that they are otherwise, and am
prepared to defend them in their rights.
=14.= Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the last dispensation, while
reproving certain of his brethren for intolerance toward the cherished
beliefs of other men, taught that even idolaters ought to be
protected in their worship; that, while it would be the strict duty of
any Christian to direct his efforts toward enlightening such benighted
minds, he would not be justified in forcibly depriving even the
heathen of their rights of adoration. In the pure eyes of God,
idolatry is one of the most heinous of sins; yet He is tolerant of
those who, knowing Him not, yield to their inherited instinct for
worship by rendering homage even to stocks and stones. Deadly as is
the sin of idolatrous worship on the part of him to whom light has
come, it may represent in the savage the sincerest reverence of which
he is capable. And, as set forth in a preceding lecture,[1202] the
voice of the Eternal One has declared that the heathen who have known
no law shall have part in the first resurrection.
[1202] See page 61.
=15.= What justification can man find for intolerance toward his
fellow, when God, who is grieved over every sin, manifests so marked a
forbearance? The free agency of the human soul is sacred to Deity.
"Know this, that every soul is free,
To choose his life, and what he'll be;
For this eternal truth is given,
That God will force no man to heaven.
He'll call, persuade, direct aright,
Bless him with wisdom, love, and light,
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But never force the human mind."
=16. Man is strictly Answerable for his Acts.=--The unbounded
liberality and true tolerance with which the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints regards other religious denominations, and the
teachings of the Church respecting the assurance of final redemption
for all men except the few who have fallen so far as to have committed
the unpardonable sin, thereby becoming Sons of Perdition, may suggest
the erroneous conclusion, that we believe that all so redeemed shall
be admitted to equal powers, privileges, and glories in the Heaven of
our God. Far from this, the Church proclaims the doctrine of many and
varied degrees of glory, which the redeemed will inherit in strict
accordance with their merits.[1203] We believe in no general plan of
universal forgiveness or reward, by which sinners of high and low
degree shall be exempted from the effects of their deeds, while the
righteous are ushered into heaven as a dwelling place in common, all
glorified in the same measure. As stated, the heathen whose sins are
those of ignorance, are to come forth with the just in the first
resurrection; but this does not imply that those children of the lower
races are to inherit the glory provided for the able, the valiant, and
the true, in the cause of God on earth.
[1203] See pp. 94-95.
=17.= Our condition in the world to come will be strictly a result of
the life we lead in this probation, as, by the light of revealed truth
regarding the pre-existent state,[1204] we perceive our present
condition to be determined by the fidelity with which we kept our
first estate. The scriptures repeatedly declare that man will reap the
natural harvest of his works in life, be such good or evil; in the
effective language with which the Father encourages and warns his
frail children, every one will be rewarded or punished according to
his works.[1205] In eternity, man will enjoy or loath the "fruit of
his doing."
[1204] See pp. 195-198.
[1205] Job xxxiv, 11; Psal. lxii, 12; Jer. xvii, 10; xxxii, 19;
Matt. xvi, 17; Rom. ii, 6-12; xiv, 12; I Cor. iii, 8; II Cor. v,
10; Rev. ii, 23; xx, 12; xxii, 12.
=18. Degrees of Glory.=--That the privileges and glories of heaven are
graded to suit the various capacities of the blessed, is indicated in
Christ's teachings. To His apostles He said:--"In my Father's house
are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also."[1206]
[1206] John xiv, 1-3.
=19.= This utterance is supplemented by that of Paul, who speaks of
the graded glories of the resurrection as follows:--"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."[1207]
[1207] I Cor. xv, 40-42.
=20.= A fuller knowledge of this subject has been imparted in the
present dispensation. From a revelation given in 1832[1208] we learn
the following:--Three great kingdoms or degrees of glory are
established for the future habitation of the human race; these are
known as the Celestial, the Terrestrial, and the Telestial. Far below
the last and least of these, is the state of eternal punishment
prepared for the Sons of Perdition.
[1208] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi.
=21. The Celestial Glory= is provided for those who merit the highest
honors of heaven. In the revelation referred to, we read of
them:--"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 fulness,
and of his glory, and are Priests of the Most High, after the order of
Melchisedek, 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.... 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.... These are they who are
just men made perfect through Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant,
who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own
blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that
of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the
sun of the firmament is written of as being typical."[1209]
[1209] The same: Paragraphs 51-70.
=22. The Terrestrial Glory.=--This, the next lower degree, will be
attained by many whose works do not merit the highest reward. We read
of them:--"These are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory
differs from that of the Church of the First-born who have received
the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the
sun in the firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law, and
also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son
visited, and preached the Gospel unto them, that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus
in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are
honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men.
These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness. These
are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the
fulness of the Father; wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not
bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the
sun. These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus;
wherefore they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our
God."[1210]
[1210] The same: Paragraphs 71-79.
=23. The Telestial Glory.=--The revelation continues:--"And again, we
saw the glory of the telestial,[1211] which glory is that of the
lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory
of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not the
gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are they who
deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell.
These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, until the
last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb shall have
finished his work."[1212] We learn further that the inhabitants of
this kingdom are to be graded among themselves, comprising as they do
the unenlightened among the varied opposing sects and divisions of
men, and sinners of many types, whose offences are not those of utter
perdition;--"For as one star differs from another star in glory, even
so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world; for these
are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are
they who say they are some of one and some of another--some of Christ,
and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of
Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; but received not the
gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither
the everlasting covenant."[1213] Evidently a considerable part of the
human family will fail of all glory beyond that of the telestial
kingdom, for we are told,--"But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and
the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as innumerable
as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the
seashore."[1214] They are thus not wholly rejected; their every merit
will be respected. "For they shall be judged according to their works,
and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own
dominion in the mansions which are prepared; and they shall be
servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell, they cannot
come, worlds without end."[1215]
[1211] See Note 2.
[1212] Paragraphs 81-86.
[1213] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 98-101.
[1214] The same: Par. 109.
[1215] The same: Par. 111-112.
=24. The Kingdoms with Respect to One Another.=--The three kingdoms of
widely differing glories are themselves organized on an orderly plan
of gradation. We have seen that the telestial kingdom comprises a
multitude of subdivisions; this also is the case, we are told, with
the celestial;[1216] and, by analogy, we conclude that a similar
condition prevails in the terrestrial. Thus the innumerable degrees of
merit amongst mankind are provided for in an infinity of graded
glories. The Celestial kingdom is supremely honored by the personal
ministrations of the Father and the Son.[1217] The Terrestrial kingdom
will be administered through the higher, without a fullness of glory.
The Telestial is governed through the ministrations of the
Terrestrial, by "angels who are appointed to minister for them."[1218]
[1216] Doc. and Cov. cxxxi, 1; see also II Cor. xii, 1-4.
[1217] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 68.
[1218] Par. 86, 88.
=25.= It is reasonable to believe, in the absence of direct
revelation by which alone absolute knowledge of the matter could be
acquired, that, in accordance with God's plan of eternal progression,
advancement from grade to grade within each of the three specified
kingdoms will be provided for. But if the recipients of a lower glory
be enabled to advance, surely the intelligences of higher rank shall
not be stopped in their progress; and thus we may conclude that
degrees and grades will ever characterize the kingdoms of our God.
Eternity is progressive; perfection is relative; the essential feature
of God's living purpose is its associated power of eternal increase.
=26. The Sons of Perdition.=--We learn of another class of souls whose
sins are such as to place them beyond the present possibility of
redemption. These are called Sons of Perdition; children of the fallen
angel, once a Son of the Morning, now Lucifer, or Perdition.[1219]
These are they who have violated truth in the full blaze of the light
of knowledge; who, having received the testimony of Christ, and having
been endowed by the Holy Spirit, then deny the same and defy the power
of God, crucifying the Lord afresh, and putting Him to an open shame.
This, the unpardonable sin, can be committed by those only who have
received the knowledge and the sacred conviction of the truth, against
which they then rebel. Their sin is comparable to the treason of
Lucifer, by which he sought to usurp the power and glory of his God.
Concerning them and their dreadful fate, the Almighty has said:--"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.... They
shall go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless
punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and
his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched, which is their torment; And the end thereof, neither the
place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows; neither was it
revealed, neither is, neither will be revealed unto man, except to
them who are made partakers thereof: Nevertheless I, the Lord, show it
by vision unto many, but straightway shut it up again; wherefore the
end, the width, the height, the depth, and the misery thereof, they
understand not, neither any man except them who are ordained unto this
condemnation."[1220]
[1219] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 25-27.
[1220] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 31-48, see also Heb. vi, 4-6; Alma
xxxix, 6. For other references see page 62.
=27.= Surely the doctrines of the Church are explicit in defining the
relationship between the mortal probation and the future state, and in
teaching the individual accountability and the free agency of man. The
Church affirms that in view of the terrible responsibility under which
every man rests, as the unrestrained director of his own course, he
must be and is free to choose in all things, from the life that leads
to the celestial home, to the career that is but the introduction to
the miseries of perdition. Freedom to worship, or to refuse to
worship, is a God-given right.