people and of the promises made to them by their forefathers, hearing
the same story, would conclude that perhaps one or more of the three
Nephite disciples who tarried, whose mission was to minister to the
remnants of their own race, had made an appearance to Porcupine and
perhaps to many others, and taught them Jesus and him crucified and
risen from the dead, and that he was soon to come again in power and
great glory to avenge them of their wrongs upon the wicked and restore
them to their lands and to the knowledge of their fathers and of the
Son of God.
This would be a very natural conclusion and not at all {476}
inconsistent with the established principles of the gospel and our
knowledge of the manner of God's dealings with the children of men.
While it is more than likely that Christ might send messengers to the
Lamanites to prepare the way for his coming in the fulness of time, it
is highly improbable that Christ himself would appear to a people so
utterly unprepared to receive and comprehend him.
True, the Father and the Son appeared to the boy Joseph in the
beginning of this dispensation, but he was a chosen instrument from
eternity to open up the last dispensation of the gospel, and God had
prepared a chosen band to join him in that work. But Moroni, Peter,
James and John, and divers other messengers were sent to open the way
and prepare the foundations of this great work and restore the records
of the ancient people of this continent to the world. The foundations
of that work having been laid, the authority of God established, the
order of the priesthood and the laws of the Church revealed, shall we
look for these things to be ignored, or for the knowledge of God to
come through the appointed channels?
While they will come in harmony with revealed and established truth,
and not in conflict therewith, nor in conflict with the order of
heaven which exists on the earth, the object to be attained by such
manifestations as the Lamanites claim to have had, admitting the same
to be true and from God, can be no other than to begin the preparation
of the Lamanites to receive a correct knowledge of God and of their
fathers, and of the holy gospel already revealed and established among
men, that they might believe, obey and be saved thereby.
Far be it from me to wish to close the channels of communication
between the Savior of the world himself and the remnants of Lehi. No
one can be more free to admit his perfect right and power to visit whom
he pleases, at his pleasure,--for the channels of communication between
God and {477} man cannot be cut off nor closed by man, nor ever will be
while God has a purpose to accomplish by revealing himself. But that
we may not be deceived, led into error, tossed to and fro by every
wind of doctrine, the foolish vagaries or the cunning craftiness of
men, or follow the false cry of, Lo, here is Christ, or there, God has
instituted the true order of communication between himself and man, and
has established it in his Church, and to this truth all mankind will
do well to take heed, lest they be deceived. That which is in harmony
with this is of God, that which is contrary to it is from beneath.
It is in perfect harmony with the order of heaven for ministering
spirits or messengers from God or Christ to visit the Lamanites or any
other people, as Cornelius of old was visited, and as Christ visited
Saul, and for the same purposes.--Letter to Editor of _Young Woman's
Journal_ in answer to question regarding reported visitations to
Indians.--_Young Woman's Journal,_ Vol. 2, 1890-1891, pp. 268-271.
ONE MIGHTY AND STRONG. In conclusion we would say that the Latter-day
Saints by this time should be so well settled in the conviction that
God has established his Church in the earth for the last time, to
remain, and no more to be thrown down or destroyed; and that God's
house is a house of order, of law, of regularity, that erratic
disturbers of that order of men of restless temperament, who, through
ignorance and egotism, become vain babblers, yet make great pretensions
to prophetic powers and other spiritual graces and gifts, ought not
to have any influence with them, nor ought the Saints to be disturbed
in their spirit by such characters and their theories. The Church of
Christ is with the Saints. It has committed to it the law of God for
its own government and perpetuation. It possesses every means for the
correction of every wrong or abuse or error which may from time to
time arise, and that without anarchy, or even revolution; it can do
it by process of evolution--by development, {478} by an increase of
knowledge, wisdom, patience and charity.
The presiding quorums of the Church will always be composed of such
men, they will be chosen in such manner, that the Saints can be
assured that solid wisdom, righteousness, and conscientious adherence
to duty, will characterize the policy of those who are entrusted with
the administration of the affairs of the Church. While, from time to
time, as the work of the Lord may have need of their services, men of
exceptional talents and abilities will develop among the people of God;
and without disorder or eruption or excitement, they will be called of
the Lord through the appointed agencies of the priesthood and Church
authority, to positions that will afford them opportunity for service.
They will be accepted by the Saints in the regular order, appointed
by the law of the Church, just as Edward Partridge was called and
accepted, and just as the "one mighty and strong" will be called and
accepted when the time comes for his services.
JOSEPH F. SMITH,
JOHN R. WINDER,
ANTHON H. LUND,
First Presidency.
--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 10, 1906-1907, pp. 929-943.
{479}
CHAPTER XXII
AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS
DEFINITIONS OF AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS. I have in mind our auxiliary
organizations; what are they? Helps to the standard organizations of
the Church. They are not independent. I want to say to the Young Men's
and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, and to the Relief
Society, and to the Primaries, and to the Sunday Schools, and Religion
classes, and all the rest of the organizations in the Church, that not
one of them is independent of the priesthood of the Son of God, not
any of them can exist a moment in the acceptance of the Lord when they
withdraw from the voice and from the counsel of those who hold the
priesthood and preside over them. They are subject to the powers and
authority of the Church, and they are not independent of them; nor can
they exercise any rights in their organizations independently of the
priesthood and of the Church.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1913, p. 7.
PLACE OF AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CHURCH. It is sometimes argued
that the auxiliary organizations of the Church are not councils
of the priesthood. This is admitted, but, on the other hand, the
boards--general, stake and ward--are composed of men holding the
priesthood and, though being called to be an officer in an auxiliary
organization confers no additional office in the priesthood, it takes
none away--the brother still remains a high priest, seventy, or elder
as before. Furthermore, the officers of these organizations are duly
presented at the general or local conferences, as the case may be, and
are there sustained by the vote of the people, and by that vote, these
organizations become recognized institutions of the Church, and as such
the officers should be respected in their callings and given {480}
recognition and support in the performances of their duties in all that
relates to the bodies which they represent.
The principles laid down in the foregoing relating to the Sunday
Schools apply equally to all auxiliary organizations of the
Church.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 39, January 1, 1904, pp. 17-18.
RELATION BETWEEN AUTHORITIES OF WARD AND AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS.
Questions are frequently asked touching the relationship that should
exist between the presiding authorities of a ward and the authorities
of an auxiliary organization, such, for example, as the superintendent
of the Sunday School. The organizations of the Church are intended
to promote harmony, and if understood there is no reason why discord
should arise between the bishop and those called upon to act in the
auxiliary organizations. The question is often asked, for instance,
who should select and install a superintendent of a Sunday School, or
what step should be taken in cases where the superintendent of a school
for any reason whatever vacates his office. The first step in case the
superintendent vacates his office is for his first or second assistant,
as the case may be, to request the secretary of the school either to
notify or remind the bishop of the ward of the vacancy, and at the same
time notify the stake superintendent of Sunday Schools; and this notice
or reminder should be given to the bishop and stake superintendent
at the earliest possible convenience in order that all unnecessary
delays may be avoided. The second step in such cases is the selection
of the proper officer or officers to fill the vacancy or vacancies. It
is, of course, within the authority of the bishop of a ward to select
and install the superintendent of the Sunday School in his ward, but
bishops of wards should not take such a step without the co-operation
of the stake superintendent. This last named officer represents the
presidency of the stake in carrying on the work of this auxiliary
organization of the Church. The {481} stake presidency holds the stake
superintendent responsible in a large measure for the character of the
man and the progress of the work of the Sunday Schools throughout the
stake, and the bishop therefore who proceeds to select and install the
ward superintendent without the approval or knowledge of the stake
superintendent, does not show proper respect for him or for the stake
president, who is entitled to be represented in the selection of a
ward superintendent. On the other hand, a stake superintendent is not
authorized to organize the superintendency of a Sunday School without
consulting the bishop of the ward, with whom it is his duty to be in
complete harmony. There is wisdom, as well as order, in the mutual
recognition of these stake and ward authorities. In the first place,
the superintendent, by reason of his experience in Sunday School work,
and his knowledge of the special qualifications required, may be, from
his point of view, well qualified to make suitable recommendations. On
the other band, the bishop is, or at any rate should be, more familiar
than any one else with the character and daily lives of the members of
his ward. After satisfying the special requirements made by a stake
superintendent there may be wanting in the proposed ward superintendent
some indispensable characteristics, or there may be some unworthiness
known only to the bishop. If the stake superintendent, therefore, and
the bishop of the ward approach each other in a spirit of harmony and
mutual helpfulness, there is no reason why they may not be united in
nearly every instance upon the most suitable man. Should a case arise
in which the bishop and stake superintendent find themselves unable to
agree, or both wish to defer to the judgment of some higher authority,
the proper step to take is to submit the matter to the president of the
stake for his judgment or decision, as the case may be. When such an
agreement has been arrived at, it is the duty of the bishop to install
the new superintendent in his office.
{482} In connection with the subject here touched upon a question has
also arisen respecting the propriety of a bishop presiding over a
Sunday School when the superintendent is present. If I were bishop I
should recognize with scrupulous care all the presiding officers in my
ward and should think it discourteous to them to assume the duties to
which they had been called. There are without doubt instances where the
bishops can with propriety offer suggestions that will be helpful to
the superintendent without the least humiliation to him; and there may
be extreme cases in which the bishop would be justified in assuming the
control of a school but it should not be the rule. On the other hand
if I were a school superintendent I would show the greatest deference
to the bishop whenever he was present and aim as far as possible to
satisfy his wishes and make the school all he could desire it should
be.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 39, January, 1904, pp. 16-17.
PURPOSE AND DUTIES OF RELIEF SOCIETY. A word or two in relation to
the Relief Society. This is an organization that was established by
the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is, therefore, the oldest auxiliary
organization of the Church, and it is of the first importance. It has
not only to deal with the necessities of the poor, the sick and the
needy, but a part of its duty--and the larger part, too--is to look
after the spiritual welfare and salvation of the mothers and daughters
of Zion; to see that none is neglected, but that all are guarded
against misfortune, calamity, the powers of darkness, and the evils
that threaten them in the world. It is the duty of the Relief Societies
to look after the spiritual welfare of themselves and of all the female
members of the Church. It is their duty to collect means from those who
have in abundance, and to distribute it wisely unto those in need. It
is a part of their duty to see that there are those capable of being
nurses as well as teachers and exemplars in Zion, and that they have an
opportunity to become thoroughly prepared for {483} this great labor
and responsibility. I have heard of a disposition on the part of some
of our sisters to become a law unto themselves in relation to these
things. I would like to say that it is expected of the Relief Society,
especially the general authorities of that great organization, that
they will have a watchcare over all its organizations among the women
of Zion. They stand at the head of all such; they ought to stand at
the head, and they should magnify their calling, and see to it that
error is not permitted to creep in, that cabals are not formed, that
secret combinations may not get a foothold, to mislead the sisters.
They should see to it that the other organizations of women in the
Church correspond and are in harmony with their organizations. Why
should this be? In order that the women of Zion may be united, that
their interests may be in common, and not conflicting or segregated,
and that the purpose of this organization may be realized and the
organization itself be effective for good in every part of the Church
throughout the world, wherever the gospel is preached. We realize that
it is impossible for men or women possessing physical weaknesses on
account of age or infirmities, to meet every requirement; but we expect
every man and woman entrusted with responsibility in the Church to do
their duty to the utmost of their ability. That we look for; that we
pray for; for that we labor to the best of the ability and strength we
possess.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1906, pp. 3-4.
OBJECTS OF THE RELIEF SOCIETY. Furthermore, I desire to commend the
work of the Relief Society, an organization that was effected by the
Prophet Joseph Smith. The objects of this organization are manifold.
It is not designed to look only after the poor and the needy as to
their bodily necessities, but it is also intended to look after the
spiritual, mental and moral welfare of the mothers and daughters in
Zion, and all who are engaged or interested in female work. I commend
the Relief Societies to the bishops, {484} and say, be friendly to
these organizations, because they are auxiliary organization's and a
great help to the bishops.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1902, p. 88.
DUTIES AND PURPOSE OF THE RELIEF SOCIETY. I will speak of the Relief
Society as one great organization in the Church, organized by the
Prophet Joseph Smith, whose duty it is to look after the interests of
all the women of Zion and of all the women that may come under their
supervision and care, irrespective of religion, color or condition.
I expect to see the day when this organization will be one of the
most perfect, most efficient and effective organizations for good in
the Church but that day will be when we shall have women who are not
only imbued with the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and with
the testimony of Christ in their hearts, but also with youth, vigor
and intelligence to enable them to discharge the great duties and
responsibilities that rest upon them. Today it is too much the case
that our young, vigorous, intelligent women feel that only the aged
should be connected with the Relief Society. This is a mistake. We want
the young women, the intelligent women, women of faith, of courage and
of purity to be associated with the Relief Societies of the various
stakes and wards of Zion. We want them to take hold of this work with
vigor, with intelligence and unitedly, for the building up of Zion
and the instruction of women in their duties--domestic duties, public
duties, and every duty that may devolve upon them.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1907,
p. 6.
THE RELIEF SOCIETY. I can say the same with reference to the first
and most important auxiliary organization of the Church, that of the
Relief Society. They have been doing the best they could; but now we
have suggested a complete organization of that society, that is, the
general authorities of that organization; and we trust that from this
time forth, they will be able to begin with renewed energy, judgment
and wisdom, the performance of the duties {485} that devolve upon them,
even those who are called to take the oversight of this great work in
Zion, the Relief Society organization.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1911, p. 7.
OBJECT OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS AND CHURCH SCHOOLS. The object of our Sunday
Schools and the object of our Church schools, the great, the paramount
object, is to teach our children the truth, teach them to be honorable,
pure-minded, virtuous, honest and upright, and enable them, by our
advice and counsel and by our guardianship over them, until they reach
the years of accountability, to become the honorable of the earth, the
good and the pure among mankind, the virtuous and the upright, and
those who shall be worthy to enter the house of God and not be ashamed
of themselves in the presence of angels, if they should come to visit
them.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1903, p. 82.
THE TEACHER ESSENTIAL IN SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK. One of the essentials to
a good Sunday School is to have good, pure-minded, intelligent, noble,
true and faithful teachers. If you will have a child develop to what
he should be, he that teaches the child should be developed to what he
ought to be, and until he is developed in intelligence, in faith, in
works of righteousness, in purity of heart and mind and spirit, he is
not in a very good position to elevate others to it.--_Oct. C. R.,_
1903, p. 99.
THE FIRST QUALIFICATION OF A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER. The first
qualification of a teacher in our Sunday Schools is that he be heart
and soul a Latter-day Saint. He must believe in and unreservedly accept
the doctrines of the Church, otherwise his teachings will be subversive
of the very purpose for which these schools are maintained.
It is a self-evident truth, that no one can give what he does not
possess, and the teacher who is lacking a testimony of the gospel can
never inspire such testimony in his pupils.
The measure of personal liberty allowed by our liberal {486} Church
organization in the matter of giving instruction is great; but such
liberty must not be degraded into a license to teach as the doctrines
of the Church what is but the personal belief of the individual. A
teacher finding himself a non-believer in any of the principles or
tenets of the Church, will, if he be truly honorable, voluntarily ask
release from his position. No one can in righteousness be asked to
teach what he does not believe and accept as the truth, nor will one
who is sincere in his convictions attempt to do so; still less will
any teacher who loves the truth dishonor his position by employing
its opportunities to inculcate personal views not in harmony with the
teachings of the Church.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 49, April 1,
1914, p. 210.
THE PRINCIPLE OF SABBATH SCHOOL TEACHING. There is one point that has
rested upon my mind in relation to the Sabbath Schools, and it is this:
I think there is nothing in the Sunday School work more necessary or
essential than that all the teachers of the Sunday Schools should win
the love and the confidence of their pupils. I believe that greater
good can be done in the Sunday Schools by the teachers where they have
the absolute affection and confidence of their pupils than under any
other conditions. You may teach them, you may drill them in concert,
and you may have them commit to memory, and labor in every other way
that you possibly can to accomplish the good that you desire with your
children, but in nothing, in my opinion, can you succeed so well as
when you possess their undivided love and confidence. If a child thinks
a teacher is harsh with him or her, or unkind toward him, or does not
feel a real, genuine love for him, if he feels that the teacher is not
taking a real interest in him as one who loves him, he can never be led
to possess the right spirit; but when he feels that the teacher loves
him, is trying to do him good and to teach him that which will be for
his everlasting welfare, then the teacher has an influence over the
child, that when he studies he will {487} study with a purpose and with
an earnest desire to be benefited and to please the teacher; because
he knows and feels in his little heart that the teacher loves him and
is seeking to do him good. I have entertained this sentiment from the
beginning, in relation to the instruction of the little children. It is
a principle that obtains at the home as well as in the Sunday School.
If you can only convince your children that you love them, that your
soul goes out to them for their good, that you are their truest friend,
they, in turn, will place confidence in you and will love you and seek
to do your bidding and to carry out your wishes with your love. But if
you are selfish, unkindly to them, and if they are not confident that
they have your entire affection, they will be selfish, and will not
care whether they please you or carry out your wishes or not, and the
result will be that they will grow wayward, thoughtless and careless,
and although you may drill them, like a parrot, to repeat verses and
to speak in concert, and all that sort of thing, they will do it
mechanically, without affection, and without its having that effect
upon their souls that you desire it should have.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1902,
pp. 97-98.
THE STAKE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD. As the General Sunday School Union
Board represents the First Presidency of the Church and constitutes,
under the direction of the Presidency and Council of the Twelve, the
highest authority in the Church on Sunday School matters, so the Stake
Board, under the direction of the Stake Presidency and General Sunday
School Board, represents the highest authority in Sunday School work
in the stake. If it were not so, there would be no unity.--_Juvenile
Instructor,_ Vol. 43, August, 1908, p. 310.
THE IMPORTANCE OF M. I. A. WORK. I want to say a few words to the
Mutual Improvement Associations. You young men and young women,
officers of the Mutual Improvement Associations, I implore you to go
from this conference {488} and do your duty. Look after the wayward,
the disobedient, the thoughtless, and the indifferent. It is necessary
that they should be guarded and looked after. As it has been expressed
here, time and again, it is better for us to save our own boys who
are being misled at home, than it is for us to go out into the world
and spend years of time and endless means in order to gather in a
few people from the world, while some of our own boys and girls need
redemption as much as they; besides, these people of the world are
so full of the traditions and superstitions of their fathers when
they gather to Zion that it is difficult, if not impossible, for
them entirely to overcome these traditions and get down to a full
comprehension of the gospel and a complete reception of the truth. Yet
a soul saved out in the world is as precious in the sight of God as a
soul saved at home. But we have work to do right at home, at our own
doors; and it will not do for us to neglect the work necessary to be
done at our own thresholds, and then go out into the world to do work
that is no more necessary. Let us do our duty everywhere.--_Oct. C.
R.,_ 1902, p. 87.
THE FIELD OF THE YOUNG MEN'S MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION. The
systematic work now being done by the quorums of priesthood provides
our young men with the necessary teachings in formal theology and
trains them in the duties that pertain to their callings in the
priesthood.
There is, however, a strong need among the young men of the Church
to have an organization and meetings which they themselves conduct;
in which they may learn to preside over public assemblies to obtain
a practice necessary to express themselves before the public; and to
enjoy themselves in studying and practicing civil, social, scientific,
religious and educational affairs.
The Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, therefore, should be
strengthened and their efficiency increased in order to offset and
counteract the tendency now so {489} prevalent to establish private
clubs, secret and social organizations, and select educational
societies.
They may be made to cover all these requirements, and it will be a wise
policy to grant them the fullest liberty, consistent with the order and
policy of the Church, in the selection of their officers, management
and conduct of their associations.
It is of vital importance that not only the young men of our Church but
also the regularly constituted stake and ward officers thereof shall
have a clear understanding as to the place and privileges which the
Mutual Improvement Associations hold among the Latter-day Saints, in
order to promote harmony, union of purpose, and the best interests of
all concerned.
To define this field and to give an understanding to our young people
and all concerned, we deem it expedient that a declarations should be
made at this our June conference, that there is as great opportunity
now as ever before for these organizations, and that increased activity
in other departments should cause no abatement of effort or efficiency
in our associations; but rather that renewed effort should be put forth
by the Improvement workers, and that every facility should be afforded
them by stake and ward authorities to accomplish their glorious mission
among the youth of Zion.
The field to be occupied is religious, social and educational. The
religious work is not to be formally theological in its nature, but
rather to be confined to the limits outlined by President Brigham
Young, when the organizations were first established: "Let the keynote
of your work be the establishment in the youth of an individual
testimony of the truth and magnitude of the great Latter-day work; and
the development of the gifts within them." In other words, to obtain
a testimony of the truth, and to learn to declare and express that
testimony; and to develop all noble gifts within them.
{490} The social includes control of various public and private
amusements; musical, dramatic and other entertainments and festivals;
field sports, athletic tournaments, excursions and other varieties of
social gatherings.
The educational should include regular class work in ethics and
practical religion, literature, science, history, biography, art,
music, civil government--supplemented by debates, oratorical and
musical contests, lectures, essays, writing for publication, reading
and speaking under the auspices of the organization, and if necessary
carried on in departments under instructors capable of specializing in
their particular lines.
We have directed the General Board to appoint committees to have in
charge, under the direction of the whole Board, these various lines,
who have a thorough knowledge of the work, and who are in sympathy with
our young men.
These committees may be sub-divided or added to as the wisdom of the
Board or the exigencies of the work may demand; and like organizations
may be instituted in the various stakes and wards, as far as
practicable or necessary. At the meetings of the Board reports from
these committees will be asked for and given as a regular order of
business.
We believe that this course will promote the welfare of all and a
good feeling among our young people, and prevent their seeking other
organizations and interests to which to devote their time and attention.
There is no mental, social or physical excellence or enjoyment that
the Church does not foster and desire to promote among the young men
of our community, and its purpose in sustaining the Mutual Improvement
Associations and charging them with the care of our young men is to
answer every desire of this nature and to provide among ourselves the
gratification of every legitimate ambition and impulse to excel in
these fields without having to seek opportunities elsewhere.
{491} From the presiding priesthood of the Church in the stakes of
Zion, and in the wards and missions, we therefore ask, in behalf of
our young men, sympathy and support, to sustain and uphold the Young
Men's Mutual Improvement Associations in the field of usefulness herein
briefly outlined, and to provide them with places of meeting and
amusement.
We ask that the associations be permitted to select men of education
and ability for class and special teachers, who are suitable, agreeable
and capable, and who are in love with the young people and in full
sympathy with them and their views.
Granting them the fullest liberty consistent with the order and policy
of the Church will encourage them in the faith, and they will not be
a whit less amenable to the Church authorities, but rather will grow
more enthusiastic in every way for the promotion of the work of the
Lord. The Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations have been from
the first in very deed helps to the priesthood, and in behalf of its
members we pledge ourselves and them to continue in this line in the
future; being certain that no trust or added responsibility imposed
upon our young people will be violated, but they will prove loyal to
the authorities and the work of the Lord.
Respectfully,
JOSEPH F. SMITH,
HEBER J. GRANT,
B.H. ROBERTS,
General Superintendency.
The foregoing Declaration of the Place and Privileges of the Young
Men's Mutual Improvement Association was read and adopted at the Annual
Conference, June 5, 1909.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 12, August, 1909, p.
819.
PURPOSE OF MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS. Our work is in one sense
primary work, and yet it reaches beyond {492} primary grades. The
first and great object of the organization of the Mutual Improvement
Associations as auxiliary organizations of the priesthood in the Church
was to become instrumental in bringing the youth of Zion to a knowledge
of the truth, and in guiding them into the straight and narrow path.
We have found that there is in some degree a feeling of shyness and of
fear that seizes the minds of some of our youth when the organizations
of the priesthood are mentioned. Some of the children grow up more or
less indifferent, more or less afraid of the responsibilities involved
in the performances of the Church duties. They are like colts that need
training, and it is difficult sometimes to reach them. But through
these auxiliary organizations we have been able to reach out a guiding
hand, and to exert an influence for good over many of our young men and
women, whom it would have been difficult to reach by the organizations
of the priesthood. So far, these organizations have accomplished a
most excellent primary work; for this is in the sense of a primary
work, and I do not know but the necessity of our organizations will
continue as long as we have children growing up amongst us who are
shy of the priesthood, and who are afraid of assuming the duties and
responsibilities that belong to the Church.
Then we have instituted class work, have written manuals, and have
given out subjects for study and improvement by all those who are
connected with these organizations which have been intended to lead
them along into greater experiences and better understanding of the
principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For, after all, this is the
great and grand object of these organizations.
The fact is, my brethren and sisters and friends, that the gospel of
Christ is the biggest thing in the world. Very few of us, probably,
comprehend its greatness. The way we are situated in life, engaged
day in and day out, week in and week out, year in and year out, in
the daily vocations of life; {493} struggling to earn bread for our
necessities, and the necessities of those who are dependent upon us,
struggling to build homes for ourselves and our children; struggling
to collect the elements of the earth and subdue them, and to bring
them into subjection to our will; working, toiling, striving day by
day in temporal things, in the cares and thoughts of the world, we
are inclined to give very little thought, very little reflection to
the more important things, those things which shall endure after
mortality shall come to an end. And the most of mankind have come
to the conclusion, judging them by their acts, and their walk and
conversation in life, that the greatest thing in the world is to obtain
wealth. And then, having obtained wealth and the things that wealth
produces, or will bring to them, they feel that the rest of life and
the responsibilities of it are very trifling and unimportant, and they
leave their religion to their priests, if they have any religion at
all. And the great majority of the world today, I believe, that is,
on our hemisphere, are becoming very indifferent toward religion of
any kind. The cheaper it can be found or obtained by them the better
they like it; the less exertion required of them to be members of a
church organization the better it suits them. The less care they are
required to give to religion the better they like it; and if they can
find something that will bring solace and case and relaxation to an
overburdened conscience for having committed crime in the thought that
men possess power to forgive sin, that suits them about as well as
anything else, and a little better. Hence we can see where the world
is drifting today as far as religion is concerned. If they can get
it cheap, if it does not cause them any exertion, they do not mind
having just a little of it. But this is not the case with Latter-day
Saints. Nor is it the case with a living religion. For I want to tell
you that the religion of Christ is not a Sunday religion; it is not a
momentary religion; it is a religion that never ends; and it requires
duties of its devotees on Monday, Tuesday, {494} Wednesday and all of
the days of the week just as sincerely, just as strongly, as it does on
the Sabbath day. And I would not give the ashes of a rye straw, for a
Sunday religion, or for a religion that is manufactured by men, whether
by priests or laymen. My religion is the religion of God. It is the
religion of Jesus Christ, otherwise it would be absolutely worthless
to me, and it would be worthless to all other men, so far as religion
is concerned. If it is not in my soul, if I had not received it in my
heart, or if I did not believe it with all my might, mind and strength
and be it, live it, and keep it secure in my heart all the days of
my life--week days as well as days of rest, in secret as well as in
public, at home and abroad, everywhere the same; then the religion of
Christ, the religion of well doing, the religion of righteousness,
the religion of purity, the religion of kindliness, faith, salvation
from temporal sins, and salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of our
God--my religion would not be the gospel of the Son of God to me. This
is "Mormonism;" and that is the kind of religion we want to teach to
our children. We must receive it ourselves and teach it from our hearts
to their hearts and from our affections to their affections, and we can
then inspire them because of our own faith and our own faithfulness and
convictions of the Church.
These organizations of young men and women are intended to help the
wayward, giddy and wild; to work with those who are at large in the
world, who are not subject to any organization at all; to gather them
in; hunt them up, and get hold of them by love, by kindness, by the
spirit of salvation, the spirit to bring them to a knowledge of the
truth, that they may find the way of life and walk in it; that they may
have light everlasting within themselves through the Spirit of God.
All truth cometh from the Lord. He is the fountain of truth; or in
other words, he is the everlasting spring of life and truth, and from
him cometh all knowledge, all wisdom, {495} all virtue and all power.
When I read books that are scattered broadcast through the world,
throwing discredit upon words and teachings and doctrines of the Lord
Jesus Christ, saying that some of the ideas Jesus uttered, truths that
he promulgated, have been enunciated before by the ancient philosophers
among the heathen nations of the world, I want to tell you that there
is not a heathen philosopher that ever lived in all the world from the
beginning, that had a truth or enunciated a principle of God's truth
that did not receive it from the fountain head, from God himself. God
knew the truth before any heathen philosopher. No man has received
intelligence but has had to come to the Fountain Head. He may not
have known it, may not have realized the source of his knowledge, but
it came from God. God taught the first truth that was ever taught to
man. The Lord has bestowed his truth upon the earth from generation
to generation and he has visited the people in various ways, from age
to age, according to the nearness with which he could draw them to
himself. He has raised up philosophers among them, teachers of men, to
set the example, and to develop the mind and understanding of the human
race in all nations of the world. God did it, but the world do not give
credit to God, but give it to men, to heathen philosophers. They give
credit to them. I give it to God. And I tell you God knew the truth
before they did, and through revelation they got it. If they received
light at all they had it from God, just as Columbus got it from the
Lord. What inspired Columbus with the spirit of unrest, the spirit of
longing, with an intense desire that he could not overcome, to seek
out this western hemisphere? Brethren and sisters, I acknowledge God's
hand in it. It was inspiration that seized Columbus, and he was moved
by it. But men do not acknowledge God's hand in it. In the Book of
Mormon, we learn it was God's Spirit working upon him. The Lord moved
upon Columbus and he could not restrain the influence that was upon him
until he had accomplished {496} the work. The same may be said of any
intelligent man that has enlightened humanity, from the earliest ages
down to the present time.
Let me say to you, my fellow workers in the cause of Zion, do not
forget to acknowledge the band of God in all things. He told the
Jews that he had other sheep that were not of that fold, and that he
must visit them. He did visit them. He came to the sheep of the fold
occupying this continent, dwelling here unknown to the Jews, and he
revealed the principles of the gospel to them. And when he visited
them, he said, "Ye are they of whom I said, Other sheep I have which
are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (III Nephi
15:21.)
Read in the Doctrine and Covenants of a parable in which the kingdom of
God is likened unto a man with twelve servants working in his field,
each having his portion called an allotment. The Lord visited the first
and taught him the truth and cheered him up by his presence and voice
and counsel; then he visited the second, then the third and so on until
the twelfth, each in his time, each in his season, each according to
his necessities. (Doc. and Cov. 88: 51-63.)
And so it has been with God from the foundation of the world. He has
visited all nations, kindred, tongues, and people, and yet the truth
has not been revealed to the world in its fulness, and men have not
been called to do the work that Christ was called to do; nor the work
that Abraham was called to do; nor that which Noah was appointed to
do; nor that appointed to the twelve apostles to preach his name and
proclaim his gospel to the world. They were called like Columbus to do
work God required them to do. Later God revealed the power of steam to
Watt, just as he has inspired every other philosopher and scientist and
great man of the world. I acknowledge the hand of God in it. I give God
the honor, the glory; and I know that it is in accordance {497} with
his purpose that he has inspired these things to be brought to pass. I
believe that Mohammed was an inspired man and the Lord raised him up to
do the work he did.
I believe God raised up Joseph Smith to lay the foundations of the
gospel of Christ in the dispensation of the fulness of times; that it
will remain and no more be broken up; but will continue until God's
promises are accomplished in the world and Christ shall come and reign,
whose right it is to reign in the midst of the earth. This is what I
believe about it, and the Lord's hand was in the raising up of Joseph
Smith to accomplish the work.
Joseph Smith was called to do this work; and he did it. He has been an
instrument in the hands of God by giving each of us the power to obtain
knowledge for ourselves through the mercy and love of God, and to
become teachers of it to the world; teachers not only to our children,
but to nations that are in darkness and know not the truth. And it is a
living, daily religion, an hourly religion. It requires us to do right
today, this hour, this week, this month and this year; and so on from
year to year, to live our religion--which is the religion of Jesus
Christ--of righteousness, of truth, of mercy, of love, forgiveness,
kindness, union and peace on earth and good will to man and all the
world. This is our mission.
May the Lord bless you, my brethren and sisters, and my fellow workers
in the cause of Zion, is my prayer.--_Young Woman's Journal,_ Vol. 18,
1907, pp. 312-315.
THE FOUNTAIN OF TRUTH. We hear frequently of men who throw discredit on
the doctrine of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, because some of
the principles, doctrines, and philosophy which he taught are said to
have been spoken before his day by heathen philosophers.
A variety of examples are sometimes quoted to show that Zoroaster
and other ancient philosophers made known truths, and that the Old
Testament, the Avesta, and other {498} writings, contain sentiments,
which were repeated, perhaps in slightly different form, by the Son of
God. He taught nothing new, they say, and so they incline to belittle
his mission, and accuse him of plagiarizing the truth.
It is conceded by a number of competent students that the ideals which
have grown from the doctrines of Christ are a direct development of
what is found in the teachings of the Old Testament, particularly in
the Psalms and in the second part of Isaiah. But, on the other hand,
it is just as certain that these ideals received a finish and an
enrichment, by the touch of the Savior, vastly beyond and above what
they possessed before, and also they are placed on deeper and firmer
foundations. This, let it be said to begin with, is because they were
his before they were ever uttered by man.
Even in the five distinctive and characteristic topics generally
considered by commentators original in the teachings of Jesus, we find
little if anything new, except the enlargement. These are named as the
Fatherhood of God; subjects or members of the Kingdom; the Messiah; the
Holy Ghost; and the Tri-Unity of God.
But the idea of the Fatherhood of God was not unknown either to the
Pagans or to Israel. Zeus from the time of Homer had borne the name
"Father of gods and men." But, both in Jewish and Pagan literature, the
idea was superficial and meant little more than "originator" (Genesis
1:26); and in the old Jewish scripture God is more particularly called
the _Father of his people, Israel._ (Deut. 14:1; Isaiah 63:6) But in
the teachings of Christ there is a fuller embodiment of revelation in
the word Father, and the application which he makes of the Fatherhood
of God invests his life with supreme tenderness and beauty. As an
example: In the old scriptures, we are told, "Like as a father pitieth
his children, so the Lord pitieth _them that fear him;"_ (Psalms
103:13), but by the interpretation of Jesus, the love of God as
Father extends, beyond these limitations {499} even to those who are
unthankful and evil: "But I say unto you, 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 our 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 the unjust."
(Matt 5:45.) "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping
for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the
children of the Highest; for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the
evil." (Luke 6:35.)
And so with other doctrines of Christ; while perhaps not new, they were
enriched by the addition of fuller, broader, more loving conceptions
of God and his purposes; in which compulsion was eliminated, and lowly
service, love, and self-sacrifice were substituted and made the true
forces of an acceptable life. Even the answer to the lawyer's question,
often called the eleventh commandment, "Master, which is the great
commandment in the law?" had been given to the children of Israel,
(Lev. 19:18) over two thousand years before its perfected meaning was
impressed upon the learned Pharisee. (Matt. 22:34, 40.)
But what of all this? Are we therefore to discredit the teachings of
the Savior? Verily no. Let it be remembered that Christ was with the
Father from the beginning, that the gospel of truth and light existed
from the beginning, and is from everlasting to everlasting. The Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost, as one God, are the fountain of truth. From this
fountain all the ancient learned philosophers have received their
inspiration and wisdom--from it they have received all their knowledge.
If we find truth in broken fragments through the ages, it may be set
down as an incontrovertible fact that it originated at the fountain,
and was given to philosophers, inventors, patriots, reformers, and
prophets by the inspiration of God. It came from him through his Son
{500} Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, in the first place, and from no
other source. It is eternal.
Christ, therefore, being the fountain of truth, is no imitator. He
taught the truth first; it was his before it was given to man. When he
came to the earth he not only proclaimed new thought, but repeated some
of the everlasting principles which had been heretofore only partly
understood and enunciated by the wisest of men. And in so doing he
enlarged in every instance upon the wisdom which they had originally
received from him, because of his superior abilities and wisdom, and
his association with the Father and the Holy Ghost. He did not imitate
men. They made known in their imperfect way what the inspiration of
Jesus Christ had taught them, for they obtained their enlightenment
first from him. He taught the gospel to Adam, and made known his
truths to Abraham and the prophets. He was the inspirer of the ancient
philosophers, Pagan or Israelite, as well as of the great characters of
more modern times. Columbus, in discovery; Washington, in the struggle
for freedom; Lincoln, in emancipation and union; Bacon, in philosophy;
Franklin, in statesmanship and diplomacy; Stephenson, in steam; Watts,
in song; Edison, in electricity; and Joseph Smith, in theology and
religion, found the source of their wisdom and the marvelous truths
which they advocated, in Jesus Christ.
Calvin, Luther, Melanchthon, and all the reformers, were inspired
in thoughts, words, and actions to accomplish what they did for the
amelioration, liberty and advancement of the human race. They paved the
way for the more perfect gospel of truth to come. Their inspiration,
as with that of the ancients, came from the Father, his Son, Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost, the one true and living God. This may
also truthfully be said concerning the Revolutionary fathers of this
nation, and all who have in the ages past contributed to the progress
of civil and religious freedom. There is no {501} light or truth which
did not come to them first from him. Men are mere repeaters of what he
has taught them. He has voiced no thought originating with man. The
teachings of Jesus did not begin with his incarnation; for, like truth,
he is eternal. He not only inspired the ancients, from the beginning,
but when he came to earth he reiterated eternal, original truth, and
added gloriously to the revelations men had uttered. When he returned
to the Father, he still took, and does take, an interest in his
children and people, by revealing to them new truths, and by inspiring
their actions; and, as men grow in the knowledge of God, they shall
become more and more like him unto the perfect day, when his knowledge
shall cover the earth as the waters cover the deep.
It is folly, therefore, to discredit the Savior on the grounds that he
has uttered nothing new; for, with the Father and the Spirit, he is the
author of that which persists--the truth--that which has been, that
which is, and that which will continue forever.--_Improvement Era,_
Vol. 10, 1907, pp. 627-30.
PURPOSE AND DUTIES OF RELIGIOUS CLASSES. The Religion Class work is an
adjunct to the Church schools. It is a necessary and most interesting
adjunct to our auxiliary organizations. It was established to assist in
the proper training and education of our children, and I commend it to
the presiding authorities, throughout the Church, and bespeak for it
their kind attention, encouragement and assistance, so far as it lies
in their power. Let us take care of these things, for they nurture and
strengthen our children in the right direction, and there is nothing
more important. It is extreme folly for any people to send thousands of
missionaries out into the world to preach the gospel to the nations,
and neglect their own children at home. I think our very first interest
should be to look after our children, and see that they have every
advantage necessary to bring them up in the way {502} they should go,
that when they get old they may not depart from it.--_Apr. C. R.,_
1906, p. 6.
TEACHERS MUST BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. Any man who will question the
divinity of the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, or will deny the
so-called miracles of the scriptures, is unfit to be a teacher of
Latter-day Saint children.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 21, December, 1917,
p. 104.
{503}
CHAPTER XXIII
POLITICAL GOVERNMENT
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I believe with all my soul in the gospel of
Jesus Christ, and in the law of God, and I do not think any honest
and intelligent man or woman could help but believe in the justice,
the righteousness and the purity of the laws that God wrote upon the
tablets of stone. These principles that I propose to read to you are
the foundation and basic principles of the Constitution of our country,
and are eternal, enduring forevermore, and cannot be changed nor
ignored with impunity:
"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which
have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
That is what it means now, and what it meant to the Latter-day Saints,
and what the Latter-day Saints understood it to mean, when they
embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." He is the Father of our
spirits, the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is our
God; and we shall not have any other before him.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth:
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the
Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and
keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:1-6.)
{504} Infidels will say to you: "How unjust, how unmerciful, how
un-Godlike it is to visit the iniquities of the parents upon the
children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate God." How
do you see it? This way: and it is strictly in accordance with God's
law. The infidel will impart infidelity to his children if he can.
The whoremonger will not raise a pure, righteous posterity. He will
impart seeds of disease and misery, if not of death and destruction,
upon his offspring, which will continue upon his children and descend
to his children's children to the third and fourth generation. It is
perfectly natural that the children should inherit from their fathers,
and if they sow the seeds of corruption, crime and loathsome disease,
their children will reap the fruits thereof. Not in accordance with
God's wishes, for his wish is that men will not sin and therefore will
not transmit the consequences of their sin to their children, but
that they will keep his commandments, and be free from sin and from
entailing the effects of sin upon their offspring; but inasmuch as men
will not hearken unto the Lord, but will become a law unto themselves,
and will commit sin, they will justly reap the consequences of their
own iniquity, and will naturally impart its fruits to their children
to the third and fourth generation. The laws of nature are the laws of
God who is just; it is not God that inflicts these penalties, they are
the effects of disobedience to his law. The results of men's own acts
follow them.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord
will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
This is an eternal principle; it is not one that we may obey today and
disobey tomorrow, or that we may espouse today as a part of our faith,
and abandon tomorrow with impunity. It is a principle that is inherent
in the plan of life and salvation, for the regeneration of mankind.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six {505} days shalt thou
labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor
thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor
thy stranger that is within thy gates," etc.
That is: Thou shalt honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Do we do
it? Is it necessary to do it? It is absolutely necessary to do so in
order that we may be in harmony with God's law and commandments; and
whenever we transgress that law or that commandment we are guilty
of transgressing the law of God. And what will be the result, if we
continue? Our children will follow in our footsteps; they will dishonor
the command of God to keep one day holy in seven; and will lose the
spirit of obedience to the laws of God and his requirements, just as
the father will lose it if he continues to violate the commandments.
"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
When will we ever outgrow that command? When can we set it aside? When
shall we reach the time that we can dishonor our father and mother?
Never! It is an eternal principle, and I am sorry to say--not sorry
for the Japs and for the Chinese--these heathen nations, as we have
been in the habit of calling them--I am not sorry for them, but for the
comparison with them. Those heathen nations set the civilized Christian
world an example in the honor they bestow upon their parents, and yet
this Christian people and nation and all the Christian nations of the
earth, who have the word of the Lord, and the counsels of the Son of
God for their guidance, are not leading out in setting an example of
obedience, as they should, to this great commandment of the Lord,
"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long in the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
Again, "Thou shalt not kill." That is a command of God. It is
irrevocable, unless he revokes it; you and I can't {506} revoke it; we
must not transgress it; it is binding upon us. We should not take away
the life we cannot restore or give back. It is an eternal, unchangeable
law.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery." Just as unchangeable! just as
eternal! for the adulterer hath no place in the kingdom of God, nor can
he attain to an exaltation there.
"Thou shalt not steal."
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy
neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox,
nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's." (Exodus 20:7-17.)
"Thou shalt not covet." We may say we are thankful that the Lord has
blessed our neighbor above that which he has blessed us. We may be
thankful that the Lord has given to our neighbor greater wisdom and
ability to honestly gather to himself. But we should not covet it. We
should not be envious, because we are commanded not to be.
Now, these are the commandments of God, the principles contained in
these commandments of the great Eternal are the principles that underly
the Constitution of our country, and all just laws. Joseph Smith, the
prophet, was inspired to affirm and ratify this truth, and he further
predicted that the time would come, when the Constitution of our
country would bang as it were by a thread, and that the Latter-day
Saints, above all other people in the world, would come to the rescue
of that great and glorious palladium of our liberty. We cannot brook
the thought of it being torn into shreds, or destroyed, or trampled
under foot and ignored by men. We cannot tolerate the sentiment, at
one time expressed, by a man high in authority in the nation. He said:
"The constitution be damned; the popular sentiment of the people is the
constitution!" That is the sentiment of anarchism, and has spread to a
certain extent, and is spreading {507} over "the land of liberty and
the home of the brave." We do not tolerate it. Latter-day Saints cannot
tolerate such a spirit as this. It is anarchy. It means destruction.
It is the spirit of mobocracy, and the Lord knows we have suffered
enough from mobocracy, and we do not want any more of it. Our people
from Mexico are suffering from the effects of that same spirit. We do
not want any more of it, and we cannot afford to yield to that spirit
or contribute to it in the least degree. We should stand with a front
like flint against every spirit or species of contempt or disrespect
for the constitution of our country and the constitutional laws of our
land.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1912, pp. 8-11.
THE LAWS OF GOD AND THE LAWS OF THE LAND. Nearly all the brethren who
have spoken at this conference have referred to the circumstances in
which we, as a people, are now placed; and it would seem unnecessary
for me to make any further reference to this all-prevailing subject
with which the people generally are more or less familiar, and in which
we necessarily are considerably interested. But while the brethren
who have spoken have merely referred to some of the sayings of the
Prophet Joseph, and to items in the revelations through him, to the
Church, I feel impressed to read in the hearing of the congregation one
or two passages from the revelations previously referred to. I will,
therefore, call the attention of the congregation to a verse or two in
the revelation given in 1831, which will be found on page 219 of the
Doctrine and Covenants:
"Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of
God hath no need to break the laws of the land:
"Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until He reigns whose
right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.
"Behold, the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of
the Church, and in this light ye shall {508} hold them forth. Behold
here is wisdom." (Doc. and Cov. 58: 21-23.)
The following I quote from a revelation given in December, 1833, page
357:
"According to the laws and the constitution of the people which I have
suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and
protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles,
"That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to
futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him,
that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of
judgment.
"Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to
another.
"And for this purpose have I established the constitution of this land,
by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and
redeemed the land by the shedding of blood." (Doc. and Cov. 101:77-80.)
Again, in a revelation on page 342:
"And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it
is my will that my people shall observe to do all things whatsoever I
command them;
"And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that
principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to
all mankind, and is justifiable before me;
"Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my Church,
in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
"And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than
these, cometh of evil.
"I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the
law also maketh you free;
"Nevertheless, when the wicked rule, the people mourn,
"Wherefore, honest men, and wise men should be {509} sought for
diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold;
otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
"And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and
cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth
forth out of the mouth of God;
"For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon
precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith;
"And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name's sake, shall
find it again, even life eternal:
"Therefore be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my
heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether
you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found
worthy;
"For if ye will not abide in my covenant, ye are not worthy of me."
(Doc. and Cov. 98:4-15.)
This, as I understand it, is the law of God to the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world. And the requirements here
made of us must be obeyed, and practically carried out in our lives, in
order that we may secure the fulfilment of the promises which God has
made to the people of Zion. And it is further written, that inasmuch as
ye will do the things which I command you, thus saith the Lord, then am
I bound; otherwise there is no promise. We can therefore only expect
that the promises are made and will apply to us when we do the things
which we are commanded. (Doc. and Cov. 82:10; 101:7; 124:47-49.)
We are told here that no man need break the laws of the land who will
keep the laws of God. But this is further defined by the passage which
I read afterwards--the law of the land, which all have no need to
break, is that law which is the constitutional law of the land, and
that is as God himself {510} has defined it. And whatsoever is more or
less than this cometh of evil. Now, it seems to me that this makes this
matter so clear that it is not possible for any man who professes to be
a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make any
mistake, or to be in doubt as to the course he should pursue under the
command of God in relation to the observance of the laws of the land. I
maintain that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has ever
been faithful to the constitutional laws of our country. I maintain,
also, that I have a right to this opinion, as an American citizen, as
one who was not only born on American soil, but who descended from
parents who for generations were born in America. I have a right to
interpret the law in this manner, and to form my own conclusions and
express my opinions thereon, regardless of the opinions of other men.
I ask myself, What law have you broken? What constitutional law have
you not observed? I am bound not only by allegiance to the government
of the United States but by the actual command of God Almighty, to
observe and obey every constitutional law of the land, and without
hesitancy I declare to this congregation that I have never violated nor
transgressed any law, I am not amenable to any penalties of the law,
because I have endeavored from my youth up to be a law-abiding citizen,
and not only so, but to be a peacemaker, a preacher of righteousness,
and not only to preach righteousness by word, but by example. What,
therefore, have I to fear? The Lord Almighty requires this people to
observe the laws of the land, to be subject to "the powers that be,"
so far as they abide by the fundamental principles of good government,
but he will hold them responsible if they will pass unconstitutional
measures and frame unjust and proscriptive laws, as did Nebuchadnezzar
and Darius, in relation to the three Hebrew children and Daniel. If
lawmakers have a mind to violate their oath, break their covenants
{511} and their faith with the people, and depart from the provisions
of the constitution, where is the law, human or divine, which binds me,
as an individual, to outwardly and openly proclaim my acceptance of
their acts? * * *
I wish to enter here my avowal that the people called Latter-day
Saints, as has been often repeated from this stand, are the most
law-abiding, the most peaceable, long-suffering and patient people that
can today be found within the confines of this republic, and perhaps
anywhere else upon the face of the earth; and we intend to continue
to be law-abiding so far as the constitutional law of the land is
concerned; and we expect to meet the consequences of our obedience to
the laws and commandments of God, like men. These are my sentiments
briefly expressed, upon this subject.
NO NATIONALITIES IN THE CHURCH. In speaking of nationalities, we all
understand or should that in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints there is neither Scandinavian, nor Swiss, nor German, nor
Russian, nor British nor any other nationality. We have become brothers
in the household of faith, and we should treat the people from these
nations that are at war with each other, with due kindness and
consideration. It is nothing but natural that people who are born in
a land, though they may have emigrated from it, who have left their
kindred there, many of them, that they will naturally have a tender
feeling toward their fatherland. But the Latter-day Saints who have
come from England and from France and from Germany and Scandinavia
and Holland, into this country, no matter what their country may be
involved in, it is not our business to distinguish them in any way by
criticism or by complaint toward them, or by condemnation, because
of the place where they were born. They could not help where they
were born, and they have come here to be Latter-day Saints, not to be
Germans, nor to be Scandinavians, nor to be English, nor French, nor
to belong to any other country in the world. They have come {512} here
to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and
good and true citizens of the United States, and of the several states
in which they live, and of other places throughout the world, where
Latter-day Saints are building homes for themselves.--_Apr. C. R.,_
1917, p. 11.
LATTER-DAY SAINTS LOYAL TO THE UNITED STATES. We must always bear in
mind that we are not only citizens of the kingdom of God, but we are
citizens of the United States and of the states in which we dwell. We
have ever been loyal both to our state and nation, as well as to the
Church of God, and we defy the world to prove to the contrary. We have
been willing to fight our country's battles, to defend her honor, to
uphold and sustain her good name, and we propose to continue in this
loyalty to our nation and to our people unto the end.--_Apr. C. R.,_
1905, p. 46.
LOYALTY TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. And I hope with all
my soul that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints will be loyal in their very hearts and souls, to the principles
of the constitution of our country. From them we have derived the
liberty that we enjoy. They have been the means of guaranteeing to the
foreigner that has come within our gates, and to the native born, and
to all the citizens of this country, the freedom and liberty that we
possess. We cannot go back upon such principles as these. We may go
back upon those who fail to execute the law as they should. We may be
dissatisfied with the decision of judges and may desire to have them
removed out of their places. But the law provides ways and means for
all these things to be done under the constitution of our country, and
it is better for us to abide the evils that we have than to fly to
greater evils that we know not what the results will be.--_Apr. C. R.,_
1912, p. 8.
PROUD OF THE UNITED STATES. I feel proud of the {513} nation of which
we are a part, because I am convinced in my own mind that there is not
another nation upon the face of the globe where the Lord Almighty could
have established his Church with so little difficulty and opposition
as he has done here in the United States. This was a free country,
and religious toleration was the sentiment of the people of the land.
It was the asylum for the oppressed. All the people of the world were
invited here to make homes of freedom for themselves, and under these
tolerant circumstances the Lord was able to establish his Church, and
has been able to maintain it and preserve it up to this time, that
it has grown and spread, until it has become respectable--not only
by its members, not only by the few years of age that it possesses,
but respectable because of its intelligence, respectable because
of its honesty, its purity, union and industry, and for all its
virtues.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1905, p. 6.
ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF THE UNITED STATES: LOYALTY OF THE LATTER-DAY
SAINTS. This great American nation the Almighty raised up by the power
of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days
for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth. If the Lord had
not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation,
it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of
the monarchical governments of the world) to have laid the foundations
for the coming of his great kingdom. The Lord has done this. His hand
has been over this nation, and it is his purpose and design to enlarge
it, make it glorious above all others, and to give it dominion, and
power over the earth, to the end that those who are kept in bondage
and serfdom may be brought to the enjoyment of the fullest freedom
and liberty of conscience possible for intelligent men to exercise
in the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will
be a strong supporter of the nation of which we are a part, in the
accomplishment of this grand purpose. {514} There are no more loyal
people to their country on God's earth today than are the Latter-day
Saints to this country. There are no better, purer or more honorable
citizens of the United States to be found than are found within the
pale of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I testify to
this, and I know whereof I speak. We never have been enemies to our
nation. We have always been true to it. Though we have been persecuted,
we have said, We will put our trust in thee. We have been driven and
maligned, not by the nation, but by insidious, wicked, unprincipled,
hypocritical, lying, deceitful goats in sheep's clothing, who are
jealous and constantly raising a hue and cry against the covenant
people of God. Our government would have befriended us, protected us,
preserved our rights and liberties, and would have defended us in the
enjoyment of our possessions, if it had not been for these infernal
hounds who are enemies to morality and to the truth. If there be
anything despicable, if there be anything that can never, no, never,
enter into the kingdom of God, it is a wilful liar; and if we have
not been lied about, maligned and misrepresented of late, then I do
not know what lying is. Well, let the falsifiers go on and lie. Some
people are evidently doomed to lie. President Woodruff used to say
there were some people in his day who were born to lie, and they were
true to their missions. There are some of these born liars still with
us and still true to their mission. They cannot, it would seem, tell
the truth; they often do not when it would be for their best good. So
let them go on and lie as much as they desire. But let us do right,
keep the laws of God, and the laws of man, honor our membership in the
kingdom of God, our citizenship in the state of Utah, and our broader
citizenship in the nation of which we are a part, and then God will
sustain and preserve us, and we will continue to grow as we have done
from the beginning, only our future growth will be accelerated and be
far greater than it {515} has been in the past. These slanders and
falsehoods that are circulated abroad with the view of bringing the
ire of the nation upon us will, by and by, be swept away, and because
of these misrepresentations the truth will be brought out clearer and
plainer to the world. Thus the word of the Lord will be verified, that
they cannot do anything against, but for, the kingdom of God. This is
the Lord's work, it is not man's, and he will make it triumphant. He
is spreading it abroad, and giving it deep root in the earth, that its
branches may grow and spread, and its fruit be seen throughout the
length and breadth of the land.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1903, pp. 73-74.
SAINTS TO SERVE GOD. The Latter-day Saints are in the midst of these
mountains for the express purpose of serving Almighty God. We have
not come here to serve ourselves, nor to serve the world. We are here
because we have believed in the gospel that has been restored in the
latter day through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We are here because we
believe that God Almighty has organized his Church and has restored the
fulness of the gospel and holy priesthood. We are here because we have
received the testimony of the Spirit of God that the course which we
have pursued in this regard is right and acceptable in the sight of the
Lord. We are here because we have come in obedience to the command of
the Almighty.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1899, p. 43.
GUIDED BY GOD TO THE WEST. On somewhat parallel lines our people might
go back in memory to Ohio and to Missouri and to Illinois, and recall
incidents and conditions that existed in those early days by which our
people were harassed, mobbed, persecuted, hated and driven away from
their possessions in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. It was hard for our
people in those times, and under the conditions that then existed,
to see where God in his providence designed good for his people in
permitting these conditions to exist. But who today will dispute the
fact that, although {516} we were compelled to leave Ohio, Missouri,
and Illinois, against our will, our wishes, our interests temporally,
as was supposed,--it was for our ultimate good? Who of us will now
contend that the overruling Providence which brought us to this place
made a mistake? None of us! When we look back to it we see clearly,
beyond any possible doubt, that the band of God was in it. And while it
was necessary for us to be moved from our footholds on the soil that
our fathers had obtained from the government of the United States, and
from old settlers, and while we were compelled to do it against our
supposed interests--we now see it has resulted in the greatest blessing
possible to us and the Church.
What could we have done in Ohio? What room was there for growth and
development for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in
Caldwell county, or in Jackson county, or in Clay county, Missouri?
Where was the chance for this Church to spread abroad, grow, and
obtain a foothold in the earth, as we possess it today, in the state
of Illinois--a populous state, her lands occupied by older inhabitants
who were uncongenial and unfriendly? They had no faith in our good
intentions, nor in the divinity of our cause. They feared us, because
the Saints were progressive. The spirit of growth, development,
and of advancement characterized the life and labors and existence
of communities of Latter-day Saints, as it has with our people in
Mexico.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1912, p. 6.
TRUE PATRIOTISM. Patriotism should be sought for and will be found in
right living, not in high sounding phrases or words. True patriotism
is part of the solemn obligation that belongs both to the nation and
to the individual and to the home. Our nation's reputation should be
guarded as sacredly as our family's good name. That reputation should
be defended by every citizen, and our children should be taught to
defend their country's honor under all {517} circumstances. A truly
patriotic spirit in the individual begets a public interest and
sympathy which should be commensurate with our nation's greatness. To
be a true citizen of a great country takes nothing from, but adds to,
individual greatness. While a great and good people necessarily adds
greatness and goodness to national life, the nation's greatness reacts
upon its citizens and adds honor to them, and insures their welfare
and happiness. Loyal citizens will probably be the last to complain
of the faults and failures of our national administrators. They would
rather conceal those evils which exist, and try to persuade themselves
that they are only temporary and may and will in time be corrected.
It is none the less a patriotic duty to guard our nation whenever and
wherever we can against those changeable and revolutionary tendencies
which are destructive of a nation's weal and permanence.--_Juvenile
Instructor,_ Vol. 47, July, 1912, pp. 388-389.
IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL PATRIOTISM. Our national welfare should always
be a theme deeply rooted in our minds and exemplified in our individual
lives, and the desire for our nation's good should be stronger than
political party adherence. The nation's welfare means the welfare of
every one of its citizens. To be a worthy and a prosperous nation, it
must possess those qualities which belong to individual virtues. The
attitude of our country toward other nations should always be honest
and above suspicion, and every good citizen should be jealous of our
nation's reputation both at home and abroad. National patriotism is,
therefore, something more than mere expression of willingness to fight,
if need be.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 47, July, 1912, p. 389.
THE CHURCH NOT PARTISAN. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is no partisan Church. It is not a sect. It is THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. It is the only one today existing
in the world that can and does legitimately bear the name of Jesus
Christ and {518} his divine authority. I make this declaration in all
simplicity and honesty before you and before all the world, bitter as
the truth may seem to those who are opposed and who have no reason for
that opposition. It is nevertheless true and will remain true until he
who has a right to rule among the nations of the earth and among the
individual children of God throughout the world shall come and take the
reins of government and receive the bride that shall be prepared for
the coming of the Bridegroom._--Improvement Era,_ Vol. 20, May, 1918,
p. 639. See also _Gospel Doctrine,_ pp. 169-170.
THE CHURCH LOYAL. All churches claim to be divinely appointed and place
God above country, and any man who renders true homage to God can not
break the law, for he lives above it. No man can be a good Latter-day
Saint and not be true to the best interests and general welfare of his
country. After all these years, it is folly to say that the Church is
antagonistic to the national government. The part which our people took
in the Mexican and Spanish-American wars should be enough to eternally
brand such statements false. The allegiance claimed from its members by
the Church does not prevent a member from being a loyal citizen of the
nation. It rather aids him; fidelity to the Church enables a man better
to entertain patriotic allegiance to his nation and country. There is
nothing required of a Latter-day Saint that can in any way be construed
to militate against loyalty to the nation, and for that reason Senator
Smoot is under no obligations to the Church that can come in conflict
with his fealty to country. It is plain that the campaign of the
ministers is unjustified.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 7, March, 1904, p.
382.
LATTER-DAY SAINTS ARE GOOD CITIZENS. A good Latter-day Saint is a
good citizen in every way. I desire to say to the young men of our
community: be exemplary Latter-day Saints, and let nothing deter you
from aspiring to the greatest positions which our nation has to offer.
Having {519} secured a place, let your virtue, your integrity, your
honesty, your ability, your religious teachings, implanted in your
heart at the knees of your devoted "Mormon" mothers, "so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven."--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 6, April, 1903, p. 469.
CHURCH NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR POLITICAL PARTIES. The Church of Christ is
not responsible for the actions of either of the political parties, in
any sense, or form. If it were, they would stop their quarreling and
contending, and the bitterness and animosity they exhibit towards one
another would cease. If we had anything to do with them, we would stop
their wrangling, and we would have peace in their ranks. The fact that
they quarrel as they do is proof positive we have nothing to do with
them.--_Apr. C. R.,_ 1899, p. 41.
THE CHURCH NOT IN POLITICS. The Church does not engage in politics;
its members belong to the political parties at their own pleasure--to
the Republicans, the Democrats, or to no party at all. They are not
asked, much less required, to vote this way or that--a requirement made
by the Protestant ministers of their members against the Saints. But
they cannot justly be denied their rights as citizens, and there is no
reason why they should be, for, on the average, they are as loyal, as
sober, as well educated, as honest, as industrious, as virtuous, as
moral, as thrifty, and as worthy in every other respect as any people
in the nation or on the earth, for that matter. I think that they are
just a little better in these respects than most other communities or
individuals.
To the young men who may be disheartened by false attacks upon the
Saints, and to the missionaries in the world, who are driven and
persecuted, I wish to say: have no fear; slacken not your labors for
the truth; live as becometh Saints. You are in the right way, and the
Lord will not let {520} your efforts fail. This Church stands in no
danger from opposition and persecution from without. There is more to
fear in carelessness, sin and indifference, from within; more danger
that the individual will fail in doing right and in conforming his life
to the revealed doctrines of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we
do the right, all will be well, the God of our fathers will sustain
us, and every opposition will tend only to the further spread of the
knowledge of truth.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 6, June, 1903, p. 625.
SHUN THE SPIRIT OF MOB VIOLENCE. Nobody in the world deplores more than
do the Latter-day Saints the prevalence and brutality of mob violence.
If mob violence in this country did not have its origin in the drivings
and persecutions of the Latter-day Saints, it is certain that no
class of people in this country have suffered more and longer from
the lawlessness of the mob than have the Latter-day Saints. For more
than half a century the "Mormons" have been the victims of lawless mob
violence against which very little has been said, for the chief reason
that the victims had been so long pursued by hatred and prejudice that
the world had been taught to withdraw all its sympathy from them.
Whipping, driving, and shooting "Mormon" elders in the South called
forth no anxiety and little objection upon the part of the press; and
the "Mormon" elder, pure and upright in his life, has received less
sympathy and protest in his favor than the negro ravisher who deserved,
perhaps, the punishment, however inexcusable the method of executing it.
The Latter-day Saints in Utah, and everywhere, are earnestly and
prayerfully admonished to shun as a sacred religious duty the spirit
of mob violence. It is better to be patient and endure deprivations of
human rights than to violate the institutions of our country, and to
substitute violence for law and order. If the reign of the mob extends
its hideous rule over this country as rapidly in the future {521} as it
has done in the past, it may reach communities where the Saints live
before they are aware of its presence. It is not only the duty of every
Latter-day Saint, therefore, to refrain from the violent and unlawful
conduct of bodies of men bent upon human destruction, but to exercise
his influence and power to restrain others from imbuing their hands
in the blood of their fellow men.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 38,
September, 1903, p. 564.
THE DANGER OF MOBS. One of the greatest menaces to our country is that
of the combination of men into irresponsible, reckless mobs, wild with
prejudice, hatred and fanaticism, led by men of ambition, or passion,
or hatred. There is no other thing in the world that I can conceive of
so absolutely obnoxious to God and good men as a combination of men
and women filled with the spirit of mobocracy. Men combining together
to stop or shut off the food supply from the mouth of the honest
laborer to starve the man that is willing to work, and the wife and the
children who are dependent upon him, because he is not willing to join
a mob, is one of the most infamous perils and menaces to the people of
our country today. I do not care who they are, or what name they go by.
They are a menace to the peace of the world.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1911, p.
122.
THE BASIS OF LABOR UNIONS. If we are to have labor organizations among
us, and there is no good reason why our young men might not be so
organized, they should be formed on a sensible basis, and officered by
men who have their families and all their interests around them. The
spirit of good-will and brotherhood, such as we have in the gospel of
Christ, should characterize their conduct and organizations. For be it
known, the religious note is and should remain the dominant note of our
character and of all our actions.
While there is no reason why workmen should not join together for
their own mutual protection and benefit, {522} there is every reason
why in so doing they should regard the rights of their fellows, be
jealous of the protection of property, and eliminate from their
methods of warfare, boycotts, sympathetic strikes, and the walking
delegate.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol. 6, August, 1903, p. 182.
LABOR UNIONS. Labor unions will find that the same eternal law
of justice applies to unions that applies to individuals, that
fair dealing and rational conduct must be maintained if financial
misfortunes are averted. Where there are Latter-day Saints in unions
they should assume a conservative attitude and never arouse men's
prejudices by inflaming their passions. There can be no objections
to a firm and persistent contention for the right of labor, if the
contention is maintained in the spirit of reason and fairness. Above
all things, the Latter-day Saints should hold sacred the life and
liberty of their fellow-men, as also their rights of property and
maintain inviolate every right to which humanity is entitled.
The unions are forcing our people into an inconsistent and dangerous
attitude when they compel Latter-day Saints within the union to
make war upon their brethren who are without the union, and thereby
denying the most sacred and God-given rights of one class of Saints
that another class may gain some advantage over a third person, their
employer. Such conduct is destructive of the liberty which every man is
entitled to enjoy, and will lead in the end to the spirit of contention
and apostasy.
It is not easy to see how the Latter-day Saints can endorse the methods
of modern labor unions. As a people we have suffered too much from
irrational class prejudice and class hatred to participate in violent
and unjust agitations. No one denies the rights of laborers to unite in
demanding a just share of the prosperity of our country, provided the
union is governed by the same spirit that {523} should actuate men who
profess the guidance of a Christian conscience.
In the present status of capital and labor there should be mutual
interests; and at the same time workmen should realize that there is
a limit to the pressure which capital can endure by the demands made
upon it. Competition has always given some measure of relief to the
laborer by the demands of capital for human service, and men should not
therefore abandon themselves to the supposed power of arbitrary demands
which labor unions are now making in many cases upon their employers.
The contention for the recognition of unions is often a very indefinite
factor, for no one seems to know just what that recognition means now,
or what it is to mean in the future. If recognition means the exclusive
right of any class of men to gain a livelihood by their work, then
recognition should be persistently and forcefully resisted.
The Latter-day Saints, whether in the unions or out of them, know very
well whether individual or united demands are arbitrary and unjust, and
they will lose nothing by a manly refusal to violate their sense of
justice.--_Juvenile Instructor,_ Vol. 38, June, 1903, p. 370.
CAUSE OF WAR. The condition of the world today presents a spectacle
that is deplorable, so far as it relates to the religious convictions,
faith and power of the inhabitants of the earth. Here we have nations
arrayed against nations, and yet in every one of these nations are
so-called Christian peoples professing to worship the same God,
professing to possess belief in the same divine Redeemer, many of them
professing to be teachers of God's word, and ministers of life and
salvation to the children of men, and yet these nations are divided
one against the other, and each is praying to his God for wrath upon
and victory over his enemies and for his own preservation. Would it be
possible, could it be possible, for this condition to exist if {524}
the people of the world possessed really the true knowledge of the
gospel of Jesus Christ? And if they really possessed the Spirit of the
living God--could this condition exist? No; it could not exist, but
war would cease, and contention and strife would be at an end. And not
only the spirit of war would not exist, but the spirit of contention
and strife that now exists among the nations of the earth, which is
the primal element of war, would cease to be. We know that the spirit
of strife and contention exists to an alarming extent among all the
people of the world. Why does it exist? Because they are not one with
God, nor with Christ. They have not entered into the true fold, and
the result is they do not possess the spirit of the true Shepherd
sufficiently to govern and control their acts in the ways of peace and
righteousness. Thus they contend and strive one against another, and at
last nation rises up against nation in fulfilment of the predictions
of the prophets of God that war should be poured out upon all nations.
I don't want you to think I believe that God has designed or willed
that war should come among the people of the world, that the nations
of the world should be divided against one another in war, and engaged
in the destruction of each? God did not design or cause this. It is
deplorable to the heavens that such a condition should exist among men,
but the conditions do exist, and men precipitate war and destruction
upon themselves because of their wickedness, and that because they will
not abide in God's truth, walk in his love, and seek to establish and
maintain peace instead of strife and contention in the world.--_Oct. C.
R.,_ 1914, p. 8.
ATTITUDE TOWARDS WAR. We do not want war. We do not want to see our
nation go to war. We would like to see it the arbiter of peace for all
nations. We would like to see the government of the United States true
to the constitution, an instrument inspired by the spirit of wisdom
from God. We want to see the benignity, the honor, the {525} glory
and the good name, and the mighty influence for peace of this nation,
extended abroad, not only over Hawaii and the Philippines, but over the
islands of the sea east and west of us. We want to see the power, the
influence for good, for elevating mankind, and for the establishment of
righteous principles spread out over these poor, helpless peoples of
the world, establishing peace, good will and intelligence among them,
that they may grow to be equal, if possible, to the enlightened nations
of the world.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1912, p. 7.
WE WANT PEACE. We want peace in the world. We want love and good will
to exist throughout the earth, and among all the people of the world;
but there never can come to the world that spirit of peace and love
that should exist, until mankind will receive God's truth and God's
message unto them, and acknowledge his power and authority which is
divine, and never found in the wisdom only of men.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1914,
p. 7.
WHEN PEACE SHALL COME. We will never have peace until we have truth. We
will never be able to establish peace on earth and good will until we
have drunk at the fountain of righteousness and eternal truth, as God
has revealed it to man.--_Oct. C. R.,_ 1914, p. 129.
PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN. We certainly live in troublesome
times; and, notwithstanding the peace that pervades our own land,
we are not without our troubles at home. There is, among us today,
I am sorry to say, the germ of the spirit that has prompted, very
largely, the conditions that exist in Europe today--internal unrest,
dissatisfaction, discontent, internal contention over political, labor
and religious matters, and almost every subject that affects society
at this time. And the very germ that has prompted the terrible results
that we see in the nations of Europe, is at work among us here today.
We need not forget it, nor ignore it, either.
{526} There is just one power, and one only, that can prevent war among
the nations of the earth, and that is true religion and undefiled
before God, the Father. Nothing else will accomplish it. It is a very
common expression today that there is good in all religions. So there
is; but there is not sufficient good in the denominations of the world
to prevent war, nor to prevent contention, strife, division and hatred
of one another.
And, put all the good doctrines, in all the denominations of the world,
together, and they do not constitute sufficient good to prevent the
evils that exist in the world. Why? Because the denominations lack the
essential knowledge of God's revelation and truth, and the enjoyment
of that spirit which comes from God that leadeth unto all truth, and
that inspires men to do good and not evil, to love and not to hate, to
forgive and not to bear malice, to be kind and generous and not to be
unkind and contracted.
So, I repeat, there is but one remedy that can prevent men from going
to war, when they feel disposed to do it, and that is the Spirit of
God, which inspires to love, and not to hatred, which leads unto all
truth, and not unto error, which inclines the children of God to pay
deference to him and to his laws and to esteem them as above all other
things in the world.
The Lord has told us that these wars would come. We have not been
ignorant that they were pending, and that they were likely to burst out
upon the nations of the earth at any time. We have been looking for the
fulfilment of the words of the Lord that they would come. Why? Because
the Lord wanted it? No; not by any means. Was it because the Lord
predestined it, or designed it, in any degree? No, not at all. Why? It
was for the reason that men did not hearken unto the Lord God, and he
foreknew the results that would follow, because of men, and because of
the nations of the earth; and therefore he was able to predict what
would {527} befall them, and came upon them in consequence of their
own acts, and not because he has willed it upon them, for they are but
suffering and reaping the results of their own actions.
Well, my sisters, "peace on earth, and good will to men," is our
slogan. That is our principle. That is the principle of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. And while I think it is wrong, wickedly wrong, to force
war upon any nation, or upon any people, I believe it is righteous
and just for every people to defend their own lives and their own
liberties, and their own homes, with the last drop of their blood.
I believe it is right, and I believe that the Lord will sustain any
people in defending their own liberty to worship God according to the
dictates of their conscience, any people trying to preserve their wives
and their children from the ravages of the war. But we do not want to
be brought into the necessity of having to defend ourselves.
If the condition of the world appears to you as it does to me, at
the present time it seems to me that you have within your hearts and
minds one of the strongest evidences that has ever been brought to
your understanding, of the truth of the declaration which God gave to
the world through Joseph Smith, that "they draw near to me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the
commandments of men: having a form of godliness, but they deny the
power thereof," and have it not. (_History of the Church,_ Vol. 1, p.
6.) In Germany, at this time, Protestants and Catholics are praying to
God for victory over their foes. In France and England and in Russia
and in Belgium, and Austria, and in all other countries, that are at
war with one another, they are praying. Protestants and Catholics
together for victory. The Allies are praying for victory, to the same
God, supposed to be, for these are called Christian nations, and they
are members of the same churches, worshiping in the same forms of
religion and yet they are calling upon God {528} one against another,
to defend them against their enemies, and to strengthen their arms to
destroy their foes. What does it prove? It proves what God said. They
have not his Spirit; they have not his power to guide them. They are
not in possession of his truth; and, therefore, the very conditions
that exist are the results of this unbelief in the truth; and this
worship of men and organizations and powers of men is divested of the
power of God.
Now, my sisters, I am speaking from my point of view, and my point of
view is that Christ was divinely appointed and sent into the world to
relieve mankind of sin through repentance; to relieve mankind from the
death which came upon them by the sin of the first man. I believe it
with all my soul. I believe that Joseph Smith was raised up by Almighty
God to renew the spirit, power and plan of God's Church, of Christ's
gospel and holy priesthood. I believe it with all my soul, or I would
not be here. I therefore stand upon this principle, that the truth is
in the gospel of Jesus Christ, that the power of redemption, the power
of peace, the power for good will, love, charity and forgiveness, and
the power for fellowship with God, abides in the gospel of Jesus Christ
and in obedience to it on the part of the people. I therefore admit,
and not only admit but claim, that there is nothing greater on earth,
nor in heaven, than the truth of God's gospel which he has devised and
restored for the salvation and the redemption of the world. And it is
through that that peace will come to the children of men, and it will
not come to the world in any other way. The nations cannot possess it
without they come to God, from whom they are to receive the spirit of
union and the spirit of love. And those organizations in the world,
created with a view to combining men, possess in them so many of the
elements of self-destruction that they cannot exist long, as they are,
and under the influences which hold them together today. I can tell you
that there is no combination formed by men that will {529} prosper and
continue to endure, unless it is based upon the principles of truth,
righteousness, and justice toward all. When a man comes to me and says:
"You must be my servant, you must obey me, or conform to my plan, or we
will starve you to death," I don't care how many elements of goodness
there are in the organization that will exclude me from a right to
worship God according to the dictates of my conscience, or that would
prevent me from laboring in honest labor to earn my bread, it possesses
the elements of decay and destruction, and it cannot last, for it is
wrong, absolutely wrong.
In the gospel is the light of freedom. Men worship God according to the
dictates of their own conscience. We can not compel you to obey the
principles of the gospel at all.
That is the principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But these man-made
organizations will force you to do as they will, or they will damn you
and destroy you; and therein lies the elements of self-destruction
in--themselves, because they can only last for a time.--_Relief Society
Magazine,_ Vol. 2, No. 1, 1914, p. 13.
THE KEY TO PEACE. There is only one thing that can bring peace into
the world. It is the adoption of the gospel of Jesus Christ, rightly
understood, obeyed and practiced by rulers and people alike. It is
being preached in power to all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples
of the world, by the Latter-day Saints, and the day is not far distant
when its message of salvation shall sink deep into the hearts of
the common people, who, in sincerity and earnestness, when the time
comes, will not only surely register their judgment against a false
Christianity, but against war and the makers of war as crimes against
the human race. For years it has been held that peace comes only by
preparation for war; the present conflict should prove that peace
comes only by preparing for peace, through training the people in
righteousness {530} and justice, and selecting rulers who respect the
righteous will of the people.
Not long hence and the voice of the people shall be obeyed, and the
true gospel of peace shall dominate the hearts of the mighty. It will
then be impossible for war lords to have power over the life and death
of millions of men as they now have, to decree the ruin of commerce,
industry, and growing fields, or to cause untold mental agony and
human misery like plague and pestilence to prevail over the nations.
It looks much as if, after the devastation of wars, as promised in the
scriptures, (and who shall say that it may not follow this war?) the
self-constituted monarchs must give way to rulers chosen by the people,
who shall be guided by the doctrines of love and peace as taught in the
gospel of our Lord. There will then be instituted a new social order in
which the welfare of all shall be uppermost, and all shall be permitted
to live in the utmost liberty and happiness.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol.
17, No. 11, September, 1914, p. 1074.
GOD STRIVES WITH WARRING NATIONS. Would the nations of the earth that
are at war with each other be at war as they are, if the Spirit of
God Almighty had pervaded their souls and moved and actuated them
in their designs? No; not at all. Worldly ambition, pride, and the
love of power, determination on the part of rulers to prevail over
their competitors in the national games of life, wickedness at heart,
desire for power, for worldly greatness, have led the nations of
the earth to quarrel with one another and have brought them to war
and self-destruction. I presume there is not a nation in the world
today that is not tainted with this evil more or less. It may be
possible, perhaps to trace the cause of the evil, or the greatest
part of it, to some particular nation of the earth; but I do not
know. This I do believe, with all my heart, that the hand of God is
striving with certain nations of the earth to preserve and protect
{531} human liberty, freedom to worship him according to the dictates
of conscience, freedom and the inalienable right of men to organize
national governments in the earth, to choose for themselves their own
leaders; men whom they may select as standards of honor, of virtue and
truth, men of wisdom, understanding and integrity; men who have at
heart the well being of the people who choose them to govern, to enact
and execute the laws in righteousness. I believe that the Lord's hand
is over the nations of the world today, to bring about this rule and
this reign of liberty and righteousness among the nations of the earth.
He has some hard material to work with, too. He is working with men
who never prayed, men who have never known God, nor Jesus Christ whom
he has sent into the world, and whom to know is life eternal. God is
dealing with nations of infidels, men who fear not God, and love not
the truth, men who have no respect for virtue or purity of life. God
is dealing with men who are full of pride and ambition; and he will
find it difficult, I fear, to control them and lead them directly in
the course that he would have them pursue to accomplish his purposes;
but he is striving to uplift. God is striving to bless, to benefit, to
happify, to ameliorate the condition of his children in the world, to
give them freedom from ignorance and a knowledge of him, to learn of
his ways and to walk in his paths, that they may have his Spirit to be
with them always, to lead them into all truth.--_Improvement Era,_ Vol.
20, July, 1917, p. 823.
CONDUCT OF THE BOYS IN THE ARMY. Therefore, when our boys and our
maturer men are invited and chosen, selected and called, to go out to
help to protect and defend these principles, we hope and pray, and we
certainly have some reason to believe, that there will be some, at
least, from amidst the great family of mankind in the world, who will
have some affinity with the Spirit of God and at least some desire,
some inclination, to hearken to the whisperings of the {532} still
small voice of the Spirit, that leadeth to peace and happiness, to
the well-being and the uplifting of mankind in the world and to life
eternal. When a Latter-day Saint, a man born, perhaps, and reared under
the bond of the New and Everlasting Covenant of the gospel, enlists
in the army of the United States, in the National Guard, which has
been recommended here by President Penrose to you--and which I confirm
and emphasize, because I think the citizens of the state should be
united together, and the cities and the state should stand together
and should have sympathy and fellowship for each other, more than they
could expect to derive from those of other states and places, who are
strangers and foreigners to them--that when our boys, thus born, are
called into the army of the United States, I hope and pray that they
will carry with them the Spirit of God, not the spirit of bloodshed, of
adultery, of wickedness, but the spirit of righteousness, the spirit
which leads to do good, to build up, to benefit the world, and not to
destroy and shed blood.
Remember the passage of scripture that was quoted here by President
Lund, as related in the Book of Mormon, concerning the pure young men
that abjured war and the shedding of blood, lived pure and innocent,
free from the contaminating thought of strife, of anger, or wickedness
in their hearts; but when necessity required, and they were called
to go out to defend their lives, and the lives of their fathers and
mothers, and their homes, they went--not to destroy but to defend, not
to shed blood but rather to save the blood of the innocent and of the
unoffending, and the peace-lovers of mankind.
Will those men who go out from Utah, from the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, forget their prayers? Will they forget God? Will
they forget the teachings that they have received from their parents at
home? Will they forget the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and
the covenants that they have made in the waters of baptism, and {533}
in sacred places? Or will they go out as men, in every sense--pure men,
high-minded men, honest men, virtuous men, men of God? That is what I
am anxious about.
I want to see the hand of God made manifest in the acts of the men
that go out from the ranks of the Church of Jesus Christ and from the
state of Utah, to help to defend the principles of liberty and sound
government for the human family. I want to see them so live that they
can be in communion with the Lord, in their camps, and in their secret
places, and that in the midst of battle they can say: "Father, my life
and my spirit are in thine hand!"
I want to see the boys that go away from here in this cause, go feeling
just as our missionaries do when sent out into the world, carrying with
them the spirit a good mother feels when she parts with her boy, on the
morning of his departure for his mission. She embraces him with all the
mother's love in her soul--!
I know how the mother feels for her boy when he goes away from home on
a mission, where he will be in the midst of strangers, without friends,
trying to preach the gospel to the world. She says to him: "My boy,
I have taught you the principles of the gospel. I have taught you to
pray to God, at my knees, from the time you were a child until you have
reached manhood. I have taught you virtue. I have taught you honor. I
have taught you to stand for the Truth, and to honor your father and
your mother in the world, and by so doing honor the fathers and the
mothers, and the daughters of all men, wherever you go. Never in your
life think of defiling any man's wife, or daughter, any more than you
would think of defiling your mother or your sister! Go out into the
world from your home clean. Keep yourself pure and unspotted from the
world, and you will be immune from sin, and God will protect you. You
will be in his hands. Then, if anything should happen that would cost
you your life, you will lay it down in the service of humanity, and of
{534} God. You would lay down your life pure and undefiled. Your spirit
would ascend from that tenement of clay inhabited in this world, into
the glorious presence of God, undefiled, uncontaminated, pure and clean
as the spirit of a child just born into the world. Thus you would be
acceptable to God, ready to receive your crown of glory and everlasting
reward."
So I would say, "My boy, my son, and your son, when you go out to face
the disasters that are now afflicting the world, go out as you do on a
mission, be just as good and pure and true in the army of the United
States as you are in the army of the elders of Israel who are preaching
the gospel of love and peace to the world. Then, if you unavoidably
fall prey to the bullet of the enemy you will go pure as you have
lived; you will be worthy of your reward; you will have proved yourself
a hero, and not only a hero, but a valiant servant of the living God,
worthy of his acceptation and of admission into the loving presence of
the Father!"