A Rational Theology, As Taught Part 5

Naturally, those who devote themselves to the opposition of law are waging a hopeless battle, and lose their strength as time goes on.

Nevertheless, since many of them have acquired great knowledge before they turn against the truth, they may long continue active in their opposition to righteousness. The final end of such beings is not known. As they are eternal, it is doubtful if they can ever fully destroy themselves. Nevertheless, as they oppose law, they will at last shrivel up and become as if they were not. Beings who would stand in the way of progress, also use the forces of the universe, as best they can, and must be considered, in the ordering of life, whether in or out of the earth.

**The Devil.** The number of descending spirits in the universe is not known. In fact, little is known about the whole matter, which probably is for the good of man. The scant knowledge that we have, comes largely from the account of the Great Council. One of the great spirits there present, proposed to save men without the use of their free agency. When he and his numerous followers failed to secure the adoption of this plan they left the Council, and set themselves thenceforth against the plan adopted by the majority. The leader in this rebellion was Lucifer, said to be a prince of the morning, who, undoubtedly, through much diligence, had acquired a high position among the spirits. Even those of high degree may fall. No man is sure of himself, unless from day to day he can keep the germ of opposition from settling within his breast.

Lucifer and his followers, who fell from the Great Council, are the devil and his angels, possessing definite wills and free agencies, who are still continuing the battle that originated in the heavens. The fundamental conceptions of eternalism, including eternal beings, make reasonable the existence of a personal devil, with personal agents, whose indestructible wills are used to oppose the Great Plan through adherence to which man entered upon his earth career.

**Man and the Devil.** In a measure, G.o.d and all other intelligent beings are affected by the active will of man. If man wills not to be helped by G.o.d, it is difficult for G.o.d to send him divine help. Even so, in the face of the will of man, the devil has little or no power.

It is only when man so wills that he hears fully the voice of G.o.d; and it is only when man so wills that he hears the message of the devil.

The doctrine that a request must initiate the gift is as true in the relationship that may be established between man and the devil as between man and G.o.d. G.o.d sends his messages throughout the universe; so does the devil as far as his knowledge permits him. However, the messages of the evil one need not be heard unless man so desires. In reality, therefore, man does not need to fear the evil one. He is not a force that can work harm, unless man places himself under the subjection of evil; but, if the devil be allowed a hearing, he may become the master of the man, and lead him downward on the road of retrogression.

**The Devil Subject to G.o.d.** Though the free agency of man is supreme with respect to himself, under the direction of a perfected intelligence, it must not interfere with the free agencies of others.

This law holds for all ascending or descending intelligent beings. For that reason the devil is subject to G.o.d, and is allowed to operate only if he keeps within well-defined limits. He can suggest ways of iniquity, but he cannot force men to obey his evil designs. A man who sincerely desires to walk in righteousness need have no fear of the devil.

By the knowledge of opposites, man may draw conclusions of far-reaching importance in his course of progression. The operations of the devil and his powers may, therefore, serve some good in giving contrasts for man's guidance. This does not mean that it is necessary for man to accept the suggestions of the evil one, or to commit evil to know truth. On the contrary, every rational impulse resents the thought that a man must know sin so that he may know righteousness better. Unfortunately, the works of the evil one may be plentifully observed in the world, among those who have forsaken the Great Plan and the path of progression.

MAN AND THE CHURCH.

CHAPTER 16.

WHY A CHURCH?

Those who believe in the Great Plan form the community known as the Church. Many men, who have given the subject only superficial study, find it difficult to understand why a church should be necessary.

**Man Helped by G.o.d on Earth.** It was not intended, in the plan of salvation, that man, though in forgetfulness, should wander alone and helpless through the earth. Rather was it intended and made necessary that men should gain experience by actual contact and contest with the earth and earthly forces, under the watchful care of beings of superior intelligence, who would help as demanded by man's free agency. In an intelligent world it could not well be otherwise. In fact, without the help of superior intelligence, the earth would be chaotic instead of orderly. The Great Plan is founded on intelligence, guided by a G.o.d of intelligence, and has for its purpose greater intelligence.

Avenues of communion with G.o.d have been pointed out, but many men are impervious to divine messages and need earthly help to understand the will of G.o.d. The Church, the community of persons with the same intelligent faith and desire, is the organized agency through which G.o.d deals with his children, and through which such help may be given man. Through the Church, G.o.d's mind may be read by all, at least with respect to the Church community. Moreover, the authority to act for G.o.d must be vested somewhere on earth. The Church holds this authority for the use of man. Besides, it is the common law of the universe that when intelligent beings are organized, as of one body, they progress faster, individually and collectively. The Church as an organization represents G.o.d on earth and is the official means of communication between men and G.o.d.

**The Plan of Salvation for All.** In the Great Council the earth-career was planned for all the spirits there a.s.sembled who accepted the Plan. The earth and whatever pertains to it, are for all and not for the one or the few. This means that man must not go through his earth-life independently, doing as he pleases, living apart from his fellowmen and accepting the Great Plan in his own way.

By his own free agency he became a member of the hosts of the earth, and by his own promise, given in the Great Council, he must live in accordance with definite rules to be enforced by G.o.d. The Church is the community of those who, having accepted the Plan, desire unitedly to work out their mutual salvation under the settled authority of G.o.d.

The purpose of the Great Plan can not be wholly fulfilled until all have heard the Gospel. The Church as a body undertakes to carry out this purpose. Only when the Church is not organized on earth, may individuals who know the Great Plan, stand alone; but even in such case it is the bounden duty of those having the knowledge, to give themselves to the converting of others, so that the Church may be organized.

**Orderliness.** If each intelligent being placed on this earth, were to lead an independent life and deal independently with his G.o.d, relative to all matters concerning him, many of which would of necessity involve others, there would soon be disorder among humanity.

It has been found desirable in all earthly affairs to organize so that order may prevail. By the organization known as a church all things may be done in order. Chaos is abhorrent to the intelligent mind.

**Test of Att.i.tude.** There is yet another reason for the organization of a church. The plan of salvation is one founded in intelligence. Man must accept and live its laws and ordinances intelligently. The Church, by his adherence to these laws and ordinances, gives a man a means of testing himself as to his att.i.tude towards the whole Plan. Whatever is done in life somehow connects itself with the Church. A Church which separates itself from the actual, daily life of the man does not acknowledge the essential unity of the universe and is not founded on man's intelligent conceptions of the const.i.tution of the universe. The Church, therefore, must possess a system of laws the compliance with which will enable a man or his fellows to test his progress and spiritual condition, which, in turn, will be a guide for his future work. It would be difficult for a man to apply such tests to himself if he stands alone, away from his fellow men and making laws for himself to fit his apparent needs.

**Authority.** There is much to be done for man and by man during the earth-career. Every day brings its problems; laws are to be enforced; ordinances to be performed, and G.o.d must communicate with his earthly children. Much of this work involves authority, which must be settled somewhere if order is to prevail. The authority to act for G.o.d is committed to the Church, as the organized community of believers, and, indeed, authority is a distinguishing characteristic of the Church.

Every man has or may receive authority to act in his own behalf in many matters, but to exercise authority in behalf of others, requires the kind of authority which G.o.d has delegated to the Church. Some form of authority from G.o.d is necessary in all our work, and the earthly source of G.o.d's authority is the Church, organized by the supreme, intelligent G.o.d.

**The Great Purpose of the Church.** Finally, the plan of eternal progress involves every living soul who comes upon earth. To the Church is committed the great task of keeping alive this Plan and of carrying it to all the nations. Those who have accepted the truth must be kept active; those who have not accepted it must be taught; all must hear it; even for the dead must the essential ordinances be performed. The Church, then, is a great missionary organization. This, of itself, justifies, the existence of the Church, for it is improbable that any individual would or could undertake the conversion of all the people to eternal truth.

CHAPTER 17.

CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP.

Members of the Church must necessarily accept the conceptions for which it stands. These are, essentially, the plan of salvation, the progressive development of all spirits concerned in the Plan, and the authority of a supreme intelligent Being, to deal with the men and women placed on earth. The conditions of membership are not many, nor difficult to understand. They are, rather, of a kind naturally appearing before an intelligent being concerned in any organization.

**Faith.** All who enter the Church, or accept the Great Plan must, as a first condition, possess the faith which has been defined as "the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." In other words, they must first acknowledge the existence in the universe of things and powers that may not be sensed directly, but which may be used to accomplish the purposes of man. Such an att.i.tude is required to admit the existence of a G.o.d or a plan of salvation. Such a faith yields to man a comprehensive possession of the universe, and may establish a philosophy of life that conforms to every law of nature.

The man who has no such faith stands before the plan of salvation as before a sealed book. He can not open it, nor opened, can he read it.

A faith that admits the universe, seen and unseen, enables man to accomplish great things; in fact, all who have done the great labor of the world, have had such a faith. The law of faith is a general law.

Faith is not necessarily removed from the ordinary experiences of life. On the contrary it is the beginning of all knowledge. Man observes the phenomena of nature, cla.s.sifies and groups them until he reaches great general laws representing many individual phenomena. By the use of such laws, reasoning from the known to the unknown, laws may be inferred, the existence of which cannot be sensed directly. By this method of using human knowledge, man rapidly becomes aware of the certainty of the great universe that lies around him but beyond his immediate ken. Moreover, and possibly of chief importance, such inferred but certain knowledge makes man confident that he can continue forever in the acquisition of knowledge and power, and it thus becomes a help in every duty of life.

**Repentance.** Another fundamental requirement of those who enter the Church is repentance. This is also self-evident, for if man is convinced of the correctness of a certain procedure, that is, if he has faith in it, he certainly will use that faith, if it is to become of any value to him. An active faith is repentance. It is commonly felt that repentance is only the turning away from evil practices. It is probably just as important for man to act out the good he learns as to refrain from doing evil. Repentance, then, is not merely negative; it is also positive. This also is a general law. Great work can be done by those only who have faith and who put that faith into action.

**Baptism.** The third requirement of those who desire entrance into the Church is baptism. The candidate for baptism, presenting himself to one who has authority from Jesus Christ, is buried in the water and taken out again, as a symbol of the death and resurrection, the atoning sacrifice, and the conquest over death, of the Savior. The ordinance of baptism, as far as man is concerned, is essentially an acknowledgment of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, a promise of obedience to the requirements of the Great Plan, and the acceptance of divine authority. Baptism is also a principle of general application, for in whatever pursuit a man may be engaged, whether in or out of the Church, he must first have faith in the work he has to do, then repent, in the sense of putting his faith into action and, finally, he must give obedience to the laws involved in the work.

**The Gift of the Holy Ghost.** The fourth condition of Church membership, which is in the nature of a result of the three first requirements, is that the candidate receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is accomplished when one having authority places his hands on the head of the candidate, confirms him a member of the Church, and says, "Receive the Holy Ghost." This establishes an authoritative connection between man and G.o.d, the Holy Ghost, by which it is possible to secure, through the active support of the Holy Ghost, more light and power and confidence than man may secure unaided. Every man born into the world has life by the holy spirit and may, through its operations, and his own self-effort, be in communication with all other intelligent beings in the universe; but, only those who conform to the first ordinances of the Gospel are connected officially with the powers of the Holy Ghost in such a way as to secure added help. A distinct and real power conies to the individual who has received the Holy Ghost. It is as if he had been given a key to a great and wonderful building which he enters at his pleasure. However, the key may be kept unused; then the gift has been of no value. Man must draw upon the Holy Ghost, if the gift shall be real. The gift of the Holy Ghost also represents a general law, for it is evident that all who have faith made active by repentance, and have shown obedience by baptism, will be in such harmony with intelligent forces as to receive great light from them if desired or needed.

**Continued Conformity.** It is not sufficient that a man secure entrance into the Church by compliance with the first four principles of the Gospel. After he has attained membership he must become active in the practice of the laws which const.i.tute the body of Church doctrine, and which are quite as important as the fundamental ones preceding entrance. Pa.s.sivity will not suffice; activity only const.i.tutes an unqualified membership in the Church. The man will be "in tune" with the work only when he lives out daily the principles of the Great Plan. This is self-evident, moreover, because the Church has the mission of bringing the Gospel to the understanding of all men on earth, and unless the members of the Church are active in missionary work, they will not acquire the full spirit of the Church.

Unselfishness should characterize the members of the Church.

**Acceptance of Authority.** The conditions of membership here mentioned are all vital. Nevertheless, in addition to them, candidates for admission to the Church must acknowledge the full authority of the Church as a divine inst.i.tution, to which has been committed, by G.o.d, the authority to act for him in all matters pertaining to the plan of salvation. Without this authority, the Church is no more than any man-made inst.i.tution. The acceptance of authority means that all the laws of the Gospel must be obeyed, by every member. The law cannot be varied for individuals, to please their fancies or supposed needs.

This is clearly brought out by the historical fact that Adam, after he had been taught and had accepted the Gospel, was baptized, confirmed, and received all the ordinances of the Church. Similarly, Jesus, the Son of G.o.d, began his official labors by being baptized by one having authority. The pattern has been set for all; and it has been followed in all dispensations. If men be on the full road of progress they will comply with the laws of membership, and become active in the support of the Church and its work.

CHAPTER 18.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE CHURCH.

The Priesthood of the Church differs vitally from that of churches composed only of fragments of the complete truth.

**Priesthood Defined.** The Church is composed of eternal, intelligent beings, moving onward in eternal progression, who have accepted G.o.d's plan of salvation. It is G.o.d's Church. G.o.d directs the work of his children on earth, and he naturally gives attention to the Church. Nevertheless, although G.o.d is the directing intelligence, he is not here in person, nor are other superior beings sent to take charge of the work, for that would be contrary to the law that through his free agency and by self-effort, man on earth must move onward and upward. Therefore, that the earth-work may be done authoritatively, G.o.d has delegated the necessary authority to man. The Priesthood is simply the name given this authority. The body of the Priesthood consists of the persons who have received this authority and who may act for G.o.d, on earth, in matters pertaining to the Church or to themselves. Without authority from G.o.d, there can be no Priesthood.

**Divisions of the Priesthood.** Much work is to be done in the Church, and the work differs greatly, for man's life is complex.

Consequently, many and varied are the labors that must be directed and supported by the Priesthood. To accomplish the work well, there must be a division of labor--the fundamental characteristic of all orderly work.

There are two great divisions of the Priesthood, the Aaronic and the Melchizedek, each of which possesses special authority. Each of these divisions is again sub-divided. These divisions and subdivisions are all necessary for the complete exercise of the Priesthood in the Church.

One great division of the Priesthood of G.o.d, the Aaronic Priesthood, is named after Aaron, the brother of Moses, a famous leader in this priesthood. It is the Lesser Priesthood, really only an appendage of the Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood. To the Aaronic Priesthood is a.s.signed, particularly, the temporal work of the Church, but it also has authority to preach, teach and baptize. The Melchizedek Priesthood, named after the great high priest Melchizedek, is the higher division of the Priesthood, and includes the Aaronic Priesthood. It holds the keys of spiritual authority and has the right to officiate under proper direction in all the affairs of the Church.

The subdivisions of these Priesthoods make it possible to group, simply and properly, the duties of the members of the Church.

**The Aaronic Priesthood.** Those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood belong to one of three ascending groups: the deacon, the teacher, and the priest. The bishop presides over the priest's quorum and is the presiding authority of the Aaronic Priesthood. Each group, in addition to its own special authority, may, when called upon by proper authority, exercise also the authority of the group below it. The members of the Aaronic Priesthood are organized in quorums of twelve deacons, twenty-four teachers and forty-eight priests. Each quorum is presided over by a president and two counselors, which in the priests'

quorum are the bishop and his two counselors.