THE GATHERING OF THE TRIBES
Judah and Israel to Come Into Their Own
WE believe in the literal gathering of Israel, and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes, etc. (Articles of Faith, No. 10).
As complete as was the scattering, so shall the gathering of Israel be. Great as has been the chastisement of the covenant though recreant people, all through their centuries of suffering they have been sustained by the Divine promise of recovery and rehabilitation. Though despised of men, a large part of them gone from the knowledge of the world, the people of Israel are not lost to their God, who knows whither they have been led or driven. Note the paternal affection, in which appears commiseration for the plight into which they had brought themselves through sin: "And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God." (Lev. 26:44; see also Deut. 4:26-31).
Isaiah thus forcefully proclaims the purposes of God to be fulfilled in the last, the current, age: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left. . . . And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isa. 11:11-12).
So momentous shall be the assembling of the tribes in their respective places of gathering, that the event shall be held to surpass the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, for thus hath the Lord spoken: "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks." (Jer. 16:14-16).
To these Biblical citations let us add the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, given to His Apostles just prior to His death and specified as one of the signs to precede His later coming: "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matt. 24:31).
Two gathering centers are distinctively mentioned, and the maintenance of a separate autonomy for the ancient kingdoms of Judah and Israel is repeatedly affirmed in Scripture, with Jerusalem and Zion as the respective capitals. In the light of modern revelation by which many ancient passages are illumined and made clear, we hold that the Jerusalem of Judea is to be rebuilt by the reassembled house of Judah, and that Zion is to be built up on the American continent by the gathered hosts of Israel, other than the Jews. When such shall have been accomplished, Christ shall personally rule in the earth, and then shall be realized the glad fulfilment: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Isa. 2:3; see also Joel 3:16; Zeph. 3:14).
Book of Mormon prophecies are plain in defining the extent and purpose of the latter-day gathering. Be it remembered that it was the people who once constituted the kingdom of Judah, the Jews, not the entire house of Israel, who rejected Jesus as the Son of God and the foreappointed Redeemer. By the Nephites who dwelt on the American continent, an Israelitish branch, He was received and worshipped as the Christ (see Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11); and the tenor of Book of Mormon Scriptures warrants the inference that He was accepted by the Lost Tribes, to whom He went to minister in person after His several visitations in the resurrected state to the Nephites. (See 3 Nephi 15:15 and 16:1-3; compare 2 Nephi 29:12-13).
The rehabilitation of the Jewish nation is assured, and the prominent part to be taken in that work by Gentile nations is defined in prophecy. So spake Jehovah through His prophet Nephi:
"But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance. And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance. Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?" (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 10:7-9; see also 25:15-17).
The work of gathering is well under way; and among the far-reaching results of the World War is the participation of the Gentile nations in providing for the reassembling of Israel. It is the privilege of the Gentiles to assist in the gathering of the Jews on the Eastern, and the other branches of Israel on the Western Continent; and so far as they shall accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Gentiles shall be numbered with the covenant people and share with them the plenitude of blessings, in their own right, for, verily, God is no respecter of persons.
AMERICA THE LAND OF ZION
The Place of the New Jerusalem
WE believe in the literal gathering of Israel, and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built upon this [the American] continent; etc. (Articles of Faith, No. 10).
The Holy Bible makes frequent mention of Zion and Jerusalem with the context showing that the terms are used interchangeably if not as precise synonyms. This application of different names to the same place is justified by the fact that within the walls of the Jerusalem of old was a hill specifically called Mount Zion, and by contraction, Zion.
But the two names appear in other Biblical passages with distinctive meaning, indicating different places, and expressive of contrast instead of identity. For example, consider the prophecy voiced by Isaiah relating to a time yet future: "Oh Zion that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God." (Isa. 40:9).
The same prophet refers to a Zion of the last days in which the righteous shall be safeguarded, this to be in a mountainous land, with the "munitions of rocks" as a defense; and he particularly states that the land is very far off. (See Isa. 33: 14-17).
More definite than Bible prophecies, however, are the predictions relating to the latter-day Zion made by prophets who ministered on the American continent many centuries prior to the rediscovery of the New World by Columbus. In the Book of Mormon the names Zion and New Jerusalem are used with allied meaning and sometimes synonymously.
Near the beginning of the sixth century before Christ's birth, Ether, a Jaredite prophet, compiled the history of his people from the time of their coming to America soon after the dispersion from Babel. Even before they had crossed the ocean, the sanctity of the Western Continent as a foreappointed land for people who would observe the laws of righteousness was made known to the Jaredites. In a summary of Ether's record, Moroni the Nephite who lived a thousand years after the extinction of the Jaredites, says of the latter:
"And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. . . . For behold this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God, or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off." (Book of Mormon, Ether 2:7-10).
The inspired admonition of these ancient prophets to the inhabitants of America today, that they observe and uphold the principles of righteousness, which embody just government and true liberty under equitable laws, may profitably be taken to heart by people of all conditions and degrees.
America is the Land of Zion, and as the people of this continent render allegiance to the God of Israel who is verily the God of all mankind, the land shall be sacred to liberty as the inheritance of the house of Israel. In it the Gentiles shall be potent, and shall be numbered with Israel according to their deserts. To the Nephites the Lord gave this far-reaching and blessed promise.
"But behold, this land, saith God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land. And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles. And I will fortify this land against all other nations. And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God; for he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them for ever, that hear my words." (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 10:10-14).
Zion is to be established on this continent, and as the word of modern revelation avers, in the western part of the United States (See D&C 45:64-71; 57:1-5). The time of the blessed consummation is conditioned by the fitness of the people. Hither shall come the hosts of scattered Israel, and the Lost Tribes from their long obscurity. Here shall yet be built the City of the Lord, Zion, the New Jerusalem, which in time shall be made one with the "Holy City," which the Revelator saw "coming down from God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 21:2).
Holy Scriptures, of both ancient and latter days, aver that the Lost Tribes of Israel shall be brought forth from the place whereunto the Lord has led them, and shall figure in the general gathering incident to the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. Touching this feature of the Divine purpose in the time of restoration, we are told:
"And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord, and their prophets shall hear his voice and shall no longer stay themselves, and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them, And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim my servants. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim; and they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy. Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows." (D&C 133:26-34).
THE COMING OF THE LORD
The Consummation of the Ages
WE believe . . . that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; etc. (Articles of Faith, No. 10).
"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11). So spake the white-robed angels to the Apostles as the resurrected Christ ascended from their midst on Mount Olivet. The assertion is definite, unambiguous, easy to comprehend. Jesus the Christ is to return to earth "in like manner" as He went, therefore as a material Being, a living Personage, having a tangible immortalized body of flesh and bones.
The actuality of the Lord's future advent is attested by the utterances of holy prophets both before and since the brief period of His ministry in the flesh, and by His own unequivocal avowal. Consider the following:
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matt. 16:27).
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26; compare Mark 8:38).
The Master had so effectively instructed the Apostles concerning His assured death and His later return to earth in power and glory, that they eagerly inquired as to the time and signs of His coming. (See Matt. chap. 24). Though they failed to comprehend the full import of His reply, He told them that many great developments would intervene between His departure and return; but as to the certainty of His advent as Judge, and Lord, and King, Jesus left no excuse for dubiety in their minds. Throughout the apostolic period the Lord's coming was preached with the emphasis of inspired and convicting testimony.
Book of Mormon prophecies concerning the great event are no whit less explicit. To the Nephites the resurrected Christ preached the Gospel of salvation; "And He did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that He should come in His glory." (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 26:3).
Questions of supreme import to every one of us are these: (1) When will Christ come? (2) What shall be the purpose and attendant conditions of His coming?
The date of the Lord's advent has never been revealed to man, nor shall it be. Prior to His resurrection Jesus Himself did not know it, as witness His words: "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." (Mark 13:32).
In the present age the Father hath declared: "And they have done unto the Son of Man even as they listed; and He has taken His power on the right hand of His glory, and now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till He descends on the earth to put all enemies under His feet, which time is nigh at hand. I, the Lord God, have spoken it, but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until He comes." (D&C 49:6-7).
In the light of such scriptural affirmations we may dismiss as empty conjecture all alleged determinations as to the precise time of the Lord's appearing. Nevertheless, the specified signs and conditions by which is shown the imminence of the event are definite, and from these we know that the great day of the Lord is very near. So near is the consummation that the intervening period is called "today"; and on the morrow mankind shall rejoice or tremble at the presence of the Lord. (See Doctrines and Covenants 64:23-25).
Christ's advent shall be made with the accompaniment of power and great glory. While in suddenness and unexpectedness to the unobserving it shall be comparable to the coming of a thief in the night, it shall be a manifestation of surpassing glory to all the world: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matt. 24:27).
With the Lord's appearing a general resurrection of the righteous dead shall be effected, and many then in the flesh shall be changed from the mortal to the immortal state without the intervening experience of prolonged disembodiment or the sleep of the grave. (See 1 Thess. 4:14-17).
"And the face of the Lord shall be unveiled; And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened, and be caught up to meet Him. And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth; for their graves shall be opened, and they also shall be caught up to meet Him in the midst of the pillar of heaven." (D&C 88:95-97).
Then shall be established the era of peace, the predicted Millennium, in which Christ shall dwell with men, and shall rule in the earth as Lord and King.
THE FEDERATION OF THE WORLD
A Thousand Years of Peace
WE believe . . . that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. (Articles of Faith, No. 10).
Through the lurid gloom of smoke and fire in which the nations have been enshrouded, amidst the awful stench of blood that has sickened the world, mankind has had reason to rejoice in the enlightening beams of comforting assurance that an era of peace is to be established. And this shall be a peace that cannot be broken, for righteousness shall rule, and man's birthright to liberty shall be inviolate.
Of necessity this blessed state shall be attained only after due preparation; for in the economy of God it would be as incongruous to force upon mankind an unappreciated and undesired boon as to arbitrarily afflict with an undeserved curse.
The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign personally upon the earth is near at hand, for the Scriptures so attest. Prophecies relating to this impending event specify a period of a thousand years, distinctively known as the Millennium, which in certain conditions shall differ from both preceding and succeeding time. While this period is nowise indicative of a limitation to the Lord's dominion, it specifies the duration of a particular part of His ministry, even as the epoch of His administration in the flesh is measurable in terms of years and days.
Unto righteous Enoch, who walked with God and was taken bodily from the earth (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5), the certainty of the millennial reign was revealed over thirty centuries before the Lord's birth in mortality, as is thus recorded: "And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years." (Pearl of Great Price, p. 45).
In glorious vision John, the apostle and revelator, foresaw Christ's personal reign, during which Satan is to be bound:
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." (Rev. 20:4, 5; see also verse 2).
The Millennium is to be a Sabbatical era, when the earth shall rest; and men, relieved from the tyranny of Satan, shall, if they will, live in righteousness and peace. Man, to whom was given dominion over the earth and its creatures, shall rule by love, for enmity between him and the brute creation shall cease, and the ferocity and venom of the beasts shall be done away. So hath the Lord avowed through the prophet Isaiah. (See Isa. ch. 65).
We are definitely assured that the Millennium is to be inaugurated by the advent of Christ, and that Satan's power over men shall be restrained, and further, that after the thousand blessed years are finished, Satan shall be loosed for a season, and such as elect to follow him shall eventually go with him to eternal condemnation. See Rev. 20:7, and consider these words of the Lord Christ spoken in the current dispensation:
"For in my own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth. For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come; For Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth. . . . Hearken ye to these words; Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds." (D&C 43: 29-34).
The following revelation is equally specific:
"For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand. . . . And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, that when the thousand years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth but for a little season; And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth." (D&C 29:11, 22, 23).
It is evident from citations given and from all Scripture bearing upon the subject, that the Millennium is to precede the consummation spoken of as "the end of the world." In the era of peace both mortal and immortalized beings will tenant the earth; and though sin will not be wholly abolished nor death banished, the powers of righteousness shall be dominant. Though Satan shall afterward regain a measure of power over mankind, his time will be short and the earth shall eventually be restored to its paradisiacal glory, and become a fit abode for the glorified children of our God and His Christ.
THY KINGDOM COME!
So Pray We Yet
"OUR Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come."
Thus did the Master teach His disciples to pray; and the injunction has never been abrogated. The passing of the centuries has demonstrated the need of ever increasing fervency in the supplication Thy kingdom come!
But if this petition be anything more than words, it implies a conviction on the part of the supplicant that the kingdom specified has not yet been established on the earth, and that it will be set up in due time. And, if there is to be a kingdom, there must needs be a living, reigning King.
In the Gospel according to Matthew the phrase "kingdom of heaven" repeatedly occurs; while in the writings of the other evangelists and throughout the epistles, the corresponding expression is "kingdom of God," "kingdom of Christ," or simply "kingdom." In many instances these designations are used with the same meaning, though a distinction is apparent in others. The several scriptural usages of the terms comprise:
1. A signification practically identical with that of "The Church of Jesus Christ."
2. The designation of the literal kingdom, material and spiritual, over which Christ the Lord shall rule by personal ministration in days yet future.
Under the first conception, the "kingdom" of scriptural mention has been already established as an organization among men, and is today in a state of war against sin, with its powers and resources mobilized in defense of freedom of worship and for the salvation of the race. Plainly, when we speak of the Church as the Kingdom we refer to an institution already extant on the earth, not one that is yet to come.
The Church of Jesus Christ asserts no right of control in the government of nations; and its jurisdiction in temporal affairs is limited to matters of organization and discipline within itself, such as are essential to the maintenance and perpetuity of any community body.
The Kingdom of God and the Church of Christ are virtually synonymous terms. We do not pray that this organization shall come; for it is now existent. We pray and strive for its growth and development, for the spread of its saving principles, and for their acceptance by all mankind. But the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the Church as the latter exists today, and when fully established will be seen to be a development thereof. Its advent is yet to be prayed for.
This relationship is made clear through a revelation given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1831:
"Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. . . . Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth. Wherefore may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honour, power and glory, for ever and ever. Amen." (D&C, Sec. 65).
When the Messiah comes to rule and reign, He will be accompanied by the hosts of the righteous who have already passed through the change of death; and the righteous who are yet in the flesh shall be caught up to meet Him, and shall descend with Him as partakers of His glory. Then shall the Kingdom of God on earth be made one with the Kingdom of Heaven. Then shall be realized the glorious fulfilment of the prayer taught by the Christ, and voiced by men through the ages past, Thy Kingdom come.
The Kingdom of Heaven on earth is to be a literal government, administered under the supreme direction of Jesus Christ the King. No longer shall men arrogate to themselves the power of might to exercise dominion over their fellows, nor exalt themselves on thrones, nor bedeck themselves with crowns and scepters.
That the extent and jurisdiction of the kingdom shall be world-wide was declared by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, depicting "what shall be in the latter days." Thus spake the prophet:
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." (Dan. 2:44-45; see also verse 28).
FREEDOM TO WORSHIP GOD
Man's Divine Birthright
WE claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. (Articles of Faith, 11).
The derivation of the word "worship" is significant. It is the lineal descendant of a pair of Anglo-Saxon terms—weorth meaning "worthy," and scipe, an ancient form of the termination "snip" signifying condition or state. The combination as perpetuated in our expression "worship" means worthy-ship, and connotes the attribute of worthiness on the part of the object of adoration.
Man cannot intelligently worship in ignorance; and this basal fact is supported and strengthened by the inspired affirmation of a modern prophet: "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (D&C 131:6).
The devout worshiper must have some conception of the ennobling or emulatory character of his deity, whether that deity be an idol made with hands or the true and living God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Worship to be genuine, to be what the word implies, must be voluntary, willing, soulful homage. It is typified by actual praying as contrasted with the formality of saying one's prayers.
Worship is no matter of mere form; it consists not of posture nor gesture, neither of ritual nor of creed—any more than prayer consists of words. Under compulsion, or for the hypocritical purposes of effect, one may mechanically perform all the outward ceremonies of an established style of adoration, yet, without sincerity his effort is but a mockery of worship.
Worship, then, is a matter of conscience, and as such its observance is one of man's inalienable rights. Freedom in worship is part of the Divine birthright of the race; and, as a natural consequence, no earthly power can justly interfere therewith so long as its exercise involves no trespass upon individual or community rights.
The Latter-day Saints accept as divinely inspired the constitutional provision by which religious liberty is professedly guarded—that no law shall ever be made "respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"; and we confidently believe that with the spread of enlightenment throughout the world, a similar guaranty will be established in every nation.
Religious intolerance is inconsistent with democratic government; yet this species of prejudice is manifest even amongst the most progressive nations of the age. Zeal ofttimes breeds indiscretion and injustice. It is easy for one who believes that he has the truth to become uncharitable toward those who will not or cannot see as he sees. We find simple explanation of the fact that the early followers of Christ, zealous for the new faith into which they had been baptized, should look with disdain upon their fellows still groping in spiritual darkness. Even John, who has come to be known as the Apostle of Love, became on more than one occasion intolerant and resentful toward unbelievers. He and his brother were incensed at the Samaritans' rejection of the Lord, and would fain have called fire from heaven to consume the offenders; but this vengeful desire was met by Jesus with incisive rebuke, as thus expressed:
"Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." (Luke 9:51-56; see also Mark 9:38-41; compare John 3:17).
Intolerance is unscriptural and un-Christian. Our Lord's teachings are imbued with the spirit of forbearance and love even toward enemies and persecutors.
But let us not forget that there is a vital difference between toleration and acceptance. To assume that because I have respect for my neighbor's belief I must believe and act as he does would be to surrender my own rights. To regard all religious systems, all sects and churches, as essentially of equal worth and worthiness, is to make of religious profession a matter of mere convenience and conventionality.
I verily believe, with the full force of my soul's conviction, that there is and can be but one Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth, possessing the blessings and powers of the Holy Priesthood, with the authority to administer the ordinances requisite to salvation. Nevertheless, I can and do admit freely and without reservation the right of any man to believe that I am wrong; and I hold that neither of us is justified in assailing the other except by means of persuasion, demonstration, and testimony.
To preach the doctrines of men as the precepts of Christ, to supplant the eternal principles of the Gospel by the dogmas of human conception, is to commit grievous sin and incur fearful culpability. Christ and His apostles gave solemn and repeated warning against the heresies of false teachers. Thus wrote Paul to the Galatians:
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8-9).
Some have thought to find in this and cognate Scriptures an excuse for intolerance, and even for persecution. But is it otherwise than consistent with justice and reason to hold that any man who preaches his own doctrines or those of other men under the name of the Gospel of Jesus Christ stands convicted of blasphemy, and deserving of the curse of God? The Apostle cited above left no doubt as to the genuineness of the Gospel he so vigorously defended, as witness the following:
"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Each of us may accept or reject the message of eternal life, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and by all reason and consistency each shall garner the fruitage of his choice.
THE LAW OF THE LAND
Should We Submit to It?
WE believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. (Articles of Faith, 12).
Religion is essentially a matter of every-day life. It has as much to do with the adjustment of the individual to his material environment as with his abstract belief in matters spiritual. A man's religion should be a concrete demonstration of his conceptions concerning God and the Divine purposes respecting himself and his fellows. Anything less lacks both the form of godliness and the power thereof.
The Master associated love for God with love for fellowman; and surely love comprises duty, and duty means effort and action. See Matt. 22:35-40. A very large part of the course of education provided in the school of mortality is attained through association with our kind and the righteous observance of duty in community life. We are not here to be recluses nor to hold ourselves aloof from public service, but to live in a state of mutual helpfulness and effective cooperation.
It is a fundamental necessity that laws shall be established among men for general governance; and obedience to law is the obvious duty of every member of organized society. Violation of the law, therefore, is not only a secular offense but a transgression of the principles of true religion. This world would be a happier one if men carried more religion into their daily affairs—into business, politics, and statesmanship. Mark you, I say religion, not church. Under existing conditions it is imperative that State and Church be kept separate; and this segregation must be maintained until the inauguration of Christ's personal reign.
Loyal citizenship is at once a characteristic and a test of a man's religion; and as to the incumbent duties of citizenship, the voice of the people, as expressed through the established channels of government, must determine.
Obedience to secular authority is enjoined by Scripture; and the Lord Christ exemplified the principle in His own life, even to the extent of meeting a demand that could have been legally challenged. When the tax collector called for tribute money, the following instructive colloquy occurred between Jesus and Peter: "What thinkest thou, Simon, of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee." (Matt. 17:25-27. For a discussion of this incident and lessons associated therewith see the writer's work "Jesus the Christ").
On another occasion a treacherous snare was laid to make Christ appear as an offender against the Roman power. Certain wicked Pharisees sought to entangle Him by the question: "What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?" The Lord's reply was a telling lesson in the matter of submission to the law. "Shew me the tribute money," said He, "And they brought unto Him a penny. And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto Him, Caesar's. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matt. 22:15-21).
The Apostles made it clear that respect for the law and its officers was a part of the religious duty of the saints. In writing to Titus, who was in charge of the Church at Crete, Paul thus admonished him to teach his flock to be orderly and law-abiding: "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work." (Titus 3:1).
To the saints in Rome the same Apostle wrote, emphasizing their duty toward the civil power, pointing out the necessity of secular government, and designating the officers of the law as ministers of God:
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. . . . For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." (Rom. 13:1-7).
To the same effect the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ has come to the Church in this age. Thus spake He in 1831:
"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." And the distinction between the laws of the Church and the laws of the nation is emphasized in the further word: "Behold, the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws of the church, and in this light ye shall hold them forth." (D&C 58:21-23).
Loyal and whole-souled support of the government, service to country, and devotion to the interests of the nation, are requirements of the religion embodied in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
CHURCH AND STATE
Independent But Mutually Helpful
THE teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints concerning the duty of its members, and of all men, in relation to the secular law, are set forth in Section 134 of the D&C, which is one of the standard works of the Church. This is part of the law of the Church, and has been adopted as a guide in faith and practise by the members in general conference assembled.
Of Governments and Laws in General
"1. We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man, and that He holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, either in making laws or administering them, for the good and safety of society.
"2. We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.
"3. We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same, and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people (if a republic), or the will of the sovereign.
"4. We believe that religion is instituted of God, and that men are amenable to Him, and to Him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.
"5. We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgment are best calculated to secure the public interest, at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
"6. We believe that every man should be honored in his station: rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws, all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man, and Divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
"7. We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice, to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws, and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.
"8. We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality, and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is committed; and for the public peace and tranquillity all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment.
"9. We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered, and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members as citizens, denied.
"10. We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members for disorderly conduct according to the rules and regulations of such societies, provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, neither to inflict any physical punishment upon them; they can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.
"11. We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted, or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons, in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.
"12. We believe it just to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and warn the righteous to save themselves from the corruption of the world; but we do not believe it right to interfere with bond servants, neither preach the gospel to, nor baptize them, contrary to the will and wish of their masters, nor to meddle with or influence them in the least, to cause them to be dissatisfied with their situations in this life, thereby jeopardizing the lives of men; such interference we believe to be unlawful and unjust, and dangerous to the peace of every government allowing human beings to be held in servitude."