Northwestern States Mission Report

The thought expressed by President Jensen that the world, today, politically, socially, and religiously, is rocking, I will beg the privilege of stating just a little differently, and emphatically. I believe that it is so rocking because it is not founded upon the rock of revelation, as is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, concerning which foundation the Lord himself said; "the gates of hell cannot prevail." ¶

The time is now here, predicted of old, when all that can be shaken will be shaken, and, truly human institutions are being shaken and will fall. ¶

This morning President Lund called our attention to the fact that the so-called Christian denominations, in convention, have ruled us out of their society, as un-Christian, because we are not believers, say they, in the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world. If we are not, I would like to know who are! That thought suggested to me two very significant articles I recently read and happened to copy a few excerpts from. These notes, with your permission I will read with such comments as I may be led to make. ¶

In the Literary Digest of December 20, 1919, the following article appeared under the heading of "The Church in a Looking-Glass:" ¶

An inquiry which seems to test the results of religious education of the last half century in day schools and Sunday schools has been made in England. The Y. M. C. A., desiring to ascertain the attitude of young men of the army toward religion, undertook an exhaustive inquiry among the chaplains who were with the young men at the front The result of this inquiry appears in a book called The Army and Religion, but an excellent summary of the evidence is given by Dr. Frederick Lynch in The Christian Work, from which we quote. ¶

Questions were asked of them concerning their attitude toward re- ¶

ligion, their faith in a Supreme Being, and those things fundamental in religion. To these queries the following responses were given: ¶

"There is a universal belief in God among the young men of England, but it is the product of natural religion. There is little atheism, but there is little evidence that the knowledge of God comes from Christian teaching." ¶

What a fearful indictment of Christian teaching. This knowledge like their conviction of the immortality of the soul, and their instinctive turning to God in the hour of danger, is an organic instinct, and in spite of teachings to the contrary concernig the true character of God. They have deeply rooted in their soul instinct a belief in the true God. In the Church of England prayer book we have these words, "We believe in one living and true God, of infinite goodness, wisdom, and power, without body, parts or passions." In other words, an incomprehensible, immaterial being! Thomas Jefferson expressed himself in a letter to his distinguished friend, John Adams, in this wise, "When we speak of an immaterial existence, we speak of nothing; when we say that God, angels, and the human soul are immaterial, we say there is no God, no angels, no human soul." I cannot reason otherwise. At what age of the Christian church this heresy of immaterialism or veiled atheism crept in, I do not know, but heresy it truly is. Christ taught none of it. True, he said, "God is a spirit!" but he had not yet defined what spirit is, nor hath he said that it is immaterial. And the Fathers of the first four centuries believed it to be material -- fine, and etherial, in very deed, but nevertheless material. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that spirit is matter, that it is pure and elastic, fine and etherial, but it is matter. Hence they found Christianity teaching an incomprehensible, immaterial, impossible God. Their belief in him is not founded upon the teaching of the past half century. ¶

Concerning the equally vital question of belief in the Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ, this is said: ¶

When it comes to thoughts about Jesus Christ, answers are quite full and explicit. There is universal respect for him, though the heroic side of his character s'eems largely unknown. There is little knowledge of him as the Son of God, the atoning sacrifice, or as the source of living power. The men seem seldom to think of him until questioned. He is remote from their daily life. Very many letters said his doctrines were womanly and his character as presented in church sentimental. The "living Christ" is merely a name, and means little to the man. Christ is a historical figure, not a present Redeemer. The practical religion of the great mass of men seems to be a vague theism entirely disassociated from Christ. ¶

He has not yet been introduced into their religious teaching effectively, and they are coming to realize that serious fact. ¶

The same question has been discussed by another, and an eminent one, in these words: ¶

Present day attitude of the general public toward the churches was expressed by Father Bernard Vaughan. "I grieve beyond everything," he said, "to have to say how my country-folk in bulk do not accept the divine personality of our Lord, that is to say, they do not give wholehearted belief in the Apostles' Creed. And Christ they only know as a ¶

name always to reverence and sometimes to swear by. Do not for a moment think that I am making this statement without foundation -- on the contrary, what is thrust before me more and more every day is that not even the language and terminology of Christianity is understood by the people. ¶

"Read the latest book on the subject, The Army and Religion, An Inquiry and Its Bearing on the Religious Life of the Nation. It is compiled out of 300 memoranda resting on the evidence of many hundred witnesses. ¶

"When you have put that book down you will find that there is hideous reason, lamentable reason, for believing that Christ, to 85 per cent of our beloved countrymen and countrywomen is today only one name among others, like Plato, Sophocles, or Marcus Aurelius. ¶

"To this growing section of the community Christ is not a living force, inspiring their lives and Christianizing their conduct. ¶

"Must I say it," he continued, "that we are living upon the afterglow of Christianity, which before the great religious revolt in the sixteenth century was woven not merely into the religious, but into the legislative, philosophic, social and dom stic life of 'Merrie England' for 1,000 years? ¶

"To convert England to Christianity we must start like our Catholic missionaries among the heathen -- with the children. Alas, parents to whom Christianity is nothing and its dogma worse than nothing will refuse to have their children respond to. the Divine Master's call, 'Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.' ¶

"Somebody will ask me, Is this neopaganism due to the war? Not a bit of it. The war has been the occasion of revealing it, that is all. ¶

"If you want to know what has de-Christianized the country, I point my finger to the provided school from which Christ has been turned out and the door slammed in his face., ¶

"The thought of it makes me bury my face in my hands and sob with sorrow and shame." ¶

Our conception of Christ, his relationship to us as a mediator between our Father and his children upon the earth, is to be found in the memorable words of Paul the apostle, who, though possessed of great wisdom and learning, above that of mostly any other man of his time, did not devote his time to the preaching of higher ethics or of any other problems, but declared to the Corinthians, "When I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Why? Because no message the world needed then, nor today, nor in any age of the world, equals in importance that sublime, glorious message which you and I have had vouchsafed unto us through the revelations of the Almighty. ¶

Paul said, "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." Christianity has recently been declared by eminent divines to be a miserable failure in the world. But the gospel of Jesus Christ "is the power of God unto salvation" and cannot fail. ¶

Our idea concerning that great Character whom our Christian friends say we do not believe in, is expressed in these sentiments emphasized by Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews: ¶

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by ¶

his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. ¶

If there be any doubt as to the identity of this glorious Character herein described -- let this testimony of John the beloved disciple of the Lord set it at rest, wherein he said: ¶

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that comeh into the world. He was in the world and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own leceived him not. * * * And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ¶

What? The helpless babe of Bethlehem's manger, the despised carpenter of Nazareth, the sorrowing man of Gethsemane, the crucified hero of Golgotha, who prayed heaven's forgiveness for his bloodthirsty murderers -- he the creator of heaven and earth? Yes, so say the scriptures, and so we believe, and so we testify that we know. ¶

Unto us he has said, "Be ye, therefore, perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect. Was he an immaterial being? Was he other than a glorified, celestialized man? To his disciples, after his resurrection, he appeared, and bade them behold him and the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet, and come and thrust their hands into the wound in his side. "Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bone as ye see me have." ¶

He occupies a glorious position on the right hand of our Father, and has pointed the way and made plain the path, and commanded us to walk therein, unto his companionship and glory -- "For to him that overcometh will I give to inherit all things," said he. ¶

Paul added, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God * * * and was made in the likeness of men." We, too, are made in the image of God, children of God. We believe literally in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man -- not as a ¶

mere pulpit platitude, but as an actual reality; and we know, because he has been seen, as the testimony was borne this morning. Great and glorious is our privilege! "How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word!" Men living in this dispensation have looked into the face and heard the voice of the Redeemer of the world. ¶

This is our testimony to the world, this is the message of the hour, the only one that will save the world. "Christianity" -- so called, "has failed." The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation. It is the perfect law of liberty. The Prince of Peace is the one who ordained it for the peace of the world; and they may cry, "Peace, peace," but it will not come except through the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, which is being delivered by his servants, who bear his Priesthood, is" my testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶

The chorus sang, "Boys of the Old Brigade." ¶