True and False Evolution

Like Elder George F. Richards, I am very thankful this morning for these amplifiers, for, like him, I am suffering from a cold which somewhat affects my voice. ¶

True and False Evolution.

A gentleman said to me some time ago: "Do you believe in evolution?" ¶

I said, "Yes sir, I do.'' And then I said, "You will remember that there are two views of this question of evolution, one bears upon true evolution and the other bears upon what I call false evolution." And I called his attention to the fact that the scriptures tell us — we find it in the first chapter of Genesis — that God created animals after their kind — that of man and that of animal — and it is set forth beautifully in these words : ¶

"And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. ¶

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind : and it was so. ¶

"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind : and God saw that it was good. ¶

"And God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;" [and we might add: after our kind], "and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ¶

"So God created man in his own image," [and we might add: after his kind] "in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them." ¶

One Kind of Animal Never Changes Into Another Kind.

And so I remarked that following this test and this view set forth by the scriptures, one kind of animal never changes into another kind, that an elephant never changes into a man, because if he did there would be a tremendous reduction of avoirdupois, and as a matter of fact he does not. Neither is a mouse changed into a giraffe. But I did remark that animals might be improved after their kind and along their line, as we know to be the case. And then I added also,, that man may be improved along bis own line by education, by study and reflection and by worship of the God of heaven. ¶

Testifying in Song and Sermon That Joseph Smith Is a Prophet of God.

I was thrilled with the opening song this morning. It was wonderful that a great congregation of people, numbering thousands, should be testifying in song that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God; and mark you, they have been singing that song into their lives and into the hearts of their children for many years. I' have also rejoiced, oh, how much, in the testimonies of this congregation, in the remarks of our President and the brethren who have spoken. And let me remind you, brethren and sisters, that on Friday night there was a great body of men gathered in this tabernacle — nineteen hundred forty-five filled the auditorium of the tabernacle — and these men. these solemn, earnest, and determined men, consisting of the ¶

Presidency and other general authorities of the Church — high-priests, seventies, elders, bishops and members of the Lesser Priesthood — represented and stood for divine authority. Oh. how thankful I am that all of the authority of God pertaining to his work does not rest Upon the President of the Church, who is the prophet. He carries a great responsibility, let me tell you, in holding the keys, and by these keys this divine authority is distributed down through the Church, and rests upon all the male members of the Church. God is no respecter of persons, because this glorious authority and blessing even reaches to the women of the Church, for they will share and do share, in this divine authority through their husbands, which emphasizes most powerfully the great principle of marriage for time and marriage for eternity, because this divine authority not only comes tc us upon earth, but goes with us into eternity. ¶

Church Going Forward with Increasing Temporal and Spiritual Power.

It seems to me, brethren and sisters, after one hundred years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which is involved the kingdom of God, shows forth great strength in spirituality and increasing temporal power. If it were all spiritual, the Church would be top-heavy. If it were all temporal, the Church would be top-heavy; but the spiritual and the temporal are fitly joined together by a dividing line that is invisible — you cannot see it but you know it is there — the spiritual merges into the temporal, the temporal merges into the spiritual, and thus the Church of God is established and will be built up on the earth. ¶

And now you know, brethren and sisters, why we have to do temporal things as well as spiritual things. Some people find fault with this and they think the leaders of the Church ought not to be interested in temporal things. Well, if they were not interested in temporal things the Church of God could not continue, would not be built up. So I rejoice in the temporal as well as in the spiritual. Think of the great things that have been accomplished already, spiritually and temporally. Look at these great temples of God that are temporal and material in part, but they represent to us great spiritual blessings, because I fancy we could not rise to glory and exaltation without the blessings imparted unto us in the temples of God . There you see the temporal and the spiritual fitly joined together. ¶

Testimony.

Now, my brethren and sisters, I glory in these things. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know it throughout my whole being. My soul responds to this testimony, and I know and rejoice in the fact that whatever of Priesthood and authority I enjoy and am able to exercise have come down to me from the Lord through Joseph Smith the Prophet. Oh, how I do revere the memory of ¶

that man. I do not worship him. No, I do not worship him, but I reverence his good name, and I reverence the authority that he held and exercised, and I reverence the authority that is held by one of his successors, our present leader, President Heber J. Grant. I sustain him with all my heart as the prophet, seer and revelator and the president of the Church. Oh, how sweet to me is the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, because if he was not the Christ, if his blood was not shed for the sins of the world, his Church would not be, and could not exist in the earth. This is the testimony I bear and the testimony that 1 leave with you. I pray God's blessing upon you, brethren and sisters, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶