First, he believed that stellar bodies are distributed throughout space. "And worlds without number have I created."[A] "And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in which there is no kingdom."[B] He is further in harmony with modern views in that he claims that stars may be destroyed, and new ones formed. "For, behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power."[C] "And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof, even so shall another come."[D]
[Footnote A: Book of Moses, 1:33.]
[Footnote B: Doctrine and Covenants, 88:37.]
[Footnote C: Book of Moses, 1:35.]
[Footnote D: Doctrine and Covenants, 1:38.]
At the time that Joseph Smith wrote, there was considerable discussion as to whether the laws of the solar system were effective with the stars. The Prophet had no doubts on that score, for he wrote, "And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 88:38.]
Likewise, his opinions concerning the motions of celestial objects were very definite and clear. "He hath given a law unto all things by which they move in their times and seasons; and their courses are fixed; even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets. The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also giveth their light, as they roll upon their wings in glory, in the midst of the power of God."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 88:43, 45.]
In another place the same thought is expressed. "The sun, moon or stars; all the times of their revolutions; all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed."[A]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 121:30, 31.]
The two revelations from which these quotations are made, were given to the Prophet in 1832 and 1839 respectively, many years before the fact that all celestial bodies are in motion was understood and accepted by the world of science.
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith taught that the solar system is only one of many—in advance of the astronomers of his day.]
The accepted conception that groups or clusters of stars form systems which revolve around some one point or powerful star, was also clearly understood by Joseph Smith, for he speaks of stars of different orders with controlling stars for each order. "And I saw the stars that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it: and the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob because it is near unto me—I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest."[A] That the governing star, Kolob, is not the sun is evident, since the statement is made later in the chapter that the Lord showed Abraham "Shinehah, which is the sun." Kolob, therefore, must be a mighty star governing more than the solar system; and is possibly the central sun around which the sun with its attendant planets is revolving. The other great stars near Kolob are also governing stars, two of which are mentioned by name Oliblish and Enish-go-ondosh, though nothing is said of the order or stars that they control. The reading of the third chapter of the Book of Abraham leaves complete conviction that Joseph Smith taught that the celestial bodies are in great groups, controlled (under gravitational influence) by large suns. In this doctrine, he anticipated the world of science by many years.
[Footnote A: Book of Abraham, chapter 3.]
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith taught that other worlds are inhabited.]
It is perhaps less surprising to find that Joseph Smith believed that there are other peopled worlds than ours. For instance, "The reckoning of God's time, angel's time, prophet's time, and man's time, is according to the planet on which they reside,"[A] which distinctly implies that other planets are inhabited. Another passage reads, "The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth, but they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire."[B]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, 130:4.]
[Footnote B: Loc. cit., verses 6 and 7. See also 88:61.]
While the idea that the planets and stars may be inhabited is not at all new, yet it is interesting to note that Joseph Smith taught as an absolute truth that such is the case. Probably no other philosopher has gone quite that far.
These brief quotations go to show that the doctrines of the Prophet of the Latter-day Saints are in full accord with the views that distinguish the new astronomy. It is also to be noted that in advancing the theories of universal motion among the stars, and of great stars or suns governing groups of stars, he anticipated by many years the corresponding theories of professional astronomers.
In various sermons the Prophet dealt more fully with the doctrines here set forth and showed more strongly than is done in his doctrinal writings, that he understood perfectly the far reaching nature of his astronomical teachings.
Did Joseph Smith teach these truths by chance? or, did he receive inspiration from a higher power?
Chapter VII.
GEOLOGICAL TIME.
[Sidenote: The history of the world written in the rocks.]
God speaks in various ways to men. The stars, the clouds, the mountains, the grass and the soil, are all, to him who reads aright, forms of divine revelation. Many of the noblest attributes of God may be learned by a study of the laws according to which Omnipotent Will directs the universe.
Nowhere is this principle more beautifuly illustrated and confirmed than in the rocks that constitute the crust of the earth. On them is written in simple plainness the history of the earth almost from that beginning, when the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Yet, for centuries, men saw the rocks, their forms and their adaptations to each other, without understanding the message written in them. Only, as the wonderful nineteenth century approached, did the vision open, and the interpretation of the story of the rocks become apparent.
[Sidenote: Water and heat among the shaping forces of the earth.]
How the earth first came into being has not yet been clearly revealed. From the first, however, the mighty forces which act today, have shaped and fashioned the earth and prepared it for man's habitation. Water, entering the tiny cracks of the rocks, and expanding as, in winter, it changed to ice, crumbled the mighty mountans; water, falling as rain from the clouds, washed the rock fragments into the low-lying places to form soil; the water in mighty rivers chiseled the earth with irresistible force, as shown by the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The internal heat of the earth, aided by the translocation of material by water, produced large cracks in the earth's crust, through which oceans of molten matter flowed and spread themselves over the land; the same heat appeared in volcanoes, through which were spurted liquid earth, cinders and foul gases; as the earth heat was lost, the crust cooled, contracted and great folds appeared, recognized as mountains, and as time went on, many of the mountains were caused to sink and the ocean beds were brought up in their stead. Wonderful and mighty have been the changes on the earth's surface since the Lord began its preparation for the race of men.
[Sidenote: The geological history of the earth is in many chapters.]
In the beginning, it appears that water covered the whole earth. In that day, the living creatures of earth dwelt in the water, and it was the great age of fishes and other aquatic animals. Soon the first land lifted itself timidly above the surface of the ocean, and formed inviting places for land animals and plants. Upon the land came, first, according to the story of the rocks, a class of animals known as amphibians, like frogs, that could live both in water and on land. Associated with these creatures were vast forests of low orders of plants, that cleared the atmosphere of noxious gases, and made it fit for higher forms of life. Then followed an age in which the predominating animals were gigantic reptiles, a step higher than the amphibians, but a step lower than the class of Mammals to which man belongs. During the age of these prehistoric monsters, the earth was yet more fully prepared for higher life. Following the age of reptiles, came the age of mammals, which still persists, though, since the coming of man upon the earth, the geological age has been known as the age of man.
This rapid sketch of the geological history of the earth does very poor justice to one of the most complete, wonderful and beautiful stories brought to the knowledge of man. The purpose of this chapter is not, however, to discuss the past ages of the earth.
It is, of course, readily understood that such mighty changes as those just described, and the succession of different kinds of organic life, could not have taken place in a few years. Vast periods of time must of necessity have been required for the initiation, rise, domination and final extinction of each class of animals. A year is too small a unit of measurement in geological time; a thousand years or, better, a million years, would more nearly answer the requirements.
[Sidenote: The earth is probably millions of years old.]
It is possible in various ways to arrive at a conception of the age of the earth since organic life came upon it. For instance, the gorge of the Niagara Falls was begun in comparatively recent days, yet, judging by the rate at which the falls are now receding, it must have been at least 31,000 years since the making of the gorge was first begun, and it may have been nearly 400,000 years.[A] Lord Kelvin, on almost purely physical grounds, has estimated that the earth cannot be more than 100,000,000 years old, but that it may be near that age.[B] It need not be said, probably, that all such calculations are very uncertain, when the actual number of years are considered; but, all human knowledge, based upon the present appearance of the earth and the laws that control known phenomena, agree in indicating that the age of the earth is very great, running in all probability into millions of years. It must have been hundreds of thousands of years since the first life was placed upon earth.
[Footnote A: Dana's New Text Book of Geology, p. 375.]
[Footnote B: Lectures and Addresses, vol. 2, p. 10.]
[Sidenote: The war concerning the earth's age has helped theology and science.]
When these immense periods of time were first suggested by students of science, a great shout of opposition arose from the camp of the theologians. The Bible story of creation had been taken literally, that in six days did the Lord create the heavens and the earth; and it was held to be blasphemy to believe anything else. The new revelation, given by God in the message of the rocks, was received as a man-made theory, that must be crushed to earth. It must be confessed likewise that many of the men of science, exulting in the new light, ridiculed the story told by Moses, and claimed that it was an evidence that the writings of Moses were not inspired, but merely man-made fables.
The war between the Mosaic and the geological record of creation became very bitter and lasted long, and it led to a merciless dissection and scrutiny of the first chapter of Genesis, as well as of the evidence upon which rests the geological theory of the age of the earth. When at last the din of the battle grew faint, and the smoke cleared away, it was quickly perceived by the unbiased on-lookers, that the Bible and science had both gained by the conflict. Geology had firmly established its claim, that the earth was not made in six days of twenty-four hours each; and the first chapter of Genesis had been shown to be a marvelously truthful record of the great events of creation.
[Sidenote: The word day in Genesis refers to indefinite time periods.]
Moses, in the first chapter of Genesis, enumerates the order of the events of creation. First, light was brought to the earth and was divided from darkness, "and the evening and the morning were the first day." Then the firmament was established in the midst of the waters, "and the evening and the morning were the second day." After each group of creative events, the same expression occurs, "and the evening and the morning were the third [fourth, fifth, and sixth] days." Those who insisted upon the literal interpretation of the language of the Bible maintained that the word day, as used in Genesis 1, referred to a day of twenty-four hours, and that all the events of creation were consummated by an all-powerful God in one hundred and forty-four earthly hours. An examination of the original Hebrew for the use of the word translated "day" in Genesis, revealed that it refers more frequently to periods of time of indefinite duration.[A] When this became clear, and the records of the rocks became better known, some theologians suggested, that as we are told that a thousand years are as one day to God, the day of Genesis 1 refers to periods of a thousand years each. This did not strengthen the argument. The best opinion of today, and it is well-nigh universal, is that the Mosaic record refers to indefinite periods of time corresponding to the great divisions of historical geology.
[Footnote A: Compare The Mosaic Record of Creation, A. McCaul, D. D., p. 213.]
Even as late as the sixties and seventies of the last century this question was still so unsettled as to warrant the publication of books defending the Mosaic account of creation.[A]
[Footnote A: For instance Aids to Faith, containing McCaul's most able discussion. The Origin of the World, J. W. Dawson.]
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith's teachings concerning creation found in the
Book of Abraham.]
In 1830, certain visions, given to the Jewish lawgiver Moses, were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith. These visions are now incorporated with other matter in the Pearl of Great Price, under the title, The Book of Moses. In chapter two of this book is found an account of the creation, which is nearly identical with the account found in Genesis 1. The slight variations which occur tend only to make the meaning of the writer clearer. In this account, the expression "and the evening and the morning were the first [etc.] day," occurs just as it does in the Mosaic account in the Bible. In 1835, certain ancient records found in the catacombs of Egypt fell into the hands of Joseph Smith, who found them to be some of the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt. The translation of these records is also found in the Pearl of Great Price, under the title, The Book of Abraham. In the fourth and fifth chapters of the book is found an account of the creation according to the knowledge of Abraham. The two accounts are essentially the same, but the Abrahamic version is so much fuller and clearer that it illumines the obscurer parts of the Mosaic account. We shall concern ourselves here only with the variation in the use of the word "day."
[Sidenote: The Book of Abraham conveys the idea that the creative periods included much time.]
In Genesis 1:5 we read, "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the fist day." The corresponding period is discussed in the Book of Abraham 4:5 as follows: "And the Gods called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night. And it came to pass that from the evening until the morning they called night; and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called night and day."
It is to be noted that in Abraham's version names were given to the intervals between evening and morning, and morning and evening; but absolutely nothing is said about a first day: the statement is simply made, that this was the beginning of the alternating periods of light and darkness which they, the Gods, had named night and day. According to this version, the first creative period occupied an unknown period of time.
In Genesis 1:8 it further says: "And God called the firmament Heaven.
And the evening and the morning were the second day."
The corresponding passage in the Book of Abraham 4:8, reads, "And the Gods called the expanse Heaven. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day, and this was the second time that they called night and day."
Here it must be noted that nothing is said about a second day. It is said that it was the second time that they called day—which leaves the second creative period entirely indefinite so far as time limits are concerned.
In Genesis 1:13, it reads, "and the evening and the morning were the third day."
In Abraham 4:13, the corresponding passage reads, "And it came to pass that they numbered the days; from the evening until the morning they called night; and it came to pass, from the morning until the evening they called day; and it was the third time."
Here it is explicitly stated that the Gods numbered the days; evidently, they counted the days that had passed during the third creative period, and it was the third time that the numbering had been done. Again, the third creative period is left indefinite, as to time limits.
Gen. 1:19, reads, "And the evening and the morning were the fourth day."
Correspondingly, in Abraham 4:19, is found, "And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that it was night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that it was day; and it was the fourth time."
This quotation from Abraham, standing alone, would be somewhat ambiguous, for it might indicate that it was the fourth time that the periods between evening and morning, and morning and evening were called night and day. In the light of previous passages, however, the meaning of the passage becomes clear. Certainly there is nothing in the verse to confine the fourth creative period within certain time limits.
The fifth day in Genesis closes as does the fourth; and the fifth time in Abraham closes as does the fourth. The remarks made concerning the fourth creative period apply to the fifth.
Concerning the sixth creative period, Gen. 1:31, says, "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
Of the same period Abraham says, "And the Gods said: We will do everything that we have said, and organize them; and behold, they shall be very obedient. And it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called day; and they numbered the sixth time."
As in the previous periods, the sixth ended by the Gods numbering the days of the creative period; the sixth period, like those preceding, being indeterminate as to time.
Repeated reading and study of the Abrahamic account, as revealed through Joseph Smith, make it certain beyond doubt that the intent is to convey the idea that the creative periods included much time, and that, at the end of each period, the measure of night and day, was applied to the period, in order that its length might be determined. Whether or not the different creative periods represented days to the mighty beings concerned in the creation, we do not know, and it matters little to the argument of this article.[A]
[Footnote A: The writer understands the creation, reported in Abraham, 4th chapter, to be spiritual in its nature; but he also believes that this spiritual account is a perfect picture of the actual material creation. If chapter 4 of Abraham represents the Gods planning creation, the measuring of time becomes easily understood. It then means, "How long will it take to accomplish the work?" All this, however, has no bearing upon the present argument.]
Now, then, we must remember that Joseph Smith made this translation long before the theologians of the world had consented to admit that the Mosaic days meant long periods of time; and long before geology had established beyond question that immense time periods had been consumed in the preparation of the earth for man.
Joseph Smith, the humble, unlearned, despised boy, unfamiliar with books and the theories of men, stated with clear and simple certainty, if his works be read with the eye of candid truth, this fundamental truth of geological science and the Bible, long before the learned of the world had agreed upon the same truth.[A]
[Footnote A: It may be remarked that other geological doctrines were taught by the Prophet, that science has since confirmed. One of these was discussed by Dr. J.E. Talmage in the Improvement Era, Vol. 7, p. 481.]
Standing alone, this fact might be called a chance coincidence, a result of blind fate. But recalling that it is one of many similar and even more striking facts, what shall be said, Has ever impostor dared what Joseph Smith did? Has ever false prophet lived beyond his generation, if his prophecies were examined? Shall we of this foremost age accept convincing, logical truth, though it run counter to our preconceived notions? Glorious were the visions of Joseph the Prophet; unspeakable would be our joy, should they be given to us.
Chapter VIII.
ORGANIZED INTELLIGENCE.
[Sidenote: A complete philosophy must consider living beings.]
The student of the constitution of the universe must take into account living beings. Plants, animals and men are essentially different from the mass of matter. The rock, apparently, is the same forever; but the plant has a beginning, and after a comparatively short existence dies. Animals and men, likewise, begin their earthly existence; then, after a brief life, die, or disappear from the immediate knowledge of living things.
Man, the highest type of living things, differs from the rock, moreover, in that he possesses the power to exercise his will in directing natural forces. Animals and even plants seem to possess a similar power to a smaller degree. The rock on the hillside is pulled downward by gravitation, but can move only if the ground is removed from beneath it by some external force. Man, on the other hand, can walk up or down the hill, with or against the pull of gravity.
[Sidenote: Science teaches that all phenomena may be referred to matter and ether in motion.]
Modern science refers all phenomena to matter and motion; in other words, to matter and force or energy. In this general sense, matter includes the universal ether, and force includes any or all of the forces known, or that may be known, to man.
To illustrate: the electrician develops a current of electricity, which to the scientist is a portion of the universal ether moving in a certain definite manner. When the vibrations of the ether are caused to change, light, or magnetism or chemical affinity may result from the electricity. In every case, matter is in motion. The ear perceives a certain sound. It is produced by the movements of the air. In fact, sounds are carried from place to place by great air waves. The heat of the stove is due to the rapid vibration of the molecules in the iron of the stove, which set up corresponding vibrations in the ether.
In nature no exceptions have been found to the great scientific claim that all natural phenomena may be explained by referring them to matter in motion.[A] Variations in the kind of matter and the kind of motion, lead to all the variations found in the universe.
[Footnote A: Tyndall, Fragments of Science, I. chaps. I and II.]
[Sidenote: Life is a certain form of motion.]
By many it has been held that life and its phenomena transcend the ordinary explanations of nature. Yet, those who have learned, by laborious researches, that the fundamental ideas of the universe are only eternal matter, eternal energy and the universe-filling medium, the ether, find it very difficult to conceive of a special force of life, which concerns itself solely with very limited portions of matter, and is wholly distinct from all other natural forces.
To the student of science it seems more consistent to believe that life is nothing more than matter in motion; that, therefore, all matter possesses a kind of life; and that the special life possessed by plants, animals and man, is only the highest or most complex motion in the universe. The life of man, according to this view, is essentially different from the life of the rock; yet both are certain forms of the motion of matter, and may be explained ultimately by the same fundamental conceptions of science. Certainly, such an idea is more beautifully simple than that of a special force of life, distinct from all other natural forces.
It is argued by those who uphold this view, that the simple forces of nature are converted by living things into the higher forces that characterize life. For instance, to keep the human body, with its wonderful will and intelligence, in health, it is necessary to feed it. The food is actually burned within the body. The heat thus obtained gives to the man both physical and intellectual vigor. It would really appear, therefore, that heat, which is a well known, simple physical force, may be converted by the animal body into other and more complex forces, or modes of motion, such as the so-called life force.
[Sidenote: A certain organization characterizes life.]
Naturally, should science class life as the highest or most complex of the modes of material motion, the question would arise concerning the manner in which this conversion were made possible. The answer must be that the ultimate particles of the matter composing the living thing are so arranged or organized that the great natural forces may be converted into life force. It is possible by passing heat through certain substances to make them luminous, thus converting heat into light; by employing a dynamo, mechanical energy may be converted into electrical energy; by coiling a wire around a rod of soft iron, electricity may be converted into magnetism. In short, it is well understood in science, that by the use of the right machines one form of energy may be changed into another. It is generally assumed, that the human body is so organized that the forces of heat, light and undoubtedly others, may be converted into higher forms, peculiar to living things.[A]
[Footnote A: Compare, Fiske, Outlines of Cosmic Philiosophy, chap. XVI. Pearson, Grammar of Science, pp. 404-407. Dolbear, Matter, Ether and Motion, chap. XI, pp. 294-297.]
[Sidenote: Protoplasm, a highly organized body, is always associated with life.]
To substantiate this view, it may be recalled that the fundamental chemical individual in living thing is a very complex, unstable substance known as protoplasm. No living cell exists without the presence of this substance. It is far from being known well, as yet, but enough is known to enable science to say that it is composed of several elements, so grouped and regrouped as to transcend all present methods of research.[A] By means of this highly organized body, it is assumed that the ordinary forces of nature are worked over and made suited for the needs of the phenomena of life.
[Footnote A: Pearson, Grammar of Science, p. 408.]
The existence of the complex life-characteristic substance protoplasm, renders probable the view that living things, after all, differ from the rest of creation only in the kind and degree of their organization, and that life, as the word is ordinarily used, depends upon a certain kind or organization of matter,[A] which leads to a certain kind of motion.
[Footnote A: Tyndall, Fragments of Science. II, chaps. IV and VI.]
As to the origin of the special organization called life, science has nothing to say. Science is helpless when she deals with the beginning of things. The best scientific explanation of life is that it is a very complex mode of motion occasioned by a highly complex organization of the matter and ether of the living body.
There are still some students who prefer to believe in the existence of a special vital force, which is not subject to the laws that govern other forces. This view, however, is so inconsistent with the modern understanding of the contents of the universe that it has few followers.
[Sidenote: The modern conception of life is very recent.]
The view that life is a special organization by which the great natural forces are focussed and concentrated, so as to accomplish the greatest works, necessarily implies a belief in the modern laws of nature. Since modern science is of very recent development it was quite improbable for such a conception of life to have been held clearly before modern times. In fact it is within the last thirty or forty years that these views have found expression among scientific investigations.
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith taught the universality of life.]
As observed in chapters two and three, Joseph Smith taught that the energy of matter or of ether is a form of intelligence. If, according to this doctrine, matter and ether are intelligent; then life also must reside in all matter and ether. Hence everything in the universe is alive. Further, since all force is motion, universal motion is universal life. The difference between rock, plant, beast and man is in the amount and organization of its life or intelligence. For instance, in harmony with this doctrine, the earth must possess intelligence or life. In fact the Prophet says "the earth……shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened."[A] The statement that the earth shall die and shall be quickened again, certainly implies that the earth possess life, though, naturally, of an order wholly different from that of men or other higher living things.
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants 88:25, 26.]
[Sidenote: Man is coexistent with God.]
It is an established "Mormon" doctrine that man is coexistent with God. Note the following statements: "Ye were also in the beginning with the Father." "Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be."[A] "Yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after for they are eternal."[B]
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants 93:23 and 29.]
[Footnote B: Book of Abraham 3:19.]
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith taught that man is organized from matter, spirit and intelligence.]
In the account of the Creation, given in the Book of Abraham, it is clearly stated that the Gods organized the earth and all upon it from available materials, and as the fitting climax to their labors they "went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of Gods to form him."[A] The creation of man was in part at least the organization of individuals from eternal materials and forces. The nature of that organization is made partly clear by the Prophet when he says "The spirit and the body are the soul of man."[B] The spirit here referred to may be compared to the ether of science, vibrating with the force of intelligence, which is the first and highest of the many forces of nature. The body, similarly, refers to the grosser elements, also fired with the universal energy—intelligence. The word Soul, in the above quotation, means man as he is on earth and is used as in Genesis. Man, according to this, is composed of matter; the spirit which may be likened to ether, and energy. The organization of man at the beginning of our earth history, was only the clothing of the eternal spiritual man with the matter which constitutes the perishable body. In confirmation of this view note another statement, "For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receiveth a fullness of joy, and when separated, man can not receive a fullness of joy."[C] Here also it is taught that man is composed of matter, spirit and energy.
[Footnote A: Book of Abraham, 4th chap. (Note verse 27.)]
[Footnote B: Doctrine and Covenants 88:15.]
[Footnote C: Doctrine and Covenants 93:33 and 34.]
[Sidenote: Intelligence is universal.]
President Brigham Young has left an interesting paragraph that confirms the statement that according to "Mormon" doctrine, all matter is intelligent, and that man is superior only because of his higher organization. "Is this earth, the air and the water, composed of life…..?……If the earth, air and water, are composed of life is there any intelligence in this life?….Are those particles of matter life; if so, are they in possession of intelligence according to the grade of their organization?……We suggest the idea that there is an eternity of life, an eternity of organization, and an eternity of intelligence from the highest to the lowest grade, every creature in its order, from the Gods to the animalculae."[A]
[Footnote A: The Resurrection, p. 3. Ed. of 1884.]
[Sidenote: Spirit unaided knows matter with difficulty.]
The statement that man can receive a fullness of joy only when spirit and element are united, is of itself a scientific doctrine of high import. This is a world of matter; and a spiritual man, that is one made only of the universal ether, would not be able to receive fully the impressions that come from the contact of element with element. To enjoy and understand this world, it is necessary for the spirit to be clothed with matter. The ether or spirit world is not within our immediate view; and it is probable that the material world is far away from purely spiritual beings.
[Sidenote: God is the Master-builder.]
This whole doctrine means that God is the organizer of worlds, and all upon them. He is not the Creator of the materials and forces of the universe, for they are eternal; He is the master buidler who uses the simple elements of nature for his purposes. It is also plain that, according to "Mormon" doctrine, there is no special life force. The intelligence residing in a stone is in quality, as far as it goes, the same as the intelligence possessed by man. But, man is so organized that a greater amount of intelligence, a fullness of it, centers in him, and he is as a consequence essentially and eternally different from the stone. President Young also said, "The life that is within us is a part of an eternity of life, and is organized spirit, which is clothed upon by tabernacles, thereby constituting our present being, which is designed for the attainment of further intelligence. The matter comprising our bodies and spirits has been organized from the eternity of matter that fills immensity."[A]
[Footnote A: Journal of Discourses, vol. 7:285. (Brigham Young.)]
[Sidenote: A lower intelligence cannot become a higher intelligence except by disorganization.]
This doctrine does not permit of the interpretation that a lower intelligence, such as that of an animal, may in time become the intelligence of a man. "It remaineth in the sphere in which I, God, created it."[A] The horse will ever remain a horse, though the intelligence of the animal may increase. To make any of the constituent parts or forces of an animal, part of the intelligence of a man, it would be necessary to disorganize the animal; to organize the elements into a man, and thus to begin over again.
[Footnote A: Book of Moses 3:9.]
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith anticipated science in the modern conception of life.]
Men, beasts and plants—those beings that possess the higher life, differ from inanimate nature, so called, by a higher degree of organization. That is the dogma of "Mormonism," and the doctrine of science. About 1831 Joseph Smith gave this knowledge to the world; a generation later, scientific men arrived independently at the same conclusion.
[Sidenote: The thinkers and writers of Mormonism have taught the foregoing doctrine of life.]
The thinkers and writers of "Mormonism" have more or less directly taught the same doctrine. Apostle Orson Pratt believed that the body of man, both spiritual and earthly, was composed of atoms or ultimate particles—of the Holy Spirit for the spiritual body and material elements for the mortal body. It has already been shown that the Holy Spirit of "Mormonism" may be compared with the ether of science, vibrating with the greater force of the universe—intelligence. For instance: "The intelligent particles of a man's spirit are by their peculiar union, but one human spirit."[A] "Several of the atoms of this spirit exist united together in the form of a person."[B] Undoubtedly Elder Pratt believed that the living man is simply organized from the elements and elementary forces of the universe.
[Footnote A: Absurdities of Immaterialism, ed. 1849, p. 26.]
[Footnote B: Ibid, p. 29.]
Perhaps the best and safest exposition of the philosophy of "Mormonism" is Parley P. Pratt's Key to Theology. In it he states definitely that the spirit of man is organized from the elementary Holy Spirit. "The holiest of all elements, the Holy Spirit, when organized in individual form, and clothed upon with flesh and bones, contains, etc."[A] That the earthly body was likewise organized is equally plain for he says "At the commencement—the elements—were found in a state of chaos."[B] Then man was "moulded from the earth as a brick."[C] Again, "The spirit of man consists of an organization of the elements of spiritual matter,"[D] which finds entrance into its tabernacle of flesh. In another place he defines creation by asking "What is creation? Merely organization…… The material of which this earth was made always did exist, and it was only an organization which took place during the time spoken of by Moses."[E]
[Footnote A: Key to Theology, 5th ed., p. 46.]
[Footnote B: Ibid, p. 49.]
[Footnote C: Ibid, p. 51.]
[Footnote D: Ibid, p. 131.]
[Footnote E: Roberts, Mormon Doctrine of Deity, pp. 278, 279.]
Numerous other authorities might be quoted to prove that the above is the "Mormon" view.[A]
[Footnote A: See especially the Prophet Joseph Smith's Sermon,
Contributor, vol. 4, pp. 256-268.]
In this chapter the intention has not been to explain fully the doctrines of Joseph Smith relating to the nature of man, but to call attention to the fact that the present scientific conception of the nature of living things is the same as that of "Mormonism." That "Mormonism" goes farther than science, and completes the explanation, is to the credit of the Prophet.
It must not be forgotten that in stating the doctrine that man is organized from the eternal elements and elementary forces of the universe, in such a way as to produce the phenomena of higher life, Joseph Smith anticipated the workers in science by nearly a generation.
How wonderful was this boy-prophet of "Mormonism," if all this was orginated within his own mind! At every point of contact, the sanest of modern philosophy finds counterpart in the theological structure of the Gospel as taught by Joseph Smith. Is the work divine?
THE LAWS GOVERNING THE INDIVIDUAL.
Chapter IX.
FAITH.
[Sidenote: Faith is the assurance of the existence of "things not seen."]
For the government of the individual the first principle in Mormon theology is faith. Joseph Smith defined faith in the words of the Apostle Paul, "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." To this the Prophet added "From this we learn that faith is the assurance which men have of things which they have not seen."[A] On this principle, with this definition, many young persons who have ventured upon the sea of unbelief have wrecked the religion of their childhood; for, the human mind, in some stages of its development, is disinclined to accept as knowledge anything that can not be sensed directly.
[Footnote A: Doctrine and Covenants, Lecture I, verses 8, 9.]
Nowadays, the young doubter who can not accept as the foundation of his religion "things which he has not seen," usually turns for comfort and future growth to the results of science. There he finds truths upon truths, glorious in their beauty and susceptibility to direct and unmistakeable proof; and soon he declares that in so-called natural science, there is no need of faith, for, if a person has only advanced far enough, every concern of science may be known through one, two or several senses.
[Sidenote: Such faith lies at the formation of science.]
It is true that in the beginning of science no faith seems to be required; for every statement is based on experiments and observations that may be repeated by every student; and nothing is "taken on trust." As the deeper parts of science are explored, however, it is soon discovered that in science as in theology, a faith in "things that can not be seen," is an essential requisite for progress. In fact, the fundamental laws of the great divisions of science deal with realities that are wholly and hopelessly beyond the reach of man's five senses.
[Sidenote: The molecules are beyond man's direct senses.]
An exposition of the fundamental conception of chemical science will illustrate the nature of scientific faith. A fragment of almost any substance may easily be divided into two or three pieces by a stroke of a hammer. Each of the pieces may be broken into smaller pieces and this process of division continued until the powder is as fine as dust. Still, each particle of the dust may be divided again and again, if we only have instruments fine enough to continue the process. A question which philosophy asked itself near its beginning was: Is it possible to keep on dividing the dust particles forever, or is there a particle so small that it can not be divided again? Neither science nor abstract philosophy has yet been able to answer this question fully. However, science has learned that if such a process of division occurs, in course of time a particle will be obtained which is so small that if it is divided or broken, the fragments will no longer be of the same nature as the original substance. These smallest particles in which the properties of the original substance inhere, are known as molecules. Thus a molecule of sugar, when broken, falls into the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen; of salt, into sodium and chlorine and of water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The size of such a molecule can not be comprehended by the human mind; its smallness seems infinite. The mortal eye, though aided by the most powerful miscroscopes of modern days could not distinguish a sugar molecule or even a pile of thousands of them; placed on the tongue, there would be no sensation of sweetness; though it were hurled against our body with the velocity of lightning we should not feel the impact. To all our senses, the molecule is wholly unknown and no doubt shall remain so while the earth is as it is. Yet, no fact is better established than the existence of the realities that we interpret as molecules. Their relative weights and other properties have been securely determined. The existence of such a particle is as certain as is the existence of the sun in the high heavens.
[Sidenote: Science teaches the composition of the directly unknowable molecules.]
Not only does science teach the existence of molecules; it looks within them and reveals their composition. For instance, a molecule of the sugar known as glucose, and used by candy makers, is made up of six particles of the element carbon, twelve of the element hydrogen and six of the element oxygen. The particles of carbon in the glucose molecule are so small that if one were divided it would no longer be carbon; the same with the particles of hydrogen and oxygen: if divided they would change into something else—into what is not yet known to man. These smallest particles are called atoms of the elements charcoal, hydrogen and oxygen. If instead of an atom of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, we write C, H, O, the composition of a molecule of glucose would be written C_{6}H_{12}O_{6}. These are also indisputable facts of science. If the molecules are far beyond the range of our senses, the atoms are of course much further removed from the known world.
[Sidenote: Science teaches the arrangements of the atoms within the molecules.]
But the chemist does not stop here. He is able to state accurately how the invisible, unsensed atoms are arranged within the unknowable molecule. In nature are found several glucose-like sugars, the molecules of which contain the same numbers of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The varying properties of these sugars have been found to result from the different arrangements of the atoms within the molecules. The structure of the molecules of three of the most common sugars are as follows:
———————————————————————————————————
I II III
DEXTROSE [A] LAEVULOSE [A] GALACTOSE [A]
H2=C-OH H2=C-O H H2=C-OH
| | |
HO-C-H H O-C-H HO-C H
| | |
HO-C-H H O-C-H HC-OH
| | |
H-C-O-H H C-O H HC-OH
| | |
HO-C-H C=O HO-CH
| | |
H-C=O H C=O H-C=O
———————————————————————————————————
[Footnote A: Dextrose and laevulose combine to form ordinary cane or beet sugar. Dextrose and galactose combine to form the sugar found in milk.]
Referring to the above diagrams it will be observed that although each arrangement contains the same number of atoms, yet, because of the difference in arrangement, they are far from being identical. In fact, the difference in the properties of the sugars may be referred to the arrangement of the atoms in the molecules. This truth is one of the most splendid achievements of modern science. All the facts, here briefly outlined, are included in the atomic hypothesis, which is the foundation of the modern science of chemistry.
[Sidenote: Science requires a strong faith in "things not seen."]
Science asks us to believe in the existence of particles, unknowable to our senses, the molecules; then to believe in still smaller particles, the atoms, which make up the molecules but whose relative weights and general properties have been determined. Here, a faith is required in "things that can not be seen," and in the properties of these things. True, the scientist does not pretend to describe the atoms in detail, he does not need to do that to establish the certainty of their existence. He looks upon them as ultimate causes of effects that he may note with his physical senses. Does theology require more? Does any sane man in asking us to believe in God, for instance, attempt to describe him in detail?
The scientist goes farther than this, however, for he asks us not only to have faith in the invisible, untasteable, unfeelable atoms, but also in the exact manner in which these atoms are arranged within the molecule. True, it is claimed, only, that the relative arrangement is known, yet the faith required still leads us far beyond the simple faith in atoms. Has any man asked us to believe that he can describe the structure of God's dwelling? No principle taught by Joseph Smith requires a larger faith than this.
[Sidenote: The conception of the ether requires large faith.]
Not only in chemistry are such transcendent truths required. The fundamental conception of physics requires, if possible, a larger faith. The explanations of modern physics rest largely upon the doctrine of the universal ether. This ether is everywhere present, between the molecules and atoms; in fact the things of the universe are, as it were, suspended in the ocean of ether. This ether is so attenuated that it fills the pores of the human body without impressing itself upon our consciousness, yet some of its properties indicate that its elasticity is equal to that of steel. As shown in chapter 5, the most eminent scientists of the day declare that the existence of this world-ether is one of the few things of which men may be absolutely sure. Yet the ether cannot be seen, heard, tasted, smelled or felt. To our senses it has neither weight nor substance. To believe the existence of this ether requires a faith which is certainly as great as the greatest faith required by Mormon theology.
Numerous other illustrations might be cited, without greatly emphasizing the truth that the great fundamental doctrines of science require a great faith in realities that are beyond the reach of our senses.
[Sidenote: Faith comes slowly and naturally.]
The great foundations of science have not come as a "great wakening light," but have come slowly, through a process of normal, guided growth. The first experiment was made, from which a simple conclusion was drawn; the second experiment furnished a second conclusion; the two results combined produced a third conclusion, and so on through thousands of experiments and conclusions, until the brilliant conceptions of modern science were attained. In short, the scientist works very simply by careful observation of nature, "the earth and its fullness," and by as careful reasoning from the observed facts. The mind builds noble structures of the materials the senses bring. The same method may be employed in gaining faith in the principles of theology; and the Apostle Paul tells us distinctly that the righteousness of God is revealed from "faith to faith," and that the eternal power of God and the Godhead and "the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." The scientist, likewise, begins with the things that are made and proceeds "from faith to faith," gaining "here a little, and there a little," until a faith is reached which, to him who has not followed its growth, may seem absurd in its loftiness.
[Sidenote: Science cannot progress without faith.]
Certainly, no man can progress in science unless he has faith in the great inductions of scientific men. Faith is as indispensable for scientific progress as for theological advancement. In both cases it is the great principle of action.
This subject merits more extended discussion, but the exposition of the nature of faith is outside the argument running through these chapters. It must be sufficient to remark again that Mormonism is strictly scientific in stating as the first principle of the guidance of the individual, that of faith in unseen things; for that is the basic principle for the beginner in modern science.[A]
[Footnote A: Read for a fuller exposition, We walk by Faith,
Improvement Era, Volume 3, p. 561.]
Chapter X.
REPENTANCE.
The second principle for the government of the individual, according to Mormon theology, is repentance. So commonly has this principle been discussed from its relation to moral law that its counterpart in all human effort has often been overlooked.
[Sidenote: Repentance follows faith.]
To repent is first to turn from old practices. Thus, he who violates any of God's laws renders himself liable to certain punishment, but, if he repents, and sins no more, the punishments are averted. Naturally, such a change of heart and action can come only after faith has been established. No man will change a habit without a satisfactory reason. In fact, all the actions of men should be guided by reason. Repentance then is a kind of obedience or active faith; and is great in proportion to the degree of faith possessed by the individual. Certainly, the repentance of no man can transcend his faith, which includes his knowledge.
[Sidenote: Scientific repentance follows scientific faith.]
So it is in science. For centuries, wounds of the body were treated according to certain methods, assumed to be correct; and, especially in time of war, large numbers of the patients died. Then it was found that low forms of life—the bacteria—infected the wounds, and caused the high mortality. This led to the antiseptic treatment in surgery, which destroys germ life, and leaves the wound absolutely clean. As a consequence the mortality from flesh and other wounds has diminished remarkably. The medical profession repented, or turned away, from its former methods, and the reward was immediately felt. However, before antisceptic surgery was finally and fully established, faith in the practice had to be awakened among the members of the profession. A chemist, making refined analysis may apply a certain factor, assumed to be correct in his calculations, but in reality incorrect. As a result, the determinations are wrong. When later, the correct factor is discovered, and applied, the results of the work become correct. Repentance from the previous error, changes the chemist's work from wrong to right. In fact, in any department of knowledge, when it is discovered that a law of nature has been violated, it becomes necessary, if further progress is desired, to cease the violation. Should a scientist persist in violation of a known law, he knows that the consequences, great or small will certainly follow.
[Sidenote: Repentance means adopting new habits; not simply turning from old ones.]
To repent is more than to turn from incorrect practices. It implies also the adoption of new habits. The man who has turned from his sins, may learn of a law, which he has never violated, yet which if obeyed, means progress for him. If he does not follow such a law, but remains neutral in its presence, he certainly is a sinner. To repent from such sin, is to obey each higher law as it appears. In the spiritual life, it is impossible for the person who desires the greatest joy to remain passive in the presence of new principles. He must embrace them; live them; make them his own.
Not only must the worker in science turn from scientific error; he must also accept new science as it is discovered. When the chemist, working with the best known analytical methods, learns that a more rapid or more accurate method has been found, he must adopt the new fact, in order to make the results of his work more accurate. When the chemists of a hundred years ago learned of the atomic hypothesis, it became necessary to adopt it, in order to insure more rapid progress in chemistry. Those who failed to accept the new doctrine worked in greater darkness, and made no material progress. Newton's doctrine of gravitation opened a new method of investigating the universe. Those who did not adopt it were soon outdistanced by their more active colleagues.
In every such case, the obedience yielded to the new knowledge is a kind of repentance. When a person, in religion or science, ceases to break law, he ceases from active evil; when he accepts a new law, he ceases from passive evil. No repentance can be complete which does not cease from both active and passive evil.
[Sidenote: Repentance is active faith.]
Viewed in this manner, then, repentance is obedience to law and is active faith. The law, before it is obeyed, must be understood—that is, faith must precede repentance. Therefore, the obedience yielded can increase only with the knowledge or faith of the individual. As the Prophet Joseph Smith stated it, "No man can be saved in ignorance" and "a person is saved no faster than he gains intelligence."
Repentance is as truly the second principle of action for individuals, in the domain of science as of theology.
Chapter XI.
BAPTISM.
A repentant man turns from previous violation of law, and accepts every new law that may be revealed to him. Repentance is obedience; and the repentant person is always ready to obey righteous laws.
Baptism is one of the laws of the Kingdom of God. "Except ye repent and be baptized ye can in nowise enter the Kingdom of God." The repentant person must of necessity accept this law with the others with which he may be familiar.
[Sidenote: The equivalent of baptism found in science.]
Students of science, who agree that faith and repentance have a place in science, frequently assert that the equivalent of baptism is not found in external nature. This claim may be proved false by examining the nature of law.
The chemist must frequently produce the gas hydrogen. To do it, an acid must be poured upon fragments of certain metals. In thus producing the gas, the chemist obeys law. The astronomer who studies the stars discovers that by using a piece of glass properly ground, his powers of vision appear to be strengthened. He therefore prepares such lenses for his telescopes, and thus obeys law. The surgeon uses antisceptics in the treatment of wounds because he has learned that such application will destroy germ life, and thus the surgeon obeys law. The electrician has found that by winding a wire in a certain manner around iron and rotating it near a magnet, electric currents are set up. He builds dynamos according to such principles, and thus shows his obedience to law.
It must be noted that the scientist does not know just why acid added to metal produces hydrogen, or why a certain curved lens brings the stars nearer; or why certain chemicals destroy low forms of life or why wire wound in a certain way when rotated in the magnetic field will produce electricity. Nature requires, without volunteering an explanation, that to produce hydrogen, see the stars, destroy germs and produce the electric current, certain invariable laws must be obeyed.
Baptism is essentially of the same nature. To enter the Kingdom of God, a person must be baptized. Just why baptism should be the ordinance that opens the door, no man knows. It undoubtedly has high symbolic value; but the symbolism might be expressed in many other ways. All that man can do is to obey.
[Sidenote: It is unreasonable to do only what is fully understood.]
Men say at times that they will do nothing which they do not fully understand, and therefore they will not be baptized. It would be as unreasonable for a man to say that because he does not fully understand why a certain winding of the wire is necessary to produce electricity he will not produce this wonderful natural force. All theology and all science contain laws that must be obeyed in order to obtain certain results, although the full reasons for the required combinations are not understood.
He who is baptized, enters the Kingdom of God. He who throws acid on metal enters the kingdom of hydrogen; he who grinds the lens right, enters the kingdom of the stars; he who uses antisceptics right, enters the kingdom of lower life, and he who winds the wire correctly, enters the kingdom of electricity. Yielding obedience to any of these various laws, is a form of baptism, which gives entrance to a kingdom.
[Sidenote: Baptism is obedience to law.]
The essential virtue of baptism is obedience to law. The prime value of any natural law is attained only after obedience has been yielded to it. Baptism is conformity to certain details in entering God's Kingdom. Scientific baptism is conformity to certain details in entering the kingdom of science. Only by baptism can a man attain salvation; only by using lenses of the right curvature can a man view the stars. Religious success does not rest in the degree to which every law is explained; but rather in the degree to which all known laws are obeyed. Scientific success does not rest upon the degree to which every law is explained; but rather in the degree to which every discovered law is obeyed and applied for man's advancement.
In science and in theology man must be content "to see through a glass, darkly." Until the essential nature of infinitude itself shall be understood, man must be content to learn to use unexplained laws. Science is the great explainer, but she explains relations and not the absolute foundations of phenomena.
After faith or knowledge has been obtained, the alpha and omega of religious or scientific progress is obedience. The cry of universal nature is, Obedience!
Viewed rationally, therefore, the baptism taught in theology is an ordinance which has its counterpart in every department of science. Joseph Smith was strcitly scientific in classing baptism as the third great principle governing human action.