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The Vitality of "Mormonism"

_An Address_


BY

JAMES E. TALMAGE

OF THE COUNCIL OF THE TWELVE, CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY
SAINTS



PUBLISHED BY THE CHURCH


Salt Lake City
1917



PREFATORY NOTE

The following pages embody an address delivered by invitation at a
meeting of the Denver Philosophical Society, at Denver, Colorado,
December 14th, 1916, by Dr. James E. Talmage.

The address has already been printed through the daily press and in
magazine pages; and it is presented herewith in convenient form,
suitable for preservation.

The conciseness, clearness, and accuracy with which the subject is
treated commend it to the attention of interested and studious readers.

THE PUBLISHERS.

Salt Lake City, Utah, January, 1917.



The Vitality of "Mormonism"

Why does "Mormonism" persist? Determined attempts were made both
openly and by stealth to strangle the system at its birth, to destroy
the mustard seed at the time of the planting; and, as the fact of its
survival has become prominent the certainty of its impending demise has
been announced time and again; the fall of the umbrageous tree, amidst
whose branches the birds of search continue to find food and shelter,
has been often predicted.

On the 6th of April, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints was organized as a body corporate at Fayette in the State of
New York; and the names of but six persons are of record as those of
actual participants. True, by that time a few times six had identified
themselves with the new and unprecedented movement; but, as the laws of
the State specified six as the required number of incorporators, only
that number took part in the legal procedure. And they, save one, were
relatively unknown and in fact obscure.

The name of Joseph Smith had already been heard beyond his home
district. He was at the time a subject of rapidly spreading notoriety
if not of enviable fame. The Book of Mormon, purporting to be a record
of the aboriginal peoples of the Western Continent, particularly
an account of the dealings of God with those peoples, in short the
Scriptures of what came afterward to be called the New World, had
already been published. It was in reference to the title page of this
work that the appellation "Mormon," first given in derision as a
nickname, was fastened upon the members of the Church.

Such a beginning as that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints may seem to afford little ground of either hope or fear as to
future developments; nevertheless, the newly established Church was
made the subject of assault from its inception. What was there to cause
hostile concern over the voluntary association of six men and a few of
their friends in an organization of openly expressed purpose, and that
purpose the peaceful promulgation of what they verily believed to be.
the uplifting religion of life, the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Whatever may be the answer to the query, the fact that the Church
met determined opposition, increasingly severe from the beginning,
is abundantly attested by history. While active persecutors and
openly avowed assailants were comparatively few, the majority of
those who gave any attention to the matter treated "Mormonism" with
aggressive disdain; and contempt in the affairs of human endeavor has
not infrequently proved itself a more effective weapon than physical
assault. In this instance violence and outrage resulted.

I invite your attention to "The Vitality of 'Mormonism'" under a
convenient classification, though, as will be seen, the divisions are
inter-related and merge intimately together. Let us consider:

1. Facts attesting the vitality and virility of the Church.

2. Some causes thereof.

3. Some of the results.



1. _Facts attesting the Vitality and Virility of the Church_.

Today the "Mormon" Church is known by name at least throughout the
civilized world as well as amongst most of the semi-cultured peoples
in the remoter parts of the earth and on the islands of the sea.
Since 1830 every year has witnessed an increase in membership and an
extension of "Mormon" propaganda. The six have increased to over half a
million adherents. In Utah and adjacent States, in Canada and Mexico,
between seventy and eighty "Stakes of Zion" have been established,
each Stake comprising several Wards, of which there are now over seven
hundred and fifty; and the greater part of North America outside the
established Stakes, as also many foreign countries, are covered by well
organized Missions, each with its component Conferences and Branches.

The growth of the Church is apparent to even the poorly informed. But
the Church has not only grown; it has developed. Between growth and
development there is a difference of the most essential kind; and not
a few of the grave mistakes of men, even in every day affairs, in
business, in politics, in statesmanship are traceable to our confusing
and confounding the two. Growth alone is the result of accretion, the
accumulation of material, the amassing of stuff. Development involves
an extension of function, a gradation of efficiency, a passing from
immaturity to maturity, from infancy to manhood.

Growth produces big things, and not only things of this sort but men.
Between bigness and greatness, however, there is a distinction of
kind, not alone of degree. Growth is a measure of bulk, of quantity;
it is defined as "so many" or "so much." Development is a gradation
of quality; its terms are "so good" or "so bad." America boasts of a
constantly increasing host of big men; the great men of the land may be
more easily counted. And as with men so with institutions.

Dead things may grow, as witness the tiny salt crystal in its
mother-brine at first a microscopic cube, then a huge hexahedron
limited only by the size of the container or other external conditions.
Development, however, is the characteristic of life to which mere
growth is essentially secondary and subordinate. The acorn holds in
potential reserve all the possibilities of the stately oak; within the
tiny egg of the butterfly lies the future caterpillar and the hidden
glory of the mature imago.

The vital character of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
was evident from the first. In masterly parable, superb in conception
and application, the kingdom of heaven has been likened unto leaven,
which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal; and, behold, from
it the mass became leavened. I make bold to affirm that the leaven of
"Mormonism" is leavening the world and its theology.

The most objectionable feature of "Mormonism" today appears to be its
name. The fundamental principles of the system, its revealed truths,
are more readily accepted when unlabeled. Every studious reader
of recent commentaries on the Holy Scriptures, and of theological
treatises in general, is aware of a surprising progressiveness in
modern views of things spiritual, amounting in many instances to an
abandonment of what were once regarded as the fundamentals of orthodoxy.

_In the new theology "Mormonism" has pioneered the way_. I admit that
so radical an assertion calls for evidence; and in its support I shall
ask your unbiased consideration of a few illustrative instances. As the
examples to be cited, however, must have place in any exposition of
the causes to which the vitality of the "Mormon" system of religion is
to be ascribed, and as I assume that the actuality of the growth and
vitality of "Mormonism" will not be contested, I pass in the interest
of brevity to the second division.



2._Some Causes to which the Vitality of "Mormonism" is due_.

"Mormonism" is definite and incisive in its claims. It speaks to the
world in no uncertain tone. Its voice is virile; its activities are
strong. It presents an unbroken front, and is unafraid. Its attitude is
not tile, nevertheless it is strongly aggressive. Its methods of work
are those of reason and persuasion, coupled with a fearless affirmation
of testimony as to the surpassing importance of its message, which
message it labors to convey to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

"Mormonism" lives because it is healthy, normal and undeformed. In
general, a healthy organism is assured of life, barring destruction
from external violence or deprivation of physical necessities; whereas
one that is abnormal and sickly is doomed to decline. Opposition to
the Church, the pitiless maltreatment to which its people have been
subjected, comprising mobbings, drivings, spoliation, scourgings,
assassination, and murder marked by every conceivable accompaniment of
barbarity, have operated to strengthen the Church, body and soul. True,
the heat of persecution has scorched and withered a few of the sickly
plants such as had no depth of sincerity; but the general effect has
been to promote a fuller growth, and to make richer and more fertile
the Garden of the Lord.

"Mormonism" thrives and is extending its influence, leavening the
thoughts of men, because its distinctive doctrines are those of
progression, in accord with the better manifestations of the spirit
of the times, best adapted to meet the vital needs of the age. The
timeliness of its establishment is significant and largely explanatory
of its success.

The seed of the restored Gospel was planted by the Divine Husbandman
only after due preparation of the soil. The place of planting was
no less carefully selected than the time of seeding. In the economy
of God, America, which is veritably the land of Zion, was aforetime
consecrated as the home of a free and independent nation. Only in such
soil could the germ of the Gospel of true liberty sprout and thrive.

"Mormonism" lives because its claims are consistent and its position
impregnable. It affirms the literal fulfilment of scriptural
predictions of a great falling away from the truth, a cessation of
spiritual gifts and Divine authority, in short a world-wide apostasy
from the Church established by the Lord Jesus Christ in the meridian of
time. This condition of apostasy is that pictured by Isaiah:

    "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because
    they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the
    everlasting covenant." (Isaiah 24:5.)

And by Amos, in his fateful utterance:

    "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a
    famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
    but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from
    sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to
    and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." (Amos
    8:11, 12.)

The certainty of a general declension in spirituality among men, the
rise of false Christs and false prophets, of mystic and deceiving
voices from the desert and from secret chambers was foretold by the
Christ Himself (Matt. 24:4-5, 10, 13, 25-26). So avowed also the
Apostles Peter (2 Peter 2:1-3), and Paul (Acts 20:29-30, 1 Tim. 4:1-3,
2 Tim. 4:1-4, 2 Thess. 2:3-4), Jude (17, 18), and John (Rev. 13:4, 6-9).

The apostate condition of Christendom has been recognized and affirmed
by high ecclesiastical authority Let a single citation suffice. The
Church of England thus proclaims the fact of degeneracy, as set forth
in her "Homily against Peril of Idolatry," published about the middle
of the sixteenth century and retained to this day as an official
declaration:

    "So that laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, all ages, sects,
    and degrees of men, women, and children of whole Christendom an
    horrible and most dreadful thing to think have been at once drowned
    in abominable idolatry; of all other vices most detested of God,
    and most damnable to man; and that by the space of eight hundred
    years and more."

No less definite than the prophecy of apostasy is the scriptural
prediction of a restoration in the last days:

    "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
    everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
    to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a
    loud voice, Fear God, and give, glory to him; for the hour of his
    judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and
    the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Rev. 14:6-7.)

"Mormonism" affirms that the "everlasting Gospel" has been restored to
earth in the manner specified, that is by angelic ministration. The
necessity of a restoration postulates the prior removal of the thing
restored; and the restoration of the Gospel is proof of the precedent
apostasy of mankind. But, it may be asked, had not we the Holy Bible,
the scriptural repository of the Gospel record? The letter, yes. But
surely the Gospel is more than a book. The Holy Bible prescribes
administrative ordinances as essential to salvation baptism by water
and the bestowal of the Holy Ghost by the authoritative imposition
of hands, the rebirth of water and of the Spirit, without which,
unless the Lord Christ spoke to Nicodemus falsely, no man can enter
the kingdom of God. Who will venture to affirm that a possession of
a copy of the Holy Bible, or even a letter-perfect memorization of
the contents thereof, can give to men the right to administer in the
ordinances therein prescribed?

The angel seen by the Revelator while on Patmos was to restore not the
letter of requirement as to baptism and other essentials, for this
the world had; but he was to bring again to earth the commission to
officiate in those saving ordinances, that is, to restore the authority
of the Holy Priesthood.

"Mormonism" affirms that on the 15th of May, 1829, a heavenly messenger
descended in light and glory, and, laying his hands upon Joseph Smith
and his companion in the ministry, Oliver Cowdery, bestowed upon them
the Lesser or Aaronic Priesthood, saying:

    "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer
    the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering
    of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by
    immersion for the remission of sins."

The angelic personage announced himself as John, known of old as the
Baptist, and declared that he acted under instructions from Peter,
James, and John, who held the presidency of the Higher or Melchizedek
Priesthood in the apostolic dispensation of old. At a later date Joseph
Smith and his fellow laborer were visited by Peter, James, and John,
who ordained the two to the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek,
which comprises all the authority operative in the Church of Jesus
Christ.

Whatever criticism may be offered, exception taken, or denial asserted
against these solemn declarations, the consistency of the claims
themselves must be admitted. Authority to officiate in the ordinances
of the Gospel was brought by angel messengers, and they the very ones
in whom were vested the powers of the respective order of Priesthood in
the earlier Gospel dispensation. This same strict consistency appears
in subsequent manifestations. Thus Moses appeared in the Temple at
Kirtland, Ohio, and conferred the keys of the gathering of the tribes
of Israel after their long dispersion, which work is abundantly
predicted in ancient scripture as a characteristic feature of the
latter days the time immediately precedent to the glorious advent of
the Son of Man. Elijah the prophet, in literal fulfilment of Malachi's
prediction (Mai. 4:5-6) has brought and committed to the modern prophet
the authority of vicarious labor in behalf of the dead, by which the
hearts of the departed fathers are turned to their living posterity,
and the hearts of the yet mortal children drawn to their progenitors
in the spirit world. True to this particular commission, the restored
Church rears temples to the name and service of the living God, and
in those sacred structures carries forward vicarious service for the
redemption of the uncounted dead who have passed away in ignorance as
to the necessity of compliance with the laws and ordinances of the
Gospel, without which compliance no man may see the kingdom of God.

Such facts as those cited attest the consistency of the distinctive
claims of "Mormonism"; and consistency goes far to establish
genuineness. "Mormonism" would long since have gone the way of
all false creeds and systems had its precepts been inconsistent,
incongruous, or unscriptural.

"Mormon" doctrines are characteristically advanced and progressive, and
herein lies a further explanation of the virility of the system. While
in no respect at variance with earlier scriptures, "Mormonism" carries
principles forward, and many of the obscure passages of ancient writ
are illumined by the rays of modern revelation. As stated, "Mormonism"
leads the way to higher truths. Now, by way of a few examples as
promised:

(A) The unscriptural and repellent dogma of inherent degeneracy and
the contaminating effect of original sin, by which every child is
born vile in the sight and judgment of God, long cast its dark shadow
over the minds of men. From this conception sprang the practise of
infant baptism and the perverted doctrine of assured damnation for
all innocent babes who die unbaptized. Even the Catholic church has
modified its teaching on this subject and today permits its members
to believe that children who die without baptism pass to a state of
partial happiness and content, though forever denied the supreme
blessing of the beatific vision of God. It is conceded, of course, that
no dictum, dogma, or doctrine of men can determine the fate of souls,
infant or adult, in the hereafter; nevertheless, theological teachings
have direct effect upon the thoughts and lives of mankind. It is
cheering to know that practically all Christendom today repudiates the
frightful heresy of the eternal condemnation of babes who die without
baptism.

Hear now the word of "Mormonism" on the matter and note the time of its
enunciation. In 1830 the Book of Mormon was given to the world. Therein
we read, in an epistle of the ancient prophet Mormon to his son Moroni:

    "Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your
    God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous, but
    sinners to repentance: the whole need no physician, but they that
    are sick; wherefore little children are whole, for they are not
    capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken
    from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of
    circumcision is done away in me. And after this manner did the Holy
    Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore my beloved son, I
    know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize
    little children. Behold I say unto you, That this thing shall ye
    teach, repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and
    capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent
    and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children,
    and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their
    little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold,
    baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto
    the remission of sins. But little children are alive in Christ,
    even from the foundation of the world." (Moroni 8:8-12.)

In the revelations of the current dispensation we read that children
are accounted innocent before God until they come to the age of
understanding and accountability, and that baptism is required of all
who have attained that condition. Thus we read:

    "All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be
    baptized and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits,
    and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all
    their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus
    Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly
    manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of
    Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by
    baptism into his church." (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37.)

(B) The one-time general conception of heaven and hell is regarded
today as antiquated, unreasonable, unscriptural and untrue. I speak
of the heaven and the hell once thought of as the only places or
conditions prepared for the souls of men, to one or the other of which
states every being that has or shall have tabernacled in the flesh is
to be consigned, perhaps on a very narrow margin of merit or desert.
True, the support of scriptural warrant was lacking for the churchly
dogma; but many centuries were required for the world to discover the
fact. Paul, writing to the Corinthians in the long ago, said:

    "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the
    glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is
    another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the
    moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from
    another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead." (I
    Cor. 15:40-42.)

To this portentous scripture a very narrow exposition was accorded
in the dogmatic exegesis of the earlier commentaries, and the dictum
of a heaven and a hell was scarcely shaken thereby. Belief in graded
conditions in the hereafter is widespread today, and in this rational
substitution of ennobling truth for degrading error, "Mormonism" is
again the world's teacher. Joseph Smith avowed that in February 1832
he received a Divine revelation, in which conditions in the hereafter
were shown to be the direct result of the individual life in mortality,
and by which the existence of distinct kingdoms of glory, each with its
own numerous gradations, was made plain. These are called in descending
order the Celestial, the Terrestrial and the Telestial. Far below the
lowest of these is the state prepared for the hopelessly unregenerate,
those who have sinned against light and knowledge, those who, having
learned the laws of righteousness and having received the testimony
of the Christ have ruthlessly trodden the priceless pearls into the
mire, those few who are fit companions for the devil and his angels
throughout eternity, those who are known by the awful name "sons of
perdition." Of them the revelation last referred to avers:

    "Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know my power, and
    have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves, through
    the power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny the truth and
    defy my power They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom
    I say that it had been better for them never to have been born,
    For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God,
    with the devil and his angels in eternity; Concerning whom I have
    said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to
    come, Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and
    having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father having crucified
    him unto themselves, and put him to an open shame. These are they
    who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the
    devil and his angels, And the only ones on whom the second death
    shall have any power; Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be
    redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his
    wrath." (Doctrine and Covenants 76:31-38.)

In immeasurable contrast is the state of those who attain not only
salvation but exaltation in the Celestial kingdom. We read:

    "They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed
    on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial,
    being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the
    commandment which he has given, That by keeping the commandments
    they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive
    the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is
    ordained and sealed unto this power. And who overcome by faith, and
    are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds
    forth upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are
    the church of the First Born. They are they into whose hands the
    Father has given all things--They are they who are Priests and
    Kings, who have received of his fullness, arid of his glory, And
    are Priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which
    was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only
    Begotten Son; Wherefore, as it is written, they are Gods, even the
    sons of God Wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death,
    or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are
    Christ's and Christ is God's. And they shall overcome all things;
    Wherefore let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God,
    who shall subdue all enemies under his feet--These shall dwell in
    the presence of God and his Christ for ever and ever. These are
    they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds
    of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people. These are they
    who shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who
    shall come forth in the resurrection of the just." (Verses 51-65.)

Of those who attain the lesser glory of the Terrestrial it is written:

    "And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these
    are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that
    of the church of the First Born, who have received the fullness
    of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in
    the firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law, And
    also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the
    Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might
    be judged according to men in the flesh, Who received not the
    testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. These
    are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by
    the craftiness of men. These are they who receive of his glory, but
    not of his fullness. * * * These are they who are not valiant in
    the testimony of Jesus; wherefore they obtain not the crown over
    the kingdom of our God." (Verses 71-76, 79.)

And of the inhabitants of the Telestial:

    "And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that
    of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of
    the glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received
    not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are
    they who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust
    down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the
    devil, until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ
    the Lamb shall have finished his work. * * * And the glory of the
    telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one, for as one
    star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from
    another in glory in the telestial world; For these are they who
    are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say
    they are some of one and some of another some of Christ and some
    of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias,
    and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; But received not the gospel,
    neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the
    everlasting covenant. Last of all, these all are they who will
    not be gathered with the saints, to be caught up unto the church
    of the First Born, and received into the cloud. These are they
    who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers,
    and whosoever loves and makes a lie. * * * These are they who are
    cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the
    fullness of times when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under
    his feet, and shall have perfected his work, * * * But behold, and
    lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world,
    that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of
    heaven, or as the sand upon the sea shore, And heard the voice of
    the Lord, saying these all shall bow the knee, and every tongue
    shall confess to him who sits upon the throne for ever and ever;
    For they shall be judged according to their works, and every man
    shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the
    mansions which are prepared, And they shall be servants of the
    Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds
    without end." (Verses 81-85, 98-103, 106, 109-112.)

"Mormonism" proclaims the possibility of eternal advancement within
the several kingdoms provided in the hereafter and teaches that even
repentance is possible beyond the grave. It utters solemn warning,
however, against procrastination and wilful neglect here, holding
that this life is strictly a probationary period given unto men for
repentance and valiant service, and that to neglect is to lose the
ability to repent. It repudiates what it regards as a strained and
irrelevant exposition of a certain isolated passage from the Preacher
of old: "If the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the
place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." (Eccles. 11:3.) This
we do not believe was ever intended to mean that as the man is when he
dies so shall he be eternally; nor do we admit that the tenor of Holy
Writ supports any such inference. Neglect, wilful procrastination, evil
life here shall surely be a handicap to eternal progress; but however
far behind his more faithful fellows a sinner may fall, he shall yet
advance if he will but repent and try. Is it empty assumption to say
that such doctrine as this, given to the world through the Book of
Mormon in 1830, is more vital than the dogmas of neverending torment
and eternal damnation?

(C) It was long taught that the body is a hindrance and a burden to
the spirit, a thing to be contemned and despised. Carried to its
inevitable extreme this belief led to the abnormalities of asceticism,
monastic isolation, celibacy, and resultant evils. The spirit of this
age impels to healthful living, to the preservation of the body and the
conservation of its God-given functions, to the prudent observances of
sanitation and hygiene, to abstinence from intoxicants, narcotics and
stimulants generally. As early as February the Lord gave a revelation
to the Church touching matters of hygiene and diet. "The Word of
Wisdom" it has been rightly called; and its precepts are now proclaimed
by the teachers of men. Hear it:

    "That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you,
    behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father,
    only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments
    before him. And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the
    grape of the vine, of your own make. And, again, strong drinks are
    not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And again,
    tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good
    for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used
    with judgment and skill. And again, hot drinks are not for the body
    or belly. And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs
    God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man.
    Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season
    thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. Yea,
    flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have
    ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they
    are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they
    should not be used only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
    All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the
    staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field,
    and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on
    the earth; And these hath God made for the use of man only in times
    of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good for the food of
    man, as also the fruit of the vine, that which yieldeth fruit,
    whether in the ground or above the ground. Nevertheless, wheat for
    man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the
    fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley
    for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
    And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking
    in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their
    navel, and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great
    treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and
    not be weary, and shall walk and not faint; And I, the Lord, give
    unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them,
    as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen." (Doctrine and
    Covenants 89:5-21.)

Hot drinks against which the people are warned have been and are
understood to include tea and coffee, and the inhibition was preached
and published prior to the discovery by chemists that theine, caffeine
and kindred alkaloids are of pronounced deleterious and actually
poisonous effect. Here again has "Mormonism," as a living teacher, led
the way to the paths of a better life, not for the hereafter alone, but
for this world.

The most potent of all forces operating to maintain the vitality of
"Mormonism" is found in the Divine source of its powers and authority.
It teaches the actuality of present day revelation as the needs of the
Church require. The system lives and shall never die because it is
imbued with the spirit of eternal life. Men cannot destroy the Divine;
the mortal is impotent in assault upon the immortal; the finite is
powerless to prevail against the infinite.



3. _Some of the Practical Results_.

Had "Mormonism" died in its infancy the splendid results of its effects
upon mankind would be unknown even as history. To the vitality of the
system, to its inherent virility, is due the development at which today
the world marvels. Among the practical results of "Mormonism" are the
following.

(A) A system of church organization unknown, since the disintegration
of the Primitive Church through apostasy. This organization comprises
all the essential offices and officers of the olden Church-apostles,
high priests, seventies, elders, bishops, priests, teachers, deacons.
The religion of "Mormonism" is practical, dealing with the spiritual it
is true, but also in a prominent degree with the essentials of every
day life.

(B) An effective missionary system, by which the Gospel message is
proclaimed throughout the world, and that message of salvation is
delivered without money or price. Elders and missionary women are sent
out into the several fields, bearing their own expenses except so far
as they may receive assistance through the generosity of the people
amongst whom they labor.

(C) A coherent and mutually helpful body, in which the ties and
prejudices of diverse nationality and of varied tradition are swallowed
up in the common love for the Gospel and in the individual testimony
of its genuineness. When one of the early presiding officers of the
Church was asked by an earnest investigator wherein lay the secret of
the marvelous influence by which so great an aggregation of foreign and
otherwise diverse people were governed, the answer was: "We teach them
correct principles and they govern themselves."

This effect of the Gospel is apparent in the happiness and satisfaction
manifest among those who have become members of the Church after
real repentance. Apostasy from the Church is a rare phenomenon. Even
excommunication for failure to live aright is more common; and, be
it known, that the Lord's revelations to the Church provide that
transgression, if not followed by sincere contrition and earnest effort
to make amends, is to be visited by disfellowshipment.

Every Latter-day Saint is expected to be true to the sanctity of his
individual testimony. He is directly answerable to his God. As to his
conviction that the Gospel taught by the Church is genuine, he is held
to have undergone the test prescribed by the Christ that of doing the
will of God and thus learning for himself that the doctrine is true.
The peace and satisfaction evinced by converts to "Mormonism" well nigh
surpasses human belief.

(D) A self-supporting organization, not dependent upon the gifts of a
wealthy few, but upon the proportionate giving of all. In the material
support of the Church as a human institution the widow's penny is as
acceptable as are the goldpieces of the millionaire. The system of
tithepaying has been a success in the Church from the first. Every
member should consider it a duty to pay a tenth of his income, whether
that tenth for any given period be a dime or a thousand dollars; but
no payment is arbitrarily exacted, for compliance with the law of the
tithe, to be acceptable before God, must be voluntary and willing. The
people are taught that while the Lord needs their tithes and offerings,
their need to be tithed is many times greater. Besides the tithing
other free-will offerings are made. On the monthly fast day each family
is asked to contribute the cost-equivalent of the meals from which the
members have fasted; and the means so obtained is administered by the
bishops for the relief of the deserving poor. Special offerings are
called for and willingly given as occasion requires. A recent request
for aid to the war sufferers resulted in the voluntary and eager giving
of over $30,000 in a single day; and this amount was forwarded and
distributed without diminution for commission or other administrative
expense, the Church organization proving ample for the purpose.

(E) A series of auxiliary associations which operate as helps in
government. These include the Relief Society, the Sunday School Union,
the Young Men's and the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations,
the Primary Association, and the Religion Classes. The purpose of these
is in general indicated by the names. Church schools are maintained for
such members as prefer denominational to secular education; and these
institutions range from the kindergarten to the normal school and the
college. We believe that true education comprises the development of
body, mind, and spirit; and facilities for this symmetrical training
are provided. To "Mormon" pupils in the public schools of both common
and secondary grades instruction in religion and ethics is given
through the Religion Classes, which are conducted outside the regular
school hours and as a supplement to the secular curriculum. This
instructional feature, now advocated by eminent educators for all
public schools, has been in successful operation among the Latter-day
Saints for over a quarter of a century.

(F) A community whose vital statistics tell of prolonged life, high
birth and low death rates, high marriage rate, few divorces, and
general material prosperity. I present to you a few comparisons of
data obtained from the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, showing the
condition of Latter-day Saints in the organized stakes of Zion, for
the six-year period ending with the year 1915, as contrasted with the
latest reports for such States of the Union as maintain statistical
bureaus and are classed in official reports as the registration area.

Among the Latter-day Saints resident in the Stakes. In the country at
large so far as reported

Birth rate per 1,000................39.........................25

Death rate per 1,000............... 8.7........................14.1

Marriage rate per 1,000.............16.........................13

Divorces per 10,000..................4.........................10

Average age at death.................38........................32

The statistics of infant mortality are strikingly significant. Deaths
from all causes among children under one year of age averaged for
the three years ending with 1915 fewer than 59 per thousand births
in "Mormon" families, while the latest report from the United States
registration area shows 249 deaths per thousand. Deaths of children
under five years of age, including those who die under one year,
separately reported, average 82 per thousand births among "Mormons" and
349 for the country at large.

A letter from the Presiding Bishopric to the author, accompanying the
statistical report from which the foregoing items have been culled,
contains the following statement: "A detailed record is kept of all the
causes of death among Latter-day Saints in the intermountain region.
This is carefully supervised by local officers and compiled, and we
think it is even more accurate than are the average statistics of the
best regulated States of the Union. Details concerning any group of
causes of death under the international classification are on file
subject to examination by any who may be interested."

One of the certified causes of death in which "Mormons" lead the
country is old age. In Latter-day Saint communities the families owning
their own homes constitute 75 per cent of the whole number of families.
Think what this means the absence of rent-collector or landlord, whose
shadow too often converts the home into a dreary house.

Yes, "Mormonism" is alive. The world is better for its presence.
It extends to all peoples the invitation to come, to drink at its
fountains, to partake of its fruits, and to rejoice in the countless
blessings offered by the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.



ARTICLES OF FAITH

OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ,
and in the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for
Adam's transgression.

3. We believe that, through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be
saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel
are: First, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third,
Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of
Hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by "prophecy, and by
the laying on of bauds," by those who are in authority, to preach the
gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive
church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc.

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions,
healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is
translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word
of God.

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal,
and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things
pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the
restoration of the Ten Tribes. That Zion will be built upon this
continent. That Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that
the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisical glory.

11. 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.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and
magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous,
and in doing good to ALL MEN; indeed we may say that we follow the
admonition of Paul, "We believe all things, we hope all things," we
have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If
there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy
we seek after these things. JOSEPH SMITH.







End of Project Gutenberg's The Vitality of 'Mormonism', by James E. Talmage