(by Dennis B. Horne)
[Pres.
Ivins began his October
7, 1917 general conference address by reading from the Book of Mormon,
Mosiah 26:1-4:]
"Now
it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not
understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he
spake unto his people; and they did not believe the traditions of their
fathers.
"They
did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead,
neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.
"And
now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and
their hearts were hardened.
"And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the Church. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God."
Since the
last general conference of the Church, in April, I have visited many of the
organized stakes of Zion. I have been in Canada on the north, and to the
extreme limits of this state in the south, and it affords me great pleasure and
sincere satisfaction to testify before this large congregation of Latter-day
Saints to the faith, the devotion and good works of the great majority of the
Latter-day Saints wherever I have been. I have found, however, in all of these
different localities people who appear to lack faith, who are indifferent to
the doctrines of the gospel as taught by the Church, they do not believe, or at
least doubt, that the spirit of man existed before coming to this world, that
it lives after leaving it, or that there will be a reunion of the spirit and
body in the resurrection from the dead. To them this life is all there is of
human existence. In searching for the cause which led up to the unbelief of
these young people among the Nephites, to whom the scripture which I have read
refers, I discovered, to use the words of those who kept their records, that
there appeared among them men of cunning device and flattering words, teaching
doctrines which were destructive of faith in God, Prominent among such men was
Korihor, from whose words I now wish to read [Alma 30:13-16]:
"Oh,
ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke
yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man
can know of any thing which is to come.
"Behold,
these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy
prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.
"How
do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not
see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.
"Ye
look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But, behold, it is
the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because
of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things
which are not so.
"And
many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no
atonement made for the sins of men, but that every man fared in this life
according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered
according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his
strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.
"And
thus did he preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to
lift up their heads in their wickedness; . . . telling them that when a man was
dead, that was the end thereof."
As I read
and reflected upon these words, I thought how like the past the present is,
when applied to this question. Recently, in one of the stakes of Zion which I
visited, a man professing great learning, before a public gathering, with
cunning device and flattering words declared to those to whom his remarks were
addressed that their ancestors hung from the branches of the forest trees by
their tales. With boldness he advocated the theory that man had gradually
evolved, without conscious effort, from the lowest type of created life to what
he now is, and that as his past had been a continued process of change so is
his future to be.
In this, I
thought, he is at least consistent, for if man was not always what he is now,
if it is true that he has gradually come up from the lower order of created
things, what changes may not the future ages bring to him! I took occasion to
question the theory advocated by this man, to point out what appeared to me to
be its inconsistencies, with the result that a request was made that I read
certain books which treated the subject of evolution: some of them, it was
said, were in very general use in our common schools. I did so, with the result
that my conclusions, long since arrived at, were more strongly confirmed than
ever before, and my faith in the revealed word of the Lord strengthened, if
that were possible.
The
doctrine taught in these books takes you into the realm of doubt, teaches that
this earth and all things which are upon it are the result of chance, it leaves
you bewildered regarding the past, uncertain of the present, and without hope
in the future. The truth, as revealed from heaven, teaches the plan of an
infinitely wise creator, designed for the accomplishment of a divine purpose.
I know it
will be claimed that I am not capable of discussing this question, that I am
not a learned man, that I have no college degree, and consequently am incapable
of rendering intelligent judgment. I admit that I have not passed my life
behind closed doors, reading books written by uninspired men, and accepting
their conclusions without reserve. I have not passed it in an effort to
produce, by cross breeding, a new species of guinea pig, or by selection and
intensive cultivation a new variety of pea; but I have read some books, have
been in close contact with nature, unspoiled by the hand of man, have been an
observer and student of my surroundings, until I have reached conclusions which
satisfy me, and seem to justify my faith, and so I am going to assume to tread
upon this ground made sacred to men of so-called learning, and express to this
congregation the result of some of my observations.
This modern
theory of evolution suggests that at a period in the past, so remote that it is
almost beyond conception, by some spontaneous action, the earth came into
existence. By degrees life appeared upon it; it gradually changed under some
natural process until what in the beginning was a very inferior form of
vegetable and animal life evolved into what the world now is, with man
representing its highest development.
I take it
for granted that if this theory is admitted it must logically follow that this
evolution from an inferior condition is still in process of development, and
that just as man at present has no association or affinity with the source from
which he is said to have sprung, so as the ages pass he will be as unlike what
he now is, as he is now unlike what he once was.
In contrast
to this theory we have the doctrine, taught by the Church, that the earth, and
all that is upon it, were created by God's fiat, or decree. That the earth, the
vegetation, and all life were created in successive periods, and lastly man, in
the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. The only
created thing which was in the image of God, the only created thing endowed
with reason, and in a degree with the intelligence of the Creator. And God gave
to man dominion over the fishes of the sea, the fowls of the air, and every
other created thing. Because of transgression a curse came upon the earth, and
it was decreed that thorns and thistles should be its spontaneous product, that
the natural tendency of all created things should be toward decay and
dissolution, and that redemption from these untoward conditions could only come
through the application of the intelligence with which man had been endowed,
and the effort which he put forth to subdue the earth and redeem it until it
should be restored to its paradisiacal glory.
I desire to
ask advocates of this theory of evolution without conscious effort, to point me
to a single instance where, within the known history of the world, any living
thing has, without application of the intelligent effort of man, which is the
application of the intelligence of God, changed from what it was to something
else, where a thing has come up from an inferior to a superior condition. On
the other hand my own observation has taught me that the moment the most highly
developed thing is left to itself, left to chance, without the intelligent
application of the intelligence of man, it immediately reverts from what it is
to an inferior condition, just as the Lord decreed it should. . . .
My brethren
and sisters, the thought which I wish to leave with you is this, in your search
after knowledge, in your desire to become profound, in your study of
philosophy, do not lose sight of this one thought: that God, the Creator of
heaven and earth is the author of intelligence and all the light, and
knowledge, and wisdom which has come to man or which will ever come to him
emanates from that source. Do not allow yourselves, because of the words of
men, of cunning device and flattering words—they are here just as they were
among the Nephites, to delude you and lead you away from the eternal truth,
that we must recognize God our Father, who is the author of all things, the
Creator of heaven and earth, to whom all men owe deference, and allegiance, and
service, whether they render it or not. Do not deny the atonement wrought out
by his only begotten son. Do not become obsessed with the thought that this
life is all there is to human existence, because it is a fallacy. I bear
witness of it to you in all humility. I have tried to understand, I have
studied, I have sought the Lord from my youth until the present time when I am
growing old. I find from my own observation, my own study, and the testimony
which God has given me, the eternal truth of these things growing stronger and
stronger, if that were possible. He has restored the truth to the earth through
the agency of the Prophet Joseph Smith; the fulness of the gospel is here; it
is the power of God unto salvation and has in it everlasting life to all of
those who believe and obey.
May the Lord preserve us from delusions which are abroad in the land, fix faith firmly in our hearts that we may hold fast to the iron rod which is the word of God, and it will bear us safely through, until we find our way back into the presence of our Creator, and then we will understand. Yes, there has been evolution, evolution will continue until we shall become like him, knowing as we are known, seeing as we are seen, and comprehending that in all these wonderful works that are around us, the wisdom of God is manifest and that the laws by which they have been accomplished are simple, and will be simple to us when we come to understand them. The Lord preserve us all in the truth, keep us from the delusive snares of the adversary.
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