The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-05-12
AS TO PRE-EXISTENCE.

Ao ~ fhE-EAISIENCE.
VI late there has been very interesting
discussion between JAMES T. B1xLEY, Phi.
d., and DIR. FELIX OSWALD, in the Arena.
The question under consideration has been
us the New Testament of East Indian
origins" DR.. OSWALD, struck with num-
Der OF doctrines common to both Buddhism
and Christianity, argues that inasmuch as
Buddhism came upon the stage of history
Tour hundred years before Christianity, all
things considered, concludes there can be
no question but what certain accounts and
doctrines contained in the gospel were de-
rived from Buddhism. Mr. BIXLEY OPP
poses this theory of DIR. OswALD's princi-
palIy on the ground that the differences
between the gospel and Buddhism are so
much more positive than the likeness that
the latter are insufficient to prove the case.
He maintains that the differences are funda-
mental in the two religions, and presents
the following in proof: "Christianity
has, as its central doctrine, the Father
hood of personal God; in Buddhism,
there is no belief in a personal Supreme
Being. Christianity takes cheerful view
OF life, bidding men hope and rejoice;
Buddhism is pessimism which proclaims
the universal reign of sorrow and that life
is an evil in itself. Christtanttu recoonizes
no precious existence; Buddhism is founded
upon the doctrine of re-incarnation, and
that the misfortunes in the present life are
retrloutions for sins in preceding life'
The italics in the above are ours, and
they state the subject that we here wish to
discuss. In the main we believe Mr.
b1XLEY has the truth on his side in the dis
cussion, but where he states that ''Chris-
hanlty recognizes no previous existence
be IS far, very far from the truth. True
Christianity may not recognize the doctrine
OF re-lncarnation as taught in Buddhism,
including as it does the TRANSPORTATION of
souls; but to say it recognize no previ-
Gus state of existence is manifestly
against the plain teaching of the founder of
the Christian religion. In conversation
with the Jews on one occasion the Messiah
said: "Your father ABRAHAM rejoiced to
see my day; and he saw it, and was glad
Thou art not yet fifty years DID," said the
indignant Jews, land hast thou seen
ABRAHAM" "Verily 1 say unto you, be-
fore ABRAHAM was, am replied JESUS.
Surely this refers to some previous exist
ence that JESUS had before He lived among
men in the flesh, .even before ABRAHAM
lived. So must the passage following,
which is taken from the prayer He offered
up to His Father just previous to His be-
trayal: "And now, o Father, glorify Thou
Me with Thine own self with the glory
which l had with Thee before the world
was" PAUL said of Him, that Con, who
at sundry times had spoken to the
had in his day spoken unto the
people by His son, ''whom He hath ap-
appointed heir of all things, by whom also
He made the WORLDS
1t seems, then, that JESUS speaks
of an existence that He had before
ABRAHAM lived in the flesh, of glory that
ne had with his Father before the world
was; and lastly we have PAUL declaring
not only that JESUS existed before the world
was, but that GoD by Him created the
worlds, not only ours but others also. iii
be answered to all this that the passages
quoted only prove that JESUS had an ex-
lstence before He lived in the flesh and mt
that all men had such an existence our
answer is that JESUS is but orr elder
brother, the hrst born among manv sons
who in common with his brethren shared
the parental care and communion of the
Father-GoD. JESUS himself addressed
GoD as Father; he instructed his followers
to do the same 1--WE have had fathers of
the flesh" said one of the inspired writers.
land we gave them reverence; shall we NOT
much rather be in subsection to the father
of spirits and lives" Thus the scriptures
teach the fatherhood Of GoD and with If
runs side by side the brotherhood
OF men with JESUS CHRIsT-actual. real
brotherhood, not fancy. mt
a name merely, sound, but condition
fact; and as the spirit of JESUS existed he
fore the tabernacle in the flesh, so did the
spirits or all men. So sure were the
apostles of this doctrine, that when thew
came up to the man sitting by the gate |
Beautiful leading into Jerusalem, thew said |
Master, who did sin, this man or his |
parents that he was born blindl" Messiah |
did not reproye them for holding the doc
trlne OF previous existence plainly evi-
dent here inasmuch as if the man had |
sinned and for that was born blind. then |
his sin must have been committed bsfora |
be lived in the tiesh-in his spirit existence
Messiah told his disciples that in this case
neither the blind man nor his parents had |
sinned, but in him might be shown forth |
the power of GoD. Then he healed him AZ |
his blindness. But there is no reproof mn !
for entertaining the belief in the |
pre- existence of the man.
Man is dual being. composed OF snirit
and body. The spirit is from COP. He is
is Father, 1t is spark struck from Hie
own eternal blaze: it lived in the spirit
world with GoD before it dwelt in the
iesh; it will live when the body dies. going
INTO the spirit world to await it's TINA in
,he resurrection when it will again he
'esurrected with its body and be immortal
Such are the teachings of holy writ in re.
alton to the spirit of man; and so an.
parent is the duality of man that all ra-
igions and all PHILOSOPHERS have recognized
hat fact and have given it place in their
systems; but more or less distorted from
what is taught in respect to the matter In
The sacred Jewish scriptures. So clearly
s the duality of man and the pre-existence
u the part we call spirit recognized in the
Of the scripture that we are sur
orlsed that Mr.. BIXLEY should claim that
L ia not racoonizad in ohr;s+;or;1