The record-union., 1899-09-03
MAN rs GOD!
(Written for the Record Union by
Shook Pumpkins)

! In discussing a matter that involves
the religion Of men, one should not
forget his subject is one that deserves
the most thoughtful and charitable
consideration. It matters not what a
mans religion is-whether it be the
| highest type of Christianity or the
rudeSt form of superstitious idolatry
according to accepted civilized inter-
pretation) the individual devotee of
that religion holds his faith as divine
ly sacred and of right exempt from
proclamation. And no one has a right
to insult a fellow human being by slur-
ring or scofing at his religion, no mat
ter how absurd or unreasonable it may
appear to his intelligence or teachings.
There is not religious doctrine or
belief on the earth to-day that is not
looked upon as unreasonable and un-
true by a great number of other people
holding to other faiths; and yet the
one as honestly believes he has as much
right to the claim of divine revelation
or prophetic inspiration as the other,
This religion teaches one code of ethics
while that religion teachers another
diametrically opposite.
I would ask in all candor which re-
ligion among the hundreds of organ
lied faiths held by the people of the
world is the only and true doctrine
sanctioned by divine, unmythical wis
dom? Or are all established religions
of men fiction and fancy?
If it be true that there can be
but one true religion-but one true faith
sanctioned by the God or gods of re-
ligious believers, it certainly behooves
every man to search for that correct
rule of action with the deepest and
profoundest consideration. Men should
think and act in concert to find the
truth rather than obscure and dim the
truth by dissensions and discord of con-
siderations.
We read in the Bible that the Chris
tians God called unto the people Of
the earth and bade them Come and
let us reason together" He did not
order them to muzzle these faculties
with which they were endowed, and let
Him advance all the ideas, but the peo-
pie We're to exercise their powers Of
reasoning. He did not tell them that
He had dogmatic rules to lay down for
them which they should accept blindly.
They We're to reason together-He with
them, and they with Him.
In order that men may put them
selves in a proper frame of mind to rea-
son upon any question, either sacred
or profane, they must be prepared to
accept the ideas of others, when rea-
sonable, and discard ideas they may
have before held the moment they see
they are in error It is greater evi-
dence of wisdom to accept a newly
ho to i'm
plant an old entertained fallacy into
the minds of ones fellowmen. If God
requires men to come and reason to-
gether, they certainly do their part
when they do the best they can to
obey the order. After His invitation
God would hardly absent Himself from
such meetings from that day to this.
If He does not absent Himself, can we
recognize His presence except as rep
resented by the intelligence of men?
Has there ever been an assemblage Of
men where a higher power has been
evident than the matured wisdom Of
men? We are told that where a few
are gathered together in Gods name
there He will be also! The only evil
dence of His presence is found repre-
sented by the sound wisdom of the
men so gathered together. He makes
no specific promise tobe with indiv-
iduals as such.
If a religion is a necessity-if a per-
sonal God requires of His creatures a
specified formula of beliefs and system
attic rules of action-it seems incon-
trovertable that those formula and rules
should be uniform harmonious and
just. If our allegiance to His rules and
formula are indispensable to the future
welfare of souls for all discerning
ages and ages to come, we ought to
devote more time, study and thought
to the matter than we do. We should
become familiar with divine laws if
we can possibly do so-and to believe
that a God would condemn a man for
not obeying a law that he could not
understand is sacrelige of the worst
type. If a personal God has ever re-
yealed Himself to man, He did SO that
| His character and nature might be
! known to His creatures. If those who
claimed that God revealed Himself to
them differ as to His personality and
tell us that His requirements were con-
f1icting, we must come and reason
together" and allow the faculties of our
mind to decide who is right and who
is wrong.
If our best reason tells us that they
are all wrong then we must appeal to
our own reason and conscience to de-
eide the matter for ourselves, inde-
pendently of pretended revelation, and
it behooves us to decide the matter
well. We prostitute the noblest nature
in us if we trample under foot the die
tateS of our reason, simply because our
teachings or inclinations have been
along other lines. If we accept blindly,
without the feeblest exercise of our
highest faculties, what others tell US
of our Creator and His wishes, we do
not accept the invitation or command
to Come and let us reason together!"
i Would it be reasonable for me to de-
mand that you accept, without ques-
ton, as divine truth that the Lord sent
His angel from heaven with His new
message to Joseph Smith, while I spurn
the thought that an angel equally en-
dowed appeared to the Moslem prophet
Mohammed? No angel has ever ap-
peared to me TO confirm the truth OF
either Joseph Smith or Mohammed'5 5
claim. Yet there are people who be-
lieve I should accept them as truth
with the same child-like faith that
Christians accept the story of the i'm
maculate birth of Jesus. If the same
reasons dictate to any one that the
writings of the Apostles were not in
spired that suggest that the Koran or
Book of Mormon were not inspired