Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-18
COMMON SENSE IN RELIGION

Let your moderation be known Of
all men," said the Apostle Paul. II Is
good advice. One OF Peters admoni
tons was, add to your faith temper
ance." II is unwise to go to extremes
In anything, Conservatism may be as
excessive az radicallsm. The golden
rule Of the medium between two ex-
tremes" Is one that may be followed
with safety and with profit.
There are, however special conditions
and circumstances requiring extraor-
binary effort. and persons are raised
up by the Almighty for that particular
work, and they are endowed with more
than common powers to accomplish 1t.
Their example cannot be followed by
everybody, but only by individuals SIM
larly called and similarly situated.
One of the privileges OF mortals is to
enquire OF the Lord, personally, and ask
for blessings which they desire. Fast
Ing and prayer are means to obtain
righteous ends. But often, devout peo-
pie become too anxious and too persist
ent In their petitions, and lose sight Of
the duties Of life, becoming neglectful
OF things that ought to engage their at
tention. They thus become Incorporate
In their religious Indulgence, and Inn
moderate In their devotions. All that
Is wrong and is not pleasing to Deity.
We are living In mortality. Our bodies
need attention as well as our spiritual
nature. We are In this world now, and
its cares and responsibilities are upon
us and are Just as requisite as spiritual
aspirations and exercises. II Is true re-
ligion to attend TO them In the season
thereof, and to so conduct ourselves
that our acts will be pleasing TO God
and beneficial TO man, TO preserve our
bodies In health and in condition to be
useful and live out our fun time, Is as
much part Of real religion as TO pray
and mediate and sing praises to the
Lord
Fasting Is not very common among
mankind, Excess is usually In eating
and drinking. The appetite IL INDUCED
lnordinately. But there are people who
fast too often and too long. II becomes
with them sort of mania. AL every oc-
casion when they think they ought to
obtain some special divine favor, they
90 without food for lengthy periods
and by that means weaken their bodies
and enfeebe their minds. They rem
der themselves sometimes a prey to evil
influences, They thus reach the very
opposite Of that which they aimed at
This Is because OF their excess which
is lntemperance.
1t is true that some great prophets
tasted many days In succession, a few
Of them for forty days and forty
nights" But they were exceptional
persons and formed exceptional cases
Ordinary individuals are not justified
in trying to initiate them. The Church
has instituted regular fast on the
first Sunday In the month and ordinari-
ly this Is sufficient. On some special
occasion II may be quite proper to ex-
tend fast to longer hours, but wisdom
should always govern zeal and modera-
ton temper desire.
Some people become unbalanced in
mind by protracted fasting. Their in
tentions may be excellent but their
powers of endurance fail. Every one
should understand his or her own ma
ture and strength, and not oyertax 1t
expecting that God will intervene, when
they waste the energy which He has
given them to use In reason. Intemper-
ance in anything is displeasing to the
Lord, and this may be committed In
fasting and any other form of devotion
We drop these few hints by way Of
caution. Latter-day Saints should use
common sense in eating and drinking
in fasting and every other act OF life.
Moderation is rational and IT Is also
religious. Beware of excess In any d.
reetlon. Earnestness in a good cause
is commendable. without 1t there can
be no great success. But enthusiasm
carried to extremes becomes a species
Of lunacy and is harmful and wrong.
Some advocates of what they call
Temperance" are the most Incorporate
Of mankind. They think It relates to
nothing but the use Of strong drink.
They 20 crazy over their one Idea. They
violate law In their efforts to promote
law. They look only on one side OF their
hobby. They have no regard for the
views or the wishes or requirements Of
other people II is the same In many
other theories and pursuits. II is mark
os faluticism and folly when only one
side Of question is examined, and the
other Is ignored or repudlated without
investigation. And intolerance and
phreuzy are not right in any cause. but
are offensive to God as well as man.
Let us be firm for the right as we
understand H. jealous to promote good
rules ana principles, devoted to our
religious convictions, earnest and faith.
ful IN our religious exercises. and
prompt in all our religious duties. But
let - be temperate and moderate and
calm In all things. and understand that
bodily health. strength and comfort are
as pleasing to our Heavenly Father
and essential to our welfare. as self
denial, self-control, and the devotional
feelings and acts which some folks mis-
iakenly imagine 10 be the sum and sub
itance Of the Christian religion.