Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-08-09
LIGHT On THE FUTURE,

Some excellent thoughts on the feason
why faith in life to come is appar-
entity growing feeble in our age, are set
forth by a contributor TO the Contem-
porary Review The writer takes the
ground that the common conceptions Of
life after this, have come TO us through
the dark ages. They are tainted by
their narrowness Of outlook. their scien-
tIhc ignorance, their opposition Of the
natural to the supernatural, and for
that reason IT is not to be wondered at,
that they fail to satisfy a generation
before which such amazing vistas of
the universe have been opened up,
In contrast to the weak ideals Of a
future existence commonly found. the
writer points to the resurrected Savior
as furnishing the basis Of the true Ideal.
He was not, on His reappearance, an
intangible being, capable Of no activity
but singing. on the contrary, His risen
body was the perfect expression Of the
perfect life anlmating lt-bore the
marks Of His death ana passion, at
once bringing home His identity to the
minds Of His sorrowng disciples with a
strength of conviction which no other
evidence could have afforded, and deep
ly impresslng upon them the fact Of the
Intimate connection between the earthly
and the non-earthly life 1T is ] my
SELF whose experience before death
is go lndelbly wrought into the essence
OF my life, that it would not be fully
expressed unless It's physical manifes-
tation bore the marks Of my passion.
From this the writer concludes,
There can be no palmer teaching
than this that human life before and
after death Is continuous, and II must
be carefully borne in mind II we would
enter into the Christian conception OF
immortality. 1t viii be i myself TO
each one In the life TO come the same
unique individuality retaining the
marks and the memory Of those eX-
perences of suffering, Of sorrow, OF Joy,
which are the warp and wool OF the
earthly life; so common that they make
all men brothers, yet so distinct and Pc
culiar in each case that no other has
been on can be Identical. With II.
A very striking feature OF this reason
ing is the. lucldlty with which the writer
in the Review argues a distinctlvely
Mormon doctrine, which Is gradually
gaining ground among the thoughtful
Of the present age. II Is becoming
clear To many that this view only pre-
sents a true answer to the lfe's great
riddle Only II death can be looked upon
as the entrance to life, for which the
present Is merely a preparation, as a
college course Is preparation for the
duties of this earthly existence, can this
life have any meaning at all only when
II IL clearly understood that life. per-
sonality and individuality continue be-
yond the grave, can there be any oh
ject In striving through labor and self
sacrifice, for the development OF those
noble qualities with which human be-
ngs are endowed But light is gradu-
ally coming over this great and all-im-
portant question. When II Is fully un-
derstood It viii cause a wonderful
change In human affairs, For business,
social affairs, education, politics, all
viii assume a different aspect when
their influence upon our future exist
ence is fully realized.