Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-11-30

ture. he viii often act ne one bereft OF
reason. ~ where a man Of good nature
laughs where he should frown or re-
prove.
The commoneat form % the argument
that a man can become perfect without
religion or without faith Is God n this.
~ a man consclentlously fulnlls his call
ms and the work he IL appointed IN go
oioiy 70 do, ana a. a good ctizen loves
and defends his fatherland. etc. what
more can be required Of him TO fulhl
an righteousness7 We answer that %
man r. merely OF the earth earthly. n
he has only earthly and not heavenly
relationships and ties. n ne e. the child
" time only and not OF eternity also.
then these things may be all that can
IN reason be required Of him. But OBJ
serve that the common argument sust
given begs the question az issue by as
Stunning that man Is only an earthly be-
ing. whereas. the question really Us
whether besides being citizen. futher,
brother, friend. the human being Ia also
and above all a nlan-an eternal soul
a child Of the Most High. Many men
have actually filled with a considera-
bic degree OF perfection that particular
sphere OF their earthly calling to which
they devoted themselves and yet have
failed IN this sense as men. They have
failed as INFINITE or eternal beings.
There are many who have become ia
nous as men OF war. like Alexander
and Napoleon. or who as artists, poets,
men OF learning or politicians. have
In all things relating 70 their world
calling exhibited the finest feelings OF
duty and conacientiousness and have
unwearediy oarcome all difficulties
and obstacles. and yet the man in their
case may have been sacrificed 20 the
patriot. the man Of learning, or the pol
ltician. who" asks Johann Muller
"can be man. husband father, friend.
and yet write 50 immediately many
books7 ?" Such a type of human perfec-
ton is so incomplete that TO see II Is to
dlsapprove.
Observe that the emphasis Is on the
word man." In this quotation from
Muller. There Is something more than
Skill learning. ability, temperance, and
even something more than morality. in
the best meaning Of the expression TO
be true man or a true woman. II
is this something which religion sup
piles. II Is especially that fine sense,
that manliness and vigor, that modes
~ and absence Of self-exaltation. and
many more qualities that can be under
stood better than they can be defined.
In these qualities many OF the great or
good who have seemed eminent without
any especial profession Of religion have
usually been found lacking.
Goodness without religion Is possible,
but not probable. II found at all. # Is
only IN few cases in which individ-
ual peouliarities have caused a person
to have religion of his own rather
than none at all. And probably all
those cases in which goodness appear
to exist apart from the practice OF the
precepts OF religion, there Is really
much more religion than appears on the
surface. The unorthOdox man is not
necessarily irreligious, as shown IN the
case of Roger Williams. Dissent from
current forms OF religion is often and
enormously termed atheism. But Ten
nyson takes a much better and truer
view OF this form Of unbelief:
Perplexed I'm faith, but pure in deeds.
At length he rung this music out:
There lives more faith I'm honest doubt.
Believe me. than In half the creeds.