Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-20
Herald Letter Box is the Peoples FOrurn
IMMORTALITY OF MAN AND
SPIRITUALITY DISCUSSED

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15.-GEditor
Heraldl; Being greatly interested in
what is termed spiritual matters, this
letter is called out by the remarks of
Rev. Charles Edward Locke concern
ing mans Immortality and future be-
ing. In common with all other ac-
credited ministers of the various
churches, he presupposes that each in
dividual on the face of the earth is in
possession of a spiritual soul, and that
this part of man upon dissolution of the
organic structure passes on to a place
and condition called heaven. 1t is
strange that people of supposed intelli-
gence should entertain views so con-
trary to evidence of logic and reason.
Let us first examine the idea or con-
ception of the word spirit" Every
thing and everybody possesses spirit.
The Lord Christ, speaking regarding
this, said: MY words that l speak to
you, they are spirit" If this country
should send a delegate to some far-off
nation, to a people of a low grade of
civilization, and introduce more just
and equitable laws, the message as
spoken by the delegate would be the
spirit of that messenger and of the
country he represented; that is clear.
Now God, who is an aggregation Of
beings functioning as one man, dele
gated one of this number to this earth,
and his words are his spirit and the
spirit of that perfect organization,
namely, God. He came from God and
returned to God, and speaking of this
coming and going he said: mo man
hath ascended to heaven, but he that
descended from heaven" (John 3;13).
Now let us ask who of us descended
from heaven, or in other words, who of
us is born of God? To descend from
!, 10 n If God the dpsiTa
and will of man should be at one with
God. This atone -ment, however, can
never be begun until man ceases to be
an animal. The function controlling all
animal creation is generation, and so
long as man desires and wills like an
animal he has only an animal soul, for
soul is nothing but desire and will.'
Now to suppose for an instant that an
animal soul can dwell in the presence
and midst of God is absurd. Souls of
men differ, and after leaving the or
ganic structure retain their conscious
ness only for a little while, for they
have no access to life. II go my way
and ye shall seek me, and shall die in
your sins. whittier I go ye cannot
come" John sgd. The vast majority,
however, hover around the earth in To-
calities and among people congenial to
their likes and dislikes. Let US ask
again how do we support our spirit. AS
a soul each man believes in some power
(God) of deliverance. How does the
soul support that spirit? With its
thinking, willing and acting, thus Civ
ing life to the power (God) in which 1t
trusts.
From this it becomes plain that If
man only idealizes God and thinks,
wills and acts like an animal, he cannot
become conscious of heaven after death,
for mans consciousness is made up out
of thoughts, wills and acts. The form
of man is alike the world over, but
souls occupying those forms differ, and
we are separate individuals because we
live for the sake of out bodies. Our
hopes, loves, aspirations, fears, ETC., are
local, and this selfishness had its In
ception when man entered, or When-
ever he enters, the generatiVe realm SO
as to gain knowledge in the deiusions
of matter. Again, it is erroneous TO
assume that mind is spirit and survives
after death. What is mind? 1t is not
matter. but is the will of man to be-
come. Is man desirous to become IKE
unto God? If it is he must cease to be
like an animal. To be and become I'M
mortal the soul of man must not oi1iy
retain it's consciousness in thought, Will
and activity, but possess also a form
and it is impossible for man to jump
up from his present low estate into a
perfect condition in heaven; he must
grow by degrees, and there are only
very few men today who could be ad-
mitted to become members of an asso-
citation where all live the life of abso-
lutte virtue, truth and right doing.
AS heaven is inhabited by eternally
conscious beings, man after death must
be In possession OF an endless self
consciousness. That is plain. He must
know and realize himself as a being OF
use in which he could serve to and IN
the body with which he desires to al
fliate, In this new organization man
must sink his local self-particular1ty
into the unit, the community, and re-
spond to the viii of the spirit governing
| the whole unit. We take those require
ments to become a member of heaven
| from our custom of admitting to citl-
zenship foreign people, and we ask for
certain qualities in man before he can
| become one of US. However, we do not
see any evidence in the scriptures OF
diving in order to go to heaven. the
whole gist of the Bible is a method by
| which man could establish heaven ON
earth. We pray, Thy kingdom come
! INV will be done in earth as it is in
heaven" ALhA II II De-
r