A Rational Theology, as Taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — John Shaqi
A Rational Theology, as Taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsWidtsoe, John Andreas
Religion
A Rational Theology, as Taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Widtsoe, John Andreas
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines; Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines; Theology
Naturally, the original spirit, possessing, with all other attributes
of intelligence, the power of will, exercised that will upon the
contents of the universe. The exercise of the will upon the matter and
energy within reach, enabled the intelligent beings, little by little,
to acquire power. By the use of his will upon the contents of the
universe, man must have become what he now is.
**Value of the Will.** The above doctrine involves the idea of
self-effort. It is only when the will is exercised in a certain
direction that the support of other forces may be invited so that
progress in that direction may be accelerated. From the beginning, the
deliberate use of the will has moved personal beings onward; and in
this latest day of our existence, it is the will that moves men into
greater lives. Undoubtedly, the will of man will determine the
completion of the structure built through all ages into a perfected
man.
The Gospel, resting upon eternal, indestructible principles, maintains
the living supremacy of the will of man. The culture, training and use
of the will, for good or for evil, determine primarily the direction
of an individual life.
CHAPTER 5.
THE GREAT LAW.
The innumerable interactions of the matter, energy and intelligences
of the universe, must be held together by some great law. This
universal law to which all lesser laws contribute, must be of real
concern to the man who seeks a true philosophy of life.
**Increasing Complexity of the Universe.** It has already been said
that a universe controlled by intelligence and under the reign of the
law of cause and effect cannot be conceived to be in confusion. Man is
absolutely certain, if his knowledge is rational, that, whether it be
yesterday, today or tomorrow, the same act, under the same conditions,
will produce the same result. Under a set of given conditions, a ray
of sunshine passed through a glass prism will always be broken into
the same spectrum, or a straight stick standing in water will always
appear crooked. Whether in the physical, mental or moral world, the
law of cause and effect reigns supreme.
Quiescence in the universe can not be conceived, for then there would
be no universe. Constant action or movement characterizes the
universe. The multiplicity of actions upon each other, of the various
forms of matter, energy and intelligence, composing the universe, must
cause an equal multiplicity of effects. Moreover, increasing
intelligent wills, acting upon matter and energy, must and do produce
an increasing series of reactions among the forces of the universe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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