Outlines Of Mormon Philosophy - free ebook by Lycurgus A. (Lycurgus Arnold) Wilson

Outlines of Mormon Philosophy or The Answers Given by the Gospel, as Revealed Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, to the Questions of Life.

Author of the Life of David W. Patten. "Mormonism, as a theory, offers the most comprehensive and consistent explanation of the great mystery of existence."—Non-Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah...

17 minute read

Read Chapter

Dedication.

To the Memory of The Prophet Joseph Smith Through whom the Lord revealed these principles to man, and who gave his life in testimony of their truth, this book is reverently dedicated....

9 minute read

Read Chapter

PREFACE.

Every person, whether consciously or not, gradually builds up, from his observations and reason, a system of philosophy by which he explains, to himself at least, the problems that the new experiences of his life present for solution. It is of great importance, therefore, that, instead of basing one's system of thought upon the contradictory hypotheses of speculative philosophy, we start right, so that our ideas on the questions of life may square with the truth as it is known to the Lord. And t

1 minute read

Read Chapter

INTRODUCTORY CONDITIONS PRECEDENT

Time Matter...

3 minute read

Read Chapter

THE GOSPEL

Purpose Plan Covenants...

3 minute read

Read Chapter

CONCLUSION

"What a thoughtful man most longs for is some firm center about which he can organize his knowledge of the world, his experiences of life, a point of view from which he can gather all into an intelligible unity and from which he can press forward with a deep assurance of divine guidance and an adequate outcome."—Selected. History relates of Hypatia, the daughter of Theon, an eminent mathematician of Alexandria, that before being committed to the flames by an ignorant mob, she exclaimed:— "Who am

2 minute read

Read Chapter

1. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT.

Second,—The inception, purpose, plan, covenants and perpetuity of this system of organization in which we now find ourselves, under the head of,...

7 minute read

Read Chapter

2. THE GOSPEL.

Third,—The results, the fruits of this All-wise arrangement, under the head of,...

4 minute read

Read Chapter

3. CONDITIONS SUBSEQUENT.

It may be said at the outset that the attempt here made is to present in order and to hold up, as the answer to all the problems of life, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. There are only two reasons that come to mind, why this effort may not be acceptable; one is a disbelief on the part of the reader in the divinity of the Gospel, the other, is the inadequacy of this presentation. To the former objection it is sufficient for the inqui

47 minute read

Read Chapter

I. AS TO SPACE.

The school-boy is told that the idea held by people generally in the days of Columbus was that if the venturesome ships were to sail too far out on the ocean they would fall off into space; and in his silent meditations he often wonders where, in such a case, those ships would have gone. The natural answer to his mind is that they would have gone down; but when he learns later that the words "down" and "up" relate only to the earth, and that in speaking of space, there are no such terms as up or

3 minute read

Read Chapter

II. AS TO TIME.

Another of the questions of life, the answer to which is classed by Herbert Spencer as among the "unknowable," is time; and of the same mind apparently is Thomas Carlyle, who says: "The illimitable, silent, never-resting thing called 'time,' rolling, rushing on—this is forever very literally, a miracle, a thing to strike us dumb." All sorts of ideas have been advanced in all ages of the world as to the mystery of time, and even its very existence has been called into question, as witness the fol

1 minute read

Read Chapter

III. AS TO MATTER.

Some writer has characterized the passage in Genesis, "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light," as the perfection of beauty in expression; but we venture to place over against it another, this, however, directly from a Divine source through the Prophet Joseph Smith. What could be more succinct or beautiful or more richly laden with truth respecting conditions precedent than the words, "The elements are eternal?" [10] That expression is worth more to the scientist who will receive it

6 minute read

Read Chapter

SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS PRECEDENT.

Summarizing conditions precedent, we, therefore, find: I. That space is, always has been, and ever must be, without bounds. II. That time never had a beginning and cannot have an end. III. That matter is uncreated, indestructible, eternal. IV. That intelligences always were and always will be individual entities, and, however varied in capacity, never had a beginning and can never be annihilated. Abroad in boundless space, therefore, with unlimited time in which to learn, and labor, are intellig

25 minute read

Read Chapter

V. INCEPTION OF THE GOSPEL.

" The glory of God is intelligence ." Perhaps our best conception of chaos, in miniature, may be had by observing the floating, restless, erratic particles of matter to be seen in the path of a ray of sunshine, when admitted into a dark room. One's uppermost longing at such a time is to introduce order into this jarring, discordant sphere. And that condition and that sentiment have no doubt met before. The psychologist would trace the desire back to a time before the formation of Kolob, when myr

5 minute read

Read Chapter

VI. PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL.

The instructor in school or college, before commencing his work, carefully lays out his courses of study with a definite purpose in view for each course, and is able at the outset to give not only an outline of the work to be done, but the purpose of each course, so that he can tell the applicant for instruction which course will fit him, for example, for practice as a civil engineer. And this line of procedure is of great importance. Under such an arrangement, the student at every stage of his

2 minute read

Read Chapter

VII. PLAN OF THE GOSPEL.

We may use still further the comparison of instructor and pupil. The plan of the work he is to pursue is laid before the student at the outset. All the steps of his progress are pointed out to him from the opening of his course until his graduation. In outline he can trace his work throughout, and can tell at any stage of his advancement how far he has come, and what yet remains to be done before he can claim his diploma. Just so the Lord has outlined the course of procedure under the Gospel pla

2 minute read

Read Chapter

VIII. COVENANTS OF THE GOSPEL.

Pursuing the comparison of instructor and student still further, we find that their relations are governed by an implied contract from beginning to end. The student who sets out to take a course of instruction in civil engineering, for instance, agrees, on his part, to follow the directions of the instructor throughout the term of years prescribed to complete the work. On the part of the instructor an agreement is made that if the student will so follow the course laid out, for the stated number

7 minute read

Read Chapter

SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL.

Summarizing the Outline of the Gospel here presented, we find: I. That the Gospel had its inception when "God, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself." II. That the purpose of God in so doing was "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." III. That under the plan of the Gospel there are two estates, the keeping of both of which shall entitle th

1 minute read

Read Chapter

X. NATURE.

" But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you."—Book of Moses 1:35 . We come now to consider the fruits of this tree of life, the Gospel, as relates to nature, the environment of man. While we may view with wonder and with awe the marvelous works of God about us in the heavens, sill our interests, as ourselves, are confined to the earth upon which we dwell. It is true, the Lord has given us some notion of the vastness of His works, of Kolob, "the first creatio

3 minute read

Read Chapter

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.

" And it came to pass that Moses looked and beheld the world upon which he was created, and as Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created of the same, he greatly marveled and wondered."—Book of Moses 1:8 . The fruits of the Gospel as relates to the peopling of the earth through Adam, are not fully ripe. The generations of that lineage are still incomplete; but it is interesting to study the general outline of the plan which was laid

10 minute read

Read Chapter

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.

" Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." —II Nephi 2:25 . Many of the results of the Gospel with regard to man have been dwelt upon in the discussion up to this point, but there remain some considerations of importance yet to be detailed, particularly the object of his coming to this earth. We turn now, therefore, to a study of the special end in view under the Gospel plan, in clothing the spirit with mortality. The purpose of man's existence here is two-fold. One o

6 minute read

Read Chapter

CONCLUSION.

What, then, of our text? Does the Gospel, as revealed by the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith, furnish a thoughtful man with "a firm center about which he can organize his knowledge of the world?" Could any man originate a system of philosophy at once so simple, so reasonable, so comprehensive and so beneficent? Do not the answers it gives to the questions of life bear all the marks of Divinity? In answer, we shall here revert, both by way of summary, and by way of conclusion, to those univ

1 minute read

Read Chapter