2009-6-16 03:52:00
In going through my old papers I found a manuscript I wrote clear back at the age of 21. I started it at the end of my mission in 1966 when I was in England and finished it after I returned to the states.
I wasn't planning on ever publishing it to the group since much of my thinking has evolved and changed since then but after looking it over I changed my mind. There are still a lot of good thinking and reasoning in it even though it was written before I believed in reincarnation or read any Alice A. Bailey or related works. My highest source of knowledge back then were the scriptures, science and Joseph Smith's writings.
I felt that the most important teachings within the church were the eternal nature of man and that he existed before birth. The LDS do not believe in reincarnation, but they do believe we lived before birth with God.
People in the [Mormon] church often use their own scriptures in an attempt to convince others of their doctrine, but this carries little weight with non-members. I therefore decided to write a treatise proving the eternal nature of man using the Bible as the only source of scripture along with logic and reasoning.
As you read this do it with the realization that my beliefs and mindset were quite a bit different back then than they are now as I was a dedicated member of the LDS [Latter-Day Saint] Church when I wrote this. Even so, just about all I wrote at that time was true. The basic difference between now and then is that I have a much broader knowledge and vision now than I did at that time.
Still, I made the best of the highest I knew at the time. I hope you enjoy it.
We have all met people whom we are sure we have never seen before, but they seem familiar. "I'm sure I've seen him somewhere," one often thinks. Perhaps you have traveled somewhere you have never been before in this life and all the surroundings look familiar. One often wonders why he has a different personality, different tastes, and different talents than everyone else. Surely you have dreamed great dreams and had great aspirations to the extent that your mind seems elevated to the third heaven. You have probably listened to great music, which stimulated your mind and exalted the vision of your potential. Many ask the question: If God is all good and powerful then why did he make those who are evil?
These questions and many others can be answered if one understands the history and destiny of that spirit which is in him. I was thus prompted to write that a fuller understanding and conviction may be gained as to man's true source and origin. My sources of information for this text are the Spirit of God, logic, and the most common source of scripture, the Bible. These three tools should be sufficient to teach and convince any man the truth of his source.
I have given my text the title "The Eternal Spirit," the truth of which is supported by Paul's statement: "the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor 4:18) The context reveals that he was talking about the spirit within us as well as heavenly things. This scripture plainly tells us that the spirit within us is eternal. Webster's New World Dictionary defines the word "eternal" as being "without beginning or end."
The main purpose of this treatise is to support these statements of Webster and Paul.
Most Christian sects believe that life, or conscious thinking began at birth. They say that our ability to think, act, and make decisions never existed before then, and God caused our intelligence to come into existence when we were born. To test the logic of that statement put yourself in God's position. You can do anything You want. You have all power. You know all. Everything is within Your grasp. You decide to create some beings in Your image, and You will call them men. The first couple You make are called Adam and Eve. Now You have created them You decide to test them and You give them a commandment: Do not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. You tell them "I forbid it."
You wait a while and find that man goes ahead and does it anyway. He disobeyed You, to your annoyance, and You banish him.
But wait! You being all-powerful and perfect have created something imperfect, for man disobeyed You. When You created him didn't You have power to make Adam into the kind of person You wanted? If so, why did You make him disobedient? Why didn't You create him so he wouldn't partake of the fruit? Surely You did not want him to disobey You.
Now let's follow the offspring of Your creation, the minds of which the Christian world gives You credit for creating. They are worse yet. Why did You make Cain so disobedient?
He had many faults. Did You put them there? You must have. You are supposed to have created his ability to think. Why did You make his mind so he would think evil thoughts against Able? If You created his mind You must be responsible.
Following the rest of Adam's offspring, we find men like Judas, Nero, Caesar, and Hitler. Why didn't You make them good? Why didn't You make them like your Son? He was perfect.
We could have done with a few more like him. What was stopping You from making more perfect men? I thought You could do anything.
Why do we have to come down here to the earth? Can't You just snap your fingers and have us all in heaven happy and well forever more? If You can do that then why were we even born?
An analogy illustrating this may be likened to a scientist creating a number of robots. He makes many robots but seems to be all thumbs and gets his wires crossed in all but one. Of all the numbers one is perfect and all the rest are unreliable with many faults. The perfect robot has a built-in knowledge of how to fix the others if they will put themselves in such a position. The scientist picks up a microphone to which all the robots are connected and commands them to go to the perfect robot. Only a few obey while the rest malfunction and wander off in strange ways. Then the scientist gets angry with those who malfunction and destroys them.
Such is an analogy for the orthodox Christian concept of the relationship of God and man, but what is wrong with it?? Can the scientist be likened to God and the robots to men? Does it make sense?
In the analogy the scientist really has no right to be angry with the robots for they malfunction because of the scientists own mistakes and imperfection. Can he blame them? How could the robots feel any guilt for disobeying when they had no choice because of the imperfection of their creator? If the creator, or scientist, had been perfect why would he waste his time?
Thus we see that as sure as God is perfect, omnipotent, and omniscient then the orthodox view of man's relationship to God is indeed imperfect and in need of correction.
Now one can see the point that if God created out ability to think and make decisions he would be imperfect because our thoughts are imperfect.
But God does not make mistakes. His creations are perfect because He Himself is perfect. (Matt. 5:48) What then is the explanation for our imperfection? Since God being perfect is not the originator of our imperfection the only logical explanation is that God did not create that imperfection which is in us.
And what is that imperfection which is in us?
We are imperfect in our intelligence, realization, and thinking. One may then conclude that that part of us which thinks and makes decisions, being imperfect, does not owe its authorship to God.
Where then did the existence of that part of us that can react to joy and pain and thoughts come from? To answer one may ask the age old question, "Where did God come from?" One answers -- He's just always been and always will be. He's self-existing.
Then why cannot man live on the same principle? Is there any reason why God, man and perhaps all living things do not exist on these same principles?
Intelligence may be on different levels but have the same principle causing them to exist.
One may call such a concept of self existence blasphemy, but ho logic can defeat it.
If we are self-existing like God, then we are also eternal like God, without beginning and end. Thus our life did not begin at birth. If it did then our thoughts were created by God. But because our thoughts and intentions are that part of us which is imperfect and causes all the imperfection around us we know they were not created by God. They are our own, and because of this they did not originate with God and had no creator. If our essence had no beginning we are then without beginning, self-existing, and eternal.
I will clarify this with some Questions & Answers. The answers belong to an average Christian individual.
Q: Is God perfect?
A: Yes.
Q: Does He make mistakes?
A: Not if he is perfect.
Q: Then if God were to create something imperfect He would be making a mistake. Is this correct?
A: Yes.
Q: Then all of God's creations are perfect?
A: Yes, they would have to be if He is.
Q: But are you perfect?
A: Well... No.
Q: What; causes your imperfection?
A: I make the wrong decisions.
Q: Why do you not keep all the commandments?
A: I'm not sure. It's just because of myself, of what I desire.
Q: Is it God's fault if you make the wrong decision and commit sin?
A: No. He lets me choose for myself.
Q: Is it the devil's?
A: No. He may tempt me, but I make the choice.
Q: Whose fault is it then?
A: My own.
Q: Then you agree that you are an agent unto yourself?
A: Yes. I am responsible for what I do.
Q: Then that "YOU part" of you that makes decisions comes from neither God nor Satan?
A: Yes. I suppose so.
Q: We shall define this "You" part of us as intelligence. Do you know of anything that did create this intelligence?
A: No. If God or Satan did not create it I don't know where it came from.
Q: Then you agree that it had no creator?
A: I have to agree if God did not create it.
Q: Thus your intelligence which makes you different from everyone and everything else never had a creation?
A: It would seem that way.
Q: Then if a thing exists and it had no creation, it is without beginning like God is?
A: Yes. That is the reason God is without beginning because His intelligence had no creator.
Q: Then that intelligence within us never had a beginning?
A: It couldn't have if it were never created.
Q: Then our intelligence is self-existing like God, even though it may be on a lower plane?
A: It would have to be.
Q: Again who causes sin?
A: Ourselves.
Q: Then you see that neither God nor Satan is to blame?
A: Yes.
The "You part" or intelligence within us is that power which makes decisions and without decision there is no existence. It is that part of us that will take us to heaven or hell, for what really determines whether we make the right decisions other than the amount of realization that we have? If we know something is right we sometimes ignore it, but when we realize it with understanding we can only follow the right course. Then our decisions are made according to our realization. The greater our realization, or perception of truth, the more correct will be our decisions. Thus one may define intelligence as an eternal quality of perception of truth one uses to make decisions.
This inward part of us which thinks and makes decisions can be found in the scriptures. James tells us:
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away OF HIS OWN LUST, and enticed." (James 1:13-l4)
So what creates sin but our own lusts? James says it is not God else He would be a tempter. Here not even Satan is blamed for our temptations. He may place the temptation within our reach and bring us to an awareness that it is there, but as James says in his context it is because of our own lusts if we are effected by it.
Nowhere in the scriptures does God blame Satan for our sins. Throughout all time he has put the responsibility on us. The fact that we chose for ourselves is illustrated from Adam and Even on through the scriptures.
The intelligence we possess, that part of us upon which the balance of decision rests is supported by the Bible prophets as belonging to us and although it is influenced by forces of good and evil, it acts completely independent of all things including God and Satan. James tells us that it is because of our own lusts that we are tempted. Logically then it is because of our own good desires that we are also righteous.
Copyright © 2009 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved