Outlines of Mormon Philosophy E-Book

Lycurgus Wilson

• Herausgeber: Charles River Editors
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 65

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Outlines of Mormon Philosophy is an interesting overview of philosophy as it relates to Mormonism. A table of contents is included.

Das E-Book Outlines of Mormon Philosophy wird angeboten von Charles River Editors und wurde mit folgenden Begriffen kategorisiert:
joseph smith; latter day saints; free

Leseprobe

OUTLINES OF MORMON PHILOSOPHY

Lycurgus Wilson

WAXKEEP PUBLISHING

Thank you for reading. In the event that you appreciate this book, please consider sharing the good word(s) by leaving a review or contacting the author.

This book is a work of nonfiction and is intended to be factually accurate.

All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.

Copyright © 2015 by Lycurgus Wilson

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication.

PREFACE.

BY WAY OF TEXT.

INTRODUCTORY.

PART I. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT.

PART II. THE GOSPEL.

PART III. CONDITIONS SUBSEQUENT.

CONCLUSION.

Footnotes

Outlines of Mormon Philosophy

By Lycurgus Wilson

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.

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 these considerations are the excuse for this work.

This work is designed rather for study than for reading. To the hasty, illusioned reader, it will prove a short, dull book; but the studious reader, who can render a thought into experience, will find it a voluminous work, profusely illustrated with pictures such as no painter ever transferred to canvas; for to him, because of the nature of the subject, it will tell the whole beautiful story of life.

The thanks of the author are due, most of all, to the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the helpful criticism of their committee of this work; and, next, to the scores of friends who have given him the benefit of their suggestions.

L. A. W.

Salt Lake Temple,

Salt Lake City, Utah, 1905

BY WAY OF TEXT.

~

“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.

INTRODUCTORY.

~

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 I, whence am I, and whither am I going?”

These questions, elaborated and particularized, are universal. They belong neither to any time, nor sect nor civilization. They are the questions of life. They recur to us at every turn in life, and when life nears its close, the master-thought with studious men is that they shall soon know the answer.

But from that bourne no traveler returns, as the poet has it, to enlighten those who remain. And so we are beset by limitations. Swung into space with no means of exploring it, bound to this whirling ball, circumscribed in all our activities, without power to determine our lot here, the moment of our entrance, nor to extend the time of our exit; when we seek to know the mysteries of life, our condition is, in a way, as would be that of a family, inhabiting from time out of mind, a miniature island in mid-ocean, without means of communication with the world, should they, by conjecture, try to learn the history and civilization of mankind.

Our means of observation of the forces about us are very limited,[1] tradition is cut off at our birth, reason stands powerless for want of analogy, and the only recourse we have for direct communication with reality, is revelation. Professor Lewes, in his Biographical History of Philosophy, closes the door of inquiry upon us in this way: “To aspire to the knowledge of more than phenomena, their resemblances and successions, is to aspire to transcend the limitations of human faculties. To know more we must be more.”[2]

In the midst of these perplexities comes the Gospel to us as a welcome, gracious visitor from the realms beyond the reach of our knowledge.

The object of this work as intimated by the text, is to suggest a firm central point about which may be grouped in orderly arrangement, all our knowledge, and our guide shall be revelation. In this endeavor we shall be assisted materially, if we attempt, however crudely, a classification of the subject-matter; and we shall, therefore, consider:

First,—The universal, all-prevailing, eternal conditions of existence, under the head of,

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,

2. THE GOSPEL.

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

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 inquiring mind to say, Judge for yourself whether or not the Gospel as here set out answers every requirement of life, where other systems of philosophy all fail; to the latter we reply, No attempt is here made to present in detail the principles of the Gospel, but only to sketch the outlines; and, moreover, the reader is at perfect liberty to supply whatever deficiency he may detect.

PART I. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT.

~

SPACE.

TIME.

MATTER

INTELLIGENCES.

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 down, or east or west, or north or south, all his ideas of direction are at sea. His conception of space increases, however.