May 12th, 1916.
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.
I am here, John.
I desire to write tonight, and if you think it is not too late, we will do so.
Well, I will not make my message very lengthy, but try to condense it in short sentences.
I want to tell you that when a man gets to know the truths of the Father, he will become a very happy and wise man, for these truths have in them only those principles that create happiness and wisdom.
I know that men believe many things on account of their being ancient or having the authority of their forefathers, or some great saint or writer who lived many centuries ago, but such a basis for truth, while worthy of consideration and examination does not of itself, because of being old, afford any certainty that what is thus accepted contains the truth.
Truth is a thing very old, and existed for many thousands of centuries before the times in which these ancient writers, as you call them, lived, and in fact, those days of the writers, in comparison to what had gone before, are as yesterdays; and therefore you will see that because the declarations of these writers are what you consider very ancient, they should not be received as having authority.
Truths of those days, and of the long ages prior thereto, and of the present time are all the same, as truth never changes or assumes new forms no matter what the conditions of mortals may be as to intellectual or spiritual development. And they may be revealed today, and are being constantly revealed as time progresses, and should be accepted with as much credence and satisfaction as any truths that were ever disclosed in ancient days.
Men are just as susceptible now to the reception of these truths in their spiritual natures or perceptions as they were in the times of Abraham or Moses or at any time since.
The mind of man was given to him to be exercised in the way of investigation and search, and never was it contemplated in his creation that the time would come when he should accept anything as the ultimates of truth and cease his inquiries, for truths are so many and great and deep, that so far, in the mortal universe, man has acquired only a smattering of these truths. And to rest supinely in this acquirement under the belief that there is nothing more in existence than man may know, violates and subverts the very object of his creation; and what I have said applies to spiritual truths as well as to material ones.
The churches, I know, declare and try to enforce the declaration, that it is not possible to discover or have revealed to men the essential principles of spiritual truths to a greater extent than has already been declared in the Bible and the churches' interpretation of the same, and that, therefore, it is contrary to God's will that men should seek further for any additional truths, and that men should accept, without question, the sayings of the Bible, and the dogmas and creeds of the churches which their claim is founded upon, and which they declare are the true principles of spiritual truths. And for many years this has been the demand of the churches, and the members thereof have acquiesced, without question or doubt.
Now, this has been one of the great causes why men have not progressed more, not only in their spiritual nature but also in what may be called their natural qualities. They have remained satisfied, and what was believed by them centuries ago are believed today. I say all this to show how stagnant the intellects of men have been, as it depends on search and investigation, and has remained for all these long ages (sic).
I further recite this to show the necessity for men to seek and criticize, and accept or reject as the results of the search may demand. In recent years, though, men have made greater progress, and the individual has come to the front and the old accepted fabulations of truths have been assaulted and shaken and denuded of their falsities to a considerable degree, and so it should be. Men must seek, and criticize and accept or reject as their own conscience and reasoning powers dictate, and therein will be freedom of the mind as well as of the will.
The soul, also, has been smothered in these dogmatic beliefs, and as a consequence its development has been slow, and knowledge of things spiritual has not come to men as it should have done, and as is necessary to teach them their destiny and the truths which should control their lives on earth, and which will control their progress in the spirit world.
Well, as you are tired, I will postpone the balance of my discourse. I think it best when you feel tired to discontinue the writing instead of attempting to force yourself into receiving it.
So I will not write more. Believe that I am your brother in Christ.
John.