Friday, June 5, 2020

J. Golden Kimball: Intellectual Laziness/Anti-Intellectualism is an "Evil" that must be Repented of

In the second sermon he delivered at the October 1901 General Conference, J. Golden Kimball condemned intellectual laziness/anti-intellectualism as an evil that must be repented of:

 

Now, my brethren and sisters, let us be serious for a few moments. How many are there amongst us that have advanced far enough to have gained this knowledge? We have had the Holy Ghost conferred upon us for many years. I was baptized and received the laying on of hands when eight years old. I have not made my election sure. I have not attained to that great desire as yet. Are you going to be satisfied and cease to hunger and thirst after righteousness and the moment we meet with adversity and trouble, to lay down and cease our progression and advancement? I have seen new colonies of the Saints built up in some of our little settlements almost like magic. They reached a certain place with their improvements and like the Arkansas traveller became satisfied and made no further improvements. I am sometimes fearful that many of our people “climb their little hill” and then go down again. Young people get married, and oftentimes reach a place where all climbing, towering and reaching out after knowledge ceases and they merely eke out an existence. To see young men with such grand opportunities and prospects stop and wait for something to come to them is most deplorable. I ask you, to consider the changes, advancement and improvement your foreign missionary Elders undergo after a brief mission of two years. Their very being is changed, but note the frequency with which they cease progression and fall back to old habits and become “mentally lazy.”

 

The Lord is not well pleased with this evil, for it is found in our Priesthood quorums. The Lord made plain to His servant Oliver Cowdery, “Behold, you have not understood; you have suppose that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought. But behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong.”

 

The effects of idleness and mental laziness cause a stupor of thought and will grieve the spirit of the Lord, and if persisted it will result in the withdrawal of the spirit of the Lord. I am in favour of repenting of this evil and feel that we should dedicate a part at least of our time to attaining wisdom and in preparing ourselves for the great work that is before us. (Bonnie Taylor, ed. J. Golden Kimball: His Sermons [Latter-day Publishing, 2007], 46-47, emphasis added)