Constitution of
Man. The development of the practices of
the Church follows a definite conception of the constitution of man. According
to Mormon philosophy, man is an eternal, deathless spirit, inhabiting a mortal
body. The spirit of man, composed of spirit materials, is an intelligent being
possessed of a will—in short, an ego. The body of man, composed of materials of
earth, is the instrument through which the Spirit manifest itself and operates
on earth. All manifestations of human life, bodily, mental, emotional, spiritual,
result from an interactions of body and spirit. The degree and direction of
such interactions depend, first, upon the power of the development of the
spirit, and, secondly, upon the condition of the body, which is, as it were, a
veil through which the spirit must receive its earthly impressions, and make
itself known to the outside world. The several normal manifestations of life
are but different, graded, often overlapping, interactions of body and spirit.
The many phases of man’s nature spring from the same source. (John A. Widtsoe, Program
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Salt Lake City: The
Deseret News Press, 1937], 32-33)
The Body the
House of the Spirit. Yet other considerations
justify the care of the body as a religious requirement. The eternal spirit of
man is obliged to express itself through the body. The degree of ease with
which such expressions may be made depends upon the health of the body. When
blood and bone, muscle and sinew, bodily organ and nerve, unction fully and
properly, the body becomes most transparent to the spirit. Indeed, the spirit
always functions best through a sound body. All the powers of man are but the results
of the interactions of spirit and body, and mind and emotion do their best and
safest work in a body which is physiologically sound. A clouded mind is an apparently
healthy body is due to some abnormal physiological condition, which if removed,
would restore the person to normal behavior. “By temperance and moderation lay
the foundation for the development of the mind.” (Discourses of Brigham Young,
p. 282.)
Eternal Nature of
Body. One of the purposes of the coming of
man upon earth is to attain a body which, associated with the spirit, will
increase man’s capacity for progression. The body as known on earth is mortal,
subject to death. It will be resurrected, and in its new, purified condition,
will be an eternal associate of the spirit. In the life to come, body and
spirit will be equally imperishable. “Spirit and element, inseparably
connected, receive a fullness of joy.” (D. & C. 93:33.) The doctrine that man
shall inherit his body eternally, sets up another reason for the care of the
body. The experiences on earth are not transient, but impressed eternally upon
the constitution of man. The eternal body inherits the sum of all personal
earth experiences. Such being the case, the care of the body becomes paramount.
Nothing must be done to mar the beauty or full expression of the imperishable
body, which is to be man’s eternal companion. (Ibid., 36-37)
Personal Intelligences. The Church accepts the certain facts of
science as won by patient seekers after truth, and holds in respect the
changing inferences set up in the attempt to explain the increasing accumulation
of facts. It does not affirm or deny the correctness of modern views regarding
the ultimate nature of matter and energy; though it leans, from glimpses of
revealed truth, to the doctrine of one ultimate element from which matter and
energy are derived.
The Church does not set up, however,
the doctrine that there are found in the universe personal individual intelligences.
Each of these is characterized by the possession of a will, which may be used
by the individual in the attempt to accomplish a definite purpose. These intelligences
have the power to operate upon the other contents of the universe—matter or
energy—and must be placed by the side of matter and energy as constant
ingredients of the universe.
Such personal intelligences are found
on earth. Among them are the men and women forming the human family. Personal
intelligences are also found in the invisible or spirit world, and constitute
the intelligent portion of the “unseen world.”
The Church holds therefore that the
contents of the universe may be divided into two classes, personal intelligences,
and the contents of the universe upon which these intelligences act. These are
two universal realities. (Ibid., 191-92)
