Freedom of Worship Religion - Essay Example

Brigham Young’s Encouragement to the Youth of America The land of America was seeded from its earliest days by promises of living with the freedom to worship one’s religion free of governmental control and interference while enabling a man of strong constitution and appropriate determination to carve out a life for himself that suits him, rather than following strictly in his father’s footsteps. While this is so, it is also true that this has not always been the reality as many individuals have lost faith in the religion of their fathers, lost the right to pursue faiths that deliver upon their promises and are doomed, despite any other assertions to the contrary, to repeat the patterns of their forefathers in hopeless toil and unpromising, unfulfilling work. To combat this woeful state, many have thought to head west, to the hope of an unknown future and the chance to go where one is not limited by the ties of family, high society or lackluster religions. Yet, even with the promise of an open land of grass and mountain, stream and field, it is a daunting thought to consider stepping out into the unknown so. Stories have filtered back to the east of wagon trains that never arrived at their destination, having disappeared into the waving grasses of the wide prairies or the burning sands of the deserts. Still others have fallen to the savage hand of an Indian tribe or to the harsh environment of the western trail. Yet there remains hope. There remains a community to which one might travel and find the peace, satisfaction, strong religion and industrious practice of a society ready for a humble and kind heart, a willing hand and a noble spirit. This is the community now led by the Honorable Brigham Young, who has led hundreds upon hundreds of Mormons to a small valley in the Rocky Mountains where much has already been accomplished and much more is ready to be done. The Mormon community is founded upon the basic principles brought forward by John Smith and are carried on in his memory by our leader, Brigham Young. When we were forced to leave before we had had sufficient time to sell our properties or gather sufficient provisions to make the journey, we did so by making a dedication of all we were leaving behind: “Our homes, gardens, orchards, farms, streets, bridges, mills, public halls, magnificent temple and other public improvements, we leave as a monument of our patriotism, industry, economy, uprightness of purpose and integrity of heart.”1 For those who are ill at heart regarding a loss of faith within their natal religions and find themselves seeking a true pathway to God, it is within the Mormon community only that this can be found. As proof of our fidelity and our commitment, there are only two cases I can report to you fully which occurred on the trail and demonstrated that we are yet mere mortals, but that demonstrates as well our commitment to the highest order of existence. The first of these involves a young boy who, out hunting for the welfare of the group, found himself fortunate enough to be within shot of an elusive otter near the bank of a river. He shot at this otter and killed him and went to collect him. Upon approaching the beast, this boy realized it had been caught in a trap. Rather than leaving the creature to the rightful owner of it, the boy opted to take both the creature and the trap with him back to camp. When this was discovered, boy, trap and otter were returned to the trapper who had lost it.2 The other case involved a young man who had attempted to make an extensive purchase worth $50 using counterfeit notes. When this was discovered, it was only asked of Brigham Young that he assist in recovering the property for the rightful owner. Yet this incident has caused a great stir not only in the heart of Brigham Young, who continues to speak out against the passing of false notes, but also within the greater community, who would use this incident to condemn the entire faith. One of the greatest concerns for those considering starting out upon the difficult journey west is the thought of survival. How does one plan accordingly to convey oneself, one’s loved ones and all one owns to some remote section of land unknown with an unknown society of people to settle with or near? When we followed him to the west, many of us faced these same issues and concerns for our own survival, and indeed, some of us never arrived at our promised land. However, Brigham Young has managed to do just this, not only with his own family, but with scores of families who continue to arrive every day. The trip to the west was a great exodus for us, we moved as a nation of people led by the single man, Brigham Young. Although he had the assistance of the Twelve, as well as many others, it was Brigham Young who continued to keep up the spirits of everyone along that journey, all 400 wagons full of us. “When traveling or in camp, he was ever looking after the welfare of all. No poor horse or ox even had a tight collar or a bow too small but his eye would see it. Many times did he get out of his vehicle and see that some suffering animal was relieved.”3 Under his leadership, we were able to make our way across the settled lands, earning the sustenance we needed by the sweat of our own labor. “Their pioneers and able-bodied men generally took work on farms, split rails, cleared the timber for the new settlers, fenced their lands, built barns and husked their corn. Each night brought them some employment; and, if they laid over for a day or two at their encampment, the country around was busy with their industry.”4 Thus, all along the path of the Oregon Trail did we work, forage, hunt and generally earn our living even as we continued to keep up our faith and our prayers as if we were within our settled homes, finally reaching our destination in Utah. While it seems an uncommon feat, it is assuredly not so difficult a feat to duplicate. Upon our arrival in our valley of Salt Lake, don’t imagine we sat around on our haunches, ready for the ground to begin providing for us again without further labor. Here, in our new Zion, we are as the Lord God said we would be, “exalted above the hills’ – yet belted by mountains with their everlasting caps of snow. It was indeed as the ‘chambers of the Lord’.”5 Our first action upon arrival in our new home, as you might expect from a religious people, was to spend the following day in prayerful celebration of what God had seen fit to bring us to. Following this, we at once set about bringing our valley into its proper perspective, helping the desert to bloom like a rose and bringing life and civilization as God would have it into the wilderness with peace and love and an open willingness to share our good fortunes with those who would simply take the effort to seek it out. There remains much to be done in the Great Basin and much we would do to welcome new members who come to us with an honest heart, a willing hand and a deep faith in wishing to abide by God’s laws. The United States was once the land where people went to be free, to find a means of making a living more productive and satisfying than that of their fathers while living a life in close harmony with our maker and God. For many, this has no longer become possible thanks to persecutions and other disruptions of evil men upon those who would do only good. While it is true that the journey across the plains, deserts and over the mountains is difficult and requires a great deal of effort and planning, it has been accomplished by a great many people already who have found their true home in the cradle of God’s love in the Great Basin. For this alone, it is worth making the journey, knowing that upon reaching our cities, you can be sure of a welcoming, God-fearing community full of industry and productivity for the good of us all. References Tullidge, Edward William. (1876). Life of Brigham Young: Or, Utah and Her Founders. New York: Tullidge and Crandall. Read More