THE thousands of individuals attending schools and universities for the purpose of gaining knowledge indicate the universal acceptance of the world's need of enlightenment. Mankind believe themselves to be existing in a material universe about which they know very little. Much of what they do know has come through applied research. This research has expanded as men have been willing to drop preconceived notions and investigate new theories. This constant search for knowledge has in some measure liberated humanity from many of the limits thought to be imposed by irresistible laws, or forces, of matter.
But as long as the quest for enlightenment is based on the concept of the universe as material and of man as mortal, total salvation from sin, sickness, and death will never be attained. Material-mindedness includes the belief of the possibility of good and evil in every area of human activity. Witness the remarkable breakthrough in splitting the atom. Tremendous power for good is now available to mankind through this discovery, but there also exists the threat of mankind's total annihilation through the same discovery. It is only from a spiritual standpoint that the vast problems confronting mankind will be solved.
The Bible, the perennial best seller among all the world's literature, states in the first chapter of Genesis that God created the heaven and earth and everything therein. He made man in His image and likeness. The chapter closes with a statement that precludes the possibility of evil of any name or nature. It says, "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Not only good, but "very good"!
