. Relatively
speaking, this is evil; it is simply the lower state and baser product of
nature.

It is evident, therefore, that man is in need of divine education and
inspiration, that the spirit and bounties of God are essential to his
development. That is to say, the teachings of Christ and the Prophets are
necessary for his education and guidance. Why? Because They are the divine
Gardeners Who till the earth of human hearts and minds. They educate man,
uproot the weeds, burn the thorns and remodel the waste places into
gardens and orchards where fruitful trees grow. The wisdom and purpose of
Their training is that man must pass from degree to degree of progressive
unfoldment until perfection is attained. For instance, if a man should
live his entire life in one city, he cannot gain a knowledge of the whole
world. To become perfectly informed he must visit other cities, see the
mountains and valleys, cross the rivers and traverse the plains. In other
words, without progressive and universal education perfection will not be
attained.

Man must walk in many paths and be subjected to various processes in his
evolution upward. Physically he is not born in full stature but passes
through consecutive stages of fetus, infant, childhood, youth, maturity
and old age. Suppose he had the power to remain young throughout his life.
He then would not understand the meaning of old age and could not believe
it existed. If he could not realize the condition of old age, he would not
know that he was young. He would not know the difference between young and
old without experiencing the old. Unless you have passed through the state
of infancy, how would you know this was an infant beside you? If there
were no wrong, how would you recognize the right? If it were not for sin,
how would you appreciate virtue? If evil deeds were unknown, how could you
commend good actions? If sickness did not exist, how would you understand
health? Evil is nonexistent; it is the absence of good. Sickness is the
loss of health; poverty, the lack of riches. When wealth disappears, you
are poor; you look within the treasure box but find nothing there. Without
knowledge there is ignorance; therefore, ignorance is simply the lack of
knowledge. Death is the absence of life. Therefore, on the one hand, we
have existence; on the other, nonexistence, negation or absence of
existence.

Briefly, the journey of the soul is necessary. The pathway of life is the
road wh