Show expressions FROM THE PEOPLE THE MARITAL rnO pro PROBLEM bleu BLEM editor deseret neuss news there are some phases of thie the problem which it seems to me have not been considered by those nah who are urging the administration to make a continuous onslaught upon chemor bonsil mons and their religious practices we often hear it said and read it in the public prints that the mormons cormons Mor mons show disloyal tyby not consenting to at once abolish a cardinal principle of their faith because the government of the united states has passed a law makin making it a penal of fence what are we to fiffer infer from this sentiment so frequently expressed Is it that whether PI plural ural urai marriage is a command of god or a device of man it must in either case succumb to the flat of congress or is it that an investigation of the doctrine has been made and the learned divines to whom the religious welfare of the american people is entrusted have pronounced it unscriptural and consequently incorrect and improper it seems to me to begin with ivich that the american people have never either cither themselves individually or by any deputed authority EXAMINED THE DOCTRINE of plural marriage with a view to determining term lerm ter mining laing whether it was rl lit ait or wrong whether revealed f from rom heaven 01 or r devised by man the question or proposition never appears to have been entertained for a moment that perchance it might be of god I 1 I 1 am aware that it is a bold stand to take to even propose the investigation of a doctrine the tile practice of which has been prohibited bar te d by statutory enactments as a crime but it nevertheless comes within the fhe he catalogue of debatable subjects as a doctrine or belief and as an arti artl articie article cleof of religious faith upon which it is claimed by a whole religious body the future hap bap happiness and exaltation of mankind largely depend it does seem that in a country claiming to be christian and God fearing having heavenly motives engraved on its escutcheon and basing its very natIO national dai Dat existence upon an lb inspired document gotten up by men of strong religious feelings feeling S and sentiments we should at least be consistent to consider the rel rei religious ioui loui 1 phases of the question which if lays a ys such strong claims to being a revealed reli rell religious glou s doctrine and upon which so much seems to depend I 1 know someone some one will say pshaw Is it likely that plural marri marriage agg Is A TRUE revelation but let the person objecting consider that there has been as great areat a brej prejudice u felt against other gemes themes as exists today to dayon day on this tills subject it was not very ion lon long ago that it was considered consider dd a very heinous onous offense to advocate a disbelief in la the doctrine of transubstantiation the mancho moan roan who denied that tile the bread when blessed by a catholic priest was thereby changed into the actual body of christ was deemed worthy of dungeons and of death popular sentiment and popular conscience were against him and he had to go to the see sele stake e or the gibbet as the case might be now the doctrine that this unpopular heretic this violator of public sentiment advocated namely that the sacrament of the lords supper was simply allegorical a semblance a symbol or likeness of the lords death is accepted by millions and is today to day aay the popular sentiment of the christian churches many other doctrines might mi ht be cited but this one is sufficient suRcie nt to show that popular sentiment is not always right it is not always truth that is popular in fact history shows us that the reverse is the case see sec THE STRUGGLES OF SCIENCE as they wrestled with public opinion but a generation ago it was once the common belief that the earth this terrestrial ball was flat and that it had an edge all round it so that you could walk off the earth into the vast ocean of space this nonsense was clung to as tenaciously as the multitude today to day cling to monogamy as the only pure and proper condition of marriage A man who has the temerity to express a possible belief in plural marriage relations for certain causes and substantial reasons is in no greater jeopardy life or liberty then the man who undertook to convince th the 9 powerful men of europe that the earth revolved on an axis and was round and not flat as they supposed now the ignorance and skepticism of these dotards of a past alast generation are po pointed buted to as examples of folly and the unaccepted theories of thos those times are the enlightened rules and doctrines of science today tu to day those brave men lelen who entered the world of science as apostles of a new creed in natural forces and conditions are the HEROES AND AIND MARTYRS to whom as instruments in the hands of god we owe the brilliance of our present scientific light but they were in their times declared to be ghim impostors OS 1 infidels and criminals criminals 11 when popular beelin feeling 11 was arouse aroused ld against them who at among nong ane intelligent people of this continent would raise nis uis hand band today to day to slay galileo or servetus or huss who would join with the jews in nailing the unpopular nazarene to the cross of martyrdom yet these men were a prey to popular sentiment the masses were enraged at their doctrines and repudiated the persons who dared thus to defy the popular will and science of the people woold would aa the A CHRISTIAN MINIS MINISTERS TEItS 11 ll looking from the present plum 11 historical advance advanced advancement i n ent peti ii the punishment of t these hese lunova toe the pre prevailing customs and idal ledel tile tiie their r age would they like to ta lish such a record yet e et hi history torbio w to be but repeating itself whets n power of priestly popular popularity iii lil y anaf I 1 hl dignity of influential people in be sa are brought to bear to er crush sh 0 innovation which like the doat the savior preached while anun adhn istle to the spirit of the a age iss found written on the sacred paga principle with which the cr creators Creator to 1 pleased to endow his ills ancient per pei and even provided laws for its and perpetuation V would it not be advisable dinrie t r these lessons of the past for our raf ing men whether statesmen stat stal esme n or beju ests and especially those who a am dallied to oe be both to con pon sidel ti bea before ore thy they consign to mart those who c claim aim alm a rt religious corm corn and an unflinching testimony op 0 c point and thus perchance the c avoid being listed in a fut furnn U r f at along with those departed dt deta Ls whose fanaticism we universal i 6 and whose ignorant In torb we ve so much despise rc c SuGG iyih salt lake city april IM 1885 j ft |