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Show NOT CHRISTIANITY. Tt is a favorite phraseology with Mormon Mor-mon writers aud speakers and, as frequently fre-quently found in the columns of the church organ, to speak of tho Mormon proselyting as "tho work of the Lord," and almost, invariably in speaking of the progress of tho church's missionary work where mention is made of any convert, we find it stated that ho "first; heard the gospel preached" at a certain cer-tain time a,nd place stated. And this though the person referred, to 11133-have bccna Christiau, . member of a well-organized well-organized church, having the Scriptures as its basis of faith and belief and in no wise neglecting the usual ordinances of Christianity. All these exclusive, arlritrarj-, and fanatical claims prove two points: First, that the Mormon writers do not recognize any other religion or gospel than its own as having auy divine authority; au-thority; and, second, that they consider the Christian dispensation as having passed nwayvand that it is succeeded by a new dispensation called "the dispensation dis-pensation of the fullness of times," and tho gospel that they refer to is .the gospel of this now dispensation. The Christian dispensation they consider to have passed as fully away as the Jewish Jew-ish .dispensation or thcHispensation of the Law. . ,' It' is, therefore, an anomaly for the Mormon speakers or writers to claim to be Christians. According to their own sliowiiig they arc not. Christians at all, auy more than Christians are Jews, because the Christian dispensation dispensa-tion haying passed away and the "dispensation "dis-pensation of the fullness of times" having begun, and the Mormon faith, creed and ordinances being the exclusive ex-clusive representatives of this new dispensation, dis-pensation, none other is valid and none other can be .claimed of authority or of utility upon the earth, from their point of view. It was doubtless in pursuance I of this soparatiou of the Mormon creed and church from Christendom, that. B, H. Ubberts claimed a place in the Congress Con-gress of .Religions held in Chicago during the World's Fair in that .city. Of course he could not expect to bo called upon or recognized to speak for the Christian religion, nor did he expect ex-pect to do so. He expected to speak for the Mormon religion, for the new dispensation, these differing from the Christian religion and dispensation ' so widely as to form a separate religion and religions authority, altogether superseding the old Christian doctrines and dispensation. This p'nssing to a new dispensation necessarily involves also tho question of authority.. The Mormon system docs not recognize the conversion, tho'mem-bcrship, tho'mem-bcrship, the ordination, the authority, or the ministry oi any. other dispensation dispensa-tion or .religion as sufficient .or efiica-'clous efiica-'clous ' in the Halva'tion1 of son?s.-.'--Thc. ' a. . 7 : ... Christian religion, built upon the Jewish Jew-ish Dispensation of the Law, does not recognize the Jewish system as effectual effec-tual to salvation. If, correspondingly, j 1 lie Christ mil dispensation lias passed j away, as the Christian authorities j idaiiu that the Jewish dispensation has I passed' aud is ineffectual, the same claims muBt bo made by the Monnoiis us against the Christian authority and ministry. As a matter of Vacl, it is so niado. Every outgiving, every logical corollary from tho propositions" slated as doctrinal propositions, made by the Mormon writers aud speakers reaches tl is conclusion. And yot we find at times that the Mormon "writers aud speakers gladl3' avail themselves of any opportunit3 or privilege to range themselves them-selves alongside Christian theologians and ministers and claim' part with them in this very dispensation and gospel ministry which they claim to have superseded and to havo passed boyond into a completely new order. This illogical il-logical position of the Mormon speakers and priests is ouly one of the inconsistencies incon-sistencies which so generally mark their writings,' teachings, anil arguments. Wc arc rcniindod eoutinualb in tho Dcserct News of these inconsistencies. . Wc sco the News constantly speaking of "the work of the Lord," meaning nothing whatever except tho Mormon work; not recognizing the work of the Lord in an- other roligious fellowship or labor. We sco it also speaking constancy of the "gospel of salvation,'' salva-tion,'' or of the " gospel," meaning not the New Testament, not any Christian Chris-tian evangelism, but only the Mornvm Doctrine and Covenants and the gospel deduced therefrom by Mormon missionaries, mission-aries, writers, aud speakers. This inconsistency in-consistency could easily bo remedied if the Mormons would openl- and manfully man-fully accept the logic of their own position. They are not Christians, according ac-cording to ihcir own theological showing show-ing and argumentation. It would therefore there-fore be better for them to confess the fact, to state unequivocally and openly that they havo passed beyond Christianity Chris-tianity and havo a gospel, authority, or religion of their own that entirely supersedes Christianity, than to undertake under-take to mix up the two as tliC3 often do and when it is advantageous lo claim affiliation with the Christian niju-istry, niju-istry, this affiliation to be rejected scornfully whenever it' suits their purpose. pur-pose. This is one of the large things upon which the Mormon speakers and writers should adjust their bearings, iu order to obtain logical aud firm standing stand-ing as a religious people who are inclined in-clined lo inquire scarchingb into essen: tinls, and -get at the root of the meaning mean-ing of whatever is presented. |
