Show CHURCH ABOVE STATE THERE is a great deal ot of nonsense in the furore frequently excited over the alleged preference in the mormon mind for the laws of man the assertions of anti cormons mormons concerning t this his matter are generally general ly accepted while the views of the cormons mormons Mor mons themselves are usually ignored mormonism teaches that the laws of the land are supreme in their sphere and the law of god are paramount in theirs the revelations of god to the latter day saints require obedience to the constitutional laws of the land and and declare that the commandments of god are simply the laws of his church and that the saints are to be subject to the powers that be until christ comes to rein notwithstanding these plain declarations it is represented that the church sets itself above secular law and treats man made laws as not binding upon its members there is ho reason for such a statement and though many persons who repeat it no doubt believe it the origin of the falsehood may be traced to artful and intentional pervert ers of the truth in this connection it to is pertinent to notice one of the articles of the united presbyterian church of america we do not hear charges of treason or rebellion or setting the church above the state against the presbyterians rians but the follow ing quotation if it as an one of ibe tenets of the lormon church would arouse a tumult that would sweep through tile the land like a tornado and threaten to tear up the mormon system loot and aird branch this is part of the presbyterian article particle 18 that the law of god to is su supreme in its authority and obligations and where commands of church and state conflict we are to obey god rather than man now is there anything alleged against the mormon creed in this direction that is more emphatic as to the superiority of the divine law to human law than this integral part of presbyterianism we do not wish at present to enter eater into the merits of the question involved in this declaration to many minds the proposition will appear be yoni yon i 1 controversy others may view it in a different liht light whatever may be said on the supremacy of the law of god t it is clear that the presbyterian creed puts the commands of the church above those of the state this places the presbyterian church on a level with deity and demands from its members their first allegiance the president of the united states is an ordained elder in that church and is understood to be a consistent and devout votary botar at its shrine will some anti mormon republican show the difference in the doctrine enunciated in this article of the presidents le creed and the alleged principle of the mormont mormon elders faith which creates so much agitation mormonism nowhere puts the church above the state it recognizes the independence of each in its own sphere the mormon nl church no matter what may be said by its malig ners does not attempt to enact civil laws or inflict civil penalties its extreme punishment for criminal conduct or any infraction of its rules and COVeD covenants ants to is exclusion from its fellowship low ship it does not say that any law of the laud land chall ashall be violated nor does it expel any person for obedience to any law of the land men belonging to the church have stated some of them in open court that they regarded the law of god as superior to human law but they have not claimed that the church or any of its edicts is contrary or superior to the established laws of their country cou if a man sincerely believes a purported revelation to be a com commandment maud ment of god to him it is reasonable to tn suppose he will endeavor to obey it no matter what may be the earthly consequences quen ces but the church is not the almighty neither to ie any man in it considered to be the deity contrast the articles of the two faiths the mormon and the I 1 c presbyterian and the latter will be found far more emphatic and pronounced as to the exalted sphere of the church and to place itt it in ia effect above the civil law how can a presbyterian judge or other secular official or preacher or editor condemn a mormon who regards what he considers a divine law as superior to human law and at the same time endorse the presbyterian Tes testimony nony with its thirteenth article as given above but consistency rarely enters into any denunciation of mormonism or proceedings against the mor mons mono P comparisons are said mid to be odious no doubt a comparison of what the mormon PI church declares in reference to the state and what the presbyterian church claims in the same connection will be odious to the members of the latter and what is sauce for the one will not be conceded as sauce for the other yet it is worthy of con sidera ton ion and ought to put a stop to the senseless clamor on this point at least from presbyterian sources |