Show individual 11 FREEDOM IN CHURCH THE demand made of the mormon church to give up a part ol of its creed to plea please sethe the majority of the Amerl american Cau I 1 people proceeds from egotism egoism antol erane arance e and arrogance combined it supposes that we the majority must be right because we are the bi big 9 seat est it acts on the principle of might over right and it ahsu assumes in es to dictate and compel where it cannot rightfully command or palem polemically cal fi convince it also largely springs fromi ignorance it if people who talk so do glib ly on this demand understood the tap subject they would see thit that it is is IMPO ble for the mormon Chur cht to do anything of the kind and further thoy they would perceive that no person body or authority anjer under heaven has the right to make any such requirement the church Is independent in tte sphere and has the right to hold any aay doctrine that seems right to thelow ity of its members and to it as an article of faith I 1 but there is a great deal of misinformation in regard to the position of i the church in relation to t abe laws which the mormon leeo people are asked to promise to obey it is represented that if the church would only do so and aad so it the church woold command this obedience if the church would remove alleged alle fied pressure upon the people the whole hole thing would woul be so easy that falling ott off a log would be hard bard labor in comparison when it is known that these same people who are to be relieved instructed commanded and andio so on are themselves the church perhaps tha folly of all this talk will dawn clawn upon the minds of those who have been misled by it every man or woman every toy boy or girl who has been baptized into the mormon onIl church and remains in atac itac its fellowship hu has an equal vote in its affairs as an organized ecclesiastical body one of the principles oft of its constitution is that all things shall be done by common consent it takes the whole body to comprehend the church the head Is but a part off it the revelations of god are jast not as binding upon the head as upon the foot and the leaders of the church are i no more responsible for the doctrines that form the accepted creed of the than the members are they cannot change a principle it is not for thew then to set aside a decree of the the body of the people understand what the lord has aea berning the principle of celestial hiar aage and if a leader jeader was to depart from it his defection would be a matter of regret but not of dif difference terence to their faith or practice it is not within the province of any man to direct the people to disobey a law jaw of god the idea that this could be done in the church of jesus clorist of latter day clay saints is entirely erroneous it may as well be di dismissed missed from the co consideration as ide ration of the mormon question by those who wish to discuss it or to arrive at correct conclusions clu olus ions C the law of god sad and a statute made by man appear to be in conflict whit what are the mormons cormons Mor mons to do in relation 1 tp the matter and what is the attitude of their Chu church reh tho the answer is every man stands luponi upon his own agency and the achurch does not interfere with it he caad caa take his choice he is left free to aab u upon po n nis ais volition he can beats what is s r right if he wishes to do so and need be in no doubt about it but Ms his course is open and no obstruction to 4 pla placed codin in his way or force exercised to restrain or compel him to proceed but it is claimed that taht men who have agreed to obey the lawas construed by the courts are punished ostracized ostracised ruined in business threatened in ous ways and those who wh would do so are terrorized into refusal to te comply who claims icv it not the parties themselves there is t no man who has made th the er promise who utters such a com complaint balut there iw i no man who has refused choba who hasal al ledged that he has been dwany in any waw waicom belled to do so who abe nos ajari these charges against abe kl no one that we know of except a few vite vile scribes who ephom levery the very worst elements ot of society apologize for bestial corruption agthe as the common commod vices ot at humanity and advocate the gambling gambli iw house the e drinking den and the tee brothel as antidotes to mormonism V 1 they make the assertions they repeat them without the abe slightest test foundation for foi their falsehoods and keep up I 1 the he assault with little obstruction be be cause decent people do not care to be always noticing their blackguardism they refer to a gentleman who has figu figured prominently in this condition condit tan and every now and then impudently drag his name before the public to th ILU an attempt to illustrate their charge while his position and exempt exemption ioli irom from harm are proofs of the falsehood of the accusation the pointed out the error of the position he took as it had the right todo to do and this is cited as proof of ostracism denouncement no and rai ruination nation it ft is repeatedly peat edly asserted that the article was written hy by president george ae Q cannon we have never noticed the falsehood before it is uttered with ith frequent repetition to make it appear ear that the leaders of the church egure figure in these matters other articles that have appeared in these e columns have been attributed by those TeBea fr scribes for the same purpose to the same author I 1 we feel highly flattered 1 when bur our poor efforts for the productions of an able and e a powerful w e rf at pen nen that has not teen wielded f for or this paper since the gifted gentleman named relinquished 1 ltv lt editorial edl tonal charge but we deay that he was the jiu 1 of t the artif article e referred theor others that nave been to ibia he neither wrote dicta suggested them and had kado with the responsibility if the statements that have ana deare mistakes the inc incapacity city bof of those into them to distinguish known sty styles es or 01 different but we believe they are Theys ahey are re wilful falsehoods tw for a purpose we to shoulder all the re 1 hav belongs belon ft to us we do asb sh to slark shirk any of it we claim the right to express approbation or disapprobation of the public acts of meg ineD whether they be ofil officials dials or other otherwise 6 bat we have sought to injure booie who has chosen to obey men man rather than god he stands or falls fait he makes his own choice ho loe he takes all the risks in either direction neither either the church nor any assume assum ethe the consequences he will be judged in the great day for himself we have our oar views of duty uty and right in the light given to us we expect to those views as they are while opportunity is afforded us and add we baveas have as much right to show vp up ong OM side me of this question n gs as our have I 1 to exhibit the other and as we think more right to do whan they have to misrepresent and utter wilful fitful falsehoods to bolster upal n a false alse position we interfere with oo no mats liberty either of conscience or conduct cond act I 1 I 1 ad we maintain that every soul in this church Is grae ree to pursue that ourse which he chooses if he vi violates the poles of the church ith I 1 and n do does eq not repent he be escom excommunicated d OB proof of lits is wrong buthe but he will not edin body or lit in bu business sinless b by any force or edict of the 01 church 70 no man mail who has simply made the agreement which Is sought to forced bl be forpe d upon the acceptance of the mor motos has been ever cut off the chunh for doing soana so and every asser tion that he has been molested in any way wak for his act to is a gross ross and palpable falsehood the church proclaims its its doctrines it lays down rules for the government of its members in that opacity capacity it says alys what is liht ht ud and what is wron wrong ire re ti roves rebukes and exhorts with all doctrine but it uses no force of any description to coerce any of its adherents and thero there ate no freer people under the beav heavens than the latter day saints commo commonly I 1 but bat called mormons cormons Mor mons |