| Show AT independence serious difficulties seem to have broken out among the members of the reorganized church of latter day mints now in conference at independence pen dence decoe missouri it if the dispa dispatches tobee received this his week concerning the proceedings at the sessions give a fair air account cloudt of the situation disruption of that church way may be imminent A house divided against itself must fall it appears that about a year ago a so called revelation was given to the church concerning the vacancy in the he first presidency cy david davia H smith one dime of ilbe counselors being confined in an insane asylum for a number of years the revelation reads read my servant david H smith to la in my hand and his bishopric shall be con finned for a season if he fully recover he will enter again the work if I 1 take him to myself another will be appointed in his stead when the quorum is filled A great many of the members of the he churon openly claim that the almighty would never have expressed such ignorance 68 to the probable future of the afflicted cou counselor as the ill Ingi indicates cates Is in it possible they ask aek that god does not know whether dallu H smith will recover from his bis mick and they refuse to accept the revelation so as authentic amonn among the skeptics are some of the twelve apostles apostle 1 while others claim to have received testimony as to its truth the reorganized church has baa evidently encountered a dilemma either alternative of which i Is unfortunate for its it position either the section quoted to la a genuine divine revelation or it lie la not if it is in all the apostles apo etlee and elders and ant other members who re fuse to accept it are arrayed against the almighty falling failing to discern the truth arid and consequently groping ju in spiritual darkness he that Is ie oi 01 god heareth the words word of god naye mays tb the savior and the inference of this is ie that those who do not bear the words worde the fattier are not dot of god if on the other hand daod the revelation la 18 not dot yen 1100 nine the abe president of the iced church by offering it as ae the word of 0 god beaude charged with a most serious of fenee and the apostles and other that claim to have a supernatural testimony as 8 to its truth appear in the light of or deceiver what conceivable cei vable la Is there from these B ath tb are fatal to the claim that that church to la guided by light from above another issue of serious importance has arisen one of the apostles introduced a resolution reao lution stating that it was the sense of the church that members of certain degrees of the priesthood were riot not empowered to assist in the he administration of the sacrament A member of the first presidency declared against the views expressed to in the resolution the question then came up whether in matters relating to the rules of the church the voice of the presidency had the deciding authority or boother this was vested in the members of the church A vote on the resolution re suited virtually it keemp in a declara tion against the presidency while these contentions may be regrettable gret table lo in some gome respects ote they are no surprise eur prise to those familiar with the cause represented by the reorganized church for years the questions now openly discussed have formed subjects for private conversation and medith and their solution had become a necessity revelations on these metters matters presumably were expected but it seems in vall vain yet we are inclined to think that these clouds OB 00 the horizon of our josephite friends and brethren are intended to be one ot of the greatest blessings to them there are in that church many good honest men and women whose only desire is in to know the truth and to do what is right for some reason or other tt trey ey have been prevented from thoroughly perceiving the whole situation as it la in if by the discussion at the conference these should shoula be led to investigate more thoroughly the gospel as revealed thi through ough joseph the prophet and receive a testimony that only in the church founded by him to divine command and tt i till building on tue too rock rack of revelation is the whole truth to be found they will perhaps humbly embrace the opportunity and return to the old paths leading to a falness of knowledge unity sometimes evolves out of tearing down often precedes building up possibly the events of the couie rence at atla independence dependence may in the asburn of some honest saints to the church and ana be a preliminary limb oary to the reunion of friends who never ought to have been separated |
