Show AN ATTACK ON THE CHURCH the saints herald the official organ of the so called reorganized church in its issue of nov 24 contains a lengthy article under the caption abominable teachings of utah mormonism As the heading suggests it is animated throughout by a spirit of bitterness comp comparable arable only to that which in years gone by used to inspire the attacks on the saints by mobs it is remarkable moreover because indirectly it proclaims the position of the reorganized church relative to the church of jesus christ of latter day saints on some important points of doctrine this by way of apology for noticing the phllip philippic pic in these columns among the propositions laid down down by the herald is this that they the saints in utah are not the true but false latter day saints and that the reorganized church is the true church in succession and in support of this statement we are told courts of the land have decided the reorganized church so to be the lawful continuation of the original church also that the utah church is ie a depasture and an apostasy can a poorer argument on such a point be conceived need we say that no civil court has jurls jurisdiction diction in the matter that the most profound knowledge of civil law does not quality qualify a person to decide a purely theological question any more than does the study of astronomy or the skill in driving horses can it be possible that the spokesmen of the reorganized church are willing to rest their claims on a missouri court decision look at the history of the church in all ages the prophets of old were generally condemned by the courts the son of god was pronounced a blasphemer blaspheme and rand a traitor by the courts of the land so were the first apostles and an almost innumerable host of martyrs including the heralds of the gospel of jesus christ in this age we are content to be numbered among these and leave to our friends of of the reorganized church ch u ach the consolation of being endorsed by a court it is the endorsement of the lord that is of value to us the herald next charges the utah elders with blasphemy not even the name of the almighty himself nor that of the christ the anointed of god escapes the dar darkness kriess and evil that has proceeded from the apostasy that prevails in utah this invective is called forth by an article in the provo enquirer by elder partridge in which the author takes occasion to speak of two questions which have sometimes been the subject of speculation both in utah awl and elsewhere one refers to the relationship of our savior to the loving wo we men that administered to his wants and attended him in the supreme hour of trial the other to the probability or improbability of the female element being represented in the deity defty elder partridge says as to the first of these questions that he is not prepared to say how far jesus may or may not have entered into that holy relationship and adds that he considers it only a matter of speculation not profitable to teach as doctrine that is to say he declares axes he hate formed no opinion on the subject f either way because he has never levei regarded it as a profitable subject tor for public teaching Is that blasphemy Is it blasphemy not to hold a decided view on a purely speculative question if it is who can escape the terrible charge except those who think they are carrying around the whole ocean of knowledge in their little vest pocket and worth absolutely nothing in regard to the other question elder partridge reverently says 1 I cannot conceive of a father in the nature that we understand him to be the father of our spirits without associating with him a mother also as is so beautifully portrayed by one of the most popular hymns composed compose 4 by sister eliza R snow further than that I 1 am not prepared to go at present Is that blasphemy if so the au thor of genesis was a blas blasphemer when employing a noun in the female gender to represent the holy spirit brooding over chaos to brenir forth life and order he must bave blasphemed again when stating that man male and female constitute the image of the deity in all ages the human mind has has elli deavo red to grasp to some extent the mysteries of the divine nature and perhaps never more earnestly than to tn the first centuries of our era different views resulted the gnos nors tics bics the Manic haens the aen arc hians the arians and in later centuries the unitarians ands and aft ians lans all have theologies of their own are they all blasphemy ers because they differ with the orthodox view it was reserved for the party that prevailed at the council of to hurt hurl the anathema against all who dared to believe in doctrines not bear ing the official stamp of that disorderly gathering and the herald seems to reserve the right for itself of branding as blasphemers blaspheme rs the utah elders who may differ with its theories that prerogative has generally been assumed by opponents of truth the position of the saints herald is not to be wondered at in the article under review the paper further ridicules the idea of believing in living oracles we are told jesus taught men to live by what Is written Brigham ism substitutes other gods the living oracles for the god of holy writ the god of israel this throws a flood of light upon the bosi position tion of the reorganized church it furnishes an opportunity to judge them by their own mouth if the Iara paragraph graph quoted has any significance at all it means this that the oracles of that denomination do not believe in continued revelation to the church it means that the access to heaven to knowledge to development is closed it means that our reorganized friends accept the view of other christians concerning the futility of looking for inspired servants of the lord among the children of men but this view to Is contrary to both the scriptures and the teachings of joseph the prophet the former point to the latter days as a time abounding to in divine manifestations and the latter atter has laid down as one of the fundamental principles of faith that revelations may yet be given the articles of faith and the doctrine and covenants do not leave room for doubt on this subject history teaches with great force that churches not guided by the ever present light of inspiration soi ration are most easily made the victims of tyrants it is by the clever trick of denying the present authority of the lord as exercised through ills his servants and appealing 4 only aly to the past that churches are held in a state of apostasy it has been the tactics of the adversary for centuries to direct the christian world by the chilly hands from the grave to stifle development with the cree creeds do of the dead past and thus secure in power the ecclesiastical autocrats that have ruled mens consciences confidences fi the litanies of the dead have been chanted automatically but the effect has been death spiritual inanition the remedy gods remedy is in living oracles living prophets inspired servants of the lord and these the reorganized churchs churche oracles condemn the reason of the heralds Herald to article to la sufficiently apparent however in the introduction it is stated that the lat tir ter day saints are engaging in a missionary propaganda throughout the worlds world and this must not be the herald feels bound to put all the obstacles possible in the way of the gospel A truly noble motive 0 o W we can only say that the elders of W ve the church are accustomed to opposition 17 of every kind and expect nothing else it to is in the nature of the work to meet opposition but so far all misrepresentation all persecution and martyrdom have only served to further the work of the lord storms may bend the mighty oak and even sever from the trunk the unsound limbs strewing them on the ground to rot rat among the other debris but their effect on the tree itself as long as it to Is firmly rooted is to strengthen it against each new attack and make its foliage all the more luxurious in the spring that is the effect of opposition to the church of god the lord is with his people manifesting his power and blessing them abundantly the members of the reorganized church should not envy their brethren but seek through repentance and submission to the priesthood of the lord to be partakers par takers of the same powers the same blessings |