| Show NOT MORMON TEACHINGS in the st louis post dispatch of sunday july 31 81 is an illustrated article with reference to the mormons cormons Mor mons and their supposed intentions regarding that western portion of missouri known as jackson county in the heading and in the body of the article are conveyed erroneous impressions regarding the latter day saints and the elders in missouri several of whom are named one of the elders is credited with remarks in which there are serious mistakes concerning the adms ama and anticipations of the latter day saints the news will not assume that the elder whose language is purported to be given in the interview has been correctly quoted from past observation and experience both with the post dispatch and other papers it knows that mormon elders are misquoted perhaps unintentionally this matter is referred to bo therefore not with any intention to criticise criticism critic ise either the elder or our but from a sense of duty that some of the mistakes made cannot be allowed to pass unnoticed because of the seriously arrone erroneous ous impression they convey to the people for instance inthe langu language aga attributed to an elder one statement of the interview is as follows missouri is to have within her boundaries the zion of the mormons cormons Mor mons from all the sections of the world where they abide the he members of the faith will come to missouri they will remove even from the holy city of salt lake and from all of utah to come to the fertile valleys and the productive prairies of this great state where they first thrived independence in jackson county is the chosen spot for assembling israel independence will be the center of zion which is to be a grand city and a community peopled by the favored children of god the assertion that the mormon people will depart denart from this state is the chief mistake in the foregoing and with it there are carried several erroneous impressions pres press lons in response it may be stated emphatically that the latter day saints do not intend to abandon utah some of them may leave this state for special purposes and go to missouri just as now they go to make homes home in canada idaho wyoming colorado arizona new mexico and othea places but the homes and the cities and the temples in these valleys alley tn in the tops of the mountains axe are the Wr manent heritage of the saints and there is no prophetic word or anticipation pation among the mormons cormons of relinquishing qu qui shing it this to is as much the I 1 land and of zion the home of at latter day israel as is missouri or any part of it or any PW part of the united states america Is chak land of zion it is the belief of the saints that the city zion will be built in jackson county missouri that this will be brought about by the power of the lord that it will be accomplished in a perfectly legitimate way with the rights of all people to be respected to the utmost the saints do not all expect to crowd into the city or into the county named for habitation in perfectly legitimate form they expect to possess the land whether within the city or outside of tt it over the whole face of the country according as op 1 come to them in common with their fellow citizens the work called mormonism is ie the work of the lord and every accomplishment there by la Is on the principles of equity and fairness to all men another assertion to which we are constrained to give attention is that the members of the church will have the lawmaking law making power in their hands this is incorrect both as it relates to the law of the land and to the law of the church in regard to the law of the land this government the united states was raised up by the power of the almighty that this should be a land of liberty unto the gentiles the american constitution is a divinely inspired instrument and under it the laws of the land are made by the citizens of the nation not by the mem members berts of any church as church members As to the law of the church the members members do not make this it is revealed from the almighty who is lawmaker and lawgiver in this latter reference ites well to keep in mind the divine injunction let no man think he is ruler regarding the preaching and teaching of elders it may be well to repeat the oft given suggestion that there is abundance to occupy the time and attention of every missionary in promulgating the fundamental principles of the gospel that is the message he is sent to bear to the world and it covert covers a very broad field methods of church policy belong in certain lines and with certain quorums which the lord has set as authorities in the church let every man stand in his own place and calling and in all public utterances be guided by the word of the lord people are liable to attach to private opinions which may or may not be correct an undue importance and perhaps hurl criticisms in an entirely wrong direction |
