Show plagiarizing MORMON literature IN the north Ante american rican review for november is an article article by R G ingersoll entitled the agnostic side written in reply to a letter from the rev henry MJ Field D D a presbyterian clergy clergyman cler gymA mb printed in ia a previous num berof berlof the review this last emanation from the pen of the great modern pagan 1 has excited extended comment a ids pronounced one of the strongest agest things he has written judged from the standpoint of either a modern theologian or unbeliever it is a difficult argument for the former to meet the bec sectarian religionist might perhaps be reluctant to admit the force of Inger lov log c while tile the latter would be with the manner in which it shows up the inconsistent features of the presbyterian creed but Inger shafts tall fall harmless at the teet feet of them the latter day saint they are turned aside like straws faring falling faree fallee u upon pon a steel ee I 1 a armor AIKo A cotmon Mot mon imon 88 d Y school cho I 1 p pupil u pit of average intelligence lige can an qu quickly I 1 kly parry the argumentative thrusts of toe the great agu agnostic which reach so far into the vitals ot d mr fields creed so tar far from froia an sus cess fully attacking any religious doctrine held by the latter day saints ru ers has borrowed from their literature some of the most effective weapons which tie lie has ever used in attacking his theolog theological ical adversaries in his last storming of the presbyterian fortress he be tires fires several destructive missiles taken by him from mormon arsenals ot of logic of course omitting to ave ve due credit in fact his bis prevent present article bristles with brilliant ideas that were entirely new until announced ty ly mormon alders Ifil ders here tor for example is an excerpt taken partly verbatim from the writings of orson pratt prate and conveying an argument in common use among lat ter day saints for fifty years the truth Is that no one can justly be held responsible for his thoughts the brain thinks without asking our consent we believe or we disbelieve without an effort of the will belief is a result it is the effect of evidence upon the mind the scales turn in site of him who watches there is no opportunity tunit of being honest or dishonest in the formation formation of an opi bior the conclusion is entirely independent of desire we must be lieve or we must doubt in ia spite of what we wish 4 that which must mast be has the right to be we think in spite of ourselves the brain thinks as tile the heart beats as the eyes see as the blood pursues its course in the old accustomed ways this declaration declara tiou of an obvious truth troth when made by latter day saint speakers and writers is usually accompanied compa nied by the explanation that while faith is the result of evidence and to that extent is not under the control of the will when evidence necessary necess acy for the creation of a true faith is placed within reach of the in divid aai and ignored there is culpability attaching to a lack of faith or to a wrong faith here Is another robust fragment of logic which basone yoeman service iu in many a discus discussion gion to which mor mons have been parties but the universality of a belief does not tend to establish its truth in the world of thought majorities count tor for nothing truth has always dwelt with toe the few it will occur to maur of our readers that they have heard from mormon elders commenting on the sectarian idea of the mystery of god something very like the following but when you endeavor to explain the mystery of the universe by the mystery of god you do not evin exchange mysteries you simply make one more nothing can be mysterious enough to become an explanation again you sty siy that your god doab not bend to human thour ht any more than to human will 1 and that the more we study him the more we find that he be is not what we imagined alva to tg be v so that after all the only thing you are really certain of la in relation ion to your god is that he is not what you think he be is Is it not almost absurd to insist that such a state of mind is necessary e to salvation or that it is a m moral ra restraint or that it is the foundation of social order the missionary tyro who starts out to preach peach the doctrine of the true god as his nature was revealed to joseph smith the seer commonly takes this text which as ingersoll lug ersoll would have the world believe expresses an idea original with himself 1 I know that in your creed you describe god so as without body parts or passions this to my mind is simply a description of an in vacuum ingersoll weaves the follo following winf 4 frag ment of mormonism which is as old as the first printed work of the mormon people into his argument against mr field the heaven of the ne new testament testate nt was to be in ia this the dead after they were raised were ware to live here of the pharisees Pharis ees of the age who believe that of all ail the hosts living and dead they and those like lik them ethem only will be saved how bow often such ideas as this occur in the sermons and whitin writings 8 of latter day saints minus the acrimony acri here expressed I 1 but I 1 have denounced the selfishness fessand and heartlessness of laotie who expect for themselves an eternity of joy and for the rest of mankind predict without a teara world of endless pain nothing can be more contemptible than such a hope a hope that can give satisfaction only to the hyenas of the human race this sentence of Inger soils is mainly a paraphrase of one of the articles of faith formulated by the prophet joseph smith 1 I believe in the manly doctrine that every human being must bear the consequences of his acts and that no man can be justly saved or damned on account ol of the goodness po or the wickedness of another ingersoll uses the familiar mormon argument that a spirit after death retains its identity memory power to believe repent etc and adds according to your creed the future state will be worse than its tain here the vicious may reform here the wicked way may repent berea few gleams of sunshine way may tall fall upon the darkest life but in your future state tor for countless billions of the human race there will be no reform no opportunity 0 of doing right and 96 possible gleam alm 0 of f sunshine can caa ever touch their souls D do 0 you on not see that your future ata state t e Is s infinitely worse than this you see seem al to mistake the glare of hell bell tor for the light of morning to show abow that faith without works will not exalt men in their characters and attributes ingersoll borrows again your bible shows that the devil himself is a believer in toe the existence of your god in the inspiration of the scriptures and in the divinity of jesus christ he not only believes these things but he knows them but yet in spite of all he be remains a devil still the candid reader acquainted with the literature of polemics fifty years ago and with that of the latter day saints will readily perceive how bow ingersoll ger soll and others like him have drawn draff n upon the latter for ammunition to use in their warfare against the re legious sects of the day in addition to the evidence incorporated in Inger reasoning shows its similarity to that used by the latter day saints to be too close to be the result of accident it is appropriate to state that while in this city a few years since he said that he be had bad studied the mormon mens religion and tor for that purpose had attentively read the literature of its adherents that his pursuit of information la in that line made a deep impression impress iou lou upon his bis mind is strongly evinced in this the controversy to which this article refers |