The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-09-01
TWO HOURS WITH BRIGHAM YOUNG.
sA1rLaKE CRY. UrAH. Julu ID. 1850.

NY friend DR.. Bernhisel, M. c., took me this
afternoon, by appointment, to meet Brigham
Young, President of the Mormon Church, who
had expressed willingness to receive me at
P. NJ. We were very cordially welcomed at
the door by the President, who led us into the
second-story parlor of the largest of his houses,
The has three where / was introduced to Heber
c. Kimball, Gen. Wells, Gen. Ferguson, Albert
Darlington, Elias Smith, and several other
leading men in the Church, with two fnllgrown
sons Of the President. After some unimportant
conversation on general topics, stated that
had come in quest of further knowledge respect
ing the doctrines and polity of the Mormon
Church, and would like to ask some questions
bearing directly on these, if there were no OBJ
lection. President Young avowed his willing
ness to respond to all pertinent inquiries, and
the conversation proceeded substantially as fol-
lows
81. Gam / to regard Mormonism ESQ call
ed) as new religion, or as simply new de-
velopment of Christianity?
B. WE hold that there can be no true
Christian Church without priesthood directly
commissioned by and in immediate communi-
cation with the Son of God and Saviour of
Mankind. Such Church is that of the Latter
Day Saints, called by their enemies Mormons !;
we know no other that even pretends to have
present and direct revelations of Gods will.
ii. Citizen / am to understand that you
regard all other Churches protesting to be
Christian as the Church of Rome regards all
Churches not in communion with itselcas
schismatic, heretical, and out of the way of
salvation?
B. Yes, substantially.
d. G.-Apart from this, in what respect do
your doctrines differ essentially from those of
our Orthodox Protestant lChurches--the Bap-
list or Methodist, for example?
B. we hold the doctrines of Christianity,
as revealed in the Old and New Testaments-
also in the Book of Mormon, which teaches the
same cardinal truths, and those only.
II. G.-Do you believe in the doctrine of the
Trinity?
B. WE do, but not exactly as it is held
by other Churches. We believe in the Father,
the Son. and the Holy Ghost as equal, but not
identical-not as one person, being-l We
believe in all the Bible teaches on this subject.
81. G.-Do you believe in personal devil
a distinct, conscious, spiritual being whose
nature and acts are essentially malignant and
evil?
we do.
81. G.-Do you hold the doctrine of eternal
punishment?
B. Y.-We do, though perhaps not exactly
as other Churches do. We believe it as the
Bible teaches it.
II. CT understand that you regard baptism
by immersion as essential.
B. Y.-We do.
q. G.-Do you practice infant baptism2
B. Y.-No.
ii. G.-Do you make removal to these val
Ieys obligatory on your converts
b. y They would consider themselves
greatly aggrieved, if they were not invited
hither We hold to such a gathering together
of Gods People as the Bible foretells, and that
this is the place, and now is the time appointed
for its contamination.
II. G.-The predictions to which you refer
have usually, think, been understood to indi-
cate Jerusalem or Judea) as the place of such
gathering.
B. Yves, for the Jews, not for others.
ID. G.-What is the position of your Church
with respect to Slavery?
B. Y.-We consider it of Divine institution,
and not to be abolished until the curse pro-
from his descendants.
ritory?
B. Y.-There are.
H. G.-Do your Territorial laws uphold Sla-
very?
b. Y.-Those laws are printed; you can read
for yourself If slaves are brought here by
those who owned them in the States, we do not
favor their escape from the service of those
owners.
H. Gam to infer that Utah, if admitted
as member of the Federal Union, will be a
slave State ?
B. Y.-No; she will be free State. Sla-
very here would prove useless and Improbable.
| regard it generally as a curse to the masters.
l myself hire many laborers, and pay them fair
II o.. a. A. II
do better than subject myself to an obligation
to feed and clothe their families, to provide and
care for them in sickness and health. Utah is
not adapted to slave labor.
81. G.-Let me now be enlightened with re-
gard more especially to your church polity
understand that you require each member to
pay over one-tenth of all he produces or earns
to the Church.
Il. Y.-That is requirement of our faith.
There Is no compulsion as to the payment
Each member acts in the premises according
to his pleasure, under the dictates of his own
conscience.
81. G.-What is done with the proceeds of
this tithing?
B. Part of it is devoted to building tenn
pies and other places of worship; part to help
ing the poor and needy converts on their way
to this country; and the largest portion to the
ID. els mono of it paid to Bishops and
other dignitaries of the church,
b. Mot one penny. Nd Bishop, no FL
der, no Deacon, or other church officer receives
any compensation for his official services. A
Bishop is often required to put his hand in his
own pocket and provide thersfrom for the poor
OF his charge; but he meyer receives anything
for his services.
II. Chow, then, do your ministers live b?
b. by the labor Of their own hands, like
the first Apostles. Every Bishop, every Elder,
may be daily seen at work in the field or the
shop, like his neighbors every minister of the
Church has his proper calling by which he
earns the bread of his family he who cannot
or will not do the Church's work for nothing is
not wanted in her service even our lawyers
(pointing to Gen. Ferguson and another pres
ent, who are the regular lawyers of the Church
are paid nothing for their services am the
only person in the Church who has not regu-
lar calling apart from the Church's service, and
never received one farthing from her treasury !;
II L obtain anything from the tithing house,
am charged with and pay for ii, just as any one
else would the clerks in the tithing-sto are
paid like other clerks, but no enc is ever paid
Tor any service pertaining to the ministry We
think man who cannot make his living aside
from the Ministry of Christ unsafted to that
office. | am called rich, and consider myself
worth $250,0O0; but no dollar of it was ever
paid me by the Church, or for any service as a
minister of the Everlasting Gospel. 1 lost
nearly all / had when we were broken MP in
Missouri, and driven from that State; / was
nearly stripped again when Joseph Smith was
murdered, and we were driven from Illinois ;
but nothing was ever made up to me by the
Church, nor by any one. / believe know how
to acquire property, and how to take care of it.