Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-06-19
The Mormon Creed,

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believe 10 it. They have a system Of theol.
ogy, too, but such couglomerato affair is
it that IL defies description. 1t is worthy
of mention as only curiosity. Itteaohes pri.
marily that thero arc many gods. and that
eminent saints become gods iu Heaven.
They rise one above another in power and
glory to infnity. Joseph Smith is now
the god of this generation. Abovo him is
Jesus OF Nasareth, whose superior god is
Adam. Above Adam is Jehovah, aud
above Jehovah is Elohim. They all have
many wives and they all rule over their
descendants, who are constantly increasing
ln number and dominion. The glory of
saint when he becomes god depends 10
some degree upon the number Of wives and
children which he has. Hence it is that
polygamy is taught and enforced as duty.
| Wives ere sealed to saints here on earth to
increase their domioion 10 Heavon. Tho
| gods are in the form of mon, and are the
fathers Of the souls of men 10 this world.
The ten commandments are the rule Of
lite, together with revelation given to
Joseph Smith in 1868. This revelation is
called "a Word of WISDOM and is re-
garded simply as counsel not as law.
! According to tho Mormon oreed infant
sprinkling is condemned. At eight years
OF age children are immersed. Baptism
for tho dead is praotiocd, living person
being baptised for one or moro dead persons
Somo Of the great mon of the nation md
of tho world are by proxy members of the
church of Latter day Saints, as Washing
ton. Franklin, etc. There have been many
disponsations of religious truth, but tho
greatest of all is that made through tho
Prophet Joseph. This dispensation will
! culminato 10 the Settlement of the saints in
Jackson County, Missouri, wLeuoo they
were expelled. Hero will all the saints be
gathered in due timo, and all others bo cut off.
All preaching. so far as doctrine is con-
oerned, is ringing change on these,points.
The people know their articles of faith by
heart and are not allowed 70 forget them.
Neither can Gentilo, though fool, fail
to learn what tho saints believe. i: is an
eolectio theology that they hold, made W
of contributions from overy creed. Itiss
compound of Christianity, philosophy ond
mythology in about equal parts. The form
OF church government is that of the Meth
odist Church, although the leaders wero
originally Congrcgationaist in the matter
Of church order and Baptists by profession.
This conglomerate theology is diametri-
cally opposed to the doctrines of the Bible,
CD in being purely materialistic, (2) in
teaching the eternity of matter, (3) in
declaring tho pre-existenoe and transmits
sion of souls, (4) in preaching plurality
OF gods, and (5) in advocating the doctrine
of plurality of wives or celestial marriage.
Sunday Afternoon.
ETNA ANN
neighboring voloauoes-Etna being the
greatest in tho world-arc in eruption, and
great streams arc pouring out of fresh cru
ters down the populous slopes of tho Sicil
ian mountains, although this is the seventy.
ninth recorded eruption of Etna. Present
indications arc that it will be ono of the
most destructive ever known, but fortunately
tho villagers have warning and no loss of
life is appreheuded unless tho lava bursts
through 10 unexpected places. The crup-
tion is accompanied by showers of ashas,
dcnse clouds Of smoke, darkness, bursting
fire balls, shocks of earthquake, and ali the
other impressive and terribly grand pheno-
mena of internal fires. These do not
greatly tcrrify the Siciians; they 1.-Two in
expectation of witnessing thon at loast
onco during their lives. The latest re-
corded eruption of Etna is that mentioned
by Drodorus Sioulus. The next three are
mentioned by Thucydidcs, and since that
time others have occurred at intervals of
about twenty years, until thoy number
scvonty-ninc. The most violent arc those
of 1859, l690, 1866, 1892, 1852 and 1868. |
In ll60 Catunia was destroyed und I5, 900 |
of its Inhabitants pcrished; in 1900 the
streams of lava undermined and carried off |
great hills, on which were new vineyards
and cornields. 1t destroyed twenty towns
md villages, and after run of fifteon
miles, poured into the soa fiery current
six hundreds yards wide and forty feet
deep. Ono of the streams of TO- day is
said to be 230 feet wide and many miles
long. The volcano stands on the Eastern
coast of Sicily, in an isolated position
having base that is 20 miles in orcum-
ference, and q height OF 1854 feet The
summit of the colossal mountain ia above
tho line Of vegetation, and when not covered
with white snow presents drcary waste of
black lava, scoriac and ashes; but lowor
down there arc folds that are productive of
corn, oil, wine, fruit and aromatic herbs.
Vesuvius, Atnas great rival, is also be-
coming more active. The volcano business
is looking up in Italy, and the people are
correspondingly detected. Tho fate Of
Pompeii and Hcrouaneum is not forgotten
by them.
Better Late than Never.