Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-11-11
CONVERTING THE MoRMoNs.

The Missionary Conference of the
Methodist Episcopal church has appro-
priated some nineteen thousand five
hundred and fifty dollars for missionary
work in Utah. The desire OF the Meth
odists to convert the Mormon people
from the tenets Of their religion to those
OF the religion of John Wesley is iaud-
able, but we do not believe that it will
meet with any great success. The rea-
sons for this belief are most obvious. In
matters OF religion authority is always
stronger than reason, and thorough or
ganization is more powerful than great
piety. In the General Conference resides
the highest authority OF the Methodist
church, and its decision is final upon all
questions OF doctrine and discipline. The
very reverse OF this is the case in the
Mormon church. The Mormon church
has its conferences, and those conferences
may promulgate doctrine or prescribe a
discipline, and such doctrine and discip-
line may receive the sanction OF every
quorum in the church from that OF the
elders to that of the apostles, and yet
with the President of the church as
prophet, seer and revelator rest the final
decision as to whether the doctrine and
discipline promulgated and prescribed
are part of Mornonism. We may say
here that the word quorum as employed
in the Mormon church is used as desig
mating a sub-eccesiastical body.
That church which claims direct com
munication with heaven and also TO have Il
priesthood, will always have greater
influence over its members than Il church
not making these claims. Herein lies
the great power of the church of Rome,
and by its admirable and thorough or
ganization its power is made almost alb
solute. This is also the secret OF the
power OF the Mormon church. Protes
tantism has made very few converts
from Catholicism, while to-day Catholi-
cism is making very considerable
inroads upon Professionalism both in Eng
land and the United States; and this is
80 because OF the very authority and Or
ganization of the Church OF Rome. Men
prefer the definite dogmas OF an authori-
tative church to the 'speculations OF a con-
gregational church. Once introduce
credulity, and authority will ever sup
plant argument The Mormon church
establishes its doctrines authoritatively
and not argumentatively, and hence its
hold upon its members.
The Catholic church and the Mormon
church arc very much alike in their or
ganization and their claims. Very few
Catholics who renounce the faith OF
Rome eyer ally themselves with any
Protestant church. They usually become
infidels, but why they do we do not un-
dertake at present TO say. 1t is the same
with Mormons who renounce Mormon
ism. They very rarely ally themselves
with any church. There is trite saying
with the Mormons that in religion they
are either Mormons or nothing. 1t
is on account of this fact that we do
not believe the Methodist church will be
able to convert any considerable number
OF Mormons. Methodism has its greatest
success among people of emotional ma
ture, and the Mormons are not emotional.
Ii Mormons lean to any religion outside
OF their own, as Il rule it is either to
Catholicism or Unitarianism.