Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-08-30
MORMONISM.
ITS ORIGIN, GROWTH AND GENERAL
 HISTORY.
What the Golden Tablets Revealed Romance Antedating the Christian Era--Confiicts between the Saints and GentIles---DrIven out
 into the Wilds of the
 West.
BY JOHN A. SPRING.

Self6S, 1ldlbCt Lay OdllllS, 10TH Ol formed, at least originally,a religious sect founded in the year 1927 in the State oi New York, by one Joseph Smith. Since lS47 their headquarters have been in the Territory of Utah whence, under the leadership of Smiths successor, Brigham Young, they have established and main tained in a systematic manner different missions in the United States, Canada and Europe, in the latter especially ill England, Wales, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The most important docu- mentary chronicle of the Mormons IS the so called "book of the Mormons," printed for the first time in America in 1880, in Europe in 1841; still they concede much to the authority of the bible; indeed it may be said that the Mormon creed Is based upon a mixture of Judaism and Christianism. The principal dogma of Mormonlsm. as a creed, consists ln the faith of revelation, that IS, the firm belief that God through continual revelations, made to preferred sanctitied mortals (prophets) remains in uninterrupted com munication with mankind and IS thereby enabled to establish. through the voice of those selected, new dogmas to abolish CT modify old ones. The receiver of such revelations is the chief priest in whom the spiritual and mundane power Is centered and who IS therefore, as such receiver of the deity's revelations called prophet Or ''seer" During the seventh decade of this century the original creed was in great danger of plunging into p9lytheocracy whose followers declared Joseph Smith to be "the God of the present generation, , next iQ rank and power was Jesus, then Adam, then Jehovah and as highest god Elohlm was to be veRerated Brigham Young saw the danger of such a creed and had revelation which declared God
 to be the father of mankind and creator of the world, Jesus to be his son and the Holy Ghost the sanctiied spirit emanat- ing from the former; Ill fact about the same doctrine as originally established by Joseph Smith. According to this same
 revelation Heaven consisted of three separate divisions into which the spirits of the departed were admitted according
 to their merits and their rank held in the church upon earth. A fourth division, a sort of hell, or sheol, is taught to exist, as a receptacle for those who sln against the holy spirit, that Is for those who become apostates and leave the community of the
 Latter Day Saints" What and how much of the creed has been subjected to alteration since then by other revelations 1t is impossible tC ascertain with any de- gree of certainty to one not initiated + tke inner working or mysteries of the Mor- mon Church; but the fact remains that this very theory or dogma of revelation Is one of the principal if not the principal factor of the Mormon religion. Next in importance is the doctrine of polygamy which did not originally form a dogma of ths church of the Latter Day Saints" but was introduced by the great reyela- tion of J. Smith of July l2th, l843, after he, who was man of very sensual propensities, had lived for several years already in accordance with the now pub lished revelation. The followers of Smith, besides being bound by their faith to obey the dictates of the revelation, found plenti
 ful reasons and arguments for the defense of the new grinciHle: + the first place it was an effieient Meas4s towards rapid in crease of their members and hsnoe of a speedy propagation of their church; then they could show by the bible that no where was polygamy forbidden, aye, rather encouraged, and furthermore. did not about age half of the eaFth's inhabi- tants live in palygaply3 tle Eqlygamy of the Mormons called celestial maFrage'
 has duplicate form, real one whose main object is a numerous progeny for the greatest possible extension of the church and spiritual one tending towards increasing the celestial joys in after life. The number of the real wives is limited by the pecuniary circumstances af tAa husband; it Is therefore evident that poly pamy among the Mormons is by no means of general existence or practice, but Is to a great dsgrae reserved for the high digni- tarias of tie church Whg at the same time are the rulers of the state. The Igmber of spiritual wives is unlimited. The PplH- cipal priests to whom to be sealed" is a sure Guaraptee of a glorious existence hereafter, quite frequently have over one hundred such. The marriage ceremonies are performed by the prophet; divorces are exceedingly fsTs alp.a9 eann only be oR- tainad through him, AGcefdiifg fa 2 revelation received by J, Smith n 1856
 the reception into the community of the church is subject to four eGnq1tlpAsi l.
 Belief in God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Shirt who enters the soul of all believers 7. Repentance of sll sins and fighting oi every wrong done to qTotEer; 3i Baptism by immersion by one selected from oa high (but none under eight years Of age shall thus be baptized3 4, Laying on ot hands by an apostle Qr ether dlgAltary 9i the church so authorized. FBe c9lsHti- tion of the Mormons is an absolute theocratic one. Up to the year 1854 al
 matters of general interest to the com
 munity, material as well as spiritual, were
 regulated by Smith and his chosen ac
 cdrdipg to their will or pleasure, or, as
 they exprassed t, according t9 the Teyela
 tions received by him But se6l4g tl4l
 the membership of the new church stead l ly increased, it became necessary, II
 order to avoid all controversies, to give tt the eommpHitz g9s,,tlye constitution an(
 such one was drafted at 9Hiti's tq4se E.
 twenty four of the highest dighitaTias an' 1 if heeame the basis upon which Mormon ism has built ths formidable edIhce nov in existence. At tae Heaf q the or
 ieapizatiql vas placed itesifeGt Sno
 with two assistalts qf c3q4s9l9rs, forn
 the highest authority Of the church. IL
 mony. @ a sort of sacrament, of laying on C
 hands. his is the exclusive privilege, t
 receive revelations. to give in marriag
 and to appoint and dispatch missionaries
 Tine whole guidance of all material an
 rraI;oioInis matters of the community
 entrusted to him. His mqIdale title
 1.-The President" his religious one ''Th
 Seer or Prop phet." Brigham Young, th
 successor of Joseph Smith and the rea
 creator of the Mormon State, as it devel
 oped itself later on in the secluson C
 Utah Territory, knew how tq eoneeptrat
 in his person more and more all tI.
 bowers and prerogativea ot ali absolut authority in church and state, to such
 degree as has never been seen or know ihn the history Gf any civilized communit,
 Next in rank to the president gre tt ' twelve apostles" and next to them tt , .sSeyenty" (coIresponding with the nun } Der ef Christ's disciples, which numbt } we find again represented in the collee 3 of the Cardinals of the Roman Cathol
 church.) Then come the 'eIders" ana , on ti.! about every mem Der of the churc f occupies in t kind Of official positio g be it in one of the meHt,G9ed higher rank i, be it in a minor capacity as bishop. Eries 3 teacher or deacon. The whole hierarct ] is isfurthernaors divided into two classe 2 the priesthood of Melchisedek and tn l of Aaron, the former being the MGre enI z nept and embracing the higher dignitari T down to the el9ers and high prests, u | latter constituting ihS Femaining COT 6 lmunity of the Saints, whose origiB hG7 0 ever must be traced to Aarona, feat whiC s can only be accomplished by that a !, powerful revelation. The moral code d 80 to speak, consists qf the ten eomman
 ments which in the course cf time ha a haan Inv ravaIations aYtandad and moC