Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-01-07
ATHEISM AND 5ID0LATRY.
An Able and Instructive Lecture by
DR.. James Z. Talmage.

Lastevening DIR. Talm,ge Iectur.
ed In the Fourteenth Ward Assem-
bly, Room. He had an audience
which filled the hall to oyerflowing.
The subject Of the lecture was
"Atheism and Idolatry." The
lecture was highly interesting, in
strucuve and entertaining. In one
hours discourse without notes or
manuscript there was not one re-
dundant word, not one misplaced
word, no tautology, no repetition,
no tiresome and hackneyed logic.
In listening to the Doctor one
cannot help being carried back in
Imagination TO Antioch, when,
some fifteen centuries ago, John
Chrysostom, who was called the
golden-mouthed, inveighed against
the "Atheism and Idolatryv of his
time. Even in those days Christi
anity had fallen, the priests were
corrupt, the golden calf was
still worshipped and John of
the golden mouth told the
people 20. His action excited
the enmity of the Patriarch Theo-
philus and Of the EmperorEudoxia,
and the result was that he Of the
golden mouth was banis he'd from
the civilization of the time. and
had to by into the mountains of
Taurus. =la-9
In the opening periods of his lee
ture he defined atheism, polythe-
ism, theism, deism and patriotism.
Further on he explained what in
fidelity and idolatry consisted Of.
The Professor demonstrated that
there could not be, nor was there,
any such person rs an absolute
atheist according 10 the etymologi-
cal meaning Of the word He said
that even the writings ofpronounced
and professed atheists invariably re-
ferIed to some great unknown
cause, some .sapreme something,
some mighty mystery which lay be-
hind all. This proves that atheism
does not exist in the absolute mean
ing Of the word.
He referred to thatgreat meteoro-
logical event of Joshua's time, That
il, the standing still Of the sun. In
fidels and scJffers dwell on this as
anexample Of Biblical myths. They
said no mention was made of such
a supernatural circumstance by pro-
fame writer's Of that age. The Pro-
fessor proved this was not so. He
cited from Chinese history super
natural event in the days Of Em-
peror Yell, when the sun remained
above the earth the length OF two
whole days in succession. The peo-
pie were terrified and CONSERVATION
prevailed among the wise and great
Of the time aasaini ~ I ~
Joshua wert' Contemporaries, and
that this was one instance
where profaue records men,
toned the standing still of The sun.
He also referred to the mythology
OF Rome, and recited the case Of
Ph;eton, the son Of Helios. Helios
was the sun god Of the G. reek myth
ologists. He was supposed 70 drive
the chariot of the sun around the
heavens in every twenty-fOur hours.
He had n son named Phe,on, who
was a presumpiuous youth. He
begged his father to let him drive
for one day. The father, like many
other fathers who are often too in
dulgent 10 presumptuous youths,
gave the reins to the youth. The
result was that the horses ran away,
became unmansgeahle, and the in
habitauts Of the earth were terror
stricken. They implored the
Jupiter to stop it. Jupiter
hurled a thunderboit and killed
Ph;eton and stopped the steeds.
This is mythology, but ii is evidence
that some great event Of a super
natural character occurred in those
lines.
The lecturer referred to the
changes and reforms in our day. |
He asked II it could be possible to |
our grandmothers that n
Lock of sheep could be shesred and
he wool turned into a bolt of cloth
n six hours, aye, and even made
nto wearing APPAREL in that tine.
he said they wouli not believe II,
imply because it took them six
to make a suit Of clothes
rom the raw wool, ami they could
lot conceive Of any process by
which raw wool could be turned