Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-08-26
NEITHER rLprn NOR AeSosIlc.
10 mo Bditor.

10 mo Hdifor;
In your Issue Of August - lind re-
produced n letter sent by mo to the
New York brcEin0 I'ost dlsolalmlng
the honor VI being n Mormon Elder,
which tito had been most lsvishly be-
slowed upon me by the New York press.
You say am "what Il popularity
known m fTcothlnkcr, though why
nm ngnostic should be considered more
Of frecthinker than believer In the
Bible We fail 10 see.n
There IL, OF course, a consure Ia that,
but want to show that the coat does
not III me; and NJ have never had an
opportunity 10 say word on this topic
lot me use the present.
never chose for myself the name
"Frcethinkerv any more than you
chose the name "ionnon.n In a
general way un.churchtd people are
called ''freethinkers.v The majority
Of the "I.ibcralv party In Utah i
made up OF "Frecthinkefs.v You
know what think Of them aud what
] have done 10 oppose them ~ party.
II Is my opinion that they have much
moro "free" than "thlnk" aud that
many OF them are-but you will not let
me say II.
Speaking for myself most cordially
concede 10 believers In tho Bible all the
Gree" and ask from them only liberty
10 exercise my G0d-givon right ~
"think" according 10 my ability. We
can never quarrel ON that point.
In the common une OF Language 'free.
thinker" and "infldel' are synonr-
nous, and OF late the torn "agnostic"
has been added 10 the other two.
disclaim all three aud am content To bc
u thinker. Having lived life ofsonio
devotion 10 what saw to DO my duty,
do not consider myself an in-
hdsl. The agnostlo says he does
not know. think | do know, and
hence anu not an agnostic.
IL not believing Us you believe makes
mo an ''unDollcvrr, % then am not 10
bc condemned because I cannot be-
licve otherwise than according 10 the
actions Of my reason and the dictates OF
conscience. Names amount 70 little,
yet have called myself u nationalist.
Being that, Insist that nll should have
equal rights TO think for themselves
and believe ~ they can, without cen
sure. What II rational In your faith
IL mine, and II there Is anything ration.
al In the other secta II IL mine also, be-
cause truth IL rationale and Is or becomes
universal.
have known several Mormons " no
thought my humble effort In behalf OF
fair play for their sect was wrong, be.
cause was not church member. |
have known greater humber OF al
legged Mormons who thought my work
wrong because II might turn "Gon.
illen dollar from them. To both |
would say that have not been work.
ing for Mormonu, but for the rights OF
man denied 10 Mormons. But / sup
pos human nature Ia much the Same
now that II was two thousand years
ago. The man who agltates an unpopu.
lar truth or rightis misunderstood now
as then, and though he cannOt bee forced
to drink the hemlock or bear the cross Ia
Calvnry,he Is none theless martyrcd by
the million tongues Of envy, malice
and ialsehoOd. Your "JOsepho even
found death, and you yourself are daily
victim TO the strokes of iangless old
rutuesnake whose cOutOrlions make M
all laug h.
DO not think for one moment that I.
outside OF the church, nasume that |
possess any more freedom TO think
than you have inside. Believe
nus that your rights are sacred 10 m,
aud trust mine are 10 you and yours.
| want no freedom that cannot he
shared by all-lf they what It. | want
no salvation that does not belong u
me. A good old Mormon snld 10 me
yesterday "God will take care OF YOU
and save you whether you want Hin
10 or not" To which replied, "That /,
all right. II God deems mo worthy Of
His favor certainly shall make no op,
position"
! mny be wrong, but II strikes m,
thht the man or woman who does hii
luty where he stands unconcerned fol
he consequences Is the one who il do
Ing the Will OF God la rational way,
and soon or late will see the sun o
success strike above him the shining
hills u day.
Yours for the Truth and the Right Al
all times and under any name.
CHARLES ELLIS.
We give place to the foregoing, be
cause we respect tho views Of tn,
writer and acknowledge his right /,
define his own position, especially /