Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-11-24
Educational Matters.
Theological Studios in tho Brigham Young Academy
Provo Questions of Missionary Answered.

The following letter from a mission
sry In Maryland has been handed me
Tor reply. quote only the passages that
will be Of general interest.
will ask sou to try to make a few
points PLAIN TO me- They arc these:
1. We claim God Is a being with a
DO y similar to man only immortal
Now. ST. John says God is SH.rit'
and our Lord says spirit hath not
flesh and blood"
2. We do not believe in baplizing
little children. Yet Our Lord says.
Except a man be born OF the water and
the Spirit he cannot be saved Now,
what Is the reason this does not apply TO
children as well as 10 grown up peuple'
Jesus says. "Sulicr little children to
come unto me-" But can we infer that
they are to come unto Him 90 any other
way than others Gomez
!. How IS It that we can have this
body raised from the gfavc-that D., q |
mankind For some men 20 as far as to
eat human flesh Il seems that " my
body were ca.en by man, ! shouli be-
come part OF his body. Then, too, the
grass that grows above the graves Of
mankind, drawing It's substance from
their bodies, Is eaten 10y the COW, and
We drink the milk that the COW gives
thus taking into our bodies what has
been portions Of other mems bodies
Now, how can each Of US get hts own
identical body, as the Prophet Joseph
Smith says we shall'
4. Here is another question. An in
e. d % d q HHN D.
verse Of the 7ist chapt Of ST. John aud
| had to tell him ! did not The pas
sage reads; And there are also many
other things which Jesus did, the which
II they should be written every one, ]
suppose that even the world itself could
not confirm the books that should be
written"
S. According toscicncc, so / am told,
the Niagara Falls have been over fifteen
thousand years cutting their way to
where they are at present. According
to the Bible, the earth cannot be over
eight or nine thousand years old at
most.
Now, you may think
these questions are very simple. but
have been asked them and have gotten
out OF them the best way ] could, but
not to my own satisfaction. u you can
and will give me some enlightenment on
them, please do so. I have one more
question II could only think Of Il. oh,
yes; this Is u.
o. "How could Melchisedek be with.
out father or mother, without beginning
or end OF days''
Now, let me say first, that ! cannot
but admire the simplicity and dircctucss
Of these questions and the Candor with
which they are asked. This Elder evil
IDENTIFY recognizes that these questions
demand rational answers, and that al.
though an Elder can get out Of them"
MS many do, by bubbles and sophistry
more or less ingenious, the difficulties
remain still lie also feels an assurance
that there Is a rational explanation for
them. Whether my answers will be an
Improvement upon his own, remains To
be seen. feel to apologize that other
work eoJwding urJn me has LEFT his let
ter so long unanswered.
First, then as to the passages, God
Is a Spirit, aud spirit hath not flesh
and bones as ye see me have" Il Is no
evidence oi astulencss to set passages Of
Scripture in opposition to one another
Nothing is easier. Nor does this apply
to the Bible alone. ! venture TO say that
there Is no work In science, philosophy,
or law, but will yield quibbles in the
same way In the case OF law, or
science, or philosophy, the man who
thus takes advantage Of individual pas
sagcs Is recognized as a qulbblcr, and Is
treated with the contempt that his ignur'