Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-08
MISSIONARY WORK.

arcs gives Tome OF the resrons WIN Inc
hebrewss ass religious community. do
e. engage In missionary work
nel'her among pagans nor civilized
nations. The Jews, he says, do not
esiieve that they alone have mono.
poly on truth, but that 1t IL cleft I,
every Intelligent man ana woman 10
discern good from evil, and they c,u
10 IL very well according to their own
ieiision, unless they are stepped in
blind prejudice" Another reason Is
that the Jews do not believe in the
gsnuineness ofconversions. How would
IL be, he asks, with the overwhelming
masses II we had missionaries? The
number would run Into millions who
Tor the smallest amount Of money,
without needing to work for It,
would become Jews. But what kind
OF Jewsf just such, he says, Us Jess
are when they become Christians.
Let them stay hesthentI no excIsims.
We will not disturb any body's religion,
Just as We do not like to be disturbel
In ours.
The rabbi then rather severely crltl.
cisss the efforts OF Christian denomias.
lions to evangsliz, the world. He
soyt:
We cannot see any feature in the mis-
sion-system that could possibly com
mend 1t TO our adoption. We would
think It an insult to an enlightened
people IL we lowered the banner of their
creed and permitted ours TO float high
above 1t, and as a rule an unenlighieaed
people makes an undesirable religionist
anyway. II were far better II our jealous
Christian friends would spend the
shekels which they lavish on foreign
missionaries on the poor Mt home. In
stead of trying to save the soul OF the
lheathen in foreign lands. TO save the
hungry, starving body of tho Chris
tian at homo. II the state of affairs
were such that poverty would be
unknown at home; II there were no
widows weeping and no orphans, no
needy, distressed fellow mon bent down
in grief and no adversity-stricken lam
lies furnishing, no weli-hlled jnils, no
Haunting vice, neither crime nor ooTup-
ton, then we would have no right 10 find
fault with the churches II they choie 10
send missionaries to foreign climes and
zones and there support their messengers
of the Gospel in any style they desired.
but as 1t il, we must mildly suggest,
when they approach us with missionary
questions, first 10 ameliorate need and
suffering at home, and that with tread
first, with religion next, then formulate
your questions; but--those who live in
glass houses must throw no stones.
Paradoxicai as the slatsmen! may
souni it is nevertheless true thai the
non.sctivity OF Judaism in the mia
bionary field is credit to the system.
1t proves it's consistency with Itself In
this particular. The Mosaic dispsn,a.
tion was not q missionary one Its
object was the union OF sanity
families into a divinely governed
nation-ihe application OF pAtrisrrhai
conditions to a wider circle. The
time for missionary work among
the nations Of the earth oouli not
come, until the lessons Of the Mosaic
era had taken go deep root rs to be
capable OF transplantIng. This was
the work Of the Christian dispsnsailon,
and consequently, the command Of
Jesus was TO go out into the Whole
world and disseminate the Truth
tmong all nations. But the Jews,
who still endesvor to perpeIuale the
Mosaic condition., can mot be charged
with inco us!stency for refusing t'tako
part in propaganda for their fsilh.
IL ia notable in this connection that
the Christian sscts in their missionary
ehorle hold a much less impFeguahle
position. They deny divine authohly
TO preach. They have been chlissd
with no special message to the world.
As long SO this is the case, they would
be''et act on the suggestion Of the
rabbi and turn their attention to crluH
poverty and error at home.
The LRtter-dsy SAiats hold In
.eiS regard position different to both
seWsAnd Christian sects. Their special
commission is to TO witnesses to the
hAnons OF the earth. In the divine
pan Tor the salvation of the human
iAnllS we see flrst the principlti OF
ruin and the power OF God delegated
)" heads OF families. After long
aa'hnag these principles were Hppli ed
national lie as seen among tn.
h.ss people. For centuries this
49, uoVelopment has been left to
ns,,an' ne ',Avan smoug the various
time naa SUI IN different form.. The
for, s,,, seems to be drawing near
sun higher dsvelonnan,i An rh,"s
1eptine'pieso tlu,h -, "u,on
" Tue human rAca al " APpleu
10 ior the preparation whoie' and II
ihia higher stage a, mo world for