The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-06
How Shall we Treat the
Norman Missionaries?

| GRAFTON They are our fellowmen
| -citizens of our common country.
| They represent themselves as ministers
| of the Gospel, and as such claim the
hospitality of our people, and even ASK
| that our churches be opened to them.
| How shall we treat them? Shall we
receive them into our homes? Shall we
| open our churches to them? Before we
| are prepared to answer these questions
| intelligently, and to the satisfaction of
| our c0nsciences. we must know some
| thing Of their doctrines and practices.
| First. What do they believe? They
| profess TO believe in God the Father, and
| in His Son Jesus Christ, and i'll the
| Holy Ghost. This seems to be all right.
| But what is their belief in God, and
| in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost
| They teach that God has Il material
| body-that He was once a man, who has,
however, so advanced in intelligence and
power that He may now be called
comparatively speaking) perfect. infin-
| ite etc, but that He still has the form
and figure of man. The following is
an extract from one of their popular
| catachisms. as quoted in McClinstOck and
Strong's Cyclopedia:
Answer: He is a material, intelligent
parsonage, possessing both body and
parts.
Question So: Doth He also possess
passions?
Answer: Yes He eats, he drinks, he
loves. he hates.
Question A: Can this being occupy
two distinct places at once?
They teach that God originated in the
| union of two elementary particles of
matter. Quoted from GenniSon L. 49D
Joseph Smith is quoted as saying:
1.-The weakest child of God. which now
exists upon the earth. will possess more
dominion, more property. more subjects,
and more power and glory than is now
possessed by Jesus Christ, or by his
Father, while at the same time they will
have their dominion. kingdom and sub
iects increased in proportion"
I They claim that it was revealed to
Joseph Smith that the first verse of
Genesis originally read as follows:
H. The Head God brought forth the
Gods, with the heavens and the earth"
mill. Star, XIV 400
Bingham Young claimed that it was
revealed to him that the God of our
planet is Adam, and said. when Adam
came into the garden of Eden, he
brought Eve, one of his wives with him.
He helped to make and organize this
world He is Michael, the Archangel,
the Ancient of days. He is our Father
and our God and the only God, with
whom we have TO do" From Disc0urs-
es Of the Presidency in vol. XIV, page
769)
They teach that Christ is the offspring
of the material union on the plains OF
Palestine of God and the Virgin Mary"
Adam is declared to be the God of
Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ the god
of Joseph Smith, and Joseph Smitl the
god of this generation.
They also teach that Jesus Christ was
the husband of three wives, that 1T the
marriage Of Cana of Galilee, He was thc
groom, and that Mary and Martini. aud
the other Mary were the brides, and
other things which are equally blasphe-
nous and repulsive.
Lack of space forbids a further notice
of their doctrines. They claim 10 believe
the Bible. as far as it is correctly trans
lated and to believe the Book Of Nor
mon to he the word of God.
Second. What do they practice? 1t
is we'll known fact that polygamy was
a prevailing practice among them until
A. ID. 1892. This was practised notwith-
standing the teachings of the
Bible. and of the Book of
Mormon, which they profess to
believe. The Book OF Mormon denounces
pOlygamy as one of the most offensive
sins in the sight of God, and yet they
claimed to have received Il revelation
from God. authorizing this Ubiquitous
practice, and making the salvation of
| women depend on being married to Nor
| mon men. They now claim to have
abandoned polygamy; but it is histori-
cal fact that they did so only when the
strong arm of the United States govern
ment forced them to take this step.
They believe in it yet, and practice it.
too, sa far as they DWARF do so. | have
before me a statement made by Rev. j.
+. Mahaffey, of Lowryville, s. c., from
which l quote. Speaking of those who
have been persuaded by the Mormon ell
ders to go to MOrmondon, he says
Several families went from Chester
| county, 5. c. only last fall, (the fall of
| 1896. One woman left husband and
| children to go with the elders One
Ialnlly, III tOlefaDly good circumstances,
| was persuaded to sell out at sacrifice
| and go with them to Utah, after which
| they went to Idaho, and made several
| moves in search of the promised land"
Finally they gave up in disgust. and
| by nip and tuck got back to South Caro-
| lima. Mr.. Mahaffey says:
II visited them to-day, April Sth, 1897
| and they are free 10 say that the tale
| the elders tell is absolutely false. Taey
| found that pOlygamy was the popular
idea, and the prevailing practice"
| also quote from letter, written by
| MEG. Whitehurst Esq, of Pitt county,
| North Carolina. who was resident of
Utah about fifteen years ago. Mr.
Whitehust says:
'"rhey do not preach the same doctrine
at home that they do here. They are
wicked people at home. They believe
| that the Priesthood must rule. and the
time has been when it was death for
any one of them to disobcy the Priest
| hood. They have been guilty of some
very brutal acts
Further on in his letter he says:
| Il have heard their Bishop tell his au-