Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-05-20
~ IT poLyTuEisM ?


ed sentences from old sermons with
out giving the explanatory context
the other u the quotation ~ such OK
cerpts from works that have never been
accepted a. authority by the church
ana dubhinr them ns Mormon stand
ards"
Now. it should be- understood that the
only accepted puhlinhcd standards ~
faith and doctrine OF the church N
Jesus christ u fattcr.day Saints. afe
the Bible tKing James tranelaiion) the
Hook ~ Mormon. the Doctrine and
Covenants and the Pearl Of Great Price.
h. which may be- added the Articles of
Faith. brief epltomr furnished BY
Joseph Smith the Prophet. other works
are the views or the writer's and arc
cdifylnr. 80 mr. a. they are correct and
In harmony with those accepted stand
ards.
our religious opponents rarely quote
from those recognized authorities. but
search through tho supplementary and
personal publications We have referred
TO. for the purpose ~ catching at a
passage. here and there. which suits
their purpose Of misrepresentation.
For Instance. Presbyterian DR.. who
IL one ~ the most active In the new
crusade. has had articles published. In
which he charges that Joseph
smith taught "polythclHm" and
that brigham Young ala the
same. The carefully selected
sentences and half sentences which he
gives 10 the public arc not taken from
tho standards of our faith They are
open 10 discussion NJ the views of the
authors. II taken In their entirety. but
would have to BE- accepted BY the
church In order to be- ranked with tho
standards.
what the gentleman has endoayorcd
To frove shrogsh public prints l. that
the Mormon" God IL a man. that lie
IL Adam. and that there are many
other Gods who are objects ~ Nor
mon worship. lie prclends TO quote
from Joseph Smith In support u his
assertion In the discourse to which
he alludcr. Joseph was giving a trans
lRtion from the iitsfcN Bible. Quot
Ing the nrt chapter OF ocncsis. he
said.
u shall comment on the very nrrl
Hebrew word In the nlble. I will make
a comment on the very tlfHt nentencc
u tho history OF creation Ia tia bible
'lieroHhcit.' I want to nnaiyEe the
word. 'iiaith' In, rs, through. and
everything else. 'il0ah'-the head.
'sheit- grammatical termination. when
the Inspired man wrote II. he did not
put the bath there. An old jew
he thought II too bad to talk about the
head II read FIRST. The head one ~
the Gods brought forth the uodr. That
~ the true meaning ~ the words.
'ilaurnu' signifies 10 bring forth. n
you do not believe IL. you do not be-
licyo the learned man Of God. Learned
men can learn you no more than what
I have told you. Thus the head God
brought forth the duds In the grand
council"
The discourse h founded on that
quotation. In the same sermon the
Prophet said
There II one God. one Father. one
Jesus. one hope OF our calling. one
baptism"
The Rev. Dr., did not quote that. II
would not havs suited his purpose. In
one sense Of the terms there arr many
pcrons who are called GODS. Ia another
sense there IN but one Ood. who l. su.
prone. A. tho Apostle Paul puts ~
For though there be- that are called
gods, whether In heaven OF ON earth
inS there be gods many and LORDS
many. Hut % ~ there n one Ood the
Father, of whom nrr all things. and
We In Him. and one Lord Jesus christ
by whom are all things and We by
Him Cor. VIII. 0, 9.
In rcrrencc 10 the same idea Jcsu.
salt To the Phnrisces:
els II not written In your law I said
80 are gods u he called thcm rod-
! 10 whom the word ~ the Lord came
ana the scripture cannot be broken.
Say 80 ~ Him whom the Father hath
annctliled nnd Hont into tho world thou
hlusphemost because ! said I am tha
Son u uodf"--John 4, $3.50
"in tho beginning Elohim made tho
heaven and tho earth" II not tho wonl
plurnl7 Does Il not mean "thc gods POI
What In meant by lot us make man
In our Image, after our llkcncsse Why
we're Adam and I've told they would
become ~ the gods, knowing good from
evil7 u Il not because as Paul said.
There be gods many and lords many 90
Hut lhcy are all one Ia the same sense
ns that declared by Jesus In His prayer
Tor Ills disciples;
'Thnt they nll may be one as thou
Father ant In me and IN thee that they
also may be- one In u.s." John xvii, "a.
II a. written also
IN the BEGINNING was the Word. and
the Word was with God, aud tho Word
WAS God. The same was In the begin
ming with God" John b. I, 2.
Again We read
For thorO are three that bear record
! IN heaven, the Father, the Word. aud
thn Holy Ghost and these three are
one-i John ". 2.
Thus there arc AT least three separate
and distinct persons called God. Three
! Gods who are one because of their prr-
Zee, unity NJ mind, purpose and action.
II that IN polytheism. then tho "Mor-
mons are polythelHts. II Is Bible
/ polytholsm, In which they believe, II
| the Father. the Son ana the Holy Ghost
are not three Individual personalities
/ the New Testament IN full of palpabl,
errors. Each n called ood, ana how
many moro such exalted persons ther,
.