Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-04-09
CHURCHES AND THE BIBLE.

a secular contemporary taxes occA-
sion 10 say that the Roman church Is
now about the only one that champions
the Inspiration Of the Sacred Scrip
lures The statement Is too sweeping
but the actual situation is really re-
markab.e. When the great schism
occurred. Professionalism appealed TO the
mfaulble Scriptures as supreme ou-
thorlty. while the Catholics maintained
the lnfaubllity Of the church.
il seems that at the present time
nearly an the Protestant churches-or
rather prominent men In them-view
the Scriptures with the greatest sus-
plclon, regarding the books as a col
lection OF fiction. hardly superior TO
the elder Edda OF the Norsemen; while
the Catholic church still reyeres the
Bible as the word Of God the higher
critics 60 that church being few and
/ Far between. II looks as II the Cath
ole church might stlll have mission
90 perform In a world stricken with
/ the most modern form Of inhdelty.
It SIS wen known that Rome with an
/ her sins ana faults has been the deposit
/ tory OF the sacred writings, and that
she has preserved them with commend
able faithlu'ness During the long,
dark ages the priceless manuscripts
We're preserved IN the monasterles,
whore by patient labor they We're stud
. ied copied and circulated from one
country 20 another The art Of print
ing. or rather the discovery Of a pro-
cess TO make cheap printing material,
/ belongs 10 a Catholic age and the
Bible was the first book ever commit
/ ted 20 the immortal custody Of the
. press. as today the printing Of Bibles
/ constitutes a large portion Of that in
| dusuy But FOR the Roman church
there would have been no Bible in
existence today This fact cannot be
denied uuthfuly viii the Catholic
church be called upon to stand up
for that volume she has preserved,
against the onslaughts Of a proud crit
isg.sm?
10 does hardly appear possible foi
that church to carry the victory In
this contest, because her position was
really taken before the latest attack Of
tho enemy had been planned. The de-
CIs.0ns OF her councils can have but
little bearing ON the claims OF moderr
criticism In the words OF Prot
, Mlvort, as TO matters quite unpractlc
al the belief TO be entertained by thu
faithful win be unequlvocally declared
but not what men must hold in regar,
. 20 the animals which entered and lef
the ark. the history OF Babel or tina
I Of Hahakkuk, etc. The church give
n silmmeung. equiyocal replies. Sh
seems 10 say that It Is necessary I
4 declare that the Bible contains no er
: rors. and yet that some Of the nara
I lives and assertions may be regarde
s as divergent from truth.
8 One fact the present controvers
= should make clear; namely that the col
= rect understanding Of the Sacred Serb
e lures is attainable only through n
!, Spirit Of the Lord Such are the din
a Ulues OF criticism. Of intorpretauo
+. OF ex5gcsls. etc. that unless the mir
s SIS Illuminated from some other sour'
than mere human sagacity. much OF q
4 Scriptures must remain lnsoluble my
= tgr.es.
!. win this fact established, Is there I
J. room for revelation Tor Inspiration. 4
n divine authority as IN the primit'
e church, Is direct communication wit
10 heaven not on absolute necessity? a
d Christians expect the triumph OF righ
i. eousness. and the establishment Of
e Mulennlal reign but how can that
&. done without some such divine mantle
- tatlons. by which were established q
70 Law on Mount Sinai and the Gospel
/, the new dlspensauon?
~ Isit credible ina, a Millennium can
l. innugurated with less power than N
which established the old coyenan
ct Surely the kingdoms Of the earth W