Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-07
An EXPLANATION,


TO the Editor: ,oo,
salt Lake city Utah, May 6, 1901
Your paper this evening contained an
editorial on Mormon Faith IN Whlch
You refer TO "a sermon / delivered sun
day evening at the First NJ, %. church
You base your comment ana crltlc-
ism not uuou my sermon but upon q
hearsay report of that sermon.
II you had taken the trouble to ma
out what I dd say you would doubt
les have found 1t not worthy of reply
especially as you disclalm any desire
to enter into discussion on the question:
But because you relied upon an ineor-
rect report sou have loaded your col.
umns with a Misrepresentation | did
not say that the Mormon theory OF
salvation is that faith IN the Prophet
Joseph as well as the Book Of Mormon,
besides faith in Christ Is essential 70
salvation,
What | did say was,
lst The Mormon God Is not the God
Of the Bible.
End The Mormon theory Of salvation
Is unchrlstan and unbiblical
In proof OF the latter proposition |
made numerous quotations from Joseph
HfillH anu iallkIhlii lFAlAk III NNeAlA"
plb. where Joseph Smith declared Be
Ing born again comes by the spirit Of
God through ordinances" and where
Brigham Young said every spirit
that confesses that Joseph Smith Is a
prophet that he lived and died pro-
phet and that the Book of Mormon il
true, Is Of God and every spirit that
does not Is Of Anti Christ"
In, ,t,enaftip, Va thfu pgcItinp / ett,nfaI
from Paul In Eph, 2, s. 49, and Romans
10, 1-l1,etc.
You say that you do not desire to dis
cuss the matter In your columns and so
] will forbear comment or further quo-
totion and will simply ask you to pub
lish this communication by way Of COR
reetion.
Very sincerely yours
ALFRED H. HENRY,
We give space TO the above letter
from Rev a. H. Henry In reply to
an article that appeared in the Deseret
News on Monday evening. The gentle
man complains that we based our COM
ment and criticism upon "a hearsay
report OF his sermon" We based Il
upon the report published In the Salt
Lake Tribune Of the same daN Per-
maps we are somewhat 70 blame for
,aking that report as correct We sup
posed the Tribune would not misrep-
resent the language Of an orthodox
preacher, no matter how much the re
nhrks Of a Mormon Elder might be
garbled and distorted And we have
seen no complaint from the gentleman
as to any report Of his sermons that
has appeared in that paper
According to his own showing, the
dispute If any. lies between him and
the Tribune. He declares he did not
say what that paper reports him to
have said. Our comments were made
on that report, and II II Is not accurate
the fault is not ours We think he il
right, perhaps, In remarking that III
we had taken the trouble to find out
what he did say, We would doubtless
have found Il not worthy OF reply"
Really, we are Of the opinion that this
fits the whole case. and that our mis-.
take was In taking any notice, at all, Of
the attempts Of a religious opponent to
tell the 'Mormons" what they be-
leye
The struggles Of modern theologlans
to find out God" and Ia explain some
thing they do not understand. and
winch they admit is "incomprehensi-
bl@' are pltable TO witness Ana the
andt1Nors Of would-be critics To- ex-
plan. advanced doctrines Of the Church
Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
brfcre mastering Its first principles,
remind one Of a boy trying to demon
slrato TO his companions the most diff
cult problems Of Euclid. before he has
learned its Fundamental axioms. OF
course II is not worth while wasting
time with such experts
We have to repeat, once more. the
announcement very frequently made.
that the written standards Of our faith
are the Bible. the Book of Mormon. the
Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl
Of Great Price The dissertations. SER
mons and various works that have been
published, contain the views Of those
whose names are thereunto attached.
and who are individually responsible
for them. The principles enunciated
I'm the standards We have named. are
harmonious and are accepted by the
Church as verify true and divine.
The Mormon God is the God Of
Abraham. Isaac and Jacob. the Fathe?
OF Jesus Christ TO whom lie prayed.
from whom He came to earth, and to
whom lie went after leaving the earth,
Of whom He was "the express image
and likeness That Is the Eternal
Being whom the "Mormons" worship.
lie is the God OF the Bible What He
has revealed concerning the Godhead is
precious, rational and consistent The
notions Of modern theology concerning
Deity are as different from the mani
festations Of His personality described
in the Bible as empty space is from
pe0pled worlds.
However, we do not wish to handy
words with anyone who chooses to be-
heye IN and Worship lmmateriality or
even a wooden image. That ia his or
her affair. Neither do We care 20 dis
cuss our conception Of the Eternal
Father Of the spirits Of all men, with
one who takes pleasure in descanting on
something Of which he knows nothing
If preacher OF another faitA thinks
he can explain "Mormonism" better
than It's authorized exponents. he Is