Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-08
SALT lake CITY, FEB. s, 1909.
REASON AND REVELATION,


Some time ago we received letter
from a gentleman in this city, who has
some very good words to say about
the Mormon" people and some OF their
doctrines, But he entertalns objections
20 others, or rather TO his own notions
as to whit they are. He conmends
the charity and brotherly love which
he has seen exhibited by many Latter
day Saints. aud acknowledges that In
several respects, their creed and their
conduct are far ahead OF those Of their
enemies who say 80 many things
against them, But he says he IL OPP
posed 70 the idea that any mans reye-
latlons are lnfallibe lie thinks we
are wrong In claiming that "all Of lo-
aeph Smiths revelations are true" He
asks II It would not be much better TO
submit them TO the light Of reason and
the Gospel that Christ taught, and re-
ject those that cannot be proven"
He IS mistaken II we think that any
mans revelations are lnfalllble, We
entertain no such idea We do not
think any human being IN mortality is
infalli5le. The Latter-day Saints do
not attach infalllblllty to any mans
personality or opinions. But we be-
leye, and our friend doubtless win adj
init. that God is infalllble. II so, then
that which God reveals viii also be
infalllble, His word IS truth. It Is
the revelations of God, not OF Joseph
Smith or any other great and inspired
man, that we receive as truth itself
II God does not communicate His word
and win nowadays, there need be no
argument In relation to that which Is
claimed 70 have come from Him, II
lie does reveal His mind and will con-
corning His children on earth IN the
present age, those who receive His
word In honest hearts VIII regard It az
divine and therefore irretutable.
The revelations OF God which have
come to us through the Prophet Joseph
Smith are and have been open to
everybody who chooses TO examine cri
iicize and compare them with any 9TH
er truth that has come from the same
source at any time. There has been no
requirement In 'Mormonism' chat any
individual should cast aside his reason
ing faculties, or bllndly accept a pur-
ported revelation as divine without
thought or reflection or comparison
with known facts and truths IL our
correspondent imagnes that our rell-
glous system requires anything SO un-
reasonable, he Is very much mistaken
j Is the privilege OF every Latter-day
Saint TO know Of the doctrine wheth-
en- It 10 Of God or Of man. Christ
Himself proclaimed this when on earth
He has said the same in these latter
days. His word today is Just as true
and divine as Il was In former days.
The great difficulty In the way Of the
people Of modern times Is their disbe-
lief in the reality Of present revelation
from God When person believes that
God is just az able and willing to re-
veal truth adapted to present condl-
tons, as lie was to manifest himself in
past ages, the real obstacle to OBJ
tanning light from Deity now is re-
moved. When the word Of the Lord
comes through living Prophet, he who
receives It as divine viii make no quib-
bic about IT'S nfalliblllty. Il is only
when he doubts It's divinity that he will
hesitate TO receive It. In that case he
has the right To use his reasoning pow.
era and to compare It with such words
or principles az he regards to be divine
There Is no objection that we know Of
20 such course
As TO comparison with "the Gospel
that Christ taught what is 70 be taxi
en- as the standard? What was the
Gospel that Christ taught? Who is TO
decide? The various Christian scots
differ In their views on this matter.
Some OF them are Numerically OBJ
posed TO each other on this question.
our friends viii probably answer, "The
New Testament is the guide" Well,
modern dlvines differ with each other
es to tie meaning ~ many passages In
that book, and the notion that lnfalli-
biltty IS to be attached TO old writings
which have been translated by unin-
spired men, and Of which there are
different versions with many conten.
tions as to the original text Is to say
the least a most remarkable Idea Of an
infallible standard.
Now the Gospel revealed through Jo-
seph Smith, the Prophet, is itself the
Gospel OF Jesus Christ. 1t came from
Him direct II was not taken out OF
books but was revealed in It's purity
and perfection, 1t Is not the Gospel OF
Joseph Smith, nor are It's precepts,
commandments and ordinances the
revelations OF Joseph Smith. Yet when
submitted 70 a fair comparison with
What Jesus Christ and His first Apos-
ties taught at the opening Of the Chris
tian Era. as recorded IN the scriptures,
they will be found exactly the same
II the notions and peryersions Of mod
ern sectafies are put aside.
We say, most emphatlcally, there Is
not anything In the Gospel revealed
from heaven in these latter times that