The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-07
EDITORIAL TREATING
ANALYSIS OF CHURCH,

ANALYSIS OF CHURCH"
The editorial entitled IAN ANALYSIS of
the Church." is as follows:
The exclusive character of the Mormon
faith and practice-as eXemplified by the
such as that most observers are extremely
puzzled in their efforts to make any
accurate description.
The result is that one phase of the
matter, which probably attracts first at
tention and becomes understood. is taken
as type of the whole and is so treated
Hence the many partial approximations,
which are really misa pprehensiOns, of the
subject; and hence the almost violent an
tagOnism between two commentators,
view. while both stand in direct oppo-
sitiOu to each other.
This difficulty arises initially: and it
must be the Tribunes work IN the brief
space of this article. to attempt TO eS-
tablish some landmarks to aid think
ing men in making an accurate boundary
line.
9 First, let us get the personal element
out of the wav The Mormon leaders are
like other men. Some of Them have been
magnetic. auto-hypnOtic: some of them
have persuaded themselves and others
that they were inspired: some of them
have been brave, simple souls, willing to
live and die for a chosen faith: some of
them have been large-minded men, nat
uFal founders of empires, natural social
leaders and philosophers; some of them
have been cruel arrogant. bigOted. some
of them have been narrow aVaricious,
lustful of power. In the main. all of the
leaders have been men of strict charac-
ter; sober, honest. and-with the eXcep-
ton of the peculiar Offenses associated
with olygamy-careful in their relations
with the other sex. OF the mass of the
Mormon people it can truthfully be said
that no more thrifty. industrious and
useful Tot of people ever came into any
one community: they have practiCed all
the virtues as they have understood them (;
and with the exception noted above with
regard to the leaderS-the teaching and
living of plural marriage, polygamous CO.
habitatiOn and their inevitable attend
ants-their lives have been pure
With all these affirmat tive virtues, it
is easy to sec how they have derived,
as they deserved. so much of praise from
the world. But the religion was founded,
and is now operated, upon an entirely
archaic and utterly impossible PROPOSE
ton. AS il Is of less value to describe
the past than to deal with the present
land assuming that the leader of today,
Joseph F. Smith, is seeking to re-es-
tablish in eXactitude the rule of his uncle
and father. who founded and died for
the faith), let us view the religion as he
would have it in theory and practice if
he could
This is the dispensation of ,he fullness
of times. 1t is a preparatory period for
the second coming Of Christ, who is TO
return to earth and rule in glory over
all nations, kindfeds, tongues and peo-
pies There having been universal apos-
tasy from the simple truth as he left 1t,
II is necessary to restore that truth Dy
reveal ton. that men may be in1bued with
it. and be prepared by II. for the adj
vent of their divine ruler. All sects of
the earth, while possessing and living
possibly some truth, are acting without
authority. Thus we have a prophet. into
whose hands is committed the authority
glorious return of his son. Naturally. no
other government. by church or by state.
Is legal. Through the prophet. God has
declared that the powers of tins world
shall crumble and that his kingdom is
set I'D, never more to be thrown down
nor its power given to another people.
rTr-w- rafn ton
sible to divide the spiritual from the
temporal, since all the commands of God
since his decree to his followers must be
both spiritual and temporal; the first for
their spiritual enlightenment and prepare
ton: the second that they may so develop
their temperatures as to be fit subjects
of and princes in the kingdom of God
until and when his son shall come
To warn the world and to aid in prep
aration. the president has two associates,
who. with him. constitute the first presi-
dency- Then there is the quorum of the
apOstles-the tWelve-and this quorum
holds. when it is unanimous coordinate
authority with the first presidency. Minor
officials. who need not be mentioned, are
ordained to various cSllings.-
The president is the only man author
lied to deliver Gods word to the world,
and his declare ton is absolute.
These men. some of them. expect to live
to see the coming of the Savior and TO
take part in his rule OF righteousness
upon the earth-so soon shall be the day
OF his coming
Their authority is boundless and eter-
nal. Even after the termination of their
earthly career. they are to have certain
celestial power and place as the apostles
of the son of God.
With such faith. how little mast seem
all the mere earthly authorities; how
contemplate and paltry, as well false,
must seem all earthly denomina tIonsi
This president and his two counseiOrs,
with the apostolic quorum and subordi
nate officials, followed by hundreds OF
thousands. are merely making preparation
for that great and awful day Of the Lord
when he shall come in his spiendor
when the wicked and the unbelieVing shall
fall or flee in terror from his face. and
him to judge and govern the whole world
under the rule of tho kingdom of God
which they have established.
In the meantime. the prophet and his
annual increase of all the faithful mem
bers of the church. being slight return
TO the work of God for his blessings upon
them All that they possess is a part
of his kingdom and he leaves to their
stewardship nine-tenths of what their
industry produces each year: and takes
but one-tenth for the purposes OF his
kingdom. under the direction of his
prophet.
Taking the foregoing as the basis it
is easy to discern how an avaricious bigot
not controlled BY high inteIlectualfties.
eraI wives and many children, and hold
ing an old grudge against the govern
ment of the United States, could, with
the power OF a state at his command.
set up and maintain an alien government
within and against the republic of the
United States.
And that is exactly what Joseph F.
Smith. prophet of the Mormon church.
has done and is doing.
EEE0RTS tn Cit OFF