The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-06

or commands, is paramount. Further
more, 1T is sometimes pointed out that
the members of the church are looking
FOR the actual coming of Kingdom OF
God on earth, that shall gather all
the kingdoms of the world into one
visible, divine empire. over which the
risen Messiah shall reign.
All this, 1T is held, renders it i'm
possible for a - Mormon 10 give true
allegiance to his country, or TO any
enrthly government
We refuse 10 be bound by the inter
pretations which others place upon our
beliefs; or by what they allege must
be the practical consequences of our
doctrines. Men have no right to inn
pute TO us what they think may be
the logical deduction from our beliefs,
but which we ourselves do not accept.
We are to be Judged by our own in
tcrpretations and by our actions. and
not by the logic of others. ms to what
is, or may he, the result of our faith.
We deny that either our belief in di.
vine revelation, or our anticipation Of
the coming kingdom of God, weakens
in any degree the genuIneness Of our
allegiance TO our country. When the
divine empire will be established we
may not know any more than other
Christians who pray. ''Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done in earth as 1T is
in heaven -; but we do know that our
allegiance and loyalty to country are
strengthened by the fact that while
awaiting the advent of the Messiah S
kingdom, we are under command
ment from God to be subject to the
powers that be, until he comes "whose
right it is to reign
Aim and Spirit
"Mormonsm is in the world for
the world S good. Teaching truth. in
t1rDt LA.
ty of the home, honoring authority,
and government. fostering education,
and exalting man and woman, our re-
ligion denounces crime, and is foe
to tyranny in every form, "Mormon-
ISM seeks to uplift, not to destroy,
society. She joins hands with the civ
iization Of the age. Proclaiming her
self special harbinger of the sa-
v1or s second coming, she recognizes in
all the great epochs and movements of
the past, steps IN the march Of prog
ress leading up to the looked-for mil
lennial reign. Mormonism" lifts an
ensign of peace to all people. The pre-.
destined fruits of her proposed system
are the sanctiication of the earth and
the, salvation of the human family.
And now, to all the world: Having
been commanded of God. as much as
lieth in us, to live peaceably with all
men-we, in order to be obedient to
the heavenly commandment, send forth
this Declaration, that our position upon
the various questions agitating the
public mind concerning US may be
known. We desire peace, and will do
All in our power on fair and honorable
principles TO promote it. Our religion
is interviewer with our lives, 1t has
formed our character. and the truth
of its principles is impressed upon our
souls. We submit to you, our fellow
men, that there is nothing in these
principles that calls for execration. no
matter how widely in some respects
they may differ from your conceptions
of religious truth. Certainly there is
nothing In them that may not stand
within the wide circle of modern toll
GRAFTON of religious thought and prac-
t,ce. To us these principles are crys-
talizations of truth, They are as dear
are to you. In their application to hui
of redemption from sin and strife. from
ignorance and unbelief. Our motives
are not selfish; our purposes not petty
and earth bound: we contemplate the
human race, past, present and yet TO
come, as immortal beings, for whose
salvation II is our mission TO labor;
and to this work. broad as eternity and
deep as the love of God, we devote
ourselves, now. and forever. Amen.
JOSEPH f. SMITH,
JOHN r. WINDER,
ANTHON II. LUND,
In behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter. Day SAINTS March o6 lQ0T