The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-07
WHY REPUDIATE INSPIRATION?

erct News that 'Fthe members of the
church do not accept any books except
the Bible, Book Of Mormon, Doctrine
and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great
Price as their standard works. cor
respondent presents the following
query;
DO the members Of the Mormon church
deny the authority of their apostles who
are dead and pcrfunctorily sustain as
propnets' seers' and reyelaiors the
apostles who are living? Why are the
present apostles living oracles.' and the
deceased ones who far eXceled them in
plety and learning, repudiated as Of no
authority?
Ihat is. simply one of the foxy wiles
of priestcraft. When they were alive.
The predecessors of the present law-giv-
ers were declared to be inspired men
that is. they said Of one another that
such was the case Brother John would
say of Brother William that he was an
inspired man-and Brother William
would unfailingly return the compll-
ment. The practice continues today, as
any one may know by attending serv-
ices in the tabernacle He Will hear
Brother Francis NJ, tell the people that
Brother John Henry is called OF God;
and his ears will take in the fact that
Brother Francis NJ is inspired, because
Brother John Henry rccIprocally SAWS
so. And both of them will hasten to
observe that Brother Joseph f. is
called of the Almighty to be prophet,
seer, and revelator TO the church. These
men are accepted as authority liz
these days, simply because they are IN
power and set themselves up to be so;
and their utterances arc considered to
be authoritative because they fit pres
ent needs. The old apostles are not now
looked upon as having uttered all that
was true and binding, for the reason
that. forsooth, although they were IN
spircd men in their day they could not
see SO far ahead as to fiji their utter
ances to the needs, say, of Apostle
Smoot-who wanted to be Senator.
and could not be one if he confined his
attitude 10 that displayed by his IN
spired predecessors.
IF The Tribune s correspondent will
permit a little addition to his own ref
ercnce TO the expressions Of the church
organ upon this matter, we Will further
quote from It's editorial article of Tues
day evening, sentence which may
more fully clucidate the point Here
it is:
With a certain class OF critics IT has
become a favorite mode of attack. 10 dig
up sermons preached long ago
So our correspondent will see why
the old apostles are repudiated The
News itself infers that the utterances
of these once inspired men are of no
value IN these days. The church organ
does not want them quoted, and COM
plains because opponents refer to them
as beng explanatory of the Mormon
system The Tribune s correspondent
is at liberty TO address a communica.
ton TO the Dcseret News on this very
question, if he is so minded And The
Tribune will proguostcate two answers,
either of which will be vouchsa fed TO
him by the church organ. The one is
an utter, black, consuming silence; and
the other is something about the last
dispensatlon Of the fullpess OF times,
when the things OF God no man know.
eth, and that to them that hath shall
be given, Notwithstanding the enemies
of God S work have continually sought
TO destroy his people. in order TO fur.
their own ends; that there is no Smoot
machine; that pestilencc shall destroy
the wicked, as IT was prophecied by
the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.; and
that word to the wise is sufficient
But, perhaps some enlightenment may
be thrown upon this subject by still
further going to the News for it, So,
appealing to its Tuesday editorial lis
ten:
1t is easy TO quote the Scriptures
even. and to make false statements con-
cerning the teachings of that sacred
volume.
Now, the trouble is, as our correspond
ent will learn by perusing the latest
whitewash manifesto issued by ''the
authorities that they have an inter.
probation of their own 1t makes no
difference what the letter is, they claim
the right to say that though the mean
ing of the words is as stated. TO the
Saints the meaning is different. So,
X oui correspondent VIII lcI inc hlGh
priests Of the Mormon church of today
place their own construction upon the
words Of the inspired men of their
church in former days. he may quote
until he is called heuce-and after
wards, if he will allow the condition
named to fix the GnaIty.
But the entire nonsense is lust lit.
tie too much on the "now.y .you.see.it. |