Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-08-18
ATTACK ON THE CHURCH.

boldt county, Cal. has just commenced
a campaign against the Elders Of the
Church performing missionary labor In
that county They have a committee
consisting OF Revs. P. s. Peterson, r. s.
Nickerson. and r. "A. Crichton, the duty
Of which is to direct the assault. and
1t seems that the Inspiration is mainly
drawn from writings Of Utah apost4tes
and a paper in the service of Nor
mon" haters.
What may be regarded as the open
Ing statement OF the campaign appears
in the Humboldt Times of Aug. s. In
this statement the Revs. Nickerson,
Peterson, and crichton give what they
claim to be the Mormon" doctrine
They admit that the Elders are con-
tinualls quoting from the Bible and
comparing their doctrines with those
believed in by orthodox Christians.
There is no fault to find with this. but
the Revs. Nickerson. Peterson, and
Grchton must have some pretext for
the campaign and so they allege that
the Elders do not present the whole
truth of what they believe" and now
they propose to tell the people what
the '.Mormons" do believe It Is verS
funny that the Church members them.
selves are not supposed to know What
they believe but that the Rev So and
So always can give them a pointer on
that. And sowe get again q state
ment OF Mormon belief framed by ops
ponents. i
And what a precious chrome It Is as
1t is being turned round and round IN
the Kaleidoscope OF Revs Nickerson,
Peterson and crichton "Mormonism, Y
they say, ais nn-C Christian" Bur y
theological faculty in Switzerland has
decided that 1t Is Christian. Their
God is not the Christian God Of the
Bible" But it is It is the God OF
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God
who the same today. yesterday. and
forever and no other. Their Christ lis
not the Christian Savior" It Is Oar
f Christ Is the second person of the Cod
head, incarnate crucifed, resurrected
assembled to glory. and again coming
to rule the world in justice, peace, and
love. 1.-THE Bible is not to them she
\ only rule of faith and practice The
Bible is the only rule of faith. in this
4 sense TINT we accept nothing as a rule
OF faith which does not harmonizc With
the Bible, as far as that sacred volume.
has been handed down to us free from
the errors of transcribers. revisers, and
translators The Latter-day Saints also
believe in the Book of Mormon, Doc
trine and Covenants. and the Pearl OF
+ great Price. as tho inspired word Of
God But this belief does not render
the Bible Of less Importance. A belief
81 In the New Testament does not detract
from the worth or value of the Old.
Catholics who believe in tradition in
addition to the Bible, and In the Apoc-8
rypha are not. on TINT account, de-
nounced as un-Christian. Why should
the I.atter-day Saints be treated DIFF
ferently2
But Revs Nickerson, Peterson, and
Crichton. further, claim that their re-
ligion is 3polytheism.;' 1t is not. The
highest stage OF polytheism Is bu- d
personification of the nature gods. It's
theology Is principally the representa-
ton of natural phenomena under the
form of wars and wooings, quarreis
revelries and intrlgues. 1t Is as far
from the theology of the Gospel as.
heaven Is from earth. The Saints ire
no more polytheists than are the
Christians who believe in three distinct
persons in one Godhcad. They are no
more polytheists than their brothers
who believe that the Second Person be-
came truly man and through obedience
and suffering entered into eternal glory
1t appears to us that Revs Nickersof,
Peterson and Crichton do not know
either what polytheism Is, or what the
Bible teaches Of God and man and
their relationship.
The Rev. gentlemen find fault with
the Saints because they believe that
matter is eternal But that ia fact
that sone scientsts now ccnsit:ec 80:
established. 1t is now s,rpso5Sad fpaE
worlds collide in space and are born
again in never ending procession. IT
Ia possible, SO astronomers say, that
unseen within the remote rontines Ut
space the vast mass of n dead world Is
even now hustling toward our sun With
inconceivable velocity. In time the Two
will come together and the imneasur-
able heat produced Will make gas OF
granite and floating clouds Of nebulae
of everything, for thus worlds die and
thus they are Immediately in process
of being horn again, for out of the
condensation Of this nebula viii come
the beginnings OF q now solar system
which Will in the countless
aeons of astronomical time, go
through the same process of evolu-
tion and decay, Everywhere In the
universe there is change and dissolution
and destruction of forms but never Of
matter itself. And yet reverend gem
q tleaen find fault with those who ac-
cept this as an established fact. What
ignorance!
But 1t is not necessary to go through
the statement of Revs. Nickerton, Pet
ersoni and Grtchton in detail, 1t al
leges that "Mormonism'i is essentially
system of legalized lust, Abont the
first followers of Jesus the filthy Roman
Bachus and Venus devotees said. sub
stAntlaily, the same thing They "a id