Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-15
AFRAID or .sIoRMoNIsNi.'

"A dispatch from Eureka, Call says
4 the members of the Ministerial asso-
citation of Humboldt county have decid-
= ed to begin a campaign against the
& missionaries OF the Latter-day Saint
Church laboling in that county.
committee composed of three ministers,
it lis said, was appointed to conduct
the campaign and all Protestant min
4, listers We're asked to attack the Mormon
faith and literature from their pull
pits
The trouble, it is explained, IS that
Y two tMormon'' missionaries came to
4 Humboldt county several weeks ago
and began systematic house to house
canvass. They also made many pub
lie addresses. The ministers paid little
attention to this work until a few days
ago when it was reported that the
missionaries had found Humboldt
county a fruitful field for their labors,
& and that more miss ionaries We're to
come from Utah. Then the ministers
association was alarmed and vigorous
action was decided upon. 5S
TO This there Is no objection.
ut may DO the duty OF tha
ministers, If they really believe
that the system Of doctrines gem
n orally known as .aarormonisinn is dam
gerous heresy and that they are the
divinely authorized messengers Of:
truth, to combat the alleged error by
all lawful means. 1t is their duty, IL
they honestly believe in their mission,
{ to expose what they regard as false
hood and to explain the truth. There
s is no objection to this. s'Mornonisin,'
so-called, is not afraid of exposure to
& the light OF truth. 1t courts full in
34vestigation. 1t appeals to the reason
ling faculties Of man and has no high
9er desire than to be Judged according
to its intrinsic value. be this tested by
the Scriptures, by scientific research,
or by history. So we have no objec-
/ ton to the decision Of the ministers OF 4
Humboldt county, Cal. to measure
strength with the Mormon, mission
aries. lie they will fight fair and con
duct their camp ign in a Christian
spirit
Unfortunately however, opponents
& OF the Church. who assail It under the
Impression that victory is easy. do$not
always fight fair. AS the battle pro-
Deeds they find out that while their
own mistaken ideas Of what the Church
teaches are easy to combat, the doc
tiine itself, as actually taught by the
Church, is unassailable. And then, too
often they resort to representations,
falsefoods, and perhaps vtllflcation,
THAT kind of campaign Is Objectionable
from every point or view. 1t is in
{ human. un- Christian, and UNI AInerl-
can.
Then again, asaailants of the Church
Z knowing the futility of preventing her
q progress by reason, or even by vilifica-
tior, sometimes resort to politics, try
ing, as2the inquisitors of the dark ages,
to strike their Theological opponents
through the arm of the secular gov
+crnment. This. too, Is utterly un-
American. and wrong We object to
methods that violate the moral code
and ignore the principles of a govern
lnent that knows of no religious dis
qualification in its citizens. but not to
a. full and free discussion OF principles.
let there be light Let the spirits
meet. Open the arena for a fair test,
and there is no doubt but that truth
will prevail.