The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-07
CHURCH FINALITY
BELIEF IS WRONG
Rev. EIderkin Reads Pulpit Edi-
tOrial on Solution of the
Mormon Problem.
NEW IDEAL is NECESSARY
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER is REAL
THING OF VALUE TO GOD.

At the Congregational church last
evening, before delivering his regular
sermon. Rev. Noble Strong Elderkin
read a pulpit editorial, entitled The
/ Solution Of the Mormon Problem" The
editorial has caused considerable COM
ment. 1t is as follows:
There is always a problem where
power is abused.
/ Nearly 30e years ago New England
/ had the present Utah problem sitting
ON its front porch. Only we Congrega-
tiOnalists were the offending parties.
/ We ran the whole shop to suit our
selves. Other religious personages were
off the track and entitled to no con-
I sideratiOn or respect. We possessed the
/ keys Of the kingdom. They had to beat
US on the head before it daWned upon
US that the Congregational church was
not identical with the Kingdom of GOd
on earth. But it was worth learning.
I came up from Salt Lake last Fri
day with two good MOrmons. Both paid
I their tithes and one swOre numerically.
The one who paid tithes and used pic
turesque language so lavishly did most
/ of the talking. Perhaps l ought not to
call him a good Mormon. even if his
name is upon the Lords books in Zion,
as he put it. For he was anything but
loyal to the established order of things
Both cOnfessed-I thought frankly
that there was a Mormon problem. One
had no solution to offer. He guessed
he'd keep in line. The other had a solu-
ton. It was a hope that a worthy an
tagOnist to the present regime would
arise among the apOstolate and out Of
the resultant conflict a new order
would be wrought. At the basis Of his
argument were the Hegelian philosO-
phies Of advance thesis and antithesis
Underneath the hours conversation /
thought / saw an earnest longing for
new ideal.
Protestant Church interests.
There are Protestant churches with
petty interests. They quarrel over rites
or perishable creeds or forms of church
government. They have no exhilarating
message for the Mormon church. And
there are Protestant churches with high
ideals. In their own rites and creeds
or forms they see nothing of worth save
as these help to bring i'm Gods glorious
kingdom of Righteousness, justice and
brOtherly love. These have a message
not only for the Mormon church. but
also for every institution which iden-
titles Gods kingdom with the suprem-
acy of its own man-made hopes
1t is that ideal / wish to emphasize
tonight as a solution for the Mormon
problem and for every problem like it.
Once the church was looked upon as
an ultimate. The reformation assafled
that thesis. As it saw victory I'm sight
It began to cast about for a new ultf-
mate and finally decided upon the
Bible. II the Bible were everywhere
recognized as supreme, then, said they
Gods kingdom would be here upon the
earth The conclusion does not follow
studied statement regarding the div
unity of the Bible and the real estab-
ishment of the Gods kingdom are two
different and unrelated things.
out Of that realm of unreality we
Protestants are moving and we plead
with you of the great Mormon church
to journey with US.
If the Deseret News is good enough
to give this editorial the wide circula-
ton it has given the others, 1 should
ike to say one thing to my Mormon
friends: Only the narrowesu kind OF an
individual or organization will persist
in nagging at you for your peculiar
theology or your loyalty to leaders sur
charged with commercial motives. A
peculiar theology or a persistent 10y
atty is mostly a matter of temperament
, ll-
One is abuse of great power and the
other is wilful substitution of means
for ends. Your church. Is not an enc
in itself. Nor Is mine. They are both
means to the same end. And as such
they must seek to minister to the high
er need of man. And the higher need
of man is not met by giving a stone
when he asks for bread. The bread OF
Gods kingdom is Justice, righteous
ness, truth, mercy. kindness. love.
Dogma, doctrine, creed, ecclesiastic-
ism OF big pipe organ are not the
saving elements in the kingdom which
cometh down out of heaven from God.
Solution to New Ideal.
Il look to see the so-caIIed Mormon
problem solved, not by bitter and heart
less cursing on the part OF discounted
politicians but by the emergence Of a
new ideal among you. The thing OF
value in the sight of God is essential
character. Loyalty to the priesthood or
to an Outworn creed is neither here nor
there. The great things of Gods king
dom are righteousness and Justice.
peace and purity. BY our allegiance
to these we are to measure our religious
life. The end of our struggle IS the
kingdom OF God. Depth of life IS man.
fest in our desire for that kingdom A
thousand means are looking TO that
end TO measure life by loyalty to the
means is simply to measure life by the
lesser standard.
I've written this editorial solely for
one purpose. Utah is one of the three
black states on the wet and dry map
today. Within its borders every for79
of organized Unrighteousness finds
hearty welcome. And these things
ought not to be- Utah ought to be
the cleanest of the states. The Gentiles
may be Goddess. The Gentle churches
may be timid. But YOU are mighty
and before your mighty purposes. our
Goodness and our timidity ouEnt MOI
TO stand.
And Utah will be the cleanest Of the
states the moment you, nv Mormon
friends. cease to believe in the church
tinallty and begin to work for the
larger kingdom OF righteousness and
justice"