The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1912-09-05


Protestant Reformation, yet the
spirit OF strife and division among
protesting Christians seemed to
reach it's elimination at this period.
New sects were formed, not only on
doctr1nal points, but for the most
trivial and fantastic causes. About
the beginning of the century, new
religious body was formed called
the Associate Reformed Church of
Kentucky, because they believed Gas
stated in their Discipline) Gin the
sincere, ardent and conscientious
use OF Rouse's Version of the
Psalms, rather than in the Version
of DR.. Watts
William Miller began to preach
his doctrines about the speedy sec
Ond coming of Christ and the de-
Struction of the world in 1880, and
soon had thousands of enthusiastic
followers. This prevailing religious
restlessness made a congenial atmos-
phere for the founding of even so
outrageous sect as Mormonism.
It's founder, Joseph Smith, was
born in Vermont in 1905. He came
OF neurotic, visionary parentage.
His father was a digger for hidden
treasure, using a divining rod to To-
cate them. Smith was almost en-
tlrely 1lllterate, and could barely
read and write. While a boy of
eighteen, he claimed to have a reve-
lat1on from an angel in New York,
IN which he was told that the Ameri-
can Indians were remnant of Is
rael, whose sacred records had been
taken away from them by command
ment of God. Four years later the
angel Moroni delivered these records
to him. They were written in strange
characters on thin gold plates,
fastened together by three gold
rings; with them was given a pair
of supernatural spectacles, by means
OF which he could translate these
signs. This fairy tale found believ-
ers even at the start, and one of
these, Martin Harris, acted as his
amanuensis in the work of transla-
ton. Harris had some means and
furnished the money to print and
publish the story which they called
the Book of Mormon. The gold
plates were thoughtfully removed
by the angel Moroni, thus RELYING
Smith from the embarrassment of
From the beginning until the final
settlement in Utah, Mormonism was
a wandering cult. Smith moved
from New York to Pennsylvania,
then to Ohio, where his following
first assumed the proportions of
church. Here it came in touch with
our own religious movement, and we
can see traces of it's influence on
Mormon doctrine today
In 1927 Walter Scott was made
evangelist of the Mahoning Associa-
ton in the Western Resery of Ohio,
and first taught those sane and sim
pie and scriptural principles of con-
version that have obtained among
us ever since. Among his converts
was Sidney Rigdon, popular and
brilliant Baptist preacher who
brought with him almost his entire
congregation at Mentor, and the one
at Kirkland, four miles off, as we'll.
He was an impassioned orator and
debater, but full of theories and
yagaries. In 1929, a year or so after
he Joined our church, he advocated
the idea that a community of goods
was essential to strict obedience to
Scripture, and had a break with Mr..
Campbell on the subject. About this
time he came in touch with Smith
and invited Mormon preachers to
speak in his church at Mentor He
was baptized into the Mormon
Church in 1880, and doubtless