The Strength of the "Mormon" Position — John Shaqi
The Strength of the "Mormon" PositionWhitney, Orson F. (Orson Ferguson)
Religion
The Strength of the "Mormon" Position
Whitney, Orson F. (Orson Ferguson)
Latter Day Saint churches
The Episcopal Bishop whom I have mentioned remarked to me on another
occasion, that his main objection to "Mormonism" was that we "Mormons"
were not interested in anything going on outside of our own community.
He declared that we gave no credit to other peoples or to other systems
for the good they were accomplishing. "For instance", said he, "we
retranslate the Scriptures, making them more plain, more intelligible,
with a view to enlightening mankind thereon; but you give us no credit
for that. We uncover ancient cities, buried civilizations, here in
America and elsewhere; we decipher old-time inscriptions on obelisks,
in documents, etc., seeking to acquaint the present with the past; but
you put no value on such work. We found hospitals and infirmaries,
maintain missions, carry the name of Christ to the heathen, publish the
Bible by millions of copies, and are endeavoring to place one in every
home. But you take no account of these things; you are not interested
in our efforts; you think them all vain and of no worth".
Not a Narrow Religion.
The remark surprised me. I was astonished that any well informed person
could entertain such an opinion respecting us and our religion. There
may be such a thing as a narrow "Mormon"; there may be such a thing
as a narrow notion in the mind of some "Mormon"; but there never has
been and there never will be such a thing as a narrow "Mormonism".
Far from ignoring what other peoples and other systems are doing, it
takes account of everything, and assigns it to its proper place in
the universal scheme. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of
good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." So says the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in one of its Articles of
Faith.
"Mormonism" is a much bigger thing than Catholic scholars or Episcopal
bishops imagine. It is the greatest system of philosophy that the world
has ever known, the grandest poem that Divine Genius ever created, the
mightiest melody ever struck from the vibrant harps of Eternity. It
is the sublime drama of all the ages, and the last act is now on, the
final scene about to unfold.
What "Mormonism" Stands For
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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