Source: The Evangelist, December 28, 1899, p. 17. Link.

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The rise of the Mormon Church took place in the early part of the century, at the time of the great religious awakening. The young man, Smith, who afterwards claimed the gifts of a prophet, spent his boyhood in idleness. The story of his book of Mormon is familiar history. The work is a tissue of most improbable and contradictory statements, interlarded with quotations from the Bible, sometimes whole chapters. It was undoubtedly the work of Sydney Rigdon, who had been a minister in the Christian Church.

Following the issuance of the book of Mormon, on the title page of which Joseph Smith was announced as “Author and proprietor,” the Mormon Church was organized, April 6, 1830. Though making extravagant claims, its organization was at first very simple.

The whole enterprise was, however, conceived in falsehood and developed in fraud. Many of the early members left the church in disgust, or were cut off from it because of their attempt to correct certain vices which had become a part of the organization.

Yet the strength and development of Mormonism may be readily accounted for. The doctrine of “Continuous Revelation” is the taproot of the whole system. From this source is drawn the authority to make any changes in the system which the exigency may make necessary. Once concede that such a man as Joseph Smith or Brigham Young is “The Prophet, Seer and Revelator;” that he is “the mouth-piece of God;” that he speaks with divine authority; that, as Mr. Roberts says, “he is in reality a part of God,” and the foundation is laid for this stupendous system.

The development of this doctrine of “Continuous Revelation” has subjugated the entire people of the Mormon Church to the will of one man, or at most to the will of that man and his two counselors.

Did Joseph want a luxurious home for himself? He only needed to get a “thus saith Lord,” ordering certain brethren of the church to form a joint stock company and build the house “for my servant Joseph and his posterity forever.” That revelation came in such precise terms as to mention the names of the men thus commanded of the Lord.

Did he wish to clothe himself with divine authority to command the people and “lord it over God’s heritage?” He had no difficulty in getting a revelation instituting the order of the priesthood and clothing it with the power that belongs to God.

When it was discovered in the church that he had fallen into licentious practices, imperilling his character and position, and threatening the disruption of his family and the church, he again had recourse to revelation. True, the book of Mormon, of which he announced himself “the author and proprietor,” three times denounced polygamy and concubinage as abominable and sinful, yet he found no difficulty in getting a revelation from the Mormon God (who is Adam), both approving and authorizing polygamy. Why not? According to further revelation God is a progressive being. He is constantly gaining information. He is learning new things, and what was wrong and “abominable” for David and Solomon he has now discovered to be right for Joseph and Brigham.

In this doctrine of “continuous revelation” lie the germs of all the power of the Mormon Church. This doctrine has furnished designing men authority to construct one of the most thoroughly organized and compacted pieces of ecclesiastical machinery the world has ever seen.

It has adopted a religion suited to every demand of depraved human nature, a religion calculated to sweep into its folds the vicious, the ignorant, the superstitious—every man who wants a religion that will allow him full liberty to live according to his lusts. Mormonism is a mixture of Buddhism, of Mohammedanism, Confucianism, Paganism, Jesuitism, old Judaism. It teaches the doctrine of salvation by merit as thoroughly as Buddhism. The fleshly lusts of Mohammedanism foul the system. It teaches ancestral worship as does Confucianism. The polytheism of the pagans runs through it. The chicanery of Jesuitism has marked its course. It repeats the ceremonies of old Judaism in many things—burdened with rites, ceremonies, and oaths.

The aims of this ecclesiastical immorality are only equaled by its assumptions. This nondescript is masquerading before the world as the only true religion, claiming the right to overthrow all governments, to make constitutions, appoint kings, presidents and all rulers.

Where is its power? In the assumption that it is continually receiving revelations—that God is in and back of its organization, that he is the author of all its dicta. Human responsibility among the masses is at an end. It has been handed over to a priesthood clothed with divine wisdom and power and assumes to be acting for God, as God and “is God.”

The numerical strength of the Mormon Church is not certainly known. It is probably between 250,000 and 300,000. It comprises about three-fourths of the population of Utah, and holds the balance of power in Idaho and Wyoming. It is rapidly colonizing in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada, and confidently expects to dictate terms to the politicians of that region. The church is counting on determining who shall be the twelve senators from those six states when New Mexico and Arizona come into the Union.

The Christian Churches have a large duty to perform to these deluded people. They should inform themselves therefore concerning conditions in Utah, and courageously meet the exigencies of the hour.