Page:History of Utah.djvu/385



CHAPTER XV.

MORMONISM AND POLYGAMY.

What is Mormonism ? — Tenets of the Chubch — Sacred Books and Pebson- AGEs — Organization — Priesthood — First Presidency — The Twelve Apostles— Patriarchs — Elders, Bishops, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons — The Seventies — Stakes and Wards— Marriage — Temple Building— Tabernacle — Political Aspect — Polygamy as a Church Tenet — Celestial Marriage— Attitude and Arguments of Civili- zation — Polygamy's Reply — Ethics and Law — The Charge of Dis- loyalty — Proposed Remedies.

We are now prepared to ask the question with some degree of intelligence, What is Mormonism? In for- mulating an answer, we must consider as well the political as the religious idea. I will examine the latter first.

Mormonism in its religious aspect is simply the ac- ceptation of the bible, the whole of it, literally, and following it to its logical conclusions.

As the Christian world has advanced in civilization and intelligence these two thousand years or so, it has gradually left behind a little and a little more of its religion, first of the tenets of the Hebraic record, and then somewhat even of those of the later dispensation. Long before religionists began to question as myths the stories of Moses, and Jonah, and Job, they had thrown aside as unseemly blood-sacrifice and burnt- offerings, sins of uncleanness, the stoning of sabbath- breakers, the killing in war of women, children, and prisoners, the condemnation of whole nations to per- petual bondage, and many other revolting customs of the half-savage Israehtes sanctioned by holy writ.