Mormon History
Mormon Baptismal Regeneration - 1881
The Salt Lake Daily Tribune
April 7, 1881
MORMON INDEBTEDNESS.
________
"We did not receive any doctrine which we believe in, nor ordinance
that has ever been taught, nor any principle pertaining to the
salvation or exaltation of the human family, from men, nor from any
system of divinity or theology. For everything we know we are indebted
to the revelations of Jesus Christ made unto us. Now is this the Church
of man? I do not think it is."
The above extract is from remarks made recently by John Taylor, President of
Mormonism, published in the Deseret News of March 19, 1881.
"Now is this the Church of man? I do not think it is." This may be fairly taken
as Mr. Taylor's ironical and sarcastical way of putting the matter. He surely
knows Mormonism is not the Church of man, only he may be tired of reiterating
that, and hence, (with a wink to the initiated) "I do not think it is."
Baptism for the remission of sins is a cardinal principle, doctrine and
ordinance, lying at the very basis of Mormonism. It is, however, nowhere [sic]
taught or even referred to in the suppletory Mormon bible -- the Book of Mormon.
In "His ministrations upon this land," an account of which is given in the Book
of Mormon, the American Jesus nowhere commands his American disciples to be
baptized or to baptize others for the remission of sins.
To the so-called Campbellite and Irvingite systems of divinity or theology
Mormonism is much more largely indebted than its dupes and unread, simple minded
adherents have any idea of. It is not generally known among Mormons that the
Disciples, (Campbellites,) unlike ordinary sect founders, announced the ushering
in and establishment of Christ's kingdom on earth. And this is where the Mormon
Kiungdom idea originated. Ridiculously wrested as the idea was by Sidney Rigdon
to suit his idiosyncrasies and hobbies of a literal kingdom, with one man,
(himself secretly) at the head of it, representing and inspiring, in loco
Dei, until Christ should come, still the conception in its germ is to be
found among the Campbellite disciples long before Mormonism was heard of.
President Garfield, himself a born Disciple, (Campbellite,) must know the utter
fraud and fungus upon his own religion Mormonism is. The President's religion --
I should say, speaking in general terms, the Disciples' religion -- had the
Bible alone for its base. Belonging to the town of Mentor, Ohio, where in 1830
the sham conversion of Rigdon to Mormonism occurred, although the President
belongs to a younger generation, he, with the Clapps, the Haydens and others
from that quarter of Ohio, known as the Western Reserve, must be exceptionally
well informed respecting Mormonism and, despite his little lapse or, possibly,
complaisence in referring in his inaugural to the Mormon institution as "the
Mormon Church," the President knows that there is no such thing in the book as
the Mormon Church, but that the concern thus designated is a most barefaced and
outrageous imposition. Church indeed! Charlatanry never yet founded a church. "Tis
a contradiction in terms.
The Reformation (or, more properly, Restoration) of the Disciples, as an organic
movement, may be dated from the appointment, in the fall of 1827, of Walter
Scott as its Evangelist.
At this Conference Jacob Osborne was moderator and John Rudolph clerk. Mr.
Rudolph is the father-in-law of President Garfield. At this great conference of
Campbellites convened in New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Ohio, August 23d, 1827
(the Mormon claim is that Joe Smith received from "the angel" his sacred plates,
from which he translated the Book of Mormon, Sept. 23d, 1827), Sidney Rigdon was
present and took part in the proceedings of the Disciples Conference, doubtless
fully expecting that he himself would be set apart as its Evangelist. Rigdon was
at that time living in Mentor, Ohio, close to Kirtland, having recently left the
little town of Bainbridge, Ohio, where (from information for which the present
writer is indebted to the neice of Mrs. Rigdon, who lived under the Rigdon roof
at that time) greatly to the concern of Mrs. R. for her husband's health, Mr.
Rigdon was for some months secretly and [seduiously?] engaged over a
mysteriously and carefully guarded manuscript of a very questionable character,
which manuscript is known to have been in Rigdon's possession in the year 1823
-- the annus mirabilis in Mormon history -- as it was shown by Rigdon at
that time to Rev. John Winter (father-in-law of Justice Miller of the United
States Supreme Court) and then described by Rigdon to his visitor, Mr. Winter,
as "a Biblical romance that had been brought by a clergyman, whose health had
failed, to a Pittsburg printer for publication."
But, in order to show conclusively and beyond cavil, to the misguided and
imposed upon Mormon that this doctrine -- baptism for the remission of sins --
was no matter of special "revelation" whether to a Mormon or to any one else,
but that it was gradually evolved by dint of critical and scholarly
investigation, some gleanings may be given from the writings, personal and
general, of that dear saint in glory now, who was the Disciples' historian, and
who, with his brother, founded the Hiram Eclectic Institute, the Presidency of
which Garfield left to go into the war, in a letter of the 3rd of April, 1879,
Mr. Hayden writes
"Mr. Campbell never learned the doctrine of baptism for the remission
of sins from the Baptists, as I understand President J. Smith, (the
'Josephite President,) to say. He got a help toward it in a work by A.
McLean, of Scotland, in a treatise, titled 'The Great Commission,' but
he laid fully hold of it only from an extended and critical study of
the New Testament, He was long coming to it. In his great discussion,
in 1823, with W. L. McCalla, of Kentucky, he used the doctrine in an
argumentative way against his opponent. Sidney Rigdon attended that
most instructive debate. From that time the doctrine was occasionally
the subject of essay in Mr. Campbell's periodical, the Christian
Baptist, afterward the Millennial Harbinger. But in 1827 it was
practically put forth and used in conversions, and set this whole land
ablaze."
Rigdon's defection from the Baptist society occurred in 18[23]. On page 141 of his history, Mr. Hayden says
"Perhaps Bro. Osborne, more than any other man, prepared the way for
the more complete ministration of the gospel which was soon to surprise
the churches, and reform their modes of speech and action. He led on
biblical investigations quite regardless of the dogmata of creeds and
conventional forms of speech. He saw clearly the need of an extensive
and thorough revision and correction of the terms and phrases,
hackneyed and human, in which people were accustomed to talk of
conversion and its kindred themes, and the substitution for them of the
more appropriate and divinely authorized language of the Holy Spirit.
In all this he was only abreast, scarcely ahead, of many others."
At a meeting between Osborne, and Scott, and Bentley in the fall of 1827 (Hayden's history, p. 69)
"Osborne, turning to Scott, asked him 'if he had ever thought that
baptism in the name of the Lord was for the remission of sins?' * * *
adding, 'it is certainly established for that purpose.'"
"A little later Scott said to Osborne, 'You are the boldest man I ever
saw! Don't you think so, Bro. Bentley?' (Bentley was Rigdon's
brother-in-law) 'Why he said in his sermon that no one had a right to
expect the Holy Spirit till after baptism.'" -- (page 70)
In the winter of 1827-8 Brother Scott opened
THE PLEA OF THE ANCIENT GOSPEL.
"He contended for the restoration of the true, original Apostolic
order, which would restore to the Church the ancient gospel as preached
by the Apostles. In powers of analysis and combination Scott has been
rarely equaled. Under his classification the great elements of the
gospel bearing on the conversion of sinners, assumed the following
definite, rational, and scriptural order: 1, faith, 2, repentance, 3,
baptism, 4, remission of sins, 5, the holy spirit; 6, eternal life,
through a patient continuance in well doing. * * * The Key of Knowledge
was now in his possession. * * * The whole scripture sorted itself into
a plain and intelligible system in illustration and proof of this
elementary order of the gospel. The darkened cloud withdrew. A new era
for the gospel had dawned."
Mr. Hayden says: "In 1827 baptism for the remission of sins was practically put
forth and used in conversions, and set the whole land ablaze." No words I have
power to put together and employ can adequately measure the awful, the
stupendous iniquity this man Rigdon has, under the guidance of wicked spirits,
and still all in the economy of Divine Providence, been instrumental in working
out. Lying in the name of the Lord -- can anything go beyond that in enormity?
Is not murder itself involved in it? Has not murder, nay massacre, been the
fruit, the natural, the inevitable fruit of that first taking the name of God in
vain? Ah, young Utah, think of these things and lay them well to heart. So far
as finite vision or judgment can reveal, so far as one may measure, not judge,
between man and man (only He who sees everything can judge righteously of aught)
the wrong doing of Joseph Smith sinks almost into insignificence alongside the
crazed, colossal iniquity of Sidney Rigdon. Try the spirits. Yes, never was it
more imperatively incumbent to try the spirits than at this very hour. 'Tis a
master spirit of delusion, this Mormon master spirit. And yet, for all that, a
child may master it. Resist the devil and he will flee from you, but yield to
him a hair's breadth and, a million to one, he will get you in his fatal,
benumbing clutch. The Book of Mormon -- that's the first hair's breadth in this
Satanic delusion. Find out with your own natural, God given powers all you
possibly can about that wretched book and its real origin, counting no fact
valuless, no way to the exact truth laborious, and if then you are not satisfied
in your inmost soul that that book is fraud, if you still have any feeling of
doubt concerning its truth or falsity, then it may become a proper subject of
petition; then if you find that you still "lack wisdom" in the matter ask God to
enlighten the eyes of your understanding concerning it. You will get an answer
to prayer then, and a truthful one. But most Mormons have neglected to take this
all essential first step, (as it was fully calculated they would,) and the
consequence has been, a spirit, whose power is not to be underrated nor
despised, but borne testimony, in thousands upon thousands of cases, that a
palpable lie is Heaven's own truth. Thus this poor infatuated people have been
led deeper and deeper into the vortex of folly and delusion and sin. The spirit
of truth never yet bore testimony to one single soul that the Book of Mormon is
what it claims to be....
It only required some Rigdon (the Disciples' Judas and Janus) to claim special
divine authority and commission to baptize. This was done. Mormonism is the
result. "No counterfeit," says Mr. Hayden, "ever showed more clearly a corrupted
copy."
Is to-day the 7th of April, 1881? That is no surer than that authoritative
Mormonism is a bogus thing.
This is a sweeping assertion, and it is meant to be. The qualifying word,
"authoritative," is not loosely but designedly here placed before "Mormonism,"
since, while the possession of spiritual mediumship, with all that term implies,
may be conceded -- a fatal dowry -- to Joseph Smith, extenuating and in some
sort accounting for him and his vagaries, in view of all the well known and
compromising facts of his career, in which the dupe and the charlatan are both
palpably to be seen, neither he nor his sayings and doings can, by any impartial
jusgment, be received as authoritative. And it is of prime importance to every
thoughtful and conscientious Mormon man and woman to separate the strange youth
Joe -- the visionary spiritual medium, and eventually the "Prophet Joseph" -- (Rigdon's
"Prophet") from the conscious and responsible impostor. This is a work of no
slight difficulty, but it can be done and it will be done. A long step was taken
in this direction by the "New Movement" of Godbe and Harrison some years ago
(Their "coming man," by the bye, never came. He died near Pittsburgh, 1876). But
there must be no more blinking of ugly and patent facts. What is demanded is the
exact truth, the round unvarnished facts so far as these can now be dragged to
light, with malice toward none, living or dead, but with charity to all stat
justitia, ---- ------
Once [you] get the clew of this Mormon labyrinth in the concealed hand of Sidney
Rigdon and the whole mystery is as plain as A. B. C., and it is almost
incredible that old Mormons should not have discovered it years and years ago.
But "judge not." It is possible that you are so infatuated with it, so fatally
involved in it, that you do not know Mormonism to be a fraud, John Taylor? And
yet hundreds, perhaps thousands, of persons who are but born idiots, are looking
up to you for spiritual light and guidance, temporal and spiritual, yourself by
no means a born idiot. VINDEX.
Note: The above anonymous correspondent contributed a number of similar letters to the Tribune editors during the early 1880s. His familiarity with both the situation in Utah and the early history of the LDS movement, suggests that he was a serious, albeit it religiously zealous, student and critic of Mormonism. The correspondent's reference to his being "indebted to the neice of Mrs. Rigdon" for certain historical information, links him in some way with the 1879 statement of Mrs. Amos Dunlap, as first published on page 434 of Boyd Crumrine's 1882 History of Washington County, Pennsylvania -- in Rev. Robert Patterson, Jr's. section on "Religious History." Evidently the Tribune's anonymous contributor was also in contact with Pittsburgh's Rev. Patterson at an early date.