MORMON: Strength of faith's position

In the World Book Dictionary Volume 2 page 1672 under Protestant it states:

1. a member of any one of certain Christian Churches not governed by the Roman Catholic Church or the Eastern Church, such as those that split off from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation of the 1500’s or developed thereafter. Lutherans, Baptist, Presbyterians, Methodists, Unitarians, Quakers, and many other Protestants.

Being as I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), I remembered a quote in the book A Marvelous Work And A Wonder on page 3, written by Elder LeGrand Richards.

In the dictionary definition of a Protestant it should be interesting that you understand the quote from this book.

On page 3, A Catholic Utterance

In a pamphlet, entitled the Strength of the Mormon Position, the late Elder Orsan F. Whitney, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, relates the following incident under the heading, “A Catholic Utterance.”

Many years ago a leading man, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, came to Utah and spoke from the stand of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I have became well-acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great scholar, with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongues’ end, he seemed to know all about theology, law, literature, science and philosophy. One day he said to me: “You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don’t even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and that’s all there is to it. The Protestants haven’t a leg to stand on. For if we are wrong, they are wrong with us; since they were a part of us and went out from us; while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut off long ago. If we have the apostolic succession from St. Peter, as we claim, there is no need for Joseph Smith and the Mormonism; but if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism’s attitude is the only consistent one.

“It is either the perpetuation of the gospel from ancient times, or the restoration of the gospel in the latter days.”

BILL WRIGHT

Athol