A Significant Discussion
By G. B. Thompson
The investigation in the United States Senate as to the right of Reed Smoot, of Utah, to retain his seat in the Senate, has given rise to considerable discussion in the press of Canada, as to the propriety of allowing the large immigration of Mormons into the North West Territories. Large numbers of them are now settling in this Territory, and some of the papers took the grounds that persons with undesirable religious beliefs should not be admitted. One such paper was the Hamilton (Ontario) Spectator. The Herald of the same city took a different position, and took the Spectator to task for its position, and sought to point out the danger and impracticability of excluding persons because of their opinions. I take the following from an editorial:— “We need not repeat the reasons already advanced to show why the principle supported by the Spectator is foolish, dangerous, and impracticable. A few pointed questions will perhaps help the Spectator to see the force of those reasons. “Who is to decide as to what beliefs are so ‘undesirable’ that those who hold them can not be permitted to enter Canada as settlers? “Should these ‘undesirable’ beliefs be of the nature of religious or moral beliefs only? If so, why? Are there not also undesirable social and political beliefs, not to mention undesirable beliefs with regard to science, art, and economics? “By what method would those immigrants who hold undesirable beliefs be distinguished from those whose beliefs are desirable? And in cases of doubt as to the desirability or undesirability of immigrants’ beliefs (there would be many such cases), who would be the final arbiter? “The Spectator says that all Mormons, even those of them who do not practise polygamy, should be excluded from Canada because they believe that polygamy is permissible under the divine law. They should be excluded because that belief makes them undesirable. Undesirable to whom?—Why, to the vast majority of the Canadian people. And why?—Because their belief is repugnant to the belief of the majority of the Canadian people. Therefore any person whose belief is repugnant to that of the majority of the Canadian people should not be admitted into Canada. That is the Spectator’s position. But— “The vast majority of the Canadian people believe in the existence of God, and atheism is repugnant to them. Would it be right therefore to exclude atheists from Canada? And if not, why not? “The majority of Canadians believe that it is wrong under any circumstances to lie and commit perjury. There are men who believe it is permissible to commit perjury in a good cause—for instance, to ‘lie like a gentleman’ in the witness-box in a case involving the honor of a woman. Should such persons be excluded from Canada as ‘undesirables’? And if not, why not? “The majority of the Canadian people believe in observing the first day of the week as the Sabbath day, and in recognizing its sanctity more or less. The Seventh-day Adventists believe in observing the seventh day as the Sabbath and in working on Sunday. Should therefore all Seventh-day Adventists be excluded from Canada? If not, why not? “Many similar questions will occur to the reader. It should not require much reflection to convince any sensible person that to exclude people from Canada because their mere opinions—apart altogether from practise—are repugnant to the majority of Canadian people, would be a foolish, unjust, and dangerous exercise of power.” It is not without its significance that the press of the country is discussing whether or not those who hold to religious beliefs contrary to that of the majority shall be allowed to remain in the country. Russia sends such persons into exile amid the cold snows of Siberia; and let the principle once be adopted that persons, simply because of their opinions, regardless of practise, are undesirable, and we shall have the Inquisition in all its glory. It was for holding ‘undesirable’ religious beliefs that so many were banished, strangled, and burned during the Dark Ages. That an “image” will exercise this frightful power does not seem to be a very remote probability. It is Mormonism now that the discussion is over, but it will be other beliefs later. These statements were made by the spirit of prophecy several years ago:— “If God has ever spoken by me, the time will come when you will be brought before councils, and every position of truth which you hold will be severely criticized. The time that so many are now allowing to go to waste should be devoted to the charge that God has given us, of preparing for the approaching crisis.”—Testimony for the Church, No. 33, page 245. “The members of the church will individually be tested and proved. They will be placed in circumstances where they will be forced to bear witness for the truth. Many will be called to speak before councils and in courts of justice, perhaps separately and alone.”—Id., No. 32, page 219. But more sad, if possible, than all this is the following:— “I have been shown that many who profess to have a knowledge of present truth know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their faith. They have no just appreciation of the work for the present time. When the time of trial shall come, there are men now preaching to others, who will find, upon examining the positions they hold, that there are many things for which they can give no satisfactory reason. Until thus tested, they know not their great ignorance. And there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what they believe, but until controversy arises, they do not know their own weakness. When separated from those of like faith, and compelled to stand singly and alone to explain their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused are their ideas of what they had accepted as truth.”—Id., No. 33, page 235. It is no time now to have our minds filled with worldly matters, or to allow any philosophical mysteries to divert our minds from the plain truths of the message that God has sent to condemn or save the world. At this time we need, as never before, to study the plain, simple truths of this message, that when asked to give a reason of our faith, we can do it, and not be put to shame because of our ignorance of what we believe.