King's Business - 1922-11

T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S

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itself will scent heresy before reading very far in “ Studies in the Scriptures.” MORMONISM Saved Prom the Meshes When the Lord saved me out of the bondage of Mormonism, and brought me out of utter darkness into the blessed light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I realized a little of the obligation that God put upon me to clear from the eyes of the people the mist which the Mor­ mon people throw over the Christian world by their deceptive doctrines. Prom my earliest infancy I had been brought up in the Mormon faith, or, rather, their superstition, filled with the errors that God only revealed Himself through the Mormon organization, and that all other Christian people were absolutely lacking in truth. As a Mormon woman of the higher degree of Mormonism, I occupied the position of a “ queen wife.” I had taken the temple oaths and obligations when only a young woman, and there­ fore had felt myself in every way oblig­ ed to obey those in authority in full, in even a different manner than I would have done had I not taken these oaths and obligations. Mormonism is a great secret organization under the guise of religion, and perhaps the greatest enemy the Churches have, because they seem­ ingly teach the clean Gospel, and so deceive the people.

Association. It is all one and the same thing. That Russellism is one of the heresies foretold of the last days in Scripture (2 Thess. 2:8-10; Mt. 24:11, 24; Rev. 13: 14; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Pet. 2:1-2), appears from the fact that its founder sets up his writings (six volumes “ Studies in the Scriptures” ) as essential to the un­ derstanding of the Word of God. Be­ ware of any system that is professedly built upon the Word of God, while claiming that the Word is only correctly understood by the use of its prescribed helps. The Word of God invites all to come directly to its own pages for themselves and promises the illuminat­ ion of the Holy Spirit to all who humbly seek enlightenment. Of his six volumes the self-styled “ Pastor” ' Russell said in his paper (Watch Tower, September 15, 1910): “ The six volumes o f Scripture studies are practically the Bible topically arrang­ ed. They are not merely comments on the Bible, but they are practically the Bible Itself, since there is no desire to build any doctrine or thought on any individual preference. People cannot see the divine plan by studying the Bible by itself. We find also that if anyone lays the Scripture studies aside, even after he has become fam iliar with them, if he lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, our experience shows that within tw o years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he has merely read the Scripture studies w ith their references, and has not read a page o f the Bible as such, he would be in the ligh t at the end o f tw o years.” On Page 12 of his first volume he says: . “W e divest our minds o f all prejudice and remember that no one can know more about the plans o f God than He has re­ vealed in H is word.” On Page 348 he concludes: “ Be it known that no other system of theology ever claims or ever has attempted to harmonize in itself every statement of the Bible, and yet nothing short of this we can claim .” The problem has been narrowed down to the conclusion that to Pastor Russell alone God has entrusted the stupendous responsibility of correctly interpreting the Scriptures for humanity. Such a claim, on the face of it, arouses the sus­ picion of any thinking man, while any person who has carefully read the Bible

The Bible, to a Mormon, is the least of four books; it is simply the Word of God as to the ancient Jewish people, and history to you and me; there is nothing of greater importance in it than that. The book of Mormon is claimed to be the real book of God. “ The Doctrine and Covenant,” to a Mormon, is also the Word of God to guide and direct him in all things. “ The Pearl of Great Price” is a sort of annex to the “ Doc­ trine and Covenant.” The Mormon teaches that as “man is, so God was; and as God Is, so man shall become” ; or, rather, “ man is God in embryo.” EVERY MEMBER OF K. B. FAMILY HELP US

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