Latter-day Saint Texts

  Elder E. L. T. Harrison offered the following prayer at the opening of the Church of Zion Conference on April 6, 1870, as found in the Mormon Tribune on April 9th, 1870 : OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, on this the morning on which it has been arranged, in Thy providence, we should hold the first Conference of the young and rising Church of Zion, we present ourselves before Thee, seeking for the inspiration of Thy Spirit to assist us to open this meeting and to dedicate it unto Thee, to all divine influences, to light, to truth, and to progress. And we pray that there may be around us this day that combination of holy and mighty ones who are delegated and appointed by the Controling Powers to assist this important Movement on the earth, and to bring about the great and mighty revolution in Spiritual matters which the Church of Zion is destined to accomplish. We pray Thee that those holy influences may be round about us, not only this day, but throughout the continuance of the Conference; th...

  As found in the Mormon Tribune on April 9th, 1870 UNIVERSALIAN THOUGHTS By F. T. Perris True religion is universally conceded by the thoughtful of every sect and denomination to be the practical working out and application to our every day lives of the higher attributes of our natures, such as love, charity, mercy, justice, etc., and these are the fundamental principles requisite on which to rear a religious superstructure to educate humanity rather than a confining and trammeling set of dogmatic rules for religious observance. This was the embodiment of the thought in Joseph Smith’s mind when he gave utterance in one of his inspirational bursts to the words, “I teach the people pure principles and they govern themselves.” It was a glorious truth, purely democratic and universalian in its character and tendencies. It is the underlying principle necessary to all future religious advancement and progress, and must be a great plank in any platform that has for its object the elevati...