Latter-day Saint Texts

I haven't quite had time to write a commentary for these next two articles or to transcribe them into the Deseret alphabet, but I decided to publish them early for people to access. Hopefully the commentary and apisizations will be coming soon!   As found in the Mormon Tribune on March 26th, 1870 THE CHURCH OF ZION; OR, THE QUESTION IS IT SPIRITUALISM? By E. L. T. Harrison [Being the substance of a discourse delivered Sunday evening, March 20th, 1870.] I propose this evening to answer the question raised concerning the revelations of the Church of Zion, to what extent are they founded on Spiritualism. As most of you are aware, no sooner did this Movement commence, and even before it was fairly stated, a hue and cry of “Delusion and Spiritualism” was raised throughout the Territory by the leaders of the orthodox body. As soon as the Movement was in operation, certain persons belonging to that organization, triumphantly asserted that they had thoroughly examined our system and discov...

Notwithstanding the great time commitment needed to pull it off, this will hopefully be the first in a series of blog posts on the Godbeites, a schismatic Mormon organization active around the 1870s in Utah that split from orthodox Brighamitism out of a commitment to liberalism, progressivism, free thought, and antiauthoritarianism; who established several liberal institutions - including the newspaper that became the Salt Lake Tribune - but fizzled out after only a few decades. As Reform Mormons, a present group with a very similar set of foundational principles, many of us feel a strong kinship with these early heretics, and as such, my friend Evan Sharley and I have recently begun researching them in depth, beginning by reading through their writings printed in their official publications. So far, we have found many writings that largely resonate with us, even as we find many others, however intended with noble spirit, grossly miss the mark. Because of the great principles contained...

𐐤𐐪𐐻𐐶𐐮𐑃𐑅𐐻𐐰𐑌𐐼𐐨𐑍 𐑄 𐑀𐑉𐐩𐐻 𐐻𐐴𐑋 𐐿𐐲𐑋𐐮𐐻𐑋𐑌𐐻 𐑌𐐨𐐼𐐮𐐼 𐐻𐐭 𐐹𐑊 𐐮𐐻 𐐪𐑁, 𐑄𐐮𐑅 𐐶𐐮𐑊 𐐸𐐬𐐹𐑁𐐲𐑊𐐨 𐐺 𐑄 𐑁𐑉𐑅𐐻 𐐮𐑌 𐐲 𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐨𐑆 𐑂 𐐺𐑊𐐪𐑀 𐐹𐐬𐑅𐐻𐑅 𐐪𐑌 𐑄 𐐘𐐪𐐼𐐺𐐨𐐴𐐻𐑅, 𐐲 𐑅𐐿𐐮𐑆𐑋𐐰𐐼𐐮𐐿 𐐣𐐬𐑉𐑋𐑌 𐐬𐑉𐑀𐐲𐑌𐐮𐑆𐐩𐑇𐑌 𐐰𐐿𐐻𐐮𐑂 𐐲𐑉𐐵𐑌𐐼 𐑄 1870𐑆 𐐮𐑌 𐐧𐐻𐐪 𐑄𐐰𐐻 𐑅𐐹𐑊𐐮𐐻 𐑁𐑉𐑋 𐐬𐑉𐑃𐐲𐐼𐐪𐐿𐑅 𐐒𐑉𐐮𐑀𐐲𐑋𐐴𐐻𐐮𐑆𐑋 𐐵𐐻 𐑂 𐐲 𐐿𐐲𐑋𐐮𐐻𐑋𐑌𐐻 𐐻𐐭 𐑊𐐮𐐺𐐲𐑉𐐲𐑊𐐮𐑆𐑋, 𐐹𐑉𐐲𐑀𐑉𐐯𐑅𐐮𐑂𐐮𐑆𐑋, 𐑁𐑉𐐨 𐑃𐐪𐐻, 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐰𐑌𐐻𐐴𐐪𐑃𐐬𐑉𐐮𐐻𐐩𐑉𐐨𐐲𐑌𐐮𐑆𐑋; 𐐸𐐭 𐐯𐑅𐐻𐐰𐐺𐑊𐐮𐑇𐐻 𐑅𐐯𐑂𐑉𐐲𐑊 𐑊𐐮𐐺𐐲𐑉𐐲𐑊 𐐮𐑌𐑅𐐻𐐮𐐻𐐭𐑇𐑌𐑆 - 𐐮𐑌𐐿𐑉𐑋𐑊𐐭𐐼𐐨𐑍 𐑄 𐑌𐐭𐑅𐐹𐐩𐐹𐑉 𐑄𐐰𐐻 𐐺𐐮𐐿𐐩𐑋 𐑄 𐐝𐐪𐑊𐐻 𐐢𐐩𐐿 𐐓𐑉𐐮𐐺𐑏𐑌 - 𐐺𐐲𐐻 𐑁𐐮𐑆𐑊𐐼 𐐵𐐻 𐐰𐑁𐐻𐑉 𐐬𐑌𐑊𐐨 𐐲 𐑁𐑏 𐐼𐐯𐐿𐐩𐐼𐑆. 𐐈𐑆 𐐡𐐮𐑁𐐬𐑉𐑋 𐐣𐐬𐑉𐑋𐑌𐑆, 𐐲 𐐹𐑉𐐯𐑆𐑌𐐻 𐑀𐑉𐐭𐐹 𐐶𐐮𐑃 𐐲 𐑂𐐩𐑉𐐨 𐑅𐐮𐑋𐐮𐑊𐑉 𐑅𐐯𐐻 𐑂 𐑁𐐵𐑌𐐼𐐩𐑇𐐲𐑌𐑊 𐐹𐑉𐐮𐑌𐑅𐐮𐐹𐑊𐑆, 𐑋𐐯𐑌𐐨 𐑂 𐐲𐑅 𐑁𐐨𐑊 𐐲 𐑅𐐻𐑉𐐪𐑍 𐑅𐐯𐑌𐑅 𐑂 𐐿𐐮𐑌𐑇𐐮𐐹 𐐶𐐮𐑃 𐑄𐐨𐑆 𐑉𐑊𐐨 𐐸𐐩𐑉𐐮𐐻𐐮𐐿𐑅, 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐰𐑆 𐑅𐐲𐐽, ...

English Translation Translated from the Hungarian in 2025 by István Jamrik What is the difference between Christian churches and Restorationists in general?  There are not many essential differences. Our faith in Jesus and our belief in the Holy Trinity are the same as those of Protestant churches. A significant difference is that we go all the way back to the biblical roots and practice few traditions and ceremonies adopted since then in our religion. Our church also has similarly ordained female clergy who are respected and have the same role or level as men in everything. What is the most significant difference from the beliefs of other Christians?  The doctrine of the openness of revelation. This means that according to our understanding, God spoke even after the last lines of the Bible were written and still speaks to people in our more complicated times. From this, it follows that we also accept as scripture other works written by inspired people who, like the writers of...

Translation into English from German by Conn Haderlie, 2025 The religion of the Mormons is a senseless mix of Christian, Jewish, Mohammedan, Buddhist, and ancient Pagan, especially Greek and Roman, dogmas, liturgical ceremonies or rituals, and mythological elements. The entirety of it is furthermore seasoned with a strong dose of fantastical-chiliastic fanaticisms, as well as with a considerable portion of secret, modern American masonic humbug and impregnated with the reckless entrepreneurial spirit of the nativist Yankee. Die Religion der Mormonen ist ein sinnloses Gemisch von christlichen, mohammedanischen, buddhistischen und altheidnischen, besonders griechischen und römischen Glaubenssätzen, gottesdienstlichen Zeremonien oder Ritualien und mythologischen Elementen. Das Ganze ist noch mit einer starken Dosis phantastisch-chiliastischer Schwärmereien, sowie mit einem ziemlichen Quantum geheimen, modern amerikanischen Logenhumbugs gewürzt und imprägniert mit dem rücksichtslosen Unter...

On the Mormons (1883) Translated from the German in 2025 by Conn Haderlie      Henceforth one has two kinds of Mormons to recognize, the Salt Lake Mormons and the Kirtland Mormons. The latter are under the leadership of Joseph Smith, the son of Joe Smith, the true author of Mormonism. They view themselves as the true old or original Mormons, while they see the Salt Lake Mormons as apostates and heretics. We give them the designation "Kirtland Mormons" because this community held their first general conference in the old Mormon temple at Kirtland, in New Ohio, in April of this year, and with that entered the public view for the first time. The conference was visited by 200 Mormons from 16 different states and territories and from Canada. The Mormon temple at Kirtland was the first which the cult built. On the front-facing outside wall, it bears the inscription "House of the Lord, built by the Community of Christ in the year 1834". After the Mormons of its time were d...

 I was Born on an Island    by Conn Haderlie Part 1 I was born on an Island - It was a happy Island; verdant and green, awash with sunshine. It had great rivers and small streams, towering mountains and low shores, and the whole of it was filled with beauty. Society on the Island was nurturing and pleasant, for we had the kindest Island elders who always, we boasted, demonstrated perfect love and compassion in helping every Islander grow, reach fulfillment, and serve their neighbors, and their efforts truly helped the Island feel like a paradise for all. Through their work, they kindly taught us how uniquely perfect our Island was - how the beauty of other islands paled in comparison with our harbors, forests, mountain paths, and united community - and we all felt truly blessed for being the lucky few to have discovered a most blissful dwelling place. My family had lived on the Island for generations, helping to build it up and maintain it for everyone to enjoy ever sin...