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Show Elder B. H. Rober!~~Expounds the Belief Founded by Joseph Smith. THE NEW DISPENSATION. Difference Between the Creed of the Mormons and the I'ai°th of Roman Catholics and Protest~nts Explained. The first attempt to Mormonize Philadelphia wa.s made last evening at the market house building, 1722 North Broad Street. In the second floor hall, before an audience of about SOO people, Elder B. H. Roberts stated the religious position held by the Mormons concerning Christi~ r anity in general. Elder Roberts, in beginning his lecture, said he supposed many were present merely out of curiosity, but that for the scoffers as well as for those open to conviction he wanted to show the true relation of Mormonism to Christianity. • " .!.Vlan.y peopjle scorn the idea that there is any relation between them," he said, "but there is, and that is what I am here to point out to you. We are liable to contract the whole wo,rld into the horizon of our own life. Many suppose the world is entir:ely Christian, when the truth is that only one-fourth of all human beings are even nominally Chrisitians. Many men profess to be interested in church matters for l.he sake of business advantage, and many give lip service that they may be popular. Out of a total of 1007 millions of people claiming a religion, only 378 millions are Christia.ns. These are not united in our faith, 206 millions being Roman Catholics, while the other ho-ld many 'different views." Elder Roberts reviewed the respective claims of Catholics and Protestants in an impartial manner, and made comparisons to ad._ vance the Mormon doctrine. · "We 'believe equally with Catholics and Protestants," he said, ''that Christ founded the Church and that he conferred divine authority on men. Tbe Mormons, so-called, a cept Christianity, Christ as the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world. It is 11ot t e that we preach another Gospel. Through Him , we hope for salvation, because in Him was the power of life and the resurrElctiun. WE- believe that there is no other name by which we can be saved, except by Christ and his atonement, and that he founded the Church. , "We are here to-night to make this proposition, that the only way to bring back truth is by a new dispensation from Heaven. After three centuries of perse~uti ns the Christi n leaders had been |
