"The church of the devil" here alluded to I
understand to mean not any particular church among men, or any one sect of
religion, but something larger than that--something world-wide--something that
includes within its boundaries all evil wherever it may be found; as well in
schools of philosophy as in Christian sects; as well in systems of ethics as in
systems of religions--something that includes the whole empire of Satan--what I
shall call "The Kingdom of Evil."
This descriptive phrase, "the church of the
devil," is also used in the Book of Mormon; and while in attendance at a
conference in one of the border stakes of Zion, a question was propounded to me
in relation to its meaning. The passage occurs in the writings of the first
Nephi. An angel of the Lord is represented as saying to Nephi, "Behold,
there are save two churches only: the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and
the other is the church of the devil." The question submitted to me was,
"Is the Catholic church the church here referred to--the church of the
devil ?" "Well," said I, in answer, "I would not like to
take that position, because it would leave me with a lot of churches on my
hands that I might not then be able to classify." So far as the Catholic
church is concerned, I believe that there is just as much truth, nay,
personally I believe it has retained even more truth than other divisions of
so-called Christendom; and there is just as much virtue, and I am sure there is
more strength in the Roman Catholic church than there is in Protestant
Christendom.
I would not like, therefore, to designate the Catholic
church as the church of the devil. Neither would I like to designate any one or
all of the various divisions and subdivisions of Protestant Christendom
combined as such church; nor the Greek Catholic church; nor the Buddhist sects;
nor the followers of Confucius; nor the followers of Mohammed; nor would I like
to designate even the societies formed by deists and atheists as constituting
the church of the devil. The Book of Mormon text ought to be read in connection
with its context--with the chapter that precedes it and the remaining portions
of the chapter in which it is found--then, I think, those who study it in that
manner will be forced to the conclusion that the Prophet here has in mind no
particular church, no particular division of Christendom, but he has in mind,
as just stated, the whole empire of Satan; and perhaps the thought of the
passage would be more nearly expressed if we use the term "the kingdom of
evil" as constituting the church of the devil.
I understand the injunction to Oliver Cowdery to
"contend against no church, save it be the church of the devil," to
mean that he shall contend against evil, against untruth, against all
combinations of wicked men. They constitute the church of the devil, the
kingdom of evil, a federation of unrighteousness; and the servants of God have
a right to contend against that which is evil, let it appear where it will, in
Catholic or in Protestant Christendom, among the philosophical societies of
deists and atheists, and even within the Church of Christ, if, unhappily, it
should make its appearance there. But, let it be understood, we are not brought
necessarily into antagonism with the various sects of Christianity as such. So
far as they have retained fragments of Christian truth--and each of them has
some measure of truth--that far they are acceptable unto the Lord: and it would
be poor-policy for us to contend against them without discrimination. Wherever
we find truth, whether it exists in complete form or only in fragments, we
recognize that truth as part of that sacred whole of which the Church of Jesus
Christ is the custodian; and I repeat that our relationship to the religious
world is not one that calls for the denunciation of sectarian churches as
composing the church of the devil. All that makes for untruth, for
unrighteousness constitutes the kingdom of evil--the church of the devil. All
that makes for truth, for righteousness, is of God; it constitutes the kingdom
of righteousness--the empire of Jehovah; and, in a certain sense at least,
constitutes the Church of Christ. With the latter--the kingdom of
righteousness--we have no warfare. On the contrary both the spirit of the
Lord's commandments to His servants and the dictates of right reason would
suggest that we seek to enlarge this kingdom of righteousness both by
recognizing such truths as it possesses and seeking the friendship and
co-operation of the righteous men and women who constitute its membership. (B.
H. Roberts, Conference
Report [April 1906], 14-15)
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