Persecution and Friendship with the World, Part Three of The Fundamentalist Morm

  THE FUNDAMENTALIST MORMON Part 3 on Fundamentally Mormon    Persecution and Friendship with the World   These two conditions are certainly opposites. Persecution followed the early disciples of Jesus, and He told them, “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, . . . Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt. 5:11-12) It was an inevitable heritage that they knew would be their lot, and James the apostle said, “Friendship of the world is enmity with God.” (James 4:4) [16]Mormonism drew persecution and opposition from the time of Joseph Smith’s first vision. The Prophet said, “If a man stands and opposes the world of sin, he may expect to have all wicked and corrupt spirits arrayed against him,” (TPJS, p. 259) and “. . . for no other reason than that we have been endeavoring to teach the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (TPJS, p. 124) Persecution followed the Saints in every state and into the territory until the turn of the century. Then Heber J. Grant said in 1938: My greatest happiness I find in the good will and friendship that has developed among all classes of people at home and abroad toward the Latter-day Saints Church, during my lifetime; in place of everyday persecutions and bitterness, we now enjoy the high regard and happy association with all denominations.” (Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 22, 1938)