MAN-MADE MANIFESTOS, Part 1 of Chapter 6 of The Church and The Priesthood

MAN-MADE MANIFESTOS, Part 1 of Chapter 6 of The Church and The Priesthood 

Page 66 to 79

In 1890 the LDS Church, its members and the Priesthood experienced perhaps their greatest trials and testing. But in this life good and evil are continually pitted against each other. The world appears to be a great theatrical stage where universal powers are reaching out for the souls of men. It is not just a battle of armies and navies, but a contest of simple principles. The battle reaches from the throne of kings down to the secret and sacred chambers of the heart. It is an eternal conflict drawing men towards celestial light or the depths of darkness.

If God has apostles, missionaries and a priesthood, so does the devil. Once again they were to meet in a clash–not of arms but of principles. Once again these were “the times that tried men’s souls.” Some of the faithful were sent to prison, [67] while others compromised. A few even turned against their beliefs and became informants and persecutors. It was a time of decision on all levels–a time when the Church leaders felt they had to make some official declaration in an effort to bring temporal relief.