Absurdities of Immaterialism,
Or,
A Reply to T. W. P. Taylder's Pamphlet,
Entitled,
"The Materialism of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints, Examined andExposed."

"What is truth?" This is a question which has been asked by many. Itis a question supposed to be of difficult solution. Mr. Taylder inhis tract against materialism, says, "It is a question which all thephilosophers of the Grecian and Roman schools could not answer." Heseems to think the question was unanswerable until the introduction ofthe gospel; since which time he considers that the veil is taken away,and that "we now enjoy the full blaze of truth." He further confidentlyasserts, that "with the materials afforded us in that sacred book,(meaning the New Testament,) we are enabled satisfactorily to answerthe question, What is truth?"

What does this author mean by the foregoing assertions? Does he mean,that no truth was understood by the Grecian and Roman schools? Thatno truth was discerned by the nations, during the first four thousandyears after the creation? Or, does he mean, that the gospel truthswere not understood until they were revealed? He certainly must meanthe latter and not the former. Both the Romans and Grecians could,without the least difficulty, answer the question. "What is truth?"Nothing is more simple than an answer to this question. It is a truth,that something exists in space, and this truth was just as wellperceived by all nations before the book called the New Testamentexisted as afterwards. It is a truth that, "the three angles of atriangle are equal to two right angles." This was not learned from thatsacred book—the Bible. We admit that the question, what is gospeltruth, could not be answered by any one to whom the gospel had neverbeen revealed. Dr. Good, in his "Book of Nature," says, "generaltruth may be defined, the connexion and agreement, or repugnancy anddisagreement, of our ideas." This definition we consider erroneous;for it makes general truth depend on the existence of ideas. Nowtruth is independent of all ideas. It is a necessary truth that,space is boundless, and that duration is endless, abstract fromall connexion and agreement of our ideas, or even of our existence,or the existence of any other being. If neither the universe nor itsCreator existed, these eternal unchangeable, and necessary truths wouldexist, unperceived and unknown. Truth is the relation which things bearto each other. Knowledge is the perception of truth. Truth may existwithout knowledge, but knowledge cannot exist without truth.

The New Testament unfolds, not all the truths which exist, but somefew truths of infinite importance. The vast majority of truths of lessimportance were discovered independently of that book.

"The followers of Joseph Smith," says this author, "hold the doctrineof the materiality of all existence in common with the ancientacademics." This, sir, we admit. Our belief, however, in this doctrine,is founded, not on any modern supernatural revelation, unfolding thisdoctrine, as this author insinuates, but on reason and common sense.The doctrine of immaterialism, in our estimation, is false, and in thehighest degree absurd, and unworthy the belief of any true Christianphilosopher.

The author of the treatise against materialism has stated his firstproposition as follows:—

"The Philosophy of the Mormons is IRRATIONAL."

What the author means by this proposition is, that it is "irrational"to believe all substance material. To substantiate this propositionhe sets out in quest of proof. An immaterial s