Leftists and the Notre Dame Fire

RUSH: Now, Victor Davis Hanson was on Fox last night with Laura Ingraham talking about Notre Dame. Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist. He is a Peloponnesian War expert, ancient Greece, and that entire era expert. And, as such, he’s also an expert on religions. Not theology per se, although he’s quite learned.

But he is a perfect person to talk to about the situation with Notre Dame in Paris and what is to become of it. He’s the perfect person to ask to analyze what’s being said about it, particularly the rebuilding. So the question, first question: “Victor, you say there’s an irony in the history here, in the aftermath of this tragedy in terms of what we’ve lost in church history. What’s the irony?”

HANSON: After 800 years we were the steward of this iconic representation of western civilization, Catholicism, Christendom. And of all years, 2019 at the height of our sophistication and technology, we were found wanting. We didn’t protect this icon. And we don’t build them anymore. There’s great churches and cathedrals that go up all over the world, but they’re in Poland, they’re in Cairo, they’re in the Ivory Coast, they’re in Brazil, they’re in India.

It’s almost as if the places that are less affluent without the technology of Western Europe and the United States are like we used to be. They still believe in transcendence, they still believe in something other than this world. And so it’s gonna be very hard in our society to ever build a cathedral again, much less to repair them, because we don’t believe in what they represented.

RUSH: This parallels a note that I got from a guy yesterday said, “Rush, all this talk about rebuilding, they never going to be able to rebuild it, not really. Because that cathedral was built with a searing love, a searing love for Jesus Christ and his mother, a searing love of Christianity, a 100-year project of searing, devoted love.”

He said, “I don’t care what they do to rebuild this, they’re never gonna be able to put the heart back in it that built it. They’re never gonna be able to restore the heart, the beating devotion and searing love that has been destroyed by the fire, if it has been.

Now, Mr. Hanson, folks, I think this is such an important comment. “After 800 years, we” — meaning Western civilization — well, and even more fine-tuned, we Americans — “we were the steward of this iconic representation of western civilization, Catholicism, Christendom. And of all the years, 2019, at the height of our sophistication, at the height of our technological ability, we are found wanting. We’ve lost what we had that enabled these great places to be built. We didn’t protect this icon, and we don’t build them anymore. There’s great churches and cathedrals that go up all over the world. They’re in Poland” — and he lists the countries here.

“It’s almost as if places that are less affluent without the technology of Western Europe or the United States, they’re more like what we used to be. They still believe in transcendence,” meaning they believe there’s a lot that is much larger than ourselves out there. Today’s left does not believe in that kind of transcendence. Today’s left does not believe there’s anything larger than themselves. And anybody who wants to believe or does believe in things larger than themselves that you can’t touch, like God, they’re dangerous.

They’re dangerous because people like that are going to put faith in things the left can’t control and can’t touch. The left wants faith to be placed in their symbols, largely government and the people that they populate to lead the government. That’s who they want worshiped. And they’re scared to death of people who worship something that can’t be seen, something that is transcendent and explains all of this. Liberals want you to believe that everything that is could be explained by virtue of them and their existence.

I fear he’s right. It’s very hard in our society to ever build a cathedral again, much less to repair them, because we don’t believe in what they represent. Some of us do, but the country is trending away from that. The country is trending away from believing in what these cathedrals represent.

Look at the church of the Duomo in Florence, 1,000 years to build, 1,000 years. What kind of devotion would that be? I remember once I was talking after I first saw the Sistine Chapel. I took a trip to Italy back in the late eighties, and I got back and I was talking about the trip and how moved by it I was on KFBK Sacramento, the station I worked at prior to this program. And I said I was in awe of what people will do in worship and belief in their God.

And I got cynics, “Rush, come on, they did it for money. You try to tell me that Michelangelo — it was all about money, Rush. It’s always been about the money. There wasn’t any devotion that went into that.” I should have recognized then what was happening. But this is where we are.

But my buddy’s point last night, yeah, you’re gonna rebuild the cathedral, but it’s not gonna contain what it was. The people rebuilding it are gonna be basically a bunch of atheists or agnostics, is the point. We’ll see. Hope not.

Along the same line, remember yesterday, my friends, I pointed out to you the way the news media now does things. A story that looks bad for the left is ignored and instead the story becomes the right’s reaction to the bad story for the left. I have some examples here.

Washington Post. Kathleen Parker, Never Trumper, delusioned, superiorist. This is really what these Never Trumpers are. They just think they’re better than everybody. Anyway. “Notre Dame Burning Was Almost Too Much to Bear. Still, Trump Tweeted.” That’s the story? “Notre Dame Burning Was Almost Too Much to Bear. Still, Trump Tweeted.” See? Story that’s so bad, gotta turn it into Trump.

And the Washington Post, Eugene Scott. “Trump and Pence Tweeted About Notre Dame Fire But Said Nothing When Three Black Churches Burned.” See how this works. Trump and Pence tweeted about the Notre Dame fire. No credit for that. “We’re not gonna tell everybody they’re big-hearted. We’re not gonna give ’em any attaboys for compassion because when black churches burned, Trump and Pence didn’t say anything.” And this is how it works. Not gonna change. I just want you to be able to spot it. Whatever it is, folks, it isn’t news.

RUSH: One more illustration of how the media, when a story is potentially bad for the left or is bad, that story then becomes the right-wing reaction to what’s bad for the left. Republicans seized on blah, blah, blah. Republicans attempted to capitalize on blah, blah, blah. So I’ll give you two sound bites. This is about the Notre Dame fire and how it’s being covered. And we’ll give you one example. Here is Lou Dobbs on the Fox Business Network last night.

DOBBS: French prosecutors opening a criminal investigation into the cause of yesterday’s devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. One thing authorities are ruling out, however, within just a matter of hours, arson. Perhaps overlooked since yesterday is that 875 Catholic churches in France were vandalized in 2018, 875. In a single week last month, 12 churches were vandalized, including a fire deliberately set, also located in Paris. This is context. This is not speculation. This is the situation right now in France.

RUSH: So there you have it. Lou Dobbs not backing away from the issue of possible arson, and if it is arson, who could be behind it. You know, 875 Catholic churches in France were vandalized in 2018. I think a lot of people would be surprised that there are even are 875 Catholic churches in France. But there are, and 875 of ’em were vandalized, and there were 12 churches vandalized, including a fire in Paris last month in a single week.

But over here is Notre Dame, the biggest, “No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. Discarded cigarette. No, no, no, no. There’s no arson here. None whatsoever. Perish the thought. How dare you.” Okay. Now, here is the dumbest man on TV, Don Lemon on CNN, and this is the way CNN is covering the Notre Dame fire last night.

LEMON: Donations have been pouring in to help rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral. But yesterday’s fire is also causing a spike in donations for the three black churches in Louisiana that were destroyed by arson just a few weeks ago. A crowdfunding campaign for the small churches received nearly $500,000 after social media users pointed out that the Notre Dame had been pledged hundreds of millions of dollars but the Louisiana churches, well, they were still struggling.

RUSH: So, see? Notre Dame, billions. Three black churches, peanuts. Not fair. Racist Americans. Racist whites around the world eager to rebuild Notre Dame, couldn’t care less about three black churches in Louisiana. That’s CNN’s angle. So you always turn — it’s a good story that so many people are offering so much money to Notre Dame. It’s a very uplifting story.

CNN can’t allow that. Got to tear that down. Have to put that in perspective. That’s actually racism! That’s actually white superiority! That’s white nationalism! Only white people building Notre Dame. But paltry donations to three black churches Louisiana. And this is just the latest technique and the latest way that left-wing media bias is performed. Because technically in Lemon’s report there’s nothing incorrect.

There’s a lot of money that’s been donated to Notre Dame and the amount of money in comparison donated to three black churches is much smaller. So all of that’s true. It is the tone. I mean, even juxtaposing these things together, the purpose here is to smear white donors, wealthy white donors, to smear whites as racist and uncaring.

So you take what is a really good story, and you turn it into a negative on the people who are making it a really good story. You impugn the donors. You rip ’em a new one. You imply what a bunch of racists they are and how they really don’t have big hearts. ‘Cause they didn’t care when three black churches went up. But when their church did — and that’s how CNN does it. And it is a purposeful technique that’s being used every day on practically every story.

ASKED??

Here is the wording of legal document

Corporation of the President

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
of the
CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

STATE OF UTAH

COUNTY OF SALT LAKE

I, the undersigned, having been duly chosen and appointed President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in conformity with the rites, regulations and discipline of said Church, being desirous of forming a corporation for the purpose of acquiring, holding and disposing of Church or religious society property, for the benefit of religion, for works of charity and for public worship, under and pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 3, Title 19, of the Compiled Laws of Utah, 1917, on "Churches and Religious Societies," and all acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, for that purpose do hereby make and subscribe, in duplicate, the following

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

First: The name of this corporation shall be the CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

Second: The object of this corporation shall be to acquire, hold and dispose of such real and personal property as may be conveyed to or acquired by said corporation for the benefit of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a religious society, for the benefit of religion, for works of charity and for public worship. Such real and personal property may be situated, either within the State of Utah, or elsewhere, and this corporation shall have power, without any authority or authorization from the members of said Church or religious society, to grant, sell, convey, rent, mortgage, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any part or all of such property.

Third: The estimated value of the property of which I hold the legal title for the purpose aforesaid, at the time of making these Articles of Incorporation, is One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars.

Fourth: The title of the person making these Articles of Incorporation is "PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS."

Fifth: The corporation seal shall contain the words, "Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," and an impression thereof is hereto affixed.

[Seal] [Signed] Heber J. Grant
President of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.

STATE OF UTAH
SS:
COUNTY OF SALT LAKE

On this 26th day of November, 1923, before me, Arthur Winter, a Notary Public in and for said County, personally appeared HEBER J. GRANT, who is known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and duly acknowledged to me that he executed the same as such President.

[Seal] [Signed] Arthur Winter
Notary Public
Residing at Salt Lake City, Utah.
My commission expires Dec. 1, 1923.

AMENDMENT TO

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
of the
CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
STATE OF UTAH ss.
COUNTY OF SALT LAKE

HEBER J. GRANT, being first duly sworn, deposes and says:

That he is now and for more than twenty years last past has been the duly chosen and appointed President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as such President has been since on or about the 26th day of November, 1923, and now is, the legally constituted Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter=day Saints, a corporation sole; that under and pursuant to Section 18-7-5 R.S.U. 1933 he hereby amends Article "Fourth" of said Articles of Incorporation as now of record in the proper offices of this and other states, said article as amended to read as follows:

ARTICLE FOURTH

Fourth: The title of the person making these articles of incorporation is "President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." He and his successor in office shall be deemed and are hereby created a body politic and corporation sole with perpetual succession, having all the powers and rights and authority in these articles specified or provided for by law. But in the event of death or resignation from office of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or in the event of a vacancy in that office from any cause, the President or Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of said Church, or one of the members of said Quorum thereunto designated by that Quorum, shall, pending the installation of a successor President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be the corporation sole under these articles, and the laws pursuant to which they are made, and shall be and is authorized in his official capacity to execute in the name of the corporation all documents or other writings necessary to the carrying on of its purposes, business and objects, and to do all things in the name of the corporation which the original signer of the articles of incorporation might do; it being the purpose of these articles that there shall be no failure in succession in the office of such corporation sole.

[Signed] Heber J. Grant
President of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints,
corporation sole.
[Seal]

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 18 day of June, 1940.
[the name of Notary Public not shown on copy of amendment]

(Original in State of Utah Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah)

ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT
TO THE

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
of the
CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

A UTAH CORPORATION SOLE

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 16-7-5 of the Utah Code Annotated 1953 (as amended) relating to amendments of articles of incorporation of corporations sole, the CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, a Utah Corporation Sole, does hereby amend its Articles of Incorporation by adding an additional Paragraph V thereto as follows:

Upon the winding up and dissolution of this corporation, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the corporation, the remaining assets shall be distributed to a nonprofit fund, foundation or corporation, which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, or religious and/or scientific purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused these presents to be executed this 19th day of November, 1973.

CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY
SAINTS, a Utah Corporation Sole

By: [signed] Harold B. Lee
Harold B. Lee, Corporation Sole

STATE OF UTAH ) ss:
County of Salt Lake )

HAROLD B. LEE, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: That he is now and ever since July 7, 1972, has been the duly chosen and appointed President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and, as such president, is now and ever since said date has been the legally constituted CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, a Utah Corporation Sole; that the original Articles of Incorporation of said Corporation Sole were executed by Heber J. Grant, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; that he, Harold B. Lee, is the successor in office to the said Heber J. Grant; that he, Harold B. Lee, executed the foregoing Articles of Amendment as said Corporation Sole.

[signed] Harold B. Lee

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 19th day of November, 1973.

[signed] Wilford W Kirton, Jr
NOTARY PUBLIC
Residing at Salt Lake City, Utah
My commission expires:
2-3-77

Articles of Incorporation as amended:

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

First: The name of this corporation shall be the CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

Fifth: Upon the winding up and dissolution of this corporation, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the corporation, the remaining assets shall be distributed to a nonprofit fund, foundation or corporation, which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, or religious and/or scientific purposes and which has established its tex-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Sixth: The corporate seal shall contain the words, "Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," and an impression thereof is hereto affixed.

Then there is the REST of the story...

With the Mormons (to be precise, the members of The Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - based in Salt Lake City) intent on being called “Christians” after so many years of eschewing that word, and despite the fact that there are so many fundamental theological differences between Christianity and Mormonism, I often wonder:

How do members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints feel about calling the members of its various spin-off sects Latter-Day Saints, Christians, or Mormons? Or about those sects calling themselves Mormons or Latter-Day Saints? (There was an earlier campaign by LDS to have journalism style books use the word “Mormon” to refer only to LDS, and not RLDS, FLDS, or other LDS sects).

For a man who bragged about holding things together, Joseph Smith, Jr. doesn’t appear go have done a good job of it during his lifetime. Wycam Clark’s “Pure Church of Christ” spun off in 1831. This trend continued. There were six LDS sects spawned in the 1830s, eight in the 1840s, two in the 1850s, and seven in the 1860s.

Do those responsible for the “Mormons are Christians” campaign consider these denominations to be Mormons or Latter-Day Saints? Surely many of these denominations are much closer to mainstream LDS than LDS is to Christianity. Many stick to Smith’s teachings and old temple endowment ceremonies.

Short Creek Community
Latter Day Church of Christ
Apostolic United Brethren
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness [sic] of Times
Church of the Lamb of God
Church of the New Covenant in Christ
Confederate Nations of Israel
Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
School of the Prophets
Centennial Park
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God
True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days
The Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven
Blackmore/Bountiful Community
Restoration Church of Jesus Christ
Order of Enoch
Aaronic Order
Zion’s Order, Inc.
Perfected Church of Jesus Christ of Immaculate Latter-day Saints
Church of Jesus Christ (Bullaite)
Community of Christ
Church of Jesus Christ (Toneyite)
Independent RLDS / Restoration Branches
Church of Jesus Christ Restored 1830
Church of Christ (Lion of God Ministry/Clarkite)
Church of Jesus Christ (Zion’s Branch)
Restoration Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Church of Christ (Temple Lot) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Fettingite) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ at Halley’s Bluff (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Restored) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ “With the Elijah Message” (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Hancock) (Hedrickite)
Church of Christ (Burtite) (Hendrickite)
Church of Israel (Hendrickite)
Church of Christ with the Elijah Message (The Assured Way of the Lord) (Hendrickite)
The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
True Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
Restored Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
Holy Church of Jesus Christ (Strangite)
Church of Jesus Christ (Drewite) (Strangite)
True Church of Jesus Christ Restored (Strangite)
Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Whitmerite)

Or these defunct sects:

Pure Church of Christ (Clarkite)
Independent Church (Hotonite)
Church of Christ (Boothite)
Church of Christ (Parrishite)
Alston Church
Church of Christ (Chubbyite)
Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife
Church of Christ (Pageite)
True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (this one was particularly curious - started by William Law, editor of The Nauvoo Expositor, just one of many sects started in opposition to plural marriage)
The Church of Zion (Godbeite)
United Order Family of Christ
Church of the Potter Christ
Church of the Firstborn (Morrisite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Gibsonite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Most High
Church of the Christian Brotherhood
Church of Jesus Christ of the Children of Zion (Rigdonite) Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
Primative Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
Church of Christ (Aaron Smith)
Church of the Messiah (Adamsite)
Church of Christ (Wrightite)
Church of Christ (Whitmerite)
Church of Christ (Brewsterite)
The Bride, the Lamb’s Wife
Congregation of Jehovah’s Presbytery of Zion
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Gladdenite)
Independent Latter Day Saints of Nigeria
Independent Latter Day Saints of Ghana
Apostolic Divine Church of Ghana

Are members of those LDS groups “Mormons”? “Latter Day Saints?” “Christians?”

Do the folks in Salt Lake City have a problem with any of those groups, who believe in the restoration of the original church by Joseph Smith, calling themselves Mormons or Saints?

Most of these divisions in the Latter-Day Saint movement occurred over the issue of polygamy or succession of the Prophet. Sects broke off when Joseph Smith was still alive, and when Brigham Young was named prophet, because they didn’t believe in the practice of plural marriage – either publicly, or in some cases when it was practiced in private and denied in public.

Of course, there was the great split between Rocky Mountain Saints and Prairie Saints, when LDS members couldn’t agree on a successor prophet to Smith, Jr., and the church went to Utah, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania under Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon (senior member of the First Presidency), James Strang, Lyman Wight, Alpheus Cutler, William Smith, David Whitmer (a BOM witness), or Joseph Smith III (son of Joseph Smith, Jr.). Almost all of these individuals still has multiple sects in existence that date to an 1844 decision about who should be the next President/Prophet of the church.

The Prairie Saints split into sects over the issue of whether Smith practiced polygamy. Rocky Mountain Saints had many, many spinoff sects after the 1890 Manifesto – groups that still practice plural marriage.

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Thanks to ScoutMaster for all the hard work here!

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