John Taylor's Mission to Europe

Well, yesterday we received our copy of Journal of Discourses Volume 1. I could not have asked for a more professionally manufactured, higher quality book. It is excellent. We read the account of John Taylor's mission to Europe (the third Discourse in the Journal). One thing stood out to me, and it was that Brother Taylor spoke of the people not understanding things of faith, that religion was not a useful way to approach them, and that instead, he had to teach them philosophy, and make them think that his philosophy is better than theirs, and that when they get to the bottom of it, they find the religion of God there. He said if you talk about matters of faith, the people will hear nothing of it. I think this is a very important lesson. Different types of people need to be instructed in different ways. Just as you must learn French to speak to the people of France, you must also learn to speak in the appropriate words that your listener can understand and relate to.

John Taylor also learned French and German on his mission, translated the Book of Mormon into French, stared a newspaper there called Etoile Du Deseret "The Star of Deseret", commenced the translation of the Book of Mormon into German, and started another newspaper in Germany, called Zion's Panier (Zion's Banner).