… and the locals were none too impressed, if the words of the Belfast newspaper are any indication.
Freeman’s Journal and Daily Commercial Advertiser (Dublin, Ireland)
11 November 1850
The Mormonites in Belfast
An elder appointed by the twelve apostles of these “latter-day” fanatics has established a mission in this town, and has made a dilapidated little chapel in King-street, his head-quarters.
On last Sunday night he harangued about thirty individuals on the glories of the “new revelation.” All the churches in Christendom, he said, were in Babylon; all of them had departed from the faith; and no one could be now saved unless he consented to be dipped in the Lagan and held belief in the book of Mormon (a book which, by the way, is now known to have been slightly altered from the manuscript of an American novel).
The elder maintained that the thief on the cross was not saved, unless he had previously, at some period of his life, been baptised. The thief did not go into Paradise on that day, because even the spirit of our Saviour could not enter till the day of the ascension of his body. He concluded a host of equally strange and awful assertions by saying that every body should come to him to be baptised, inasmuch as no other in Belfast had the authority of Heaven.
After the delivery of the discourse, a brother elder began the matter of trade, and offered to sell good bargains on the Sabbath day. He had whole packages of books to be disposed of, there and then, at very moderate prices. No one being so irreligiously disposed as to carry on a Sunday traffic, the farce was concluded by a mysterious song, and the edified units separated.
These people believe that a treasure seeker in America, named Joe Smith, discovered, while “digging for gold,” a supplement to the Bible, which all nations must believe in in order to be saved. An angel in a vision pointed him to the spot where these celestial tablets were secreted.
We are glad to perceive that the “Saints” can find no dupes in the capital of Ulster. – Belfast News Letter
Always nice to see objective journalism at work. 🙂
Wow, the Spalding theory certainly has legs. I wonder if anyone could figure out when that particular piece of misinformation got to Ireland.
Sure got there quickly, didn’t it, quantum? Nice that you recognized it from the cryptic comment here.
Yeah, iguacu, we can always count on a fair hearing in the press!
My uncle served in Belfast while a missionary in the British Mission in the late 1930s. I wonder whether things had changed much.
According to this article from the February 1978 Ensign, there were only 152 members in Belfast by 1856. Very few “dupes,” indeed.
“Mormonite.” Sounds way too much like something you don’t really want to put on your bread.
Nice detective work, Matt. Thanks. Mark, I hope there was at least enough change that your uncle found a branch there!
Vader, it sounds like it would be useful in explosives work, though, doesn’t it?