THE INDEX.

Vol. ?
Boston, Mass., Thurs., May 21, 1885.
No. ?

CORRESPONDENCE.
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WHY I BECAME A MORMON, AND WHY I APOSTATIZED.
Editors of The Index: --
I was born in Canada West, county of Leeds, March 6, 1809, of poor but respectable parents, who were able to give their
children but the slight education attained by a few months' attendance at the public school. Books for instruction
consisted of the Bible, Webster's spelling-book, the English Preceptor, a geography, and an arithmetic. There was but
one newspaper in the county, and that not well patronized. My parents were strictly orthodox in their religion,
belonging to the Methodist Church. In consequence, I was taught all the materiality of God and the devil, the endless
joy of heaven and the eternal misery of hell.
This church I joined at the age of twenty-two years, and was a most conscientious member and advocate of their
principles; attended the local and circuit preaching, and upheld the church with money and prayers. But I was puzzled
to see some of my less zealous brothers repeatedly become drunk and beat their families, then come to church and pray
for and get (?) forgiveness, and evince such ecstatic joy and peace of mind unattainable by myself, ever making the
best endeavor to attain Christian perfection. I thought of the passage in the Bible where God says each one shall be
rewarded according to his merits, and asked the minister for an explanation. He answered by referring to the parable
of the prodigal son, and the words of Jesus concerning "the one sinner that repenteth." But I was not satisfied. There
was evident injustice in the cases at hand.
While in this state of mind there came a man into our neighborhood named Blakesly, calling himself a Mormon, or one
of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, a disciple of Joseph Smith. He claimed that Smith was a prophet of God, ordained
by the hands of holy angels to bring in a new dispensation of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with all the
gifts pertaining as described in the New Testament, where the Holy Ghost was given by the imposition of hands. He
declared that the gifts of healing the sick, speaking in tongues, interpreting, prophesying, etc., which had been lost
for centuries, were restored. At first I doubted his ability to sustain these claims. But soon afterward converts were
made and baptized to organize a church; and when I had seen good old men whom I had known from childhood, whose veracity
could not be doubted, arise and speak in unknown tongues, another immediately arise and interpret, interpret songs and
sing them in the same tune as the first, and saw the sick healed, like many others, I thought God had revealed himself
through his servants as in the days of the apostles, and became converted.
And why should I not, being already a firm believer in the Bible? For had not Jesus said unto his disciples, "And
greater things than these shall ye do, for I go to the Father"? And, after his death and resurrection, he appeared to
them, upbraiding for their unbelief, saying: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned; and these signs shall follow
them that believe. In my name, they shall east out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up
serpents, and, if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall
recover. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs
following." Elsewhere we find (Cor. xii.), "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another faith,
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds
of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues."
Here we found them fulfilling the words of Christ and the apostles those signs following which had been said should
follow the believer, all working in harmony with and exemplification of Bible teaching. How could these poor blinded
Bible worshippers deny it was the true gospel and the church to uphold?
The Book of Mormon is mistakenly supposed by many to do away with the Bible. Instead, it is simply an extra addition
to it, in full doctrinal harmony, teaching faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, baptism for the remission of sins, and the
giving of the gifts of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by the authority of the priesthood, and giving the
history of the ten lost tribes of Israel, said to be the aborigines of this continent. It is claimed to be a revelation
from God written on plates by these aborigines, hid up, to come forth by his will to restore them. Joseph Smith being
God's chosen instrument of discovery, revelation, and prophecy.
One of the prime teachings of Mormonism, for which it has Biblical authority, is the gathering together of the saints
from the four quarters of the globe against the coming of the Saviour. Joseph Smith, being the prophet to guide the
affairs of the dispensation, appointed Kirtland, Ohio, as one of the points of gathering, another in Jackson County,
Missouri. In this latter place, some of the teachings and practices so incensed the people that they drove them out
across the Missouri River into counties of Clay and Caldwell. And soon they were driven from the State by force of
arms by authority of the governor, the alleged reason for so doing being that they were stealing the property of their
neighbors and causing insurrections among the Indians. They then settled at Nauvoo, Ill. About this time, I emigrated
from the East through Kirtland to Nauvoo.
But, previous to this, doubts had begun to arise in my mind regarding "the gifts," from the fact that many of the
prophecies and warnings had proven false and unwarranted; and I had become satisfied that they were not inspired of
God, but perhaps from evil or ignorant spirits. And now my doubts were strengthened by the reports of the unsuccessful
attempts to settle in Missouri. It was not in harmony with the perfect knowledge of God that he should have inspired
that appointment. I now felt anxious to investigate the whole affair. And, for the purpose of learning as nearly the
truth as possible regarding the finding of the plates and the translation of the Book of Mormon, I
stopped at Kirtland and interviewed Martin Harris, he being one of the witnesses of the Book. I asked him if he saw the
plates. He said, "Yes." Then, "Did you see with the natural eye?" He answered, "No: an angel of God appeared and showed
them to me." I had read in a pamphlet that Harris claimed he had seen Christ and the devil. I now asked if this was a
fact, and he said it was, -- that Jesus was the handsomest man he ever saw, and the devil looked like a jackass. "Yes,"
interrupted his wife, "and you were fool enough to get out your hounds, and follow it for half a day."
At this time, Harris was trying to establish a claim to the leadership of the Church. He was but an ordinary-looking
and ignorant farmer, whose every appearance warranted him a good dupe and fit subject for assisting Joseph in his
plans. It was his money procured by selling his farm that paid for the printing of the first edition of the Book of
Mormon.
I also called upon Oliver Cowdery, another of the witnesses. He was then an apostate, and advised me to go no further,
and referred me to another man regarding the proceedings at far west [sic - Far West?] Missouri. From that honest
old man, I received an account that, together with the bad appearance of the society I found at Nauvoo, greatly
increased my scepticism.
Still, I was not satisfied of entire fraud, as none had disclaimed the purity of Smith in the beginning, nor the
inspiration and truth of the Book of Mormon.
After my arrival at Nauvoo, I investigated the reports of the practice of polygamy and consecration, and learned
satisfactorily that Smith and the other leading men did practice polygamy, it being later publicly taught; and that
there was a society of "Danites" organized for carrying on theft, -- or consecration, they termed it, -- their work
not being publicity proclaimed. These things were extremely obnoxious to me; and I openly declared them to be in
violation of the laws of right, and therefore not prompted of God.
Being conversant with the book of Doctrine and Covenants, a book written by Joseph, I relied upon the declaration
therein found, where God said of Joseph, if he sinned, "He shall be taken away, and he shall not have power, but to
appoint another in his place." I believed Joseph had sinned in these things, and therefore looked for him "to be taken
away." I looked for the further fulfillment of the prophecy in the appointment of a successor; for it was one of the
prime teachings of the Church that it could not live without a head. Sidney Rigdon claimed to be the rightful successor
by virtue of his high office, he being one of the prophet's two councillors, -- Hiram Smith, the other councillor, having
been killed with his brother. By virtue of their office as "president," the "twelve apostles" claimed the leadership.
All documents drawn up by them were signed, "The Twelve Apostles, Pres."
There was still another claim made by James J. Strang, based upon the proper ground of appointment. Had he asserted
his claim immediately, personally, and with the self-assurance and vigor which carries convictions, and which later
characterized him; he would doubtless have won the allegiance of a large majority.
He was but slightly known, having been but a short time a member of the Church, and was not at Nauvoo at the time of
Smith's death; and the other aspirants, of course, disputed his claim, and declared the letter of appointment from
Joseph, which he showed, to be a forgery. A few were converted of the genuineness of the letter and his right of
succession, and became his followers. Others there were who did not deny the letter being from Joseph, but claimed
it was not written in expectation of his own death, but simply the appointment of Strang as the head of a new "stake,"
or "colony," to be "planted" at Voree.
His church grew to considerable strength on Beaver Island, where later they located; and there, in the year 1856,
they disbanded at the time of the assassination of Strang, who made no appointment of a successor, but advised them
each to take care of himself. Rigdon retained a small following, which were soon scattered. The majority of the people
supported Brigham Young, making him their leader by a vote, and basing the selection on the fact of his being the chief
of the "twelve apostles."
The non-fulfilment of the prophecy regarding the appointment shattered my remaining faith in the religion. It failed at
what had become for me the testing point, and must be false I now decided; and this decision necessarily included the
Bible in my renunciation, for I had found them through all to be much alike and harmonious. Thus, my eyes were opened
to make clear, unprejudiced investigation of it (the Bible), which has been followed by the perfect conviction of its
being but accumulated works of many men, and not of God. In the workings of "the gifts" there is now evidently nothing
unusual or miraculous. Speaking in tongues and interpreting is easily explained by believers in modern Spiritualism,
and for disbelievers yet to be explained by science. Healing by laying on hands is but the combined effect of faith
and animal magnetism.
I will add, regarding the Mormons, that they give allegiance to no people or government except their own. They believe
themselves God's chosen people, and that eventually all others will be destroyed. "Go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be
damned," is essentially their motto; and, had they the power, they would destroy all disbelievers, impatient of
leaving that work to the Lord.
Yet we can scarcely believe them more bloodthirsty than other Christian sects, when we think of the past persecutions of
Protestants and Catholics, or even of present utterances reported from these pulpits regarding the extermination of the
Mormons, and of the treatment they have received at the hands of many.
Of the Church of Joseph Smith, Jr. [sic - Joseph Smith III?], of which he is president, and not prophet, I understand
there are none of the disgraceful features of the old, and it differs but slightly from other Protestant sects. They
are loyal to the government, do not teach consecration, gathering, polygamy, or present prophecy.
B. G. WRIGHT.
Note 1: Benjamin Guyal Wright, the son of George and Phoebe Whitley Wright, was born Mar. 9, 1809 in Johnstown, Leeds,
Ontario. He died July 25, 1900, in Wrightsville (named after himself), Jackson Co., Wisconsin.
As late as 1832 he was still living in Canada -- he was probably baptized there in about 1834. During the late 1840s he
joined the Church of James J. Strang and rose in that group's ranks to become
President of Strang's Voree Stake and a member
of the High Council, (his brother Phineas was one of Strang's twelve apostles). Benjamin moved from Voree to St. James and married
his second wife, Adaline Elizabeth Ballard, at Strang's colony on Beaver Island, Michigan, on July 9, 1853. During the
1880s (when he wrote his letter to The Index, he was living
at Alma (named after the Book of Mormon prophet), Jackson Co., Wisconsin.
Note 2: Given Elder Wright's high status within the Strangite church, it seems rather remarkable that he suffered from
doubt regarding the authenticity of the Mormon religion even prior to 1850 (when Oliver Cowdery died). His letter to
The Index passes over the chronology of his notable Mormon career far too quickly.
Note 3: The Salt Lake City Deseret News, in the summer of 1885, took some notice of the series of "Mormonism"
articles then being published by the Boston Index.
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