1890-05-11-New York Sun-Something Brand New
- The Sun, 11 May 1890, p. 28 c. 7
Something Brand New
That is the Sort of Folks at the Brooklyn Branch of the Mormon Church is Made Up Of.
To the average man any allusion to Mormonism brings only recollections of Brigham Young and polygamy. Comparatively few people know that there are two kinds of Mormons, and that each is radically opposed to the other upon at least one point of doctrine.
Not many residents of New York and Kings counties know that for nineteen years there has lived and prospered in Brooklyn a branch of the Mormon Church. Yet such is the fact.
This organization is a branch of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which holds to the teachings of the elder Joseph Smith, the prophet believes in the ordained rights of leadership of the younger Joseph Smith and denies absolutely the claim of Brigham Young to the Presidency of the true Mormon Church, and utterly repudiates the "spiritual wife" doctrine or doctrine of polygamy so tenaciously held by the followers of the great leader of the Salt Lake Mormons.
The reorganized Church accepts the Bible and the Book of Mormon as its guide in matters of religion, and in the suit to recover possession of the original tabernacle at Kirtland, Ohio, was declared to be the legal successor of the original Mormon Church. For years it has maintained missionaries in the Salt Lake valley to convert the "Brighamites."
When Joseph Smith, as Mormons believe, had his vision on the hill of Cumorah, he proceeded at once to the translation of the sacred plates brought him by the angel, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim. Upon the completion of this task the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints was organized. The Church was governed in the old Scriptural manner, by apostles, prophets, elders, and teachers. These elders and apostles scattered, over the country, preaching the new doctrines, and converting many to their belief: so that when the Mormons were persecuted at Nauvoo, Mo, the church numbered nearly, if not quite, 200,000 members.
When Joseph and Hyrum Smith were confined in the Nauvoo jail in 1844 the prophet sent for his son, then only 12 years old, and blessed him, ordaining him President of the Church as soon as he should arrive at his majority. Shortly afterward the jail was broken into by a mob and the prophet and his brother were killed. It was then that Brigham Young came forward and, as the protector of young Joseph Smith, ruled the Church as its acting President. He put down the claims of Rigdon, Strang, and Bishop to the prophetic successorship with a strong hand, and when the time came for young Joseph Smith to assert himself Brigham Young was strong enough to usurp the young prophet's place. With this usurpation he introduced the doctrine of polygamy, or the spiritual wife." Then came the great hegira to the Salt Lake valley. But it must not be supposed that a majority or even a fair proportion of the followers of the prophet had embraced this doctrine. The statistics show that in 1850 Utah had a population of about 11,380. There were hundreds and thousands who would not accept the rule of Young and the doctrine of polygamy. These scattered to new homes, and new divisions of the Church were made. One by one those divisions failed. In 1851 a few of those who had been members at the death of Smith, who were living in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, set about gathering these scattered remnants together, and succeeded in having a conference in Beloit in June, 1852. At this confrerence it was determined to find and enroll the scattered members throughout the Northwest. The movement was so successful that a conference held at Amboy, Illinois, in April, 1860, 300 members were represented.
At this conference Joseph Smith was ordained President and prophet.
From this beginning the Church has grown until it now numbers about 25,000 members scattered all over the globe. At the conference of 1888 it was reported that there were 608 in England, 15 in Scotland, 173 in Wales, 880 in Canada, 26 in Nova Scotia, 725 in the Society Islands, and 188 in Australia.
Joseph Smith is the President, and W. W. Blair, James Caffall, F. C. Briggs, Wm. H. Kelly, J. I. Lambert, F. W. Gillam, Herman H. Smith, Joseph Luff, William Smith, and Elder Griffiths are the elders.
The Brooklyn branch was organized in the fall of 1870 by Josiah Ells, one of the bench of twelve elders of the Church. It has been a humble but steadily growing effort and is now about to begin the erection of a church building on East New York avenue, near Sackman street.
For some years its meetings were held in a hall on East Seventh street, near Grand. From there they moved further east, and have recently been congregating in an old store building on Rockaway avenue, at the corner of Fulton street. The Branch, as it is called, has a membership of 67, four members having been recently added.
The main points in the creed are: Belief in God, Jesus Christ, His Son, and the Holy Ghost; the punishment of men for their own sins; salvation through the atonement of Christ by obodience to the ordinances of God, which are faith in God, repentance, baptism by immersion, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, the resurrection of the body, and the doctrines of eternal punishment; that a man must be called of God and ordained by the laying on of hands to entitle him to preach the Gospel; that the Church organization should be the same as in the primitive Church —apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists; that in the Bible is contained the word of God, so far as it is correctly translated: that the canon of Scripture is not full, but that God by His Spirit will continue to reveal His word to man until the end of time. In the language of their Epitome of Faith:
We believe in the powers and gifts of the everlasting Gospel viz., the gift of faith, discerning of spirits, prophecy, revelation, healing, visions, tongues and the interpretation of tongues, wisdom, charity, brotherly love, etc.
We believe that marriage is ordained of God and that the law of God provides for but one companion in wedlock, for either man or woman, except in cases where the contract of marriage is broken by death or transgression.
We believe that the doctrines of a plurality and a community of wives are heresies and are opposed to the law of God.
One of the members of the Brooklyn branch said. "We believe that when Christ left this earth He left the Church in this state, and that when He comes again He will expect to find it just as he left it."
The edifice which the Brooklyn branch proposes to erect will be a small, unpretentious structure. It will be a frame building, 21 feet in width and 60 feet in depth, with a small belfry. James Cocks of 2.299 Pacific street, a carpenter who is a member of the branch is the architect. The style adopted is a modified Queen Anne.
The windows will be of stained glass, and the main hall will have a seating capacity of about 250. Just in front of the rostrum in the main hall will be the baptismal font. The belief of the Church is in baptism by immersion alone and the font is designed in accordance with that belief. The ceremony will be identically the same as performed in the Baptist churches.
The church services on Sunday are two: a prayer and testimony meeting at 2:30 P. M., and preaching service at 7 P. M. George Potts is the Presiding Elder of the branch. Sunday morning at lO o'clock Sunday school is held, and Wednesday evening at 7 prayer meeting.
