This is a long post, but stick with me. It’s worth it.

Many of you will recall the story of Henry Ballard, the father of Apostle Melvin J. Ballard, who miraculously received a copy of the May 15, 1884 edition of the Newbury Weekly News (published in England) as the Logan Temple first opened. The newspaper contained Ballard family names which permitted the temple work for those names to be done as the temple first opened. The miracle here is that the newspaper was received by Henry Ballard on May 18, 1884 just three days after its publication in England -- a physical impossibility given the length of transatlantic ship travel at that time. The story is used to emphasize that God is involved in LDS temple work. See, e.g., https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=426047988724652

I first heard this story 20 plus years ago. I was so intrigued that I ordered up from SLC the tapes for temple work in the Logan Temple during this period (1884-1885). I learned that the temple work for the names listed in the May 15, 1884 edition of the Newbury Weekly News was done approximately a year later in 1885. Nearly a year after the Logan Temple was opened, the Ballard family apparently was looking for names to use in a temple session so they grabbed what was a year-old newspaper. Furthermore, the relationship of the names to the Ballard family is tenuous.

The Newbury Weekly News from May 15, 1884, was a single-page advertising broadside that was typical of that time. The editor had some extra space in the broadside and filled the space by including the gravestone epitaphs he had jotted down during a recent trip to a neighboring town. This is yet another faith-promoting story within the LDS Church. However, in this case, given the meticulous record keeping the Church maintains of temple work, the miraculous nature of the story can be disproved.

I should have written up my research years ago and published it in an appropriate publication but I had lost interest in Mormon history by then. I did, however, turn over a small box of my research to Gregory Prince with whom I participated in a Mormon history discussion group in the early 1990s called “Saints Salon”. It’s now time that the truth behind this faith-promoting rumor be told.

As an aside, I remember a member of the Bishopric seeing me in the Family History Library pouring through the tapes I had ordered the month before from SLC. He later complimented me for taking my temple work seriously. I don't intend to be flippant but these kinds of stories constitute some of the glue that keep members of the LDS Church within the fold.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2023 08:28AM by ALifeExamined.

Sometimes the truth is not very useful.

I might argue with the word "meticulous" when it comes to temple work. Whoever dead-dunked my nevermo great-grandmother (twice!) was off on her birth and death dates by a day or two. The errors did not mean anything to that particular peron, because why would they care about some random name pulled by extraction? But the genealogy is meaningful to me, because she is my blood. Mormons need to keep their hands off of other people's families.

And they're still pushing it. From 2019 -

https://www.ldsliving.com/the-mysterious-newspaper-that-led-to-a-temple-miracle/s/80005

Thanks for the real story. Ballard is as honest as he knows how to be.

have they EVER fact-checked their statements/claims?

just asking.

GNPE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> have they EVER fact-checked their
> statements/claims?
>
> just asking.

In most GC talks, they don't even mention names or times from their stories!

Supposedly every culture needs its myths but with Mormons are there any that aren't easily debunked?

The congregation seeing martyred Joseph when Brigham was speaking - debunked!

The miracle of the seagulls/crickets - debunked!

The Lord tempered the elements for the Mormon settlers in Utah -debunked!

Paiutes committed the Mountain Meadows Massacre - debunked!

Three Nephites warning members to have their food storage by April Conference in 1972 - debunked!

Various crashing or hijacked airplane stories - debunked!


What is your favorite Mormon Myth?

Momentary derail.

Mormonism is more susceptible to historical falsification because it is such a recent religion and so well documented. It's much easier to keep the shroud down if your founder lived in an illiterate culture millennia ago.

As I sometimes put it, unlike Christianity and Islam, Mormonism had the disadvantage of being founded after the invention of moveable type.

As I was in the process of exiting Mormonism, I had a friend who had already gone through the process who recommended that I read some of Joseph Campbell's works. It was very helpful. Sometimes the role of myth in a culture is more important than the truth or falsity of the myth. -- at least to the culture.

Agree. Campbell's stuff is great. He led me into a deep study of world mythology. It was hard for me not to see my own culture's mythology after seeing the similarities in most other cultures.

Mormonism isn't unique, and by world mythology standards, its stories are pretty lame.

dagny Wrote:
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> Agree. Campbell's stuff is great. He led me into a
> deep study of world mythology. It was hard for me
> not to see my own culture's mythology after seeing
> the similarities in most other cultures.
>
> Mormonism isn't unique, and by world mythology
> standards, its stories are pretty lame.

I especially like the guy from the Joseph Campbell Archive who turns up on Ancient Aliens all the time.

The three Nephites and their
connection/relationship with
AAA!!!

I tell ye.

Back in the day my great grandpappy told me of the time that them there heavy wagon of theirs got mired out in the field one day full of helpless orphans. Not a one could walk since they had been found hollern and yelpin at the openin of ole Danger Mine. Said that they had escaped torture and starvation and hid in the mine, but got themselves lost, and were near death when three big fellows appeared with a light shining above them their heads. Lead them out, when per some miricle, old Ned who worked for my great grandpappy took a different path for some unknown reason with the wagon and found them poor orphans and loaded them up in the wagon. The wagon mired down after a great big flash flood ran across the field they were crossin. Then suddenly 3 big guys with flawless skin and rippiling muscles walked across the muddy field as if it was dry. Picked up that there wagon, and carried it to dry ground.

Grand pappy swore up and down it was the truth, we knew it had to have been since he was the best moonshiner south of the big city, and never missed attending church on Sunday.

In 1884 it was already possible to send trans-Atlantic telegrams. Who's to say it wasn't done that way with the newspaper following a few days later?

How my proof is there this happened? Is this a friend of a friend story?