Mr. McFarland's Conversion Through an Elder's Testimony
Published October 6, 2026 at 3:52 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Mr. McFarland, a Scotsman born into a Presbyterian family, was converted to the Church after investigating the doctrines presented by a prominent Elder in Edinburgh and comparing them to the Bible. This led him to reject his former faith.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 49, No. 3, 17 January 1887, p. 43):
Mr. McFarland, a Scotsman, born of Presbyterian parents, was converted to the Church by investigating the doctrines presented by a prominent Elder in Edinburgh, and comparing them with the Bible, which led him to reject his former faith.
In Their Own Words
“Mr. McFarland said that he was born a few miles north from here, and that when a boy was “raised” under the strict rule common to the Presbyterian religion, and was taught to rigidly observe the Sabbath day. His conversion to the faith of the gospel of Christ taught by the Latter-day Saints was brought about through the testimony of a prominent elder in Edinburgh. He investigated and studied the doctrines advocated by him, comparing them with the Bible, and the result was that he was bound to reject the faith of his fathers upon the authority of that same Bible, and embrace the truth, or come under condemnation. — Millennial Star 49:3”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 17 January 1887 (Vol. 49, No. 3). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1887-01-17_49_3 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 49, No. 3, 17 January 1887, p. 43 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1887-01-17_49_3
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