Belfast's Titantic Quarter

Yes, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost.  3 Nephi 29:6

After we finished our mission in England, giving the message above to anyone who would listen, we visited Scotland and Ireland.  We first stayed in Carrickfurgus, which I posted previously on this blog.  We then spent two nights in Belfast and toured from there.  I had watched the movie, "Titanic," a few days before we took the ferry across to Ireland.  Staying in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast and seeing where the ship was built and remembering the tragedy helped me appreciate things more in life.  I realize we cannot always depend on man's works but we can on God's. 

We walked from our hotel to this area where a memorial for the Titanic is being completed.  It is a fascinating structure, which helps people realize the size of it when it was built.  The original ship was built in these shipyards and launched from here, where it eventually sailed on her maiden voyage on April 10, 2012, from Southhampton, England.  The work being done for the Titanic museum is to be finished in time to commemorate the date of the fateful voyage.

This is made out of steel and is reflecting different shades, though it is really all one shade.  See the bird thinking he or she is big stuff on the top?

The bird is still on top of things.  It few away later.

Do the doors at the bottom give you a better perspective of its size?

Almost like a ghost in this window is the reflection of the huge rig that held the Titanic in place while it was built.  This is the ferry building where passengers bought their tickets to sail in various ships.

Here you can see a sample of how the metal is placed on the building.  Very ingenious and artistic.

Still very intriguing how this reflection looks.

Belfast is the perfect example of the history of religious intolerance, much of which we "Mormon's" in America are getting a larger dose than usual due to the presidential candidates arguing religion instead of politics.

I missing being able to be a missionary and spread the message that all can come unto Christ and be baptized by the proper authority to become a member of His own true Church on the earth in these last days.  People are talking about us not being Christians and calling The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a cult.  Look up the word "cult."  I suppose every religion can be called a cult.  This is a church that teaches we have free will in all things, so I'd say it is far from a cult in the sense of people being brain washed and forced to follow some weird leader who tells them everything they should do.

While in Belfast, Ireland, we recognized the tragic things that happen when religions fight against one another, neither one of them willing to respect the other's beliefs.  We can see the barbed wire and the separation of the Catholic and Protestant areas within the city.  The tradition of hate has been passed down through generations.  When one young man was asked why he was fighting, he had no answer.  It is just that it has always been done.  That's a sad state of affairs.  When looking at the history of members of Christ's Church when he was on the earth and now that it has been restored, it is the same thing.  The members of His Church have always been misunderstood, ridiculed, and disrespected.  Many have given their lives because they chose to follow Him.

Some people say members of the Church tell them their religion is wrong.  We as missionaries tried to tell people to take the good truth of their religion and find out the truths of ours.  Enlightenment is not mandatory.  Wouldn't you want to find out the truth for yourself rather than take someone else's word for it?  I know there are eyes that can not see and ears that can not hear (or wish not to).  There are hard heads and stiff necks.  The scriptures tell us so and so it shall always be.

This is on the docks behind the hotel.  Shops are on the bottom and people live up above.

Here is part of the docks looking towards the Titanic museum and some apartments.

The rock walls are done a bit differently here in Ireland as we drive around the country near Belfast.

 I am sorry there aren't more pictures of Belfast.  We got stuck in the bottom of the bus on the tour and it was raining, so there's no pictures of the barbed wired sectioning off parts of the city or the graffitti they consider art (which most of it is) and a history of the city.  The shipyards were rather stark with cranes and equipment, which weren't all that photogenic.  Big cities aren't my favorite places to be anyway.