Joseph Smith

Moving to Pennsylvania has been interesting in terms of being a Mormon in the least-Mormon state (per capita anyway) in the US. I have not felt that I was treated poorly (except upon one occasion) because of my religion, and at times I may have been seen as a slight oddity to someone that had never met a Mormon, but mostly it has been interesting living closer to the area where Mormonism was founded. Driving on Susquehanna Road all the time is an experience I never thought I would have since the only thing I ever knew about the Susquehanna River was that it was in PA and Joseph Smith received the restored Aaronic Priesthood on its banks. Every time I see that long street name I am reminded of Joseph Smith. I think I understand more now than ever before how he could have become such a polarizing figure in history. Living here for a year I can begin to see how the people in this area would feel about someone like Joseph Smith. I watched the PBS documentary on Mormons, which was quite slanted as far as I could tell, and I am also reading the Rough Stone Rolling book by Bushman. I can't say that I have questioned my testimony that Joseph was truly a prophet called of God, but I have wondered about some of the things I have heard about him. It would be as easy to say he was just a normal man acting on his own, as it would be to say he was a prophet as those in the Bible. The only way to know is if God tells you.

This week I remain confident in my belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet because I was blessed to feel the Holy Ghost reconfirm the truth of his calling on two instances. The first was after the Primary program and we had a "party" for the children with popcorn and cookies. We were watching "The Restoration" video that was put out by the Church a while back. I was mostly watching, but also helping with napkins and kids needing to go out for drinks (never serve popcorn without remembering drinks!). When the part came on that showed Joseph kneeling and praying, and then the light growing and shining upon his face I just felt the Spirit tell me again that this truly happened. Joseph Smith really did see God and Jesus Christ and they were separate beings. He truly was called to restore the fullness of the Gospel to the earth and cry repentance unto the people. All these feelings were shored up and renewed for me in that short instant.

The other experience I had came from reading an article about Joseph Smith's descendants that my mom brought me from the Deseret News. It tells of Michael Kennedy who grew up in Nevada and didn't even know much about Joseph Smith until he was assigned to write about an ancestor in high school. The same day he asked his father for help, LDS missionaries turned up on his doorstep. How surprised were they to see photos of Emma Smith spread out! He joined the church, and his future wife did as well, and they were married later. He received the Melchizedek Priesthood much sooner after baptism than is normal and he was tutored by Elder Bruce R. McConkie. When I read how he told of this experience, I just felt the truthfulness of his experience. He said that during his ordination, "I was told I was the first in Joseph Smith's line to receive the Melchizedek priesthood in fulfillment of prophecy." As I read this I just knew again that it was true, and that Joseph Smith was a special man who had also fulfilled ancient prophecies of our day. I'm so grateful for these two small experiences that strengthen me. That is the point of seeking out answers - to allow the Holy Ghost to whisper to your soul in quiet ways the truths that God wants to tell you.

I remember on my mission testifying of Joseph Smith over and over to so many different people. I had an experience when I was 15 when I had really come to just wonder if the LDS Church was the right church, or were my parents just sheep following blindly what their parents had said. I knelt down in my bedroom and prayed and asked God if Joseph Smith really was a prophet. And the answer came in an assurance that I had always known, and that yes, he was. I shared this experience as I taught about the Church on my mission. If I hadn't spent 1.5 years telling people of this experience, I may have forgotten it. It wasn't earthshattering, but then none of my spiritual experiences have been too loud if that makes sense. They just come in small ways that build up to a mountain of ideas, experiences, feelings, and knowledge that reassure me that the path I'm on is the right one. But, I need to keep seeking ways to build the mountain, or it will slowly slide back into complacency.

Though spiritual feelings aren't typically sensed in any way other than individually experiencing them, logically I can base my beliefs on this one experience that I had as a teenager largely because it has been renewed frequently throughout my life. If Joseph Smith was truly a prophet, then the Book of Mormon was translated by him through the power of God. If the Book of Mormon was translated correctly, then it is true and it testifies of Jesus Christ and ancient prophets and apostles. The church that Joseph Smith founded, and that believes in the Book of Mormon, is also the correct church. You can't accept part of it, and not the other parts. Finally, it is so important to know if this is true because we are trying to get to know God, to become better and better people with Jesus Christ as our example. Knowing how to do this the most effective way possible is key, and I feel that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the best way on earth at this time.

I really enjoyed this LDS Gem by President Hunter that I got in my email today, because it sums up what I have been trying to say:

"As I have contemplated the foundation laid by the early Saints, I have reviewed with reverence the sacrifice and devotion which they showed for the cause of truth. The pillars of their faith are still resident with us as a people today. We, like the early Saints, believe and testify, as the first pillar of our faith, that the Prophet Joseph Smith did indeed see the Father and the Son in the grove of trees in the spring of 1820. Said he, 'I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me' (JS--H 1:25). To those who questioned his experience, Joseph wrote, 'Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and . . why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it' (ibid.).
"We share with our early brothers and sisters a witness and testimony of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. This represents the second pillar of our faith. It is through reading and studying the Book of Mormon, and prayerfully seeking confirmation of its contents, that we receive a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth." (Howard W. Hunter, "The Pillars of Our Faith," Ensign, Sept. 1994, 54)