"Reputation is for time; character is for eternity"
--- John Batholomew Gough (United States temperance orator; 1817 - 1886)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a Christian denomination. Like all others, we believe that it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that mankind may be saved. And yet, when it comes to the public's general knowledge about our religion, or mention of "Mormons" people have a tendency to think of Joseph Smith before thinking of what Jesus Christ means to us. When it comes to critics' arguments against the Church, many of them are aimed towards Joseph Smith. And in truth, they understand that if they were able to disprove his claims that He saw God and Jesus Christ, then all else would be for nothing. But I know that he did see them and was truly called to be the prophet of the day. While we recognize Joseph Smith to be a prophet who played an important role in the restoration of the Church, we ultimately believe it to be led by the living Jesus Christ, same as it was 2000 years ago. Joseph Smith has been the victim of many attacks made against the Church and gave his life for it, a martyr, as a testament of the truthfulness of it. I know that Salvation comes through Jesus Christ, but I still believe that the man, Joseph Smith, deserves our admiration and respect for all he did too, and the supreme loyalty he showed to God, even in the face of certain death and the persecution that would continue after.
**NOTE: If you wish to get in contact with missionaries of the Church to learn more, you can do so at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/missionary-visit
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THE IGNORANT CHATTERBOX
It was the very same day as when the previous blog post took place in mid-April of 2015 (See "Wait...What?"). We were invited to sit down and share a message with a kind Pentecostal woman named Amara under the shade of a tin awning beside her house. She said she was a person who "listens to all", which was ironic considering how little she ended up listening. As usual, we tried to break the ice, take time to get to know her before sharing the message. We had been taught time and time again the importance of being direct but our desire to rest our legs overpowered the desire to be quick. Those were mistakes. There is a clear reason why we are taught to be direct. Beating around the bush is a waste of time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. It’s okay to have small chat, but if that’s all it is, then that is a problem.
There is a word in Spanish, “platicadora” (Plah-tee-ka-dora) which loosely translates as an excessively talkative woman. I tried to be polite by sincerely listening to what she said to try to lead it organically into a discussion about the Restoration of the Gospel. (See "Apostasy and Restoration")
The message of the Restoration was always my favorite to share since it’s fundamental to the rest of what we believe. I feel, from experience, that many concepts of the Gospel are familiar and easier to accept because of overlapping beliefs with other religions, such as the belief in a Savior or in the Bible, as well as moral values such as faith and kindness, but if a person does not accept the Restoration, the magnitude of what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints professes means nothing. It is the message of the restoration that proclaims the return of revelation, ongoing voices from heaven to earth, angelic visitation to confer priesthood authority, and the mandate to enter into essential covenants. The Restoration is evidence of God's reality, purpose, and participation in our lives today.
No matter how hard I tried to transition to the Restoration, this platicadora would not stop talking! Normal people breathe in between thoughts and sentences but she didn’t! I kid you not, we were sitting there listening to her rant for close to two solid hours about one thing or another. We couldn’t slip past her monologue. Before we'd sat down, she hadn’t bothered asking what church we represented. But she mentioned how some Mormons had once left her a “Book written by Joseph Smith or something like that. I haven’t read it". That was the transition I was looking for! I reached into my backpack for a copy of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ and was about to show it to her but she didn't give me a chance to interrupt her! After another ten or fifteen minutes, I put it back in my bag and pulled out the yellow pamphlet about the Restoration. I turned to the part when Joseph Smith spoke with God and Christ in the grove of trees we’ve come to call “the Sacred Grove”. The page depicted the account: Joseph on his knees looking up into that bright pillar of celestial light. She wouldn’t stop talking so I just held that picture up in between me and her and hoped it would speak for itself.
I finally had enough. I interrupted her and asked her if she knew what the picture was
about. She said that the young man in the picture prayed and then saw God and Jesus Christ and that all the Churches were wrong. She even said that she believed that was true! But I'm not sure she knew what that meant. I’m glad she knew that much. I asked her what the boy’s name was. She didn’t know and tried to change the topic. But I wasn't about to let her have the last word. I answered for her. Looking her square in the eyes, I proudly and clearly said, "Joseph Smith". Her jaw dropped and she finally stopped talking as soon as she heard me say “Joseph Smith” and realized who we were.
I cut to the chase as directly and succinctly as I could to make up for our lost time. I immediately testified that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and clarified that the Book of Mormon was translated and not written by him. That it was a true ancient record of a people as real as us and expounds truth concerning Jesus Christ. And that partaking of and praying about the Book of Mormon was key to unlocking its validity and worth, not by judging the cover and leaving it on the shelf to collect dust because of some preconceived idea that it’s fictitious, as she had done. I had never been so bold previous that moment and my heart pounded hard. But anything less than bold just wasn’t working with her. I wasn’t rude. I said things as they were and to the point.
I testified and promised her a witness of its truth should she simply start reading it. But her heart was hardened and she politely declined the invitation. She thought she knew something about the “Mormons” already even though it was obvious she didn’t. For one, she couldn’t recognize two Mormon Missionaries staring her in the face (not to mention that the name of the church is on our name tags), and I mean that in the nicest way possible. We insisted she had nothing to lose and everything to gain until she committed to read the 3rd Nephi Chapter 11 of the Book of Mormon halfheartedly and with skepticism. She only really said yes so we would stop asking. Or as far too many people in Mexico say, "Si Dios Quiere".
We left shortly after explaining that we had other people we needed to visit.
When we came back to follow up, she hadn’t so much as touched the book. We were not about to be lured into another rant if she wasn’t looking to learn so we forewent future visits. As always, we left her with our testimonies and invitation to read, come to church, and pray but those were in vain and again received with disinterest. I’m sure she was a good person, but she preferred to stay where she was.
The Restoration is fundamental to us. It was the Restoration that broke the streak of Apostasy and mended the link between heaven and earth anew. Without it, we would be like any other Christian denomination. I will say it again, the ongoing restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ signifies the literal visit of God the Father, and the resurrected Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith who was directed to play a big role in the return of the primitive church organized in the Bible. It ultimately signifies that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the kingdom of God on the Earth and continues to be led by Him today. To top it off, the Book of Mormon is the keystone to our religion.
*NOTE: I HIGHLY recommend you refer to my post "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ" in conjunction with the rest of this blog, particularly regarding Joseph's role as a prophet and translator of the Book of Mormon.
A PROPHECY & THE ANGEL MORONI
I have a strong testimony of Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration. Joseph Smith was fourteen years old when he had that First Vision in the spring of 1820. Many more visions followed the remaining twenty-four years of his life. The next came the night of September 21, 1823, when Joseph was visited in his bedroom by the angel Moroni at the age of 17 (See "Return of the King -- Part 1"). If you'll remember, Moroni was the son of the prophet Mormon who compiled the ancient writings we subsequently call "the Book of Mormon". Moroni was also the last survivor of the destroyed Nephite people and it was he who buried the records that were translated into the Book of Mormon. Moroni, now an angel, spoke to Joseph telling him of the existence of the records. Joseph gave a personal account of that night:
“He called me by name and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from when they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants…”
I’m sure that was a lot to take in as a young boy, as it would be for any of us. Scarcely could he have understood what it meant to have his name known for both good and evil all over the world. In his own mind, he was just a young farm boy of no reputation, how could this be?
Many missionaries and members can testify just how true that prophecy is today -- that his name is had for both good and evil in the world. John H. Groberg writes an interesting story that happened to him on his mission in Tonga in the 1950s in his first book “In the Eye of the Storm”. He was on the island of Tafahi which he describes as having “no running water or electricity, and very little contact with the outside world, [and] the people…had no telegraph and no scheduled boats”. He decides to put Moroni’s prophecy to the test but first, he asks questions such as, “Have you ever heard of President Eisenhower? Where’s the United States? What’s Russia?” and so forth asking about prominent places and people of which none of the islanders knew. Elder Groberg knew that there were no members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the island when he finally asked, “Have you ever heard about Joseph Smith?”. Elder Groberg recounts, “Immediately their faces lit up. Everyone looked at me, and the father said, ‘Don’t talk to us about that false prophet! Not in our home! We know all about him. Our minister told us!”. Despite knowing so little of the great world leaders of the day, they knew the name Joseph Smith on the tiny island in the middle of the ocean.
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
If there is an accusation to be made of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it boils down to Joseph Smith. Many contenders poke and prod at the life and reputation of this imperfect yet faithful man. And yet, the prophets of God never were perfect people, and all had weaknesses as well as strengths; nevertheless, apart from His Only Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, imperfect people are all God's had to work with (See "Prophets and Callings"). But that realization doesn't stop the wicked from persecuting the faithful, and in some cases, casting out and stoning the prophets (Matt. 21:33-41; Mark 12:1-9; 2 Cor. 11:25; Luke 11:49; Alma 1:19-20). The same persecution that happened in days of old continues in our day.
In our day and age, much of the persecution that the faithful receive is non-physical. You know what I'm talking about. In diverse ways, religion is met with scorn and opposition from all directions which includes but certainly isn't limited to hate speech and discrimination against people because of their religious beliefs. Regarding Joseph Smith, critics labor to villainize him and drag his name through the mud by exaggerating or isolating anything remotely bad or unusual about his life, occasionally propagating full out lies, while neglecting or burying any of the good he did and was, not only as a prophet but just as a friend. I’ve heard people call him the devil. I’ve heard people mockingly call him John Smith or Joe Smith. I can tell you that there is no shortage of people, even in the world today, who go out of their way to attack the reputation of Joseph Smith in any way they can. There are probably very few religious figures out there today who receive the level of animosity that he receives, even though he is no longer living and never hurt anybody.
Moreover, it goes without saying that there is still much physical persecution that happens today against the devout. This occurs against single individuals, to practitioners at a global scale, and everywhere in-between. Take the Holocaust for example. And there are still places in the world where worship is punishable by death. But even in the United States, the early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints faced similar persecution, even unto death.
As I anticipated writing a paragraph describing the attacks and otherwise citing examples of persecution that the early members of the church endured, I couldn't bring myself to dwell on such nightmarish realities. It's too horrific for me. Such accounts bring immeasurable sorrow to my soul. How many people suffered for their faith and paid with their blood! It is for me as difficult to write about as it would be to recount a terrorist attack close to home. I'll therefore leave it to you to do your own research if that is something you wish to learn more about.
Joseph was murdered in cold blood by an angry mob with painted faces while unjustly imprisoned in Carthage Jail, Illinois in 1844. The critics refuse to remember the mobs that killed many and then forced the remaining helpless families across 1300 miles of wilderness for refuge from a corrupt government that did not uphold religious freedoms and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Particularly, this included an executive order signed on October 27, 1838, by Lilburn W. Boggs, the governor of Missouri. The order called for the Mormons to be “exterminated or driven from the State if necessary.” Many died along the way. All suffered. The church is so predominant in Utah because the pioneers were chased out of every state they tried to settle in under threat of death. They were refugees. Utah was a mostly unsettled desert wilderness, technically a part of Mexico (believe it or not), when they settled there and it wouldn’t be for another fifty years until it became a State. Even after it achieved statehood, the discrimination continued. It wasn't until 1976, only about 45 years ago (as of 2021), that Missouri Governor Christopher S. Bond officially rescinded Boggs’s order, arguing that it “clearly contravened the rights to life, liberty, property and religious freedom” guaranteed by both the constitutions of the United States and the state of Missouri. On behalf of the citizens of Missouri, Bond expressed “deep regret for the injustice and undue suffering” the order had caused the Latter-day Saints.
If there is something to mock or ridicule, the critics do, whether it is true or false because they do not understand. But for me, I maintain enormous respect and love for those faithful first pioneers who despite the combinations of the world seemingly beating upon them, even unto death, would not deny the faith! Joseph Smith has been dead for over 170 years now and still, his name is known for good and evil among all nations of the Earth. He is long gone but critics can’t leave him alone. Sixteen prophets have served since Joseph Smith, and more will come, but it is still him who bears the brunt of hate. I don't understand everything, and I’ve heard many hurtful things said of Joseph, but I know that the opinions of the world do not change the truth. Joseph Smith was a true prophet and he really did speak with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and various angels. One such class I took at BYU allowed me the privilege of holding a replica of his death mask. It doesn’t get much more personal for me than that.
If people would read the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, come to church, and pray, they would know that as well as I do. We do not hide church history but neither is it the focus of what is learned every Sunday because this is the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God but the focus of the church is on our Savior Jesus Christ, not Joseph Smith or any other person. While it is important to comprehend the Restoration, we have faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and redeemer of mankind.
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