"Mormonism is Insane" and Other Accusations

I recently received a comment on my Facebook post where I was sharing my blog when I got a great comment from someone we'll call "Dane." He said, "Mormonism is insane. It's not really Christianity either (which is crazy enough as is). But Mormonism is far and away completely bonkers. You believe that God was once a person and that he's from a planet called Kolob, and you believe that everyone will get to be a god when they die. Also, you believe that Jesus came to America to visit a Hebrew civilization here that there is no evidence for (and every bit of evidence against). It's completely and absolutely nuts; the only thing Mormonism does is show just how much you can delude people in mass numbers." 

Wow I've never heard that before (sarcasm). I'm just going to cover each of these topics one by one if that's alright.

1. "Mormonism is insane." 

I get it, you all think we're a bunch of weirdos. We are all VERY aware of what the world thinks of us. The Lord Himself said: "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be an peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth"(Deuteronomy 14:2). God's people have never been very popular in the world. From the beginning the world has persecuted and killed them. They even thought Jesus was mad, called him "gluttonous" and a "winebibber," and killed Him. (Matthew 11:19)

I will let you all know that the Mormon church teaches its members that nothing is more important than family. Family is central to God's plan. We teach people to have good values, be honest, love one another, be self-sufficient, care for the poor and needy, etc. Next time there's a national disaster, check and see who some of the first responders are. American Red Cross, Mormons, and other religious organizations. Regardless of how "insane" people think we are, we do our best to follow Jesus Christ and love and serve everyone. 

2. "It's not really Christianity either." 

Oh Dane, if only you'd read my blog post found here. I explain why we are Christian but why some people think we're not. Our church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We worship Jesus Christ. Not Mormon or Joseph Smith or Satan or Mitt Romney.

3. "You believe that God was once a person... and you believe that everyone will get to be a god when they die." 

Correct.. mostly. The Bible teaches us many times about this concept: 

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if it so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together"(Romans 8:16-18).

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ"(Galatians 4:7).

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne"(Revelation 3:21). 

God's plan for His children is for us to come to Earth in families to gain a body, be tried and tested, and return to live with Him again if we were faithful. If we follow Him and do our part, we can one day inherit all that the Father has. Essentially we can become as He is, a God. Not everyone will get to become gods because not everyone will follow Him and qualify. So we don't believe that everyone will get to be a god, only the faithful will as outlined in the scriptures.

This process is how God Himself became a God. He went through the same process we did on some other world. He overcame and was able to become a God. Lorenzo Snow, the fifth prophet of the Church today, said: "As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be." This adds a whole new round of questions and for the answers to those I will direct you here.

4. "You believe... that [God is] from a planet called Kolob."

In case you haven't noticed, Mormons have two additional books of scripture besides The Book of Mormon. It's the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. We just learned about additional scripture called The Book of Mormon and now I'm throwing more at you? Yes. I think if we can use more of anything in the world it's more of God's word. God loves us and likes to speak to us through more mediums than just the Bible. Get over it. Anyway, in the Pearl of Great Price is the book of Abraham. This Abraham is the same one in the Bible. This is where Kolob is mentioned. Abraham says:

"And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it; 

"And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.

"And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest"(Abraham 3:2,3,9).

And that's about all we know about it. Kolob is a planet that is nearest the throne of God and the time of Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord's time. So we don't believe that God necessarily lives on Kolob, we just believe that it is a planet that is nearest to God. You can read the rest of that chapter in Abraham for further information.

5. "Also, you believe that Jesus came to America to visit a Hebrew civilization here that there is no evidence for (and every bit of evidence against)."

Yes we do believe that Jesus Christ came to visit the Americas after His resurrection and appearance to His apostles in Jerusalem.  Jesus told His disciples: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd"(John 10:16). Jesus Christ Himself said that there are other people besides the ones in Jerusalem that He's going to visit. It's possible that the Americas were one of many other civilizations He appeared to. The account of His visit to the Americas can be found starting in 3 Nephi 11. 

As for evidence for the Book of Mormon. God of course doesn't give us evidence for everything He does because He expects us to have faith in Him. However, there is a bit of evidence for The Book of Mormon. For example, the idea of writing on metal plates was once ridiculed, but in recent years numerous examples of sacred writings on metal plates -- some hidden in stone boxes -- have been found. 

Linguists have noted Book of Mormon words and phrases that sound awkward in English but make perfect sense in Hebrew and related languages that would have been known by the people of the Book of Mormon -- languages young Joseph Smith did not know. 

In 1 Nephi 16:34, a man named Ishmael died, "and was buried in the place which was called Nahom." Cool. Where's Nahom? A group of Latter-Day Saint researchers found evidence linking a site in Yemen, on the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula, to the name "Nahom." They located a stone altar that professional archaeologists dated to at least 700 BC. This altar contains an inscription confirming "Nahom" as an actual place that existed in the peninsula before the time of Lehi. Can you imagine Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey "writing" the Book of Mormon and Joseph says, "hmmm, let's have this guy Ishmael die. And we'll have them bury him in a place called 'Nahom'. Make the 'h' silent. Yeah, that sounds great. I bet they'll dig up evidence for that one day and we'll totally get them!"

Lastly, there are many small evidences found in the cultures and traditions of North and South American people. When Christopher Columbus came, the Native Americans thought he was a god because they had been told that a white god would come to visit them. Can it be possible this same "white god" they were thinking of was Jesus Christ who appeared to their ancestors 1400 years before? Many Latter-Day Saints have traveled to South America on vacation and learned that some of those people's ancient beliefs sound very familiar to our beliefs about the Plan of Salvation. 

Essentially, the Book of Mormon has been around for over 200 years and no one has been able to prove it's false. However, millions now can attest to its truthfulness. And that brings us to our last point made by our friend Dane. 

6. "It's completely and absolutely nuts; the only thing Mormonism does is show just how much you can delude people in mass numbers." 

In 2013 the Church had 282,945 convert baptisms. How do we "delude" people in mass numbers? Because it's true. There are thousands of missionaries that go out every day to teach people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and The Book of Mormon. Missionaries don't force anyone to believe. All they do is teach them and ask them to pray to know if it's true. Those who receive an answer to their prayers are baptized into the Church. That means that 282,945 people last year received the answer from God that this is true. The promise is there: "Ask and ye shall receive." God says it over and over again. He's not kidding. Anyone can know if it's true if you are willing to experiment to see if it's true. I promise that anyone who reads the Book of Mormon and prays and asks God with faith and real intent will receive an answer. 

I know it is true and so does God and 15 million others with that number growing every day. If it wasn't true, this church wouldn't have survived. How could a silly 14 year old with a crazy book and a band of destitute followers ever survive and grow into a church with millions of followers and 88,000 young adults traveling the world to tell everyone that it's true? It could never happen unless this is God's work. And I testify that it is.

And there you have it. Six arguments against the church laid out for you. Now are you going to take my word for it or some other guy on the internet or are you going to ask God if it's true? Here's the Book of Mormon. Read it. Then pray and ask God. Once you receive your answer, let me know. (:

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost you shall know the truth of all things"(Moroni 10:5).

Amen.

Why Do a Lot of Mormons Live in Utah?

Currently there are over 1,975,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints living in Utah. That is 68% of the state. There are a little over 15 million members worldwide and about 6.4 million in the United States. That means that 31% of Church members in the United States and 13% of members worldwide live in Utah. That is quite a chunk. How come so many live in Utah? Is it because the Church started there? Nope. It was organized in up-state New York.

Perhaps some of you remember vaguely hearing about the Mormon pioneers in your United States History classes. Some man believed that God and angels appeared to him so he started a church with a weird book but then everyone thought the members, nicknamed Mormons, were crazy, devilish polygamists who were taking over their towns so they drove them out from everywhere they tried to settle so the Mormons trekked across the plains until they arrived in Utah. That's it in a nutshell. Now let's expound on these teachings. 

In 1830 The Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth with the proper Priesthood Authority of God complete with prophets and apostles just like in Biblical times. Many people joined the Church after that and it started expanding. Many Saints (we call Church members Saints. Not that we think we're amazing or anything, it's just what we're called.) moved to Ohio. Others moved to Missouri and Illinois later on.

When the Mormons settled in Jackson, Missouri, they were very excited and started up their own little town with more members arriving every day. Soon, the locals grew very uneasy. They were nervous about the growing influence and were afraid they would soon be outnumbered. Ministers, merchants, and politicians especially resented the intrusion. There was also a slavery issue which we all know was a huge deal during this time. The old settlers liked their slaves but the Mormons brought their abolitionist views and there was fear of a black rebellion. Soon, committees were meeting together discussing how to get rid of the Mormons. One of these meetings turned into a mob that destroyed stores owned by the Mormons and tarred and feathered Mormons who wouldn't denounce their beliefs at the public square. Later, mobs killed many members of the church and told them that if the Mormons didn't leave then every man, woman, and child belonging to the Church would be whipped. Eventually all of this conflict led to more and more violence until the Mormons were brutally driven from the state. 

Governor Boggs, the governor of Missouri, issued the infamous "Extermination Order" ordering that Mormons must be treated as enemies or exterminated. Many people took this to heart.

One of the most violent events happened at Haun's mill in Missouri on October 31, 1835. A mob attacked the village, shooting at everyone regardless of age. One ten year old boy was hiding during the attack when one of the mobbers found him and blew off the upper part of his head. The man later said, "Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon."

Many more incidents like this occurred throughout the 1830s and 1840s. The Saints lived in Kirtland, Ohio for a few years until being thrown out as well as in Nauvoo, Illinois. They managed to build a temple in both Kirtland and Nauvoo before being forced out. The Nauvoo temple was burned down and was rebuilt over 150 years later but the Kirtland temple is still standing today and is owned by a different church.  

The leaders of the church weren't getting any help at all from the federal government and it was eventually made clear to them that they had to leave the United States in order to have peace. Although the Mormons left the United States, they responded to the call when James K. Polk, then President of the United States, requested 500-1,000 Mormon men to assist in the Mexican War. This became the longest infantry march in history with the men marching approximately 1,850 miles to help defend the country that denied them their rights. We call this the Mormon Battalion.

The famous Mormon Pioneers trekked across the plains and the first group, Brigham Young being with them, arrived in the Salt Lake valley on July 24, 1847. Utah celebrates this day as a state holiday. Throughout the coming years, thousands more of the Saints arrived from eastern United States and Europe, a lot of them going through a lot of difficulty to get there. They built up Salt Lake City and had members of the church settle neighboring communities. They built temples there and the Headquarters of the Mormon church have been there ever since. 

The Church has expanded a lot during the years and now there are more Mormons living outside the United States than in but Utah is still the main place for Mormons because of their pioneer ancestors. We acknowledge that our ancestors weren't perfect and made mistakes, but so has every person who has ever lived besides Jesus Christ. We revere our ancestors for their sacrifice and bravery.

Most Mormons living in Utah can trace their ancestry back to the Mormon pioneers. My ancestors on my mother's side were Mormon pioneers. My ancestors on my father's side consist of the mobbers who killed the pioneers. One of my father's ancestors in particular was part of the mob that murdered Joseph Smith and his brother. 

And that is why so many Mormons live in Utah. The majority of them have stayed from when their ancestors arrived there. Many have come for other reasons. It isn't a perfect state and we keep church and state separate but it was founded on Christian values. I love Utah. The Salt Lake City Temple is beautiful as are the surrounding mountains. It's also famous for having great snow for skiing and snowboarding which brings in thousands of people each year. If any of you are ever passing by Utah, stop by Temple Square in Salt Lake City. There are buildings and museums there with lots of history of the Mormon pioneers and also the Native Americans who lived there as well. 

President John F. Kennedy visited Salt Lake City, Utah on September 29, 1963, 55 days before his assassination. He delivered a speech, found here. He praised the Mormon Pioneers and said, "Of all the tales of America's pioneers and settlers, none is more inspiring than that of the Mormon Trail."

I'm grateful for the Mormon pioneers and for their faith and sacrifice. Every hardship they went through was worth it for them to be able to follow God and do what they believed to be right.
 

 

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
"And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes"(D&C 121:7-8). 

Amen.

Mormons and Polygamy

Do Mormons practice polygamy? No. 

President Gordon B. Hinckley, the previous prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, made the following statement in 1998 about the Church's position on plural marriage:

"This Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church... If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church."

"But..but..but..Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were polygamists! And the people in 'Big Love' are polygamists!" Correct.  Now let me explain.

First of all,"Big Love" has nothing to do with Mormons. Also "Sister Wives" aren't Mormon either.  Warren Jeffs isn't Mormon. If you ever find anyone today practicing polygamy, they aren't Mormon.  

At various times, the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon were all prophets in the Bible who had multiple wives. At other times, the Lord commands His people not to practice polygamy.  In The Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob said to the people: "Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none"(Jacob 2:27); The Lord is all-knowing and His ways are always right. If He commands us to have multiple wives or pay tithing or love our neighbor, we do it because He is the God of the whole earth and knows what is best. It is not our place to question His wisdom.

The Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Brigham Young recounted his struggle with this commandment as such: "I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time.  And when I saw a funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not in the coffin." 

I don't know all the reasons why the Lord commanded polygamy at that time nor will I pretend to. But I have an assumption. It is that the Mormons were constantly being persecuted and as a result many Mormon men were killed. There weren't enough men for the women to marry and have children with in the Church and most if not all men outside of the Church wouldn't want to marry a Mormon woman anyway. This helped support all of the women who were left without husbands to provide for them.

Church leaders regulated the practice. Only about 10% of the members practiced polygamy and those entering into it had to be authorized to do so. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff, prophet and president of the Church at that time, received a revelation from the Lord that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage.

Mormons do not practice polygamy. Yes we used to just like they used to in the Bible.  However it has not been allowed in over 120 years. I have one mom. I will be my future husband's only wife.

Amen.

What is The Book of Mormon?

What is The Book of Mormon? Why are Mormon missionaries always trying to get you to read it? What is it about? Why do we need it if we have the Bible? I'm glad you asked.

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.  Just like we have the Old Testament and the New Testament, this is another or a "third" testament.  And also like the Bible, it was written by ancient prophets. We read both The Book of Mormon and the Bible. We don't consider one to be better than the other, they are both the word of God. 

The book of Ezekiel prophecies about The Book of Mormon: "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand"(Ezekiel 37:16-17).

The stick of Judah is the Bible. The tribe of Judah is the Jews and the Bible is the record of the Jews. The stick of Ephraim is The Book of Mormon. The people in The Book of Mormon were of the tribe of Ephraim.

The Book of Mormon takes place 600 B.C. during the time of Jeremiah the prophet and the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah.  It starts with the record of a family living in Jerusalem.  The father, Lehi, had a vision and was called as a prophet to preach repentance to the people.  He told them that if they didn't repent then Jerusalem would be destroyed.  The people didn't listen. They also wanted to kill him. So God in His mercy told Lehi and his family to leave Jerusalem.  They did so and traveled in the wilderness for 8 years and then eventually sailed across the ocean to the American continents. 

One of Lehi's sons, Nephi, was righteous and believed in his father's visions and received many more visions from God because of his faith.  He later became a prophet and wrote the first two books in The Book of Mormon. His descendants called themselves the Nephites.  Lehi had two other sons, Laman and Lemuel, who did not believe he was a prophet and were bitter about leaving Jerusalem.  They rebelled when they arrived in the Americas. Their descendants were thereafter called the Lamanites.

The rest of The Book of Mormon is a record written by prophets who passed the records on to the next prophets.  It covers 1000 years of history of this people.  The crowning event in The Book of Mormon is when Jesus Christ appeared to the people after His death and resurrection. Moroni was the very last prophet to write in The Book of Mormon before the Great Apostasy. His father was a man named Mormon. Mormon abridged and compiled the records written by the prophets and gave the gold plates they were written on to his son.  Moroni buried the record in a hill after writing his final testimony in it shortly before he died.  Moroni appeared as an angel 1400 years later in 1823 to the Prophet Joseph Smith to show him where the record was buried.  The record is named The Book of Mormon after Moroni's father, Mormon, since he was the one who abridged and assembled the record written by all of the prophets. 

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are nicknamed the Mormons because we have The Book of Mormon.

This ancient scripture was so important that God waited until the restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel to bring it forth so that it wouldn't be altered or tainted by men and so that it can stand as proof that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that Jesus Christ's Church is once again on the earth. 

I am so grateful for The Book of Mormon!  Together with the Bible, it testifies of Jesus Christ. Why wouldn't we want further revelation from God?  If your favorite author wrote a second book, you wouldn't get mad and say that you won't read it because they can only write one. It's the same with the scriptures! Why would you try to limit God and say that He can't speak to multiple people and have multiple scriptures? God is our loving Heavenly Father.  We are all His children.  He loves the Jews and the Gentiles.  He loves every race, nationality, gender, and age regardless of a person's standing in the world, financial situation, or level of education.  He revealed Himself to the prophets in the ancient Americas just like He did to the prophets in the Bible. He has probably revealed Himself to so many other people that we have no record of. He is the God of the whole world.  I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God as is the Bible. 

If you read and pray about the book, you can know for yourself that it's true.  Moroni, in his final testimony in the book before he died, wrote:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things"(Moroni 10:4-5).

I know that whoever reads this book and prays about it with real intent and faith (faith meaning hope, not a perfect knowledge) in Christ will receive an answer through the power of the Holy Ghost. And how does the Holy Ghost speak to us? The Bible tells us: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.."(Galatians 5:22-23).  If you feel any of those things as you read and pray about it, then that's the Holy Ghost telling you that it's true.

Amen.

(You can go here to read The Book of Mormon online or click here to request a free copy.) 

The Gold Plates

Joseph had the First Vision in 1820 when he was 14 years old.  It wasn't until 1823, when he was 17, that he even learned about the ancient record which would become The Book of Mormon.  

During this three year period, he passed through his mid-teens.  When teachers and friends should have been helping and strengthening him, they were instead hostile towards him. Even though some trusted friends turned against him, Joseph continually had the support of his family.

Joseph is not a perfect man by any means.  He acknowledged that during this period he "frequently fell into many foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth."  He was a teenage boy and was cheery and enjoyed having fun and didn't always act in consistency with the character of one called of God.  But during this time he grew and matured and continued to work on his family's farm.

On September 21, 1823, Joseph Smith retired for the night.  Concerned about his standing before the Lord, he earnestly prayed for a forgiveness of his sins.  Suddenly his room filled with a light and a heavenly messenger stood by his bedside.  Joseph described this messenger as such: "He had on a loose robe of the most exquisite whiteness.  It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant... Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person.  When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me."

This messenger introduced himself as Moroni, a prophet who had lived on the American continent about 400 years after Christ.  He came to tell Joseph Smith about an ancient record written on gold plates that had "an account of the former inhabitants of this continent...He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to ancient inhabitants."  Moroni told Joseph where to find this record which had been buried by Moroni himself 1400 years prior in a hill close to Joseph's home. Moroni also recited many passages from the Bible quoting prophets such as Malachi, Isaiah, Joel, and Peter. This message was so important that Moroni returned twice more that night and repeated the same instructions.  He also appeared again in the morning to Joseph and recited his message again.

The morning after Moroni appeared to him, Joseph went to the place where Moroni had told him the record was.  The plates were concealed in a stone box underneath a larger stone. Joseph managed to remove the stone and find the plates underneath.  As Joseph attempted to take them out, he was forbidden by Moroni to do so.  For the next four years on that exact day, Joseph went to the place and was there tutored by Moroni and other heavenly messengers until he was deemed ready to receive them.  


"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people"(Revelations 14:16).

"Having gone as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them up to me with this charge: that I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off;...I soon found out the reason why I had received such strict charges to keep them safe...For no sooner was it known that I had them, than the most strenuous exertions were used to get them from me...But by the wisdom of God, they remained safe in my hands, until I had accomplished by them what was required at my hand."

Through the power of God, Joseph was able to translate this ancient record written on gold plates into The Book of Mormon.  Many people were scribes to Joseph but only 11 others besides him were allowed to see the plates.  Their testimonies of the plates can be found here and here at the beginning of the book. The Book of Mormon was first published on March 26, 1830, 11 days before The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was officially established.  You can read Joseph Smith's testimony of The Book of Mormon here and another account by him about the gold plates in verses 27-65 here.

I know that Joseph Smith did translate the Book of Mormon through the power of God.  In my next post I'll talk more about what The Book of Mormon is and how you can know that this is true. I know that this is true because I've prayed about it and have received an answer.

Isaiah 29:11 - "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed."

Joseph Smith History 1:65 - "He then said to me...that there was no such thing now as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring the plates to him he would translate them.  I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them. He replied, 'I cannot read a sealed book...'"

Amen.

Joseph Smith's First Vision

Jesus Christ restored His church back to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Bible suggests that God has always called the humble and meek to be His prophets rather than the wise and powerful. Indeed Jesus Christ Himself was as humble and meek as you can get.  

Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont, in very humble circumstances.  He was the fifth of eleven children.  Because of their financial circumstances, Joseph only received a formal education for 3 years before being unable to continue.  His family was very religious.  His parents taught their children to read from the Bible and to pray.

In 1820, he was living with his family in Palmyra, New York, working on the family farm.  During this time, the Second Great Awakening was sweeping the United States.  Many denominations were preaching and trying to bring religion to these people.  Nearly all the churches in upstate New York conducted revivals which were evangelistic gatherings in the form of camp meetings held on the edge of groves of trees or in small clearings in the forest.

At a young age, Joseph became "seriously impressed with regard to the all important concerns for the welfare of [his] immortal soul." The many different religions confused Joseph and he wasn't sure which one to join. Joseph said, "I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit... It was impossible for a person young as I was and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong." They were all Christian and all preached from the Bible, but each of their interpretations were different. "The teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.". Joseph's mother, a sister, and two brothers joined the Presbyterian faith although that system of belief didn't satisfy Joseph.

One day, Joseph was reading in the Bible and he came across James 1:5 which reads: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."  Joseph said that "never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine.  It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart.  I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know."

Joseph decided to do as James directs.  He prepared to ask God. 

One day in the spring of 1820, Joseph went into a grove of trees near his home.  He knelt down to pray aloud, which he had never done before.  As he began to pray, an incredible thing happened.  In his own words, he said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.  When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.  One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!"  God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him.  "No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself... than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right...and which I should join.  I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong."

Why did Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appear to this humble, 14 year old farm boy living in New York?  Because it was time for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored.  This period of darkness, the Great Apostasy, was ending, and it was time for the glorious light of the restored gospel to penetrate the earth. 

After this heavenly manifestation, Joseph Smith ran home and told his family.  He told others about this experience, expecting them to be overjoyed, but instead he was treated coldly and harshly: 

"I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution...

"It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling.  But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself."

Although he was severely persecuted and mocked, Joseph never wavered in his testimony.  He knew what he had seen and nothing anyone said or did could make him deny that.  Like prophets of old, he was called upon by God to do a great and marvelous work.  And, like prophets of old, he was rejected and persecuted, yet he stayed true to God until the very end of his life.  I am very grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith.  

"For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it."

Amen.

Click here to read Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision.
Click here to watch a video of the First vision.

Why Mormons Don't Have Horns

I consider myself to be a pretty logical person.  I enjoy being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because it makes logical sense to me.  And also because I've prayed and have received a witness from God and His Holy Spirit that this is Jesus Christ's true church on the earth.  Unfortunately, for some reason this world likes to give precedent to science and logic more than heavenly manifestations.  But we'll cover all the fun revelation stuff later.  This post is about horns.  Do Mormons have horns on their head? Well, let's see...

I don't see any horns.  And they are in fact Mormons!  See for yourself:

 

Deuteronomy 14:2 says: "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people..."

In conclusion, we may be a peculiar people, but peculiar doesn't mean that we have horns.  The reason why we don't have horns is because God created us in His image and God doesn't have horns either (Genesis 1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...").  And THAT is why Mormons don't have horns. I have no idea where people get these ideas from. 

Amen.