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The western part of New York State in the early 1800s was known as the "Burned Over District." The fervor over religion was intense. Many religions sent ministers seeking converts to their flock. So much so that no one, it was supposed, was left to convert. It was a time and a place of theological turmoil.
This is the setting into which Joseph Smith, Jr., son of Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith, was born. His large family found themselves in the heart of this religious revival, wanting to live good lives but not sure which of the competing churches was the right one to join. Members of Joseph's family leaned toward different religions, but none felt certain that theirs was the true Church of Christ.
Members of the Mormon Church share their feelings and testimonies about Joseph Smith, the Prophet.
As a young man of fourteen years, Joseph already had a desire to find the truth. Like the rest of his family, he was deeply religious, and when the time came for him to be baptized, Joseph had to decide which of the many Christian denominations to join. After careful study, he still felt confused. He later wrote, "So great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was [ … ] to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong [ … ] In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?" ( Joseph Smith-History 1:8, 10 ).
Joseph turned to the Bible for guidance. He read,
This verse deeply impressed him. He decided to pray about what he should do, with simple faith that God would hear and answer him.
In the spring of 1820, Joseph went to a grove of trees near his home and knelt in prayer. He described his experience: "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!" ( Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17 ).
Watch how God restored the fulness of His gospel to the earth through Joseph Smith, the prophet (19:15).
This vision of Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ was the beginning of Joseph Smith's calling as a prophet of God. He was told that none of the churches on the earth had the fullness of truth. Over time, Joseph Smith was chosen to establish Christ's Church and restore the priesthood, or the authority to act in God's name. He was led by God to an ancient record and given the ability to translate it into English. This record is called the Book of Mormon. He continued to pray and receive revelation for the Church throughout his life. These revelations were compiled into a book of scriptures referred to as the Doctrine and Covenants and shows that God still leads His children today. Joseph Smith formally organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830.
On the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820, young Joseph went into these woods to pray, to a place where he had previously designed to go. Here, God the Father and His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith to commence the Restoration of the gospel in the latter days.
The Sacred Grove is located 1/4 mile west from both the Smith log home in Palmyra and the Smith frame home in Manchester County.
Around 1818 the Joseph Smith Sr. family built and moved into a log house in the woods several miles south of the village of Palmyra, New York. On the 100-acre property that became the family farm, young Joseph and his brothers and sisters learned to work hard, love each other, and do as they were commanded of God. The Smith family read together from the Bible and "always had family prayers" in this home.
Lucy Mack Smith said concerning the evening family conversations: "Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them" (The History of Joseph Smith, 83).
Wheat, corn, beans, and flax were the primary crops on the Smith farm. They also had a garden plot and plans for 200 apple trees in addition to tapping 1,200-1,500 sugar maple trees (Ensign, Aug. 1985, 24-26).
While living in this home Lucy Mack Smith would paint "oil-cloth coverings for tables, stands, etc.," and sell them in town to help earn money for the family (History of Joseph Smith, 64).
The golden plates containing the Book of Mormon were buried in the Hill Cumorah, about three miles southeast of the Smith family farm. In the early hours of September 22, 1823, the angel Moroni showed Joseph Smith in vision exactly where the ancient record was hidden. Later that day, Joseph went to the place shown him by the angel.
The Book of Mormon was first printed and sold in the Grandin Building located in downtown Palmyra, New York. After translating the golden plates, Joseph Smith "agreed with Mr. Egbert B. Grandin to print five thousand copies"1 of the Book of Mormon. Publication of the book was financed by Martin Harris, a family friend who mortgaged part of his farm to guarantee the $3,000 printing cost.
After Grandin agreed to print the Book of Mormon, John Gilbert became the principal compositor to set the type for the Book of Mormon. This was done by arranging each letter, one by one.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in the Peter Whitmer home at Fayette, New York, on April 6, 1830, at the Lord's command. Joseph Smith had come to stay at the Whitmer home in June 1829 to escape persecution in Pennsylvania. Within a month of his arrival, the Prophet completed the Book of Mormon translation, the angel Moroni showed the golden plates to the Three Witnesses, and the Lord revealed procedures for establishing His Church.
Latter-day Saints began moving from New York to Kirtland, Ohio, in 1831. Joseph and Emma Smith arrived in February of that year. They were graciously invited to live in the home of Newel and Elizabeth Whitney and their five children, where they stayed for a few weeks.
Joseph Smith lived on the Morley Farm from March to September 1831. Isaac Morley, one of the earliest settlers of Kirtland, had joined the Church in 1830. He invited many early converts to live on his 80-acre farm and here built a small home for Joseph and Emma Smith shortly after the Prophet's arrival in Ohio.
In the fall of 1832, Joseph Smith moves from Hiram, Ohio, back to Kritland. Bishop Newel K. Whitney prepared an apartmnet for the Prophets family in his store, and Joseph lives here until the winter of the following year. The Whitney Store served as headquarters for the Church during that time. Many revelations now included in the Doctrine and Covenants were received by the Prophet in this place, including the Word of Wisdom, the oath and covenant of the Priesthood, and the command to build a temple in Kirtland. Joseph also complete much of his inspired translation of the Bible here.
God commanded Joseph Smith in December 1832 to build a temple in Kirtland, Ohio. The Prophet and several others saw the Kirtland Temple in a vision, which provided its design. Construction began in June 1833, at a time of great poverty in the Church. Work slowed in 1834 because many brethren were absent with Zion's Camp. When they returned, Joseph Smith labored with others in the sandstone quarry, and vigorous efforts to build the temple resumed. Church members made enormous sacrifices to complete this 'House of the Lord.'
Joseph Smith and his family moved to the home of John and Elsa Johnson in Hiram, Ohio, in September 1831. The Johnson's were recent converts to the Church and had become acquainted with the Prophet while in Kirtland. During the year Joseph Smith stayed here, the Johnson home served as headquarters of the Church. Joseph received an outpouring of revelation within these walls, including a magnificent vision of the Father and the Son and the three degrees of glory. Several conferences were also held here. In November 1831, the conference voted to publish a Book of Commandments containing revelations received by the Prophet. The Lord confirmed His approval of this book, which eventually became the Doctrine and Covenants.
Joseph Smith was unjustly confined in Liberty Jail from December 1838 to April 1839 along with several other Church leaders. Joseph suffered helplessly, knowing that the Latter-day Saints were being driven from Missouri under an "extermination order" from the governor. The Prophet and his companions were imprisoned in a rough stone dungeon measuring 14 by 14 feet, with a ceiling just over 6 feet high. Only two small barred windows allowed light and air into the cell. The six prisoners suffered from winter weather, filthy conditions, hunger, and sickness.
Joseph Smith moved to the Homestead at Nauvoo, a log house on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, after escaping from Missouri in April 1839. He was reunited here with the Saints, who had found refuge near this swampy town site originally called Commerce, Illinois. Here Joseph determined to make an attempt to build up a city, and the Saints drained the swamps and settled the area. Within four years, they built one of the largest cities in Illinois, which the Prophet named Nauvoo, meaning beautiful. The Homestead served as Church headquarters for about two years. Joseph enlarged the home in 1840. Here Joseph recorded instructions on vicarious baptism for the dead, and the Lord revealed to him that the Saints should build a temple in Nauvoo.
In his Red Brick Store at Nauvoo, Illinois, the Prophet Joseph Smith prepared his successors to carry on the great and mighty work of God.1Originally built in 1841, the store became headquarters for the Church shortly after its completion. A dry goods store was located on the ground floor, and Joseph's office and a meeting hall occupied the upper level. Here, priesthood keys to govern the Church were rolled on to the shoulders of the Twelve Apostles. The Prophet spent many hours instructing these brethren during the last months of his life so that they could lead the Church in his absence.
The Nauvoo Temple was the first in which ordinances such as eternal marriage and baptism for the dead were performed. This temple, which was such an integral part of the Lord's work, was not completed before Joseph Smith died a martyr.
At the Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844, a mob murdered the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, who thus sealed their testimonies of Jesus Christ with their blood. Several days earlier, the Prophet and others voluntarily went to Carthage, the county seat located about 20 miles southeast of Nauvoo, to answer charges of civil disturbance. Joseph and Hyrum were held in Carthage Jail pending trial and were guaranteed protection from mob violence by the governor of Illinois.
The Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum
Sometimes, when we reach a position of responsibility, we feel like we don't need help anymore, but Joseph Smith relied on the Lord more and more after he was called as a prophet. He knew that his responsibility was not to spread his own teachings, but to pass along the things God revealed to him. Most of the text that makes up the Doctrine and Covenants is God's answers to Joseph Smith's prayers and questions. He asked God to clarify parts of the gospel and asked for guidance about how he should lead the Church and the growing number of Mormons. God told him to call apostles, prophets, and other leaders to oversee the Church.
Early Mormons endured serious persecution because of a perceived commercial, political and religious threat to their neighbors, so Joseph and the people he called to assist him had to lead multiple Mormon migrations to friendlier areas of the country. Despite all of the suffering they endured, early members of the Church built temples, did missionary work, built thriving cities and some served in the United States military as they migrated west. Years before Joseph died, the Lord directed him to organize the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and eventually he bestowed upon them all the keys, rights, and authority necessary to lead the Church. Following Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young, then the senior Apostle on the earth succeeded him as the second prophet and president of the Church. The prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, is the authorized successor to Joseph Smith. He and the Church’s other Apostles trace their priesthood authority back to Jesus Christ in an unbroken chain of ordinations through Joseph Smith.
One of the later Prophets of the Church told the members, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home." This statement came more than a century after Joseph Smith died, but Joseph exemplified this idea all his life. Even though Joseph was often persecuted and sometimes imprisoned on false charges, his first thoughts were always for his family. He wrote to his wife, Emma, while he was imprisoned in Missouri,
Joseph lived the doctrine he preached—that strengthening our families should be an important focus of our lives. When his life was in jeopardy, Joseph relied on his faith in Jesus Christ not only to sustain himself, but his wife and children as well.
We sometimes think that dying for a cause is the purest display of devotion, but living for something is usually much more demanding. Joseph Smith did both. He wore out his life in God's service, suffering derision and violence for the things he believed. He did not die in public with the sympathy of the world; he was shot by a mob while he was locked in a jail on false charges.
He showed his devotion to God in life and in death. It was said of him, "he lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and . . . has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood" ( Doctrine and Covenants 135:3 ).
The Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Carthage Jail, Carthage, Illinois.
He did God's work until the day his life was taken and we honor him for his faith, humility, and devotion. We are grateful for the Church he helped establish, the scripture he translated, the revelations he received and the things he taught that help us understand the ways of God.
The faithful way Joseph Smith did his work during his brief life inspires us to fulfill our own responsibilities, however large or small they may be.
Carlos answered...
No. Mormons worship God The Eternal Father, and His Son Jesus Christ. The first article of faith says: "We believe in God, The Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost" JS. Joseph Smith was called from God to establish His Kingdom on earth once more.Show more Show less
katelyn answered...
no we do not worship Joseph Smith we worship God our eternal father.Show more Show less
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