The Man Called Joseph Smith

Photos From LDS Media Library

The name of Joseph Smith is known across the globe, far and wide.  Some connect this name with an inspirational prophet, and others with a wicked religious group.  And yet others have no opinion on the name, but have simply heard it.  Who is the man with the name known all around the world?

His fame started when he was still a teenager.  In his own words:  "It caused me serious reflection then, and often since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age ... should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day" (Joseph Smith-History 1:23).  It began with  when he prayed to the Lord to know which church he was to join.  He was a God-fearing boy that wanted to do what was right in the sight of God, and the first step was to join the pure religion of Christ.  However, he didn't know which religion contained the pure gospel, and so he prayed to find an answer.  In response to this boy's honest and sincere prayer, a vision appeared in front of him - God, the Father of heaven and earth, alongside His Son, Jesus Christ - descended to teach Joseph Smith concerning the true doctrine of the Lord.

The Calling of a Prophet

The First Vision

In biblical times it was typical for God to appear to his next prophet, calling them to their work.  And, as odd as it sounds, it is not unheard of boys being called to be prophets for the Lord, to guide his people.  Samuel, one of the most recognized prophets in the days of the Israelites, was called when a young child.  When the Lord's people lacked a leader to speak the divine word, a new prophet was called to the work.  Going back to the last known time prophets were called - when the Lord Jesus Christ personally lived on the earth - the New Testament teaches us that after the death of Christ, the rest of those that followed his teachings were persecuted, and eventually put to death as well.  Other religions sprouted back up, restoring the parts of the gospel that they could based off of tradition and scripture, but the pure gospel as taught by Christ was no longer available.  This was foretold by Christ and his apostles.  Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that "that day [when Christ comes a second time] shall not come, except there come a falling away first" (2 Thes. 2:3).

As in ancient times, to restore the lost truths, God needed to call a prophet to bring them back to light.  This he did when he visited Joseph Smith in 1820.  In answer to the young Smith's question - no church at that time contained the full gospel, because it was lost with the death of the ancient apostles, and Joseph was to be the prophet that restored the lost truths again to the world.

Prophetic Scripture
With the restoration of these truths came new scripture:  The Book of Mormon.  This is in accordance to the Lord's divine pattern.  What is the Bible, if not a collection of continual scripture written by prophets as ages passed?  Moses wrote four books of the Old Testament, and brought the Mosaic law from Sinai, then new scripture to the people.  We could go through the Bible and see all the prophets that have brought forth new scripture during their calling to lead the people - Isaiah recorded the most notable Messianic prophecies of any prophet, Jeremiah was writing new revelation approximately 600 B.C., thousands of years after Moses' original records, and so on.

Scripture brought forth by the prophets were most often direction from the Lord to the people of that time period.  The Mosaic law was given by God to the Israelites, to be followed until the birth of the Savior, who would present a higher law.  Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, and many others, received revelation from the Lord to the kings and rulers of their times, to guide the people through secular hardship.  When Joseph Smith restored the gospel in our time, the Lord had to reveal new direction specifically for our times.  Alongside the Book of Mormon - a spiritual guide for our lives - came the Doctrine and Covenants, which contains secular guidance.  Later came the Pearl of Great Price and other biblical writings, to further teach us spiritually.

Priesthood Authority
With the restoration of the gospel and God's word, must of necessity come the restoration of authority over spiritual matters - the Priesthood.  Since earliest days in the Old Testament we read of the priesthood.  The lesser, or Aaronic, priesthood was ordained upon Aaron the priest, and all his generations after him until the time of Christ.  This priesthood gave the priests authority to perform the outward ordinances of the church - baptism, sacrifices (later the Lord's supper taking place of sacrifices), among others.  The greater, or Melchizedek, priesthood was ordained upon the prophets, allowing them the authority from God to preside over spiritual matters - ordinations, blessings, healing, and other matters.

On May 15th of the year 1829, the man known as John the Baptist appeared in the presence of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, ordaining them to the Aaronic priesthood.  John was the last prophet of the Bible to fully exercise this authority, baptizing and preparing people for the coming of the Messiah, being the Elias who was prophesied to come at that time.  Therefore, it was through him that the priesthood was again ordained onto another prophet.  Sometime following the visit of John the Baptist came the visitation of Peter, James and John the Beloved - the three presiding apostles in the ancient church.  These three ordained Joseph and Oliver to the Melchizedek priesthood.  With these two priesthoods Joseph Smith had the authority to restore the gospel and organize the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I Believe...
Although I did not know the man called Joseph Smith, I have studied his words and deeds, and prayed concerning the Church he organized in 1830.  I believe with all my heart that this is the true church of God, containing the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, which, if we follow, we will return to live in the kingdom of heaven.

From Mormonism's History - The Word of Wisdom

In the early history of Mormonism a revelation now called the Word of Wisdom was given to Joseph Smith (now section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants).  This Word of Wisdom contains some instruction on how to keep the body healthy.  Among these are the following:

What's In the Revelation?
"That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good," (v. 5), "And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly," (v. 8), "Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving." (v. 11), "All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts," (v. 14).

Not everything bad for the body is listed in this revelation, neither is all that is good for the body listed here.  Joseph Smith has said in relation to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves."  This also holds true with the Word of Wisdom.  The principle is presented and members of the church govern themselves over it.  Things that can be harmful to the body should not be given to the body, and things that are good for the body should be used.

A Real-Life Example
In a General Conference address, October of 1996, Elder L. Tom Perry shared a story of an athlete on a track team.  His team was at a competition.  The night before the coach of the team asked all the athletes to have a small glass of wine, thinking this would help them be on the best game the following morning.  The boy refused to take the wine, but the rest of his teammates did have some.  The following morning every athlete except the boy that refused the wine was ill, some of which unable to race.  This boy, however, went out to his races, winning race after race throughout the competition.

To listen to Elder Perry's full address, watch the video below:


More on the Word of Wisdom:
Read more on the Word of Wisdom here at the following sites.
https://www.lds.org/topics/word-of-wisdom
http://www.squidoo.com/those-crazy-mormons-word-of-wisdom

If you have any further questions you can ask the Mormon missionaries.
http://mormon.org/chat

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #9

This post is another addition to the "What is Mormonism?" series of posts.  In this post I'll discuss the ninth Article of Faith.

We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

It is oft mentioned in the scriptures that God is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (see 2 Nephi 27:23; Mormon 9:9; Hebrews 13:8).  This scripture is an important part of Mormonism.  In Article 6 I talked of the restitution of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This restoration came when the Lord Jesus Christ, and God, the Father, visited the later-to-be-prophet Joseph Smith, just as he had done with the prophets of past dispensations.  We believe that God had spoken to his prophets in Biblical times just as he did with Joseph Smith (for example see Deuteronomy 34:10).

Because God is the same today as yesterday, we believe he speaks to his modern prophets (currently Thomas S. Monson is prophet of the Church).  An example of modern revelation is the Word of Wisdom given to the Prophet Joseph, recorded now in the Doctrine and Covenants section 89.  And because God is the same today as he will be tomorrow, we believe revelation will be given to prophets in the future.  We do not know what these future revelations will be, but we believe they will pertain to the kingdom of God.

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If you have any questions concerning Mormonism or the Articles of Faith that have not been answered in this post, the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be happy to help answer your questions.

http://mormon.org/chat

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #13

Continuing with the "What is Mormonism?" series of posts, I now add Article of Faith #13.  This is the final Article of Faith.  It is as follows:

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.  If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Number thirteen is my personal favorite of the Articles of Faith.  This final point of belief leaves a person with hope of the future.  One day there can be found a future of honesty, truth, chastity, benevolence, and virtue, among other good and praiseworthy traits and standards.

I do not pretend to say that hard times won't come.  We all know that no matter how righteous a person strives to be, challenges will enter life.  Consider the prophets in the scriptures.  They were prophets of the Lord but they still had their problems.  Think of Joseph Smith, a martyr for the gospel of the Lord.  It was the President Joseph Smith that said, "The nearer a person approaches the Lord, the greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes."

But we have already "endured many things" that the adversary has thrown at us.  Elder James E. Faust has given us these words of comfort:  "He [the devil] can have no power over us unless we permit it" (The Great Imitator, 1987).  So we strive to obtain the good things in life to the greatest of our abilities, with the hope of being able to endure all things, making life better for us and those around us.

If, after reading this series on the Articles of Faith, you have any questions on Mormonism or Joseph Smith or anything else pertaining to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ask the missionaries by clicking the picture below.

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #6

A while back I began a series of posts called, "What is Mormonism?" in which I gave my thoughts on the Articles of Faith.  I will now do some more on that.  This post is on Article of Faith #6, which reads as follows:

We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

This article explains just what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints professes to be:  the same church that Christ formed during his ministry.  We believe that during Jesus Christ's mortal life he set up a church.  This can be seen in the words of Paul, when he said:

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
- Ephesians 4:11-12 -

We believe, as the Article of Faith says, in that same organization.  I now add an excerpt from the words of Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

"I realize that this is quite a claim, especially when we consider all of the other organizations that profess similar authority.  And many of those organizations have been around much longer than our Church.  How can we claim Heavenly Father's full authority when others can trace their ecclesiastical roots back through the middle ages to the time of Christ Himself?  Quite simply, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that God's full authority was lost from the earth for centuries following the mortal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles..." (M. Russell Ballard, Our Search For Happiness, pp. 26).

The apostle Paul spoke of the time this authority would be lost when he wrote "for that day [the Second Coming of Christ] shall not come, except there come a falling away first," (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  Peter, another ancient apostle during the time of Christ, wrote of a "restitution of all things" that must come before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Acts 3:20-21).  How can there be a restitution without a falling away?

We believe that this restitution of all things began in the early nineteenth century when young Joseph Smith prayed in a grove of trees and the heavens were again opened with a new dispensation.  (Read more about the First Vision of Joseph Smith here.)

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If you have any questions concerning Mormonism, Joseph Smith or the Articles of Faith, please ask the missionaries your questions by clicking the picture below.  They will do their best to answer any of your questions.

From the History of Mormonism Comes Zion's Camp

Photo from http://www.ldsmag.com

This week I've done much reading on the amazing historical story in Mormonism called, "Zion's Camp."
*To learn more about the history of Mormonism visit: http://mormontopics.org/eng/christ
The quotations used in this post, unless otherwise stated, come from the journal of Elder Heber C. Kimball.

At the time of Zion's Camp the main body of the Church was in Jackson County, Missouri.  This place was the appointed place for Zion to be built on the earth.  While living in Missouri, those that were not members of the Church persecuted those that did to such a degree that many were forced to flee and others lost their possessions and homes.  The prophet Joseph Smith asked the Lord what to do concerning this and received the answer to go and redeem Zion.  Elder Kimball wrote:

"Brother Joseph received a revelation concerning the redemption of Zion...He sent messengers to the east and to the west and to the north and to the south, to gather up the Elders..."

At the beginning of their march there were few Elders, approximately 100, but more joined on the way.  The way was challenging, as those traveling often lived on johnnycake and other such foods, and walked many miles every day for weeks.  Many times on the way contentions arose with the Elders in the camp.  One of these contentions was recorded by Elder Kimball as follows:

"This evening there was quite a difficulty between some of the brethren and Sylvester Smith, on occasion of which Brother Joseph was called to decide the matter.  Finding quite a rebellious spirit in Sylvester Smith, and to some extent in others, he said they would meet with misfortunes, difficulties and hindrances, 'and you will know it before you leave this place;' exhorting them to humble themselves before the Lord, and become united, that they might not be scourged."

As is stated in the Doctrine and Covenants - "For this is Zion - THE PURE IN HEART" (D&C 97:21).  Joseph Smith knew this and did his best throughout the journey to emphasize this.

The misfortune that was seen before they left the place came upon them the following day.  All of the horses of the camp were had exceeding poor health when the camp woke in the morning.  The brethren were told by the Prophet that all those that repented of their contentions would find that their horses would be healed that day.

Again contentions and arguments took place in Zion's Camp.  Heber wrote:

"Brother Joseph called the camp together, and told us that in consequence of the disobedience of some who had not been willing to listen to his words, but had been rebellious, God had decreed that sickness should come upon us, and we should die like sheep with the rot; and said he, 'I am sorry, but I cannot help it.'"

The sickness came.  It was the dreaded cholera.  Many were stricken and a few died at the hands of this sickness.

The word of the Lord came to the Elders of Zion's Camp through Joseph Smith, as is now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 105:

"Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now.
"But behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them;
"And are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom;"
- D&C 105:2-4 -

Because of this new word the Camp turned back toward Kirtland.

Photo from LDS.org

However, there were times that those in the camp showed true unity and were rewarded accordingly.  Miracles were shown at these times.  One of which took place mid-June.  Writes Heber:

"This night we camped on an elevated piece of land between two branches of the Fishing River.  Just as we halted and were making preparations for the night, five men rode into the camp... They told us that sixty men were coming from Richmond, who had sworn to destroy us, also seventy more were coming from Clay County, to assist in our destruction... All this time the weather was pleasant.  Soon after these men left we discovered a small black cloud rising in the west, and not more than twenty minutes passed away before it began to rain and hail; but we had very little hail in our camp.  All around us the hail was heavy...The earth quaked and trembled, and there being no cessation it seemed as though the Almighty had issued forth His mandate of vengeance.  The wind was so terrible that many of our tents were blown down...
"The mob came to the river two miles from us, but the river had risen to that height that they were obliged to stop without crossing over.  The hail fell so heavily upon them that it beat holes into their hats, and in some instances even broke the stocks off their guns; their horses, being frightened, fled, leaving the riders on the ground.  Their powder was wet, and it was evident that the Almighty fought in our defense.  This night the river raised forty feet."

What can be learned from Zion's Camp?  Clearly shown is that Zion is and always will be the pure in heart, those that are united.  When the Saints were united miracles happened on their behalf, they were protected from their enemies.  When the Saints were not united as a people then sickness and other problems came upon them, leaving when they have repented.

Joseph Smith has said that "those who went to Zion with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, it was the will of God that they should be ordained to the ministry and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh" (DHC, Vol. II, p. 192).  Those who were soon after called to be members of the Quorums of the Twelve and Seventy were men that went through this trial of Zion's Camp.

Coming to my mind is the scripture found in the Book of Mormon - "For ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6)  Those who dealt with the trial in faith were then rewarded.

Let us remember the Lord as we go through our own trials, that the Lord may bless us as we show our faith.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Mormonism in the First Vision

While looking over my blog last night I realized I have yet to share the story and significance of the 'First Vision' experience of Joseph Smith.  The account of Joseph's prayer in the grove of trees near his house goes back to the absolute beginning of the History of Mormonism.  I have written many posts concerning Joseph:  Meeting Moroni, the Gold Plates, Translation, the "Missing Pages," and even the vision with Sidney Rigdon, but I must now do the first vision.

Let us go back to the beginning of it now.  Joseph Smith grew up in the very early 19th century in New England.  This area at that time was going through the Second Great Awakening.  The 'Awakening' was a type of religious movement that was big in the New England area.  Christian denominations were working hard at this time to bring new people into their church.  This urge to get new members was so intense there were many arguments between the religious groups.

The family of Joseph Smith were religious, like most people at the time.  Some members of the Smith family went to one church while some others went to another church.  And there were members that did not attend a church, not knowing which one best fit their personal religious beliefs.  Joseph Smith was one that did not join a church.  He did not know which to join.  But all these religions believed to teach from the Bible and the Smith family had a Bible.  So this is where the young Joseph turned for help.

In the beginning of the book of James Joseph read the following verse:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him as of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

*You may recognize that scripture from the post "Back to the Beginning of 'Mormonism' - Prayer."  If you'd like to go in more depth on that scripture check out that post.

The scripture simply explains that if a person needs guidance, especially spiritual guidance as was Joseph's case, then they could pray to God and receive the answer.  Understanding this, the young Smith decided to do just that.

Joseph chose the grove of trees near his house to say this prayer.  And now I'd like to use Joseph's own words:

"Having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God.  I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak.  Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.
"But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction - not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being form the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being - just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the birghtness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
"It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound.  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 -

Standing in front of young Joseph Smith were God, the Father, and Jesus the Christ.  Having prayed to learn which church to join he then asked the two divine beings which church he should join.  The answer was that none of the churches at the time held the full gospel of Christ and so Joseph was not supposed to join any of them.  But the time would come that the true gospel of Christ would be restored to the world.

That church, formed by Joseph Smith in 1830 and restoring the gospel of Christ, is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

*If you'd like to better understand what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes (what some people refer to as 'Mormonism') visit this post:  "What is Mormonism?"
You can also chat with a missionary about the Church and ask your questions here: Chat with a Missionary.

Back to the Beginning of 'Mormonism' - Prayer

When people hear the word 'Mormonism' they often think first of Joseph Smith.  That makes sense in a way, as Joseph Smith was the prophet that restored the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but we must remember how "Mormonism" started.  As a teenager Joseph, not of any church, wanted to know which church he was supposed to be a part of.  He found way to the answer through the words of the ancient apostle James:

"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.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."
-James 1:5,6-

More times than not, after this scripture is read people tend to move on to how Joseph prayed to know the truth and then the other things that came about from the Lord through Joseph Smith.  But, unlike most people, I'd like to stop here and focus on this scripture itself.  There are two verses, so lets take one at a time.

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James 1:5
"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."

In his mortal life Christ told us more than once to "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9).  The Lord does not want us to live in ignorance.  When we are in need of wisdom or guidance or any other assistance he would that we ask God.  James is plainly telling us here that we can pray to God for answers and will receive them.  Some have said something similar to:  "This was written two-thousand years ago and does not apply anymore."  To reply to this I go to the words of Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews.  Paul writes:

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
-Hebrews 13:8-

If Christ could do it in the past, he can do it in the present.  If he can do it in the present, he will be able to do it in the future.  That is what Paul is trying to teach here.  And so, applying this to James' scripture we know that God can answer any prayer, liberally and without upbraiding (reproach), just as he has done in the past, and just as he will in the future.

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James 1:6
"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

To gain the needed wisdom mentioned in the previous verse we need to ask with faith that we will receive our answer.  But how does a person receive the faith necessary to do this?  This is a common question, and a good one.  I will answer this, in part, using words from the Book of Mormon.  Alma and Amulek, two prophets of the Book of Mormon, tried to teach this very same thing.  Here is a portion of their words:

"Now, as I said concerning faith - that it was not a perfect knowledge - even so it is with my words.  Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.  But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."
-Alma 32:26,27-

No one is expected to have perfect faith to begin with.  As Alma spoke, "even if ye can no more than desire to believe" then work with that.  He goes on to compare faith to a seed, something that Christ has done in the New Testament.  Faith is very similar to a seed.  Begin with a desire and work with that.  As you gain a testimony from that desire, as small as it may be, you then have something bigger to work with.  And as the seed of faith grows your ability to work with faith grows, until you can do what James has written:  "ask in faith, nothing wavering."

Summing it all up, we can see that God will answer our prayers and give us the needed guidance and wisdom, so long as we ask in faith.

Mormonism: The First Presidency

The First Presidency is the name given to the highest governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This governing body is made up of three apostles.  And so one must ask what an apostle is.  The dictionary's definition of 'apostle' is "any of the early followers of Jesus who carried the Christian message into the world."  But how does Mormonism define an apostle?  LDS.org defines it as follows:

"An 'apostle' is an ordained leader in the Melchizedek Priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Apostles are chosen through inspiration by the President of the Church, sustained by the general membership of the Church, and ordained by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by the laying on of hands.  In addition to serving as witnesses of Jesus Christ to all the world, as Jesus' apostles did, members of the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles hold the keys of the priesthood - that is, the rights of presidency."

When Christ lived on earth he chose twelve of his followers to be apostles.  These twelve helped watch over the disciples and teach them the gospel.  When the Lord visited those in the Western Hemisphere after his resurrection he did the same thing, choosing twelve to be apostles to watch over the church with the prophet.  And again, in the 19th century, when Christ was restoring his church on the earth he chose those to lead it.

In this dispensation fifteen apostles are chosen to watch over the church.  The senior apostle, the one who has served the longest in the calling of apostle, is also prophet of the church.  Of the remaining apostles that prophet chooses two counselors.  These three make the First Presidency.  The twelve remaining apostles make up what is called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

During the year 2008 the previous prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away and the next senior apostle took his place as prophet.  That apostle was Thomas S. Monson, having served as apostle since 1963.  His counselors are Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Here is a video with pictures of the First Presidencies, past and present, from Joseph Smith through Thomas S. Monson.  The video, titled "Mormonism:  The First Presidency," plays the song "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet," as played by Spencer Mangum.  Music is used with permission.



For a little additional fun, I have created a couple quizzes on these first presidencies.  When you have watched the video enough and think you know who all the prophets are, follow the link below and take the prophet quizzes.

Name That Prophet!

The second Mormonism quiz on the presidency I created is much tougher.  This set of quizzes asks about the counselors to the prophets.  If you think you know the counselors over the years then follow the link below and see how much you know.

Mormonism Pop Quiz - The First Presidency

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #1

This post is about the first Article of Faith, mentioned in the previous post about Mormonism.  The first article, as written in the Wentworth Letter by Joseph Smith, is as follows:

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

The significant belief in this is that these three members of the Godhead are three separate beings.  In the Holy Bible we can find examples of this.  One such example is at the baptism of Jesus Christ.  Matthew's record states that Christ was baptized in the river, and then God spoke from the heavens while the Holy Ghost descended.  (Matthew 13:13-17)

However, the knowledge of three separate beings is best seen in Joseph Smith's 'First Vision.'  This vision of his took place when he was a young teenager.  Following the directions of James of the Bible, as found in chapter 1 and verse 5 of his account, Joseph found a private place to pray to ask which religion he should join.  At this time God, the Father, and Jesus Christ presented themselves to Joseph Smith by the power of the Holy Ghost.

L. Tom Perry, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has said, "Our belief does not come from the speculations of men about the existence and nature of God, but from firsthand experience clarified for mankind and the existence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.  Thus to the world came the vision that three personages comprise this great presiding council of the universe and have revealed themselves to mankind as three separate beings, physically distinct from each other as demonstrated by the accepted records of their divine dealings with mankind." (The Articles of Faith, Ensign, April 1998.)

*If you have more questions about Mormonism, the first Article of Faith, Joseph Smith, the Godhead, or something else concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ask the missionaries:
Chat with a Missionary!

What Is Mormonism: Articles of Faith

Many people ask "What is Mormonism?" or "What do Mormons believe?"  These questions have been around since the time of Joseph Smith.  A man named John Wentworth, an editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, asked this very thing to Joseph Smith.  His reply is what is now referred to as the Wentworth Letter.  In this letter Joseph gave a brief history of his own life, and the history of the Church up until 1842 (twelve years after the Church was formed).  Also in this letter are found the Standard of Truth and the Articles of Faith.  It is that last part that I will continue to talk about now.
*If you'd like to read the rest of the Wentworth Letter, click here.

The final portion of the Wentworth Letter is what is now called the Articles of Faith.  These are three key points that help outline Mormonism, just what it is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes.  For those do not know these thirteen articles of faith, I will now list them.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:  first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on [of] hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.  If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

These thirteen points do not contain everything in Mormonism, but the key points are here.  For those wanting further explanation, you can follow the links below (other posts about the Articles of Faith) or you can ask a missionary!

• Article #1
• Articles #2 and #3
• Article #6
• Article #8
• Article #9
• Article #13

Joseph Smith and the Plates, Pt. 4 - The Missing Pages

Post number four in the series about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon is about Martin Harris, the missing pages, and how this mistake has been solved.

Martin Harris was the first scribe for Joseph Smith in translating the Nephite records.  This process would work by Joseph reading, translating and then speaking the words on the plates to Martin who would then write the translated record down on paper.

Before I continue on to the missing pages of transcript I will explain something concerning the Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon, as you may or may not know, is actually a collection of fourteen books written by many prophets, as well as a small section called Words of Mormon that explains somewhat the make-up of these books.  The last prophet of the Nephites, Mormon, along with his son Moroni, went through all the records kept by the prophets and kings and chose fifteen to include in the abridged set of plates that were given to Joseph Smith.

You may have noticed that I said that Mormon and Moroni included fifteen books and the Book of Mormon is only fourteen.  This missing fifteenth is what is referred to as "the missing 116 pages."
In 1827 Joseph and Martin began work on translating and in the following year they completed the first book, the Book of Lehi, 116 pages long.  Joseph and those that believed in the gospel he taught had been persecuted and ridiculed for that entire year.  Martin was not exempt from this treatment and desired to take these finished pages back to his town to show his wife and friends that they were doing a real work.  He asked Joseph if he would pray to the Lord and ask if the pages could be taken home.  The answer was no.  Mr. Harris, however, asked if Joseph would pray again, and the answer was again no.  Determined to take these pages to show his wife and friends he plead that Joseph would ask again.

Martin eventually took the finished 116 pages with him.  When the time came that Joseph asked for them back they could not be found.  Someone had taken the pages and they could therefore not be returned to the Prophet.  At realizing this Joseph went to the Lord concerning the matter who took away the gift of translation, as well as took back the plates and interpreters, until the young Smith had proved his trust in the Lord.

Eventually the time came that Joseph Smith received the ancient records, interpreters and gift of translation again.  This time Martin Harris was not allowed to work as scribe.  Working in Mr. Harris' place was Oliver Cowdery.  They finished the work of translating the records but did not ever re-translate the Book of Lehi.

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More on Joseph Smith and the Missing Pages:
116 Missing Pages
Revelation Concerning Joseph and Martin Harris Losing the Transcript:
Doctrine and Covenants, Section 3 and Section 10
Translating the Plates

Joseph Smith and the Plates, Pt. 3 - Translation

This is part three in my posts about Joseph Smith and the plates.  The focus of this post will be on the language of the plates as well as the translation process of Joseph Smith.

The Language.
The language on the plates is made known by Moroni, the final prophet to write on the plates.  He writes:

"And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.  And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record." (Mormon 9:32-33)

The first prophet to write on the plates was Lehi, a man that grew up in the great city of Jerusalem.  He left with his family to the Western Hemisphere, teaching the Hebrew and Egyptian language to his children so that they could read the scriptures on the brass plates that they took with them.  Nephi, son of Lehi, writes:  "I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father... Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Nephi 1:1-2).

The family of Joseph Smith did not come from Egypt or Jerusalem or any of the lands round about there.  Joseph Smith was a farm boy in New York that went to school just long enough to learn English.  He could not read or write Egyptian, let alone this reformed Egyptian that the plates were written in.  And so he needed a way to translate the plates.

Interpreters.
In the first post about Joseph Smith I wrote "the angel showed the 17-year old boy the plates, as well as the other things buried with them."  One of the other things buried with them were interpreters, called the Urim and Thummim.  Another prophet in the Book of Mormon, Ammon, teaches about these interpreters:

"I can assuredly tell thee...of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God." (Mosiah 8:13)

Translation.
The translation of the gold plates were done by Joseph Smith and many assistants.  Joseph would, using the Urim and Thummim, read the ancient record and say the English translation to his assistant, who would then write it down on paper.  This is the process that was used until the completion of the translating the 600+ pages.

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More on Joseph Smith and Translation:
Joseph Smith Papers
Translating the Plates
Urim and Thummim

Joseph Smith and the Plates, Pt. 2 - Plates

Welcome to part two of my posts about Joseph Smith and the Plates.  Now that I have given a brief summary of how the gold plates were received, it is time to explain what the gold plates actually are.

Making the Plates.
These particular plates were gold plates, meaning they were made of gold.  To make them a large amount of gold needed to be collected.  This gold was then pounded down into flat sheets, much like a piece of paper.  After many of these flat sheets were created this way they would be bound together creating a gold metal book.

When the amount of gold needed to make these plates could not be found the people made plates out of different metals.  The Book of Mormon writes that they also had plates made of brass and ore.  So long as the plates were metal they served the purpose.

Why not Papyrus?
Not everything ancient people wrote on were metal plates.  More commonly used for paper was papyrus, or some similar plant.  Metal took much more effort to write upon because it required engraving the words into the plates, as apposed to simply writing on papyrus with ink.  Jacob, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, wrote the following considering this:

"I cannot write but little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates... We labor diligently to engraven these words upon the plates." (Jacob 4:1-3)

And so why did they write on these plates instead of using a simpler option?  Again the prophet Jacob has the answer:

"We know that the things which we write upon plates must remain; but whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be plates must perish and vanish away;" (Jacob 4:1-3)

They knew that these records must last thousands of years and papyrus or any other plant or paper would deteriorate after laying the ground for so long.  Only metal had the ability to withstand that long in the ground.

Understanding the plates - where they come from and what they are - I will now move on to the language of the plates in the next post.

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More about gold plates:
Sacred Writing on Metal Plates
Gold Plates Used Anciently

Joseph Smith and the Plates, Pt. 1 - Moroni

Joseph Smith is visited by Moroni.

After the many religious posts I have made, I have failed to write about Joseph Smith and his role with the Book of Mormon, a huge part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  As this is a big topic to write about, it will be broken up into multiple posts.  This first post will be on his receiving the plates from Moroni, the angel.

Moroni Is Introduced.
The Book of Mormon contains a summary of the records kept by a group of people that lived in the Western Hemisphere beginning in 600B.C.  This group of people eventually split into two groups - Nephites and Lamanites.  The record kept on the gold plates were written by the Nephites.  These Nephite civilization, when they rejected the teachings of the prophets, began to dwindle to extinction around 400A.D.  The last living prophet of the Nephites was named Moroni.  He is the one that finished the summary of all the Nephite records, and he buried them before he died so that the Lamanites would not find them to destroy them.  It is this same Moroni that visited Joseph Smith in the 1800's, this time as an angelic being.

Joseph Smith was first informed about the gold plates, containing the record we now call the Book of Mormon, the same night that he was visited by Moroni.  Indeed, it was during Moroni's first visit during a night in 1823 that Joseph was told of these things.  He, Joseph, writes the following concerning this night:

"He [Moroni] said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence 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;" (Joseph Smith History 1:34).

Receiving the Plates.
Also in the vision in the night Joseph was shown the place where these plates were buried, which was on a hill named Cumorah near the Smith family farm.  Joseph went to the place where these plates were buried and there he met the angel Moroni again.  The angel showed the 17-year old boy the plates, as well as the other things buried with them, but he was told that he could not take them home at that time.

On that very day, for four years, these two met at this spot.  The angel taught the boy the things he would need to learn before he was allowed to obtain the plates.  It was during the year of 1827, when Joseph was 21, that the angel Moroni finally gave the plates to him.

And now the long and tedious task of translating these plates was to begin.

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More about Joseph Smith:
Joseph Smith Papers
The Life of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith History
Joseph Smith and Moroni the Nephite

In The World, But Not of The World

There is a popular phrase among the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that goes, "In the world, but not of the world."  This short line holds two important ideas.  The first being that we live in the world, and the second being that we try to not be of the world.  The popular phrase comes from the scripture in the Bible that says, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:16).  I want to take this simple line and separate it into its two parts.  And after talking about each part I'll talk about why they are important together.

In The World...
To explain why we must be in this world, must be born at all, we would need to explain the very purpose of life on earth.  To briefly share it, when we were in heaven, before life on earth, we were only spirits.  Our God was the only one with a physical body, all of us only had a spirit.  God proposed a way for us to obtain a body as well as a spirit, which plan is called the Plan of Salvation.  God's plan was for us to come to this earth and live with a physical body, proving we can overcome the temptation that come with these bodies, and make it back to his presence.  If we do so, following His commandments to the best of our abilities, we are then granted Eternal Life, or Salvation.  But a body was needed, otherwise we are incomplete, only a spirit.  This was taught by Joseph Smith when he said, "No person can have this salvation except through a tabernacle" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 306).

(To read more on the Plan of Salvation, visit OurPurposeInLife.wordpress.com)

...But Not of the World
When Christ or a prophet or an apostle speak of not being of the world they are often referring to moral standards.  Gordon B. Hinckley, former prophet of the Church, has shared the following passage on this topic:

"They live at a time when a great tide of evil is washing over the earth.  It seems to be everywhere.  Old standards are discarded.  Principles of virtue and integrity are cast aside.  But we find literally hundreds of thousands of our young people holding to the high standards of the gospel" (The Church Grows Stronger, April 2004 General Conference).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has published a pamphlet with the name, "For the Strength of Youth."  This pamphlet contains 19 sections, each focusing on one standard or area (i.e. Honesty, Music, Language, etc).  These are not all the standards that are talked about inside the Church or world, but they are some of them.  At the same time that members of the Church hold to these standards, those that are of the world are lowering these standards.  Lying, cheating, stealing, promiscuous activity and many other things have been increasing world-wide.  While this is going on, the Church teaches being not of the world, meaning we need to stick to the higher standards.

The Importance of the Two Together
I go to the Bible and Book of Mormon to help explain the importance of these two phrases together.

"Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16; see also 3 Nephi 12:14-16).

I will explain it a little backwards now.  We must not be of the world, not lower ourselves to the standards of the world, so that we may have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  And we must be in the world, with that Holy Ghost, so that we can be a light and example unto those that do not have this Holy Ghost that may want it through us.  Earlier I quoted President Hinckley, and now I finish that passage with, "They are improving their minds with education and their skills with discipline, and their influence for good is felt ever more widely" (The Church Grows Stronger, emphasis added).  With the light of Christ in our lives we can spread the happiness of the gospel.

Words of Comfort In Times of Peril

Before I say anything in this entry, I wish to share three verses found in the Doctrine and Covenants:

"If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;
"If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can't you stay with us?  O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;
"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."
- Doctrine and Covenants 122:5-7 -

For many years I have read that passage of scripture and thought, "if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee?"  I felt bad for Joseph Smith when I used to read this.  But then I realized something I had not noticed before.  Although many of these did actually happen to Joseph and Hyrum and many other men, women and children in early Church history, not all of them did.  That may not come off as important, but it brought a thought to my mind when I realized that.

When the Lord told Joseph these words, he was not saying, "All of these things are going to happen to you and afterward you will still be okay."  But what I think he was telling the Prophet is, "No matter what happens, even if these worst-case scenarios come to life, you can know that I am still here and I will lift you up after the trials."

From the vision given to President Joseph F. Smith, son of Joseph's brother Hyrum, we know that these words give to the Prophet were true.  God did raise him up after the trials.  Joseph F. Smith recorded:

"These the Lord taught, and gave them power to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father's kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life...
"The Prophet Joseph Smith, and my father, Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in lying the foundations of the great latter-day work..."
- Doctrine and Covenants 138:51, 53 -

We see that Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the two martyred in Carthage, as well as Brigham, the man that led the pioneers, and other men who lived through these trials are now all promised the return into the kingdom of God.

Just a thought that came to me while reading these verses recently.  I hope you get something good out of these words of comfort too.

Baptism Explained

Baptism is the first saving ordinance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Ordinances, as defined by LDS.org, are "sacred rites and ceremonies.  Ordinances consist of acts that have spiritual meanings.  Ordinances can also mean God's laws and statutes."  A saving ordinance is an ordinance of the gospel required to return to the Celestial Kingdom, or the Kingdom or God.  Christ taught this truth to Nicodemus, of the Pharisees.  Record of this can be found in John chapter 3.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
"Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
- John 3:3-5 -

Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit.  What exactly does this mean?  Joseph Smith clarifies by saying, "Baptism is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost; it is the channel and key by which the Holy Ghost will be administered. (History of the Church 3:379)

Baptism is a symbolism of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The water represents the grave.  We, when baptized, are submerged under the water representing death, and are brought back out just as Christ was resurrected and brought back to life.  In this way we are born of water.  We are born of the Spirit when we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  This is different than the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we receive after baptism.  Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost means we are now able to have the companionship of the Spirit, so long as we live according to the commandments of God.  Joseph Smith taught, "Baptism is a covenant with God that we will do his will" (Discourses, 273).  We are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and when we live righteously we obtain the companionship of the Holy Ghost, meaning we have the Spirit with us.  In this way we are born of the Spirit.

Just how important is the ordinance of baptism?  For this we can look to the life of Christ.  Jesus, as mentioned earlier, taught that no one can be admitted to the Kingdom of God without this ordinance, and not even he, a perfect person, was excluded from this.  The Gospels record that the Savior was baptized by John the baptist in the Jordan River.  Through his example we know that no one is exempt from this ordinance.

This is further understood by the many references and sermons given about baptism in holy scripture.  The book of Acts reads:

"Now when they heard this, thy were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
- Acts 2:37-38 -

In the book of Moses, of the Pearl of Great Price, we learn that even Adam, the first man, was baptized.

"And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.
"And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit."
- Moses 6:64-68 -

This has been practiced since the days of our first parents.  And now, having learned of the importance of the ordinance, must understand how it is performed.  Is the person supposed to be completely buried in the water, or is it more of a sprinkling on the head?  Or is it something between these two?  Again we can look to the scriptures for the answer.  Written in the Book of Mormon is the following:

"And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were buried in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit.
"And again, Alma took another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptized him according to the first, only he did not bury himself again in the water."
- Mosiah 18:14-15 -

So why is it that we must be buried by submersion?  I have touched upon this earlier when talking about the symbolism of baptism to the death and resurrection of Christ.  Now let's read the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

"The word baptize is derived from the Greek verb 'baptiso,' and means to immerse or overwhelm, and that sprinkle is from the Greek verb 'rantiso,' and means to scatter on by particles" (Discourses, 92-93).

Baptism, the word itself, means to immerse and anything other than to fully immerse in water does not follow under the word "baptism."  One is fully immersed in the water, representing a burial in the grave, and is then brought out of the water, as a spiritual re-birth, representing the resurrection.

Now understanding the importance and process of baptism we must ask - When is someone supposed to be baptized?  This doctrine is taught in many ways in our world today, but what is the correct answer?  Like before, the scriptures hold the answers to even this question.  But first let's return to the words of Joseph smith, "Baptism is a covenant with God that we will do his will."  To covenant with God to follow his commandments we must first know his commandments and be in a state of understanding them.  There are people that are in a state of innocence, not fully knowing good from evil yet.  And who are these people?  Children.

Let's read the words of Christ to Mormon:

"Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God.  Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them;"
- Moroni 8:8 -

Young children are still learning and are not at an age of accountability.  What is the age of accountability?  "And I will establish a covenant with thee," God told Moses, "that thou mayest know for ever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old" (JST Genesis 17:11).  Thus we learn that a person need not be baptized until at least eight years old.  That is the age of accountability.  This does not mean that a person needs to be baptized right when they turn eight, but that is the time when this ordinance is now available to them.  At any age from this point on, so long as the person understands the commandments of God and seeks to follow them they can be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

And what of those children who die before they turn eight and have the opportunity to be baptized?  Again the Prophet answers, "All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment they leave this world they are taken to the bosom of Abraham" (Discourses, 273).  Through the Atonement of Christ they are saved.

We now approach the final topic of baptism:  Baptism for the dead.  From the apostle Peter we hear that "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34).  If this be the case then there must be a way for every person to receive the saving ordinances.  As was just said, some children die before the age of accountability and therefore do not receive the ordinance of baptism.  There are also those who died without the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ or the knowledge of baptism.  If God is no respecter of persons then there must be a way provided for all of these people to receive this ordinance as well.  The way provided is what is known as baptism for the dead.

This baptism for deceased members of mankind is not a new doctrine.  We can find teachings of it in the Holy Bible.  Consider the words found in 1 Corinthians:

"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?  Why are they then baptized for the dead?"
- 1 Corinthians 15:29 -

This practice is done today by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  A member of the Church, by one with the Priesthood, is baptized, as a proxy, for a deceased person.  "By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died," we read on LDS.org, "Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors.  Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf."

The last part of that quote is important, so let's go over it again.  "Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done on their behalf."  We understand from this that simply because a proxy has been baptized for them on the earth, the people, now in the Spirit World, are not automatically made a member of the Church.  It is still their choice, as it is in life on earth, to follow the commandments of God and accept the ordinance done for them.  Through this practice of baptizing for dead ancestors, all people of the human race are offered the chance to be born again by water and the Spirit and receive the saving ordinance of baptism.

Parable of the Beam and Mote

For the first time I have read for myself the parable given by Jesus Christ concerning the beam and the mote.  I have heard the parable many times but I had never read it before now.  Before I continue I'll share the parable as recorded in the book of Matthew in the Holy Bible.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:  and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
-Matthew 7:1-5

A note I'd like to make:  This was given as part of the Sermon on the Mount.  This particular sermon was among the most notorious sermons given by Jesus, and therefore of all Christendom, because this was when the Higher Law was presented to the people of Israel, to take place after the fulfillment of the Law of Moses.  This higher law replaced "an eye for an eye" with "turn the other cheek."  The great commandment was now - Love the Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and the second commandment - Love thy neighbor as thyself.  In this parable Christ is trying to teach these great laws to the people.

His words begins with the words, Judge not that ye be not judge.  Joseph Smith, when he went through the Holy Bible with the Urim and Thummim, translated this verse to read:
"Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged" (JST Matt. 7:1, italics added).

It is human nature to judge.  Judgments in our minds happen too fast to realize at times.  Sometimes we see people, and based on how they look, think they belong in some clique or other.  But first impressions are not always accurate, and Christ is trying to teach this.  People tend to see the problems in others without looking at the problems of themselves.

Christ, in this parable, speaks of a mote in another and a beam in us.  In Greek, the word 'mote' means a speck or splinter, and the word 'beam' refers to a wooden post used in constructing houses.  Now notice who it is that has the tiny speck and who it is that has the large mote in the eye.  It is us with the large mote that try to rid others of a tiny speck.  Christ teaches, First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote of thy brother's eye.

The Lord in this parable is trying to teach the people, in both ancient days and these latter-days, to work on ourselves, our own faults.  We all make mistakes, and all have problems, and so it is right for us to first clean our own selves of these things.  And once we have cleaned ourselves of these things we then understand better how to help others with them.