Joseph Smith Helps Us Learn About Jesus Christ

Michael is a BYU student and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes known as the “Mormon Church” by the media). He is currently taking a religion course at Brigham Young, where he is learning about the Joseph Smith-Matthew (JSM) which is the Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 23:39–24:51. Below are his thoughts and feelings concerning this book and how it applies to our lives today:

In Joseph Smith – Matthew, Jesus tells of the impending destruction of Jerusalem. He also prophecies of the events preceding the 2nd Coming, using language similar to that he used to describe events of his time. The parallels he draws help us to understand what we need to do to prepare for the 2nd Coming.

There are very specific parallels between the Lord’s day and our own. Jesus Christ highlights these similarities. He says that, “in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets” (JSM 1:22, emphasis added). He mentions that some aspects will specifically be repeated “again”: “because of iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, …(and) shall the abomination of desolation …be fulfilled” (JSM 1:30, 32). The evils that were the cause of destruction in Christ’s day are the same evils that we face in the Last Days.

Even though there are dire results prophesied for the wicked, the Lord tells us to “see that ye be not troubled” (JSM 1:23). If we are watching, we can (as the Christians at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem) escape the vengeance that is coming. We simply need to be ready – and we can be. Jesus said “behold, I have told you before” (JSM 1:24) – he has warned us beforehand so that we can prepare ourselves and be ready.

The advice for surviving (physically and spiritually) is the same. Twice, the Lord says that “he that remaineth steadfast, and is not overcome, the same shall be saved” (JSM 1:11, 30). How are the Saints to avoid being overcome? We are to “watch” for the prophesied signs (JSM 1:46), and when we see them to “stand in the holy place” where Zion is gathered (JSM 1:12). We need to listen to the prophets who warn us, and faithfully gather with the saints where we will be safe.

By understanding the similarities between the Meridian of Time and the Last Days, we can be forewarned and prepared for the evils that are coming. We are better able to notice the deceptions and wickedness around us, because we can look at history and see that which was around the Jews and notice the pattern. We can look at the strategies the early Christians used to survive (following their inspired leaders), and do the same to ensure that we too can escape the spiritual and physical danger. Because we know the prophecies, even though we “do not know the hour”, we can still be “ready” for the events prior to the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ (JSM 1:46-47).

Additional Resources:

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Learn of Mormon’s beliefs that Jesus Christ is the Savior on the official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Find a local meeting house where Latter-day Saints meet.

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and serves as the Ward Mission Leader in the Annapolis, Maryland Ward.

In his address in which he refers to the “latitude and longitude” of our position as a Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to by many in the world as the Mormon Church), President J. Reuben Clark stated:

I have set out these matters because they are the latitude and the longitude of the actual location and position of the Church, both in this world and in the eternity. Knowing our true position, we can change our bearings if they need changing; we can lay down anew our true course. And here we may wisely recall that Paul said: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).

Like sailors upon the sea we are often tossed to and fro by the tempest of our modern world, and like the sailors, we need to know where we are, to take confidence in our knowledge and experience, and to be able to figure out our course to a safe return to the safe harbor of our Father in Heaven.

Abraham O. Woodruff, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and also the son of LDS Church President Wilford Woodruff once said:

That which is of man must be modified and changed to meet the demands of various ages in which mankind lives, but that which is of God will endure, as the gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, has endured the scrutiny of critics, the discoveries and the light of science in our day and time. (Conference Report, October 1901, p.53)

In the Bible, in the New Testament, in 1 Peter 3:15-17 we read these words:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

What is this “hope” that is within each of us? I humbly believe that it has something to do with knowing what we believe, why we believe it, and being willing to unashamedly share those beliefs with all who are seeking to know more about our Mormon beliefs. This “hope” that is within us is what encourages and enables us to want to tell people about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism), the “Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ)”, and about God’s chosen Prophet of the Restoration of the Gospel, Joseph Smith. We may not be able to quote Joseph Smith’s history verbatim, but we can testify of that which we know about his history and its importance, and through that testimony plant seeds in the hearts of those who are seekers of knowledge of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, that one day, they too may gain a testimony of its truthfulness.

In 1938, President J. Reuben Clark of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a landmark address to the seminary and institute leaders of the Church at that time in which he refers to the “latitude and longitude” of our position as a Church.

The latitude of our position is our knowledge that Jesus Christ IS the Son of God. The Apostle Peter testifies of this fact as recorded in the Bible, in the New Testament, in Matthew 16:13-16 where we read these words:

When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

In the New Testament book of John, in John 6:69, we read the Apostle Peter’s testimony once again as he declares, “And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”

It is the longitude of our position that I wish to discuss. The longitude of our position is our knowledge that Joseph Smith IS the Prophet of the Restoration. To better understand this position we need to have an understanding of who the man Joseph Smith was.

President Wilford Woodruff once stated: “No greater prophet than Joseph Smith ever lived on the face of the earth save Jesus Christ.” (JUD, 21:317) Elder Bruce R. McConkie, a modern day Apostle of the Church, once stated:

Who will honor the name of Joseph Smith and accept the gospel restored through his instrumentality? We answer: the same people who would have believed the words of the Lord Jesus and the ancient Apostles and prophets had they lived in their day. If you believe the words of Joseph Smith, you would have believed what Jesus and the ancients said. If you reject Joseph Smith and his message, you would have rejected Peter and Paul and their message. (Ensign, November 1981, p.48.)

Joseph’s wife, Emma Hale Smith, had this to say about Joseph concerning the translation of the Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ):

I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired. For when [I acted] as his scribe, [Joseph] would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals or after interruptions, he would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. . .It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this, and for one so. . . .unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible. (Quoted by Mark E. Petersen, Ensign, November 1977, p.12.)

Concerning the Prophet Joseph Smith’s first vision, President Gordon B. Hinckley stated:

To me it is a significant and marvelous thing that in establishing and opening this dispensation our Father did so with a revelation of himself and of his Son Jesus Christ, as if to say, to all the world that he was weary of the attempts of men, earnest though these attempts might have been, to define and describe him. Strange as it seems, we alone, among all the great organizations that worship God, have a true description and a true definition of him. The experience of Joseph Smith in a few moments in the grove on a spring day in 1820, brought more light and knowledge and understanding of the personality and reality and substance of God and his Beloved Son than men had arrived at during centuries of speculation. (Conference Report Apr 1960).

As I close my remarks, may I reaffirm the recent request and reminder of the First Presidency concerning using the full name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The full name of the Church clearly defines who we are and what we believe. It serves as an invitation for truth-seekers to search further. We are reminded in the “Book of Mormon (Another Testament of Jesus Christ)” in 3 Nephi 22:7-8:

Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake. And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

Additional Resources:

The History of the Mormon Church

Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons

The Bible in Mormonism

Mormons Answer Hard Questions

With that reminder, our message to the world is that we are not members of Joseph Smith’s Church, nor are we members of Mormon‘s Church. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe that the church that was established anciently by a man of humble beginnings, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has been restored to its fullness in modern times through another man of humble beginnings, the Prophet Joseph Smith. That is we believe that a young 14 year old farm boy named Joseph Smith did indeed see and speak with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ in the Scared Grove in upstate New York in the spring of 1820. We further believe that this same Joseph Smith was indeed called and blessed of the Lord to be the Prophet of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness.

We stand confidently in the knowledge of our situation, our location in terms of the latitude and longitude of our knowledge. We know where we are, where we need to go, and can chart a course to our ultimate destination.

I bear my testimony that I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s true Church. I also testify that Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, and our Redeemer, is indeed the Son of the Living God. I further testify that I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and an obedient servant of the Lord. Being called of the Lord as His Prophet, he did indeed bring forth the Restoration of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth in its fullness. I have personally read the Book of Mormon in its entirety nine times thus far, and with each reading I gain a renewed assurance of the truthfulness of the Gospel and the love that the Savior has for me. “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!” (D&C 76:22).

by Melissa

My witness of Joseph Smith is a foundational point in my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the “Mormon Church” by those of other faiths). Though I never met him or spent time with him personally, I have come to know him through studying the history of the church, much as I’ve come to know the Savior through studying the scriptures.

Joseph was a flawed man with a personality all his own. My reverence for him is very real and personal, because his actions have had a great influence on my life, the lives of many close to me, and of many others out there who have in some way been touched by his message. Elder John Taylor summed up the achievements and influence of this man, after witnessing his death, in words far better than I could ever provide in Doctrine and Covenants 135:3:

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!

The influential journey of Joseph Smith began when he was just a boy. At fourteen, he was on a spiritual journey to find the truth, much like the spiritual journey we all undertake at some point in our lives. He lived in a time and place of spiritual revival—Palmyra, New York, in the early 1800s. There were many churches and denominations vying for the “final word,” and young Joseph was confused by all the very different interpretations of simple scriptures, all the discord and contention among people with very different opinions. Who was right? How was he to know which denomination to join?

In his study of the Bible, he came across James 1:5–6: “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.” Following the counsel of this verse, Joseph sought out the Lord in prayer, hoping to gain personal revelation and a better understanding as to where he could find the truth. He certainly did not expect to be privy to what followed. We can read in his own words the account of what Latter-day Saints have come to call “The First Vision” in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith—History 1:15–17:

After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, 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 from 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 brightness 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!

In the conversation that followed, Joseph Smith was told to join none of the churches, for none of them were true. Each had portions of truthfulness and strived to draw nearer to God, but they all fell short of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joseph was left with this witness and was persecuted for sharing it. It wasn’t until years later that further visitations from angels prepared him for a restoration of the truth he had sought as a boy. He was led to another book of scripture which written by the ancient people of the Americas as another testament of Jesus Christ, guided through the translation, and blessed with the restored power of God’s Holy Priesthood in order to bring His Church back to the earth.

I have studied Joseph’s story and the scripture he translated by the power of God—the Book of Mormon—and I have sought out my own personal revelation from my Father in Heaven as to whether or not this story is true. The Holy Spirit has testified to me in my heart, mind, and soul that it is true and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His church. Everyone who investigates this church is encouraged to gain a similar witness, as it is one’s personal testimony and conviction that truly determines his or her path and course through life. My witness of Joseph Smith is more than a witness of a flawed boy who was privy to angelic visitations and divine inspiration. It is a witness of God’s love for us, that He will not leave us in darkness, that He will guide us and direct us so long as we seek Him out in faith. Joseph Smith was just a man, but he was a great man who led me to Christ, my Savior and Redeemer, and I am immensely grateful to him for that.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes erroneously called the Mormon Church), I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith Junior saw God and Jesus Christ. I know that he wouldn’t lie.  His own father believed him after he told him he had seen God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ when he humbly prayed for an answer as to which church of his day to join. I know that he learned from the mouth of God that he should join none of the churches in his day.

I know that through him the Book of Mormon was translated from the gold plates that he received from the angel Moroni. I know  the Book of Mormon to be an accurate record of some ancient people who lived on this land and that it is another testament of Jesus Christ and that it was translated correctly through the power of God.

How do I know that Joseph Smith saw God and translated the Book of Mormon? I know, because I have prayed and asked God for myself. I just didn’t casually ask if he had seen and done what he said he had, but I made it a matter of humble and sincere pondering, of reading about Joseph, of praying about it, and being willing to accept any answer from God that I received.

I tell you that as surely as the sun will rise and set that he is a true Prophet of God and that he was raised up by God to do a great work in the latter-days, that of restoring the primitive Church of Jesus Christ.

I think of what he accomplished in his short lifetime, and I know that he couldn’t have done it all by himself. He had the help of heavenly angels, as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. I am truly amazed that God would have chosen a young 14-year-old boy to open up the day that I live in, the Last Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. But he did and I would stand anywhere and testify that Joseph Smith was what he claimed to be, a latter-day prophet of God.

Many Blessings, Mike

Following is a short testament by another great prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley

[Joseph Smith] was a young man, then a poor farm boy with very little education. He had nothing. His parents had nothing. He lived in a rural community, scarcely recognized outside its borders. And yet the angel [Moroni] said to him that ‘he was a messenger sent from the presence of God . . . ; that God had a work for [Joseph] to do; and that [his] name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people’ (Joseph Smith–History 1:33). How could such a thing be? Joseph must have wondered. He must have been absolutely stunned. “And yet it has all come to pass. And far greater will yet come to pass” —Gordon B. Hinckley, “Benediction,” Ensign, Nov. 2005, 103).

Of all the numbers in the Pew Research Center’s recently released survey of “Mormons in America,” the highest, most overwhelming numbers are these: 98 percent of respondents said they believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 97 percent say their church is a Christian religion.

This comes on the heels of earlier surveys indicating that 32 percent of non-LDS U.S. adults say the LDS Church is not a Christian religion, and an additional 17 percent are unsure of LDS Christianity. The theological and semantic reasons for this can be complex, but for the 1,019 self-identified Mormons who participated in the Pew survey, their theological position is clear: Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and they consider themselves to be Christian.

“Certainly in Latter-day Saint theology is this idea that if you understand who you are, you understand that there’s a purpose in life, you understand your connection to God, that certainly has an impact on how you live your life and what you do, but also how you feel about your life and what you are doing,” said Michael Purdy of the LDS Church Public Affairs office.

For the vast majority of Latter-day Saints surveyed, those life choices have much to do with their religious beliefs. Eighty-two percent of survey respondents indicate that religion is “very important” to them, 83 percent say they pray every day and 77 percent say they attend church at least once a week. Beyond that, a stunning 69 percent of respondents fit all three descriptions, saying that religion is very important to them, that they pray every day and that they go to church every week.

“By this measure,” the report says, “Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups, including white evangelical Christians.”

Part of the explanation for these high numbers may be that the survey focused only on those who self-identified as Latter-day Saints.

“The method they used tended to identify people who are strongly committed,” said BYU sociologist Marie Cornwall, who advised the Pew Forum on the new survey. “They don’t have the people who are kind of marginal. But that’s okay; we just have to be careful with the way we interpret the findings.”

One such finding is the relationship between religious commitment and education among Mormons.

David Campbell, a University of Notre Dame associate professor and another adviser on the survey, noted that the more educated respondents were, the higher their levels of religious commitment.

“I was a little surprised by that,” said Campbell, who is LDS and who has extensively studied on the role of religion in the public square. “The more educated a Mormon is, the more likely they are to be wholehearted in their commitment to the church and its teachings.”

That is different from other churches, he said, where more education tends to lead to more religious skepticism.

Pew Research Center officials also noted “a significant gender gap in religious commitment, with more Mormon women than men exhibiting a high level of religious commitment (73 percent vs. 65 percent).”

According to the Pew report, a similar “gender gap” is seen among the general public. A 2007 survey found 36 percent of U.S. women exhibited a high level of religious commitment, compared with 24 percent of men.

One series of questions asked about what it means to be a good Mormon. According to the respondents, in order to be a good Mormon it is “essential” to believe Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (80 percent), work to help the poor (73 percent), hold regular family home evenings (51 percent), not drink coffee and tea (49 percent) and not watch R-rated movies (32 percent).

Combining those who said “essential” with those who said “important but not essential,” the order changes a little bit: working to help the poor (97 percent), holding regular family home evenings (96 percent), believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ (93 percent), not drinking coffee and tea (81 percent) and not watching R-rated movies (79 percent).

“I think that result is rather interesting,” said Cornwall. “Mormons are known for not drinking coffee or tea and not watching R-rated movies. But compared to believing that Joseph Smith saw God and working for the poor, Mormons don’t seem to focus on the coffee and tea as much as people probably think.”

Other manifestations of religious commitment in the survey included:

The number of respondents (65 percent) who say they hold a current temple recommend (a certificate from local ecclesiastical leaders, issued every other year, indicating that an individual has permission from the church to enter LDS temples and participate in temple rites and sacraments)

The number (79 percent) who say they pay tithing (donating 10 percent of their income to the church)

The number (27 percent) who have served full-time missions for the church (this number includes 43 percent of men and 11 percent of women and varies significantly according to the age and education of the respondent, as well as whether or not the respondent was raised Mormon)

The number (82 percent) who keep food in storage for emergencies or disasters, as they have been counseled to do by LDS Church leaders (This number includes 23 percent who say they have three months’ worth, 35 percent who say they have more than three months’ worth and 23 percent who say they have less than three months’ worth)

The percentage who pay tithing is especially interesting to break down. According to the survey tabulations, “tithing is most common among Mormons with the highest levels of religious commitment (96 percent) … fully 91 percent of college graduates say they pay tithing … compared with 66 percent of those with a high school diploma or less education. And among those whose family income exceeds $30,000, 83 percent say they pay tithing, compared with 69 percent of those with incomes of less than $30,000.”

While previous surveys have clearly established LDS agreement with certain key Christian doctrines — 90 percent of Mormons believe in God, 91 percent believe the Bible is the word of God and 98 percent believe in life after death — the new survey explores Mormon confidence in points of doctrine that are unique to LDS theology. And in these points of doctrine, Mormons proved to be unified and believing. They believe overwhelmingly that God and Jesus Christ are separate physical beings (94 percent), that the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God (94 percent), that families can be bound together eternally in temple ceremonies (95 percent) and that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets and translated by Joseph Smith (91 percent).

Overall, 77 percent say they believe “wholeheartedly” in all of the teachings of the LDS Church. That number increases to 82 percent among Mormons ages 18-49, and to 85 percent among Mormons who are college graduates.

“Ultimately, I suppose other Americans will judge our church — and perhaps all churches — by their relevance in how they touch and improve human lives right here on Earth as well as what they offer in the life to come,” wrote Michael Otterson, Public Affairs director for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in his “On Faith” blog in the Washington Post. “Meanwhile, we welcome the friendship and regard of all groups, even as we retain our commitment to a unique identity. In the end … Latter-day Saints will strive to be good Mormons, true believers, kind neighbors and faithful friends.”

Pew Study Reflects Mormons’ Religious Commitment to Christ, Mormon Beliefs in Tithes and Temples

Mormons in America

By Amy Choate-Nielsen

Deseret News
Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST

David Letterman knows how to get a laugh. Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?”
Laughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life.

According to the study, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally reject polygamy — only 2 percent said the practice is morally acceptable — evidence of a yawning gap in what Mormons believe and how they are perceived. Mormons’ opinions are overwhelmingly conservative, the study shows, but in many ways, their views are also surprising — especially when it comes to opinions on moral issues, divorce, homosexuality and polygamy.

Morality

Mormons also take a significant stance on moral issues in other areas, such as divorce, sex outside of marriage and consumption of alcohol.

Although teachings from the LDS Church emphasize the importance and eternal nature of the family, only 25 percent of Mormons surveyed said divorce is morally wrong, according to the study. That means Mormons are slightly less morally opposed to divorce than the general public.

“For Catholics, divorce does not exist. They think it is not only wrong but it is impossible,” said Matthew Bowman, member of a board of expert advisers to the Pew Research Center for the study and author of “The Mormon People,” a book on the history of the LDS Church. “That has not been true for Mormons. There is theological space for divorce within Mormonism. It is undesirable, but Mormons recognize it is sometimes necessary and sometimes the right thing to do.”

Other moral views revealed in the survey — 54 percent said drinking alcohol was morally wrong, compared with 15 percent of the general public — set Mormons apart, Bowman says. The assumption on the part of non-Mormons is that if Mormons think drinking alcohol is wrong, then they must think everyone who imbibes is morally flawed. That apprehension can make people suspicious of Mormons, and wary of an elitist attitude, he says.

Differences in moral viewpoints can create a stumbling block for Mormon acceptance — not only in high-profile arenas, such as a presidential election, but also in communities.
“What you find throughout the report is a tension,” said David Campbell, assistant professor at Notre Dame and an adviser on the study. “Mormons like to use the phrase, ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ They are certainly living their lives in the world. They are active and involved in their communities, but they have these beliefs and practices that set them apart a little bit, and sometimes there is conflict.”

Homosexuality

Mormons have some of the most conservative opinions when it comes to homosexuality. The survey asked Mormons if homosexuality should be accepted by society or discouraged by society, with an option for neither, both or “don’t know.” The response — 26 percent said homosexuality should be accepted, 65 percent said it should be discouraged — puts Mormons as the least likely to say homosexuality should be accepted by society. But a 26 percent acceptance rate, with roughly 1 in 4 Mormons saying homosexuality should be accepted, might be surprisingly high to some.

Of particular interest is the fact that only 8 percent of Mormons surveyed identified themselves as liberal, and 66 percent said they were conservative. That means some of those who said homosexuality should be accepted also identify themselves as politically conservative, Bowman says. That distinction illustrates the complexity of Mormons’ opinion on sexuality — that it is rooted more in religious precepts than politics.
Still, it’s difficult to draw a conclusion about Mormons‘ views on homosexuality based on the study, says Pew Research Center adviser Terryl Givens, professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond.

“Results need to be viewed cautiously,” Givens says. “Official LDS pronouncements insist there is a distinction between (sexual) orientation and behavior, but the survey blurs that difference, probably leaving many Mormons unsure how to answer that question. What is clear, however, is that Mormons are trending toward greater acceptance of same-sex relationships, just as society as a whole is, although by a much smaller percentage.”

Polygamy

At one point 120 years ago, some Mormons practiced plural marriage, hence the association between Mormons and polygamy. The practice was discontinued in 1890, but the cultural association persists, perhaps in part because Mormons are sometimes confused with members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church, a polygamist group not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the October-November 2011 study of a national sample of 1,019 Mormons, 86 percent said polygamy is morally wrong. That’s a number that surprises Bowman.

Were it not for the confusion surrounding Mormons and the FLDS Church practice of plural marriage, Bowman says that statistic might not be as high.

“It’s my experience that Mormons have a fraught relationship with polygamy,” Bowman said of the study results. “There is a sense that rejecting polygamy identifies a member of the LDS Church and distinguishes us from the fundamentalists. That is a cultural signifier as much as a theological statement.”

Some who responded to the survey, 11 percent, said polygamy is not a moral issue.
Email: achoate@desnews.com

A recent The Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted an in-depth survey of Mormons in the United States. Mormon is a nickname sometimes used to describe members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fourth article in a series that appears in Deseret News is evaluating the results of this survey and providing context for the results.

Immigration is a controversial topic in the United States. The survey asked one question on this topic. They were asked which of two statements most closely matched their view, even if they didn’t completely agree. They were asked whether immigrants strengthen or burden the nation. No distinction was made between legal and illegal immigration, leaving those polled to decide for themselves what the question meant.

In the general U.S. population, 45 percent of Americans feel that immigrants strengthen the country, while 44 percent burden it. 12 percent feel that neither or both are true or they have no opinion on the subject. Mormon views closely mirror these statistics. 45 percent of Mormons also believe immigrants strengthen the nation, although a smaller number, 41 percent, consider them a burden on society. The number of Mormons who accept both or neither or who have no opinion is higher, at 14 percent.

These numbers put them at odds with evangelical Christians, one of the few political areas in which they disagree. Within the white evangelical population, 59 percent believe immigrants are a burden, and 27 percent believe they strengthen the country. Like Mormons, 14 percent answered both, neither, or no opinion.

The statistics for Mormons shows a strong divide based on age, income, and education, as well as on religious commitment. Only 36 percent of highly committed Mormons see immigrants as a burden, while 50 percent of those who are less committed see them as a burden. This largely correlates with economic status. 84 percent of Mormons who are highly committed to their religion are college graduates. (The church strongly encourages education, which may be a factor in this.) Only 50 percent of those with high school educations are strongly committed to their faith. This statistic is very unusual in the religious world. For most religions, the least educated are the most religious.

49 percent of Mormons under age 50 see immigrants as a strength. 39 percent of Mormons over 50 see it as a strength.

Beyond the study’s statistics, several other factors influence the Mormon view of immigration. Many Mormons serve missions for their church. For two years, they live wherever they are sent, learning the language and living as the people in that community live. They go into the homes, attend the churches, and do service work in addition to their missionary work. Many of those serve in Spanish countries and have a realistic view of the hardships faced by those people. They come home with a compassionate view of the world and an understanding that Americans have much easier lives than most. The love missionaries almost invariably develop for the people they served influences their views on immigration.

Finally, the church has taken very specific stands on the subject of illegal immigration in recent years. Mormons believe God has sent a prophet to lead His church, just as He has always done in ancient times, and so, Mormons are asked to sustain the prophet as the leader of the Church. Official statements from the prophet or the Church are considered to be from God.

The Church officially endorsed the basic principles of the Utah Compact, a law working to create a balanced legal approach to immigration. In November, 2011, L. Whitney Clayton gave an official statement from the church in honor of the first anniversary of the bill. The statement said in part:

The Utah Compact is consistent with three principles we believe should be carefully balanced when considering immigration:

• We follow Jesus Christ by loving our neighbors. The meaning of neighbor includes all of God’s children, in all places and in all times.
• We recognize an ever-present need to strengthen families. Families are meant to be together. Forced separation of working parents from their children weakens families and damages society.
• We acknowledge that every nation has the right to enforce its laws and secure its borders.

We continue to encourage lawmakers everywhere to consider laws that properly balance love of neighbors and the importance of keeping families together, within the framework of just and enforceable laws.” (See Utah Compact One-Year Anniversary Marked by Utah Community Leaders.)

The official Mormon position is to encourage its members to stay in their homelands or to immigrate legally, but once they are here, however they came, they are to be treated with love, dignity, and respect, and laws should not separate families.

For a more in-depth look at the issue of Mormons and immigration, read the Deseret News article: Mormons’ immigration attitudes set them apart, by Eric Schulzke, Deseret News, published: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012 8:12 p.m. MST.

SMITHFIELD — After dinner, three baths, four bedtime stories and a half-a-dozen goodnight kisses for 2-year-old twins Brock and Isaac and 6-year-old Ellie, Erin and Brian Thompson finally sink into the couch with weary smiles.

Being parents is just what they always wanted. And they love it.

“Of course we have our crazy moments,” Thompson says, “but for the most part we just try to find the good things in the day and remember that they’re only going to be little for so long.”

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Thompsons believe that maintaining a strong marriage and raising and teaching children are essential keys to happiness and their most important responsibilities on earth.

In fact, 81 percent of Mormons say being a good parent is “one of the most important things in life,” according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center‘s Forum on Religion & Public Life — the first survey of Mormons about Mormons, by a non-LDS research organization.

The survey of more than 1,000 self-identified Latter-day Saints from across the country asked how accepted Mormons feel in American culture, as well as their thoughts on religious practices, political issues and family roles.

The survey showed that Mormons are more likely to be married than the general population, 67 percent of the sample size compared to 52 percent of the general public.

And 85 percent of married Mormons married other Mormons. Protestants marry other Protestants 81 percent of the time and Catholics marry each other 78 percent of the time.

With an emphasis on marriage, it should come as no surprise that the Mormons surveyed also had, on average, more children (2.6) than the general U.S. population (1.8).

Thompson grew up wanting to have a large family and be a good mother, but she and her husband have struggled with infertility for nearly nine years — a trial punctuated by the joys of two different adoptions, Ellie, then the twins.

“We said when we finally get to be parents, we’re going to actually sit down and take a little more time to focus on our kids,” Thompson said, who lives in northern Utah. “I’m not saying that other people don’t do that — the perspective we have is just a little different.”

Other Latter-day Saints share the Thompson’s enthusiasm to put family first.

“Family is at the core of our faith,” says Jane Clayson Johnson, a Latter-day Saint and former anchor of CBS’s “The Early Show” who prefers the title of mom to two young children and stepmom to three older ones. “There are so many distractions today that all force us outward, away from core relationships. What our faith does is turn us back toward deep, rich, meaningful relationships in families.”

“It teaches us that families are where we find meaning,” continued Clayson from her home in Boston. “The work I do in my family is the most important work that I’ll ever do.”

Among the general public, 50 percent list being a good parent as “one of the most important things in life,” with 44 percent listing it as “very important but not most important.”

That shouldn’t be taken to mean that the average American doesn’t value marriage or family, just that they don’t “go to church every week and get told that’s what they’re supposed to do,” says Marie Cornwall, a professor of sociology at Brigham Young University. Cornwall advised the Pew Center for this survey.

“There’s nothing to suggest that family life is less valued in the United States over time,” she said, “but there’s more that suggests that people are feeling like it’s not possible for them to attain that.”

The pressure comes when a “successful” marriage is defined as having a good job, a hefty retirement account and a lovely home with a white picket fence, Cornwall said. So when people can’t achieve that in today’s tough economy, many feel like they’ve failed.

“For Mormons, there’s a spiritual aspect brought to that (definition of success),” she said, “an effort, in terms of sermons, to try and downplay the material and place more emphasis on the relationships.”

When the survey asked Mormons about working arrangements in families, nearly six out of 10 Mormons indicated they would prefer a marriage where the man works and the woman stays home to care for the home and the children.

LDS college graduates liked this marital structure more than any other subgroup, with 71 percent of them preferring the man to work and the woman to stay home.

In the general population, only 30 percent of Americans would prefer a marriage where the husband works and the wife stays home. Among religiously unaffiliated Americans, it drops to 15 percent who would pick such a scenario.

Almost four-in-10 Mormons would prefer that both parents work and both parents help with child rearing and housework.

For American Fork mom Ruth Ann Dupaix, 37, it’s not a black-or-white decision. Throughout her marriage she has both worked and stayed at home.

“The way we look at it, we try to make it a partnership,” Dupaix says. “It’s more who’s able at the time to do it best. It’s working together, a give and take.”

When she and her husband, Geoff, were first married, her job helped pay for his school. When he finished, she kept working because her employer would pay for her to complete her degree, and education was important to both of them.

Dupaix stopped working when her sixth child was born but has recently gone back to work at a local grocery store three nights a week to help fulfill a family goal to reduce their debt load.

It’s a big pay cut from the job she used to have at a bank, but it’s a more family friendly schedule.

“As part of a family you make sacrifices,” she said. “I’m gone when the kids are asleep, but I’m still here during the day when they need me.”

Additional Resources:

For original source Deseret News article: Mormon family marriage focus Pew.

As the “Mormon moment” extends into 2012, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life today released a groundbreaking new survey, the first ever published by a non-LDS research organization to focus exclusively on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their beliefs, values, perceptions and political preferences.

Entitled “Mormons in America: Certain in Their Beliefs, Uncertain of Their Place in Society,” the survey was conducted between Oct. 25 and Nov. 16, 2011 among a national sample of 1,019 respondents who identified themselves as Mormons. The results validate a number of long-held stereotypes (most American Mormons are white, well-educated, politically conservative and religiously observant) while providing a few interesting surprises (care for the poor and needy is high on the list of LDS priorities, while drinking coffee and watching R-rated movies aren’t as taboo among the rank and file as you might think).

“While this survey comes amid a contentious election campaign, it is not solely or even chiefly about politics,” said Luis Lugo, Pew Research Center director, in the published survey’s preface. “Rather, we hope that it will contribute to a broader public understanding of Mormons and Mormonism at a time of great interest in both.”

For example, in one very interesting section of the new survey, respondents were asked several questions about what is essential to being a good Mormon. According to the survey, 80 percent said “believing Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ” is essential to being a good Mormon, 73 percent said “working to help the poor,” 51 percent said “regular Family Home Evenings,” 49 percent said “not drinking coffee and tea” and 32 percent said “not watching R-rated movies.

“To be honest, I found the strong sentiment that ‘working to help the poor’ is essential to being a good Mormon refreshing and a little surprising,” said David Campbell, an LDS Church member who is an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame and who consulted with the Pew Research Center on the new survey. “As a Mormon, I would hope it would be that way, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s good to see the church’s genuine compassion for the poor and needy reflected in these numbers.”

People outside the church may or may not be aware of the LDS propensity for compassionate service and other . According to the survey, 62 percent of Mormons think that Americans are generally uninformed about Mormonism, and 68 percent feel that they are not viewed as part of mainstream American society. But they remain optimistic, with 63 percent expressing the belief that Mormonism will eventually become part of mainstream society and 56 percent saying that the American people are ready for a Mormon president.

In fact, optimism is one of the themes to emerge from the survey relative to Latter-day Saints. Some 87 percent say they are satisfied with the way things are going in their own life, and 92 percent say their respective communities are excellent (52 percent) or good (40 percent) places to live (this is especially true among Mormons in Utah, of whom 71 percent say their communities are excellent).

But evidently, optimism only goes so far with Mormons.

“I think it is interesting that the respondents are overwhelmingly positive about their communities. They love their communities and everything’s fine there,” said Marie Cornwall, professor of sociology at Brigham Young University and another advisor to the Pew Research Center on this study. “But when you ask them about the way things are going in the country today, they are overwhelmingly (75 percent) dissatisfied. You would think that their satisfaction with their personal lives would factor into their feelings about how things are going in the country, but there seems to be a total disconnect there.”

It should be noted that the Mormon view of how things are going in the country today closely resembles the view of the American public as a whole, among whom 78 percent said they were dissatisfied in an October 2011 Pew Research Center survey.

Generally speaking, the new survey looks at Mormons and their perspectives in four key areas: politics and ideology, religious beliefs and practices, cultural and moral issues and family life.

Politically, there are few surprises. Most Mormons (66 percent) describe themselves as politically conservative, and 74 percent of Mormon voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party. Philosophically, 75 percent of respondents said they prefer a smaller government providing fewer services to a bigger government providing more services.

Among a number of politicians currently in the spotlight, Mitt Romney is a favorite, being viewed favorably by 86 percent of all Mormons and 94 percent of Mormon Republicans. Even among Mormon Democrats, 62 percent rate Romney favorably.

The other Mormon running for president, Jon Huntsman, is viewed favorably by 50 percent of Mormon voters, while President Barack Obama is viewed favorably by 25 percent — slightly ahead of the rating Mormons bestowed upon another one of their own: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (22 percent).

Interestingly, Latter-day Saints seem to be somewhat divided on the issue of immigration. They are fairly evenly split on whether immigrants strengthen the U.S. because of their hard work and talents (45 percent) or burden the U.S. by taking American jobs, housing and health care (41 percent).

Campbell, who is an expert in the field of religion, politics and civic engagement, said he wasn’t surprised by that result.

“Although Mormons are caricatured as being really right wing, on the issue of immigration they are not,” he said. “The church itself has been quite a voice of moderation on this issue, and that has resulted in Mormons being more positive toward immigrants than other conservative religious groups tend to be.”

Campbell suggests that the LDS Church’s missionary program has something to do with that, with Latter-day Saints tending to develop a broader worldview as a result of their missionary service around the world. In any event, he said, “this result really does cut against the stereotype.”

In terms of religious beliefs and practices, the survey makes it clear that Mormons are highly religious — again, not a big surprise. Eighty-two percent say that religion is very important in their lives, and 77 percent say they believe wholeheartedly in all of the church’s teachings. Fully 83 percent say they pray every day, 79 percent say they donate 10 percent of their earnings to the church in tithing and 77 percent say they attend church at least once a week. According to Pew, “Mormons exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than many other religious groups, including white evangelical Protestants.”

Looking at basic, core religious beliefs, 98 percent say they believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 94 percent believe the president of the LDS Church is a prophet of God, 95 percent believe that families can be bound together eternally in temple ceremonies, 94 percent believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate, physical beings and 91 percent believe that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets.

Clearly, Mormons are believers.

But are they Christian? Ninety-seven percent of Mormons think so. And when asked to volunteer the one word that best describes Mormons, the most common responses were “Christian” and “Christ-centered.” By way of contrast, a November Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half (49 percent) of non-Mormon U.S. adults say that Mormonism is NOT Christian or that they are unsure whether or not it is Christian. In that same survey, when respondents were asked for one word that best describes the LDS Church, the most commonly offered response was “cult.”

Culturally, Mormon conservatism extends to a wide variety of moral issues. Polygamy (86 percent), sex between unmarried adults (79 percent), abortion (74 percent) and drinking alcohol (54 percent) are viewed as morally wrong. Divorce, on the other hand, is largely considered “not a moral issue” by respondents (46 percent).

Similarly, 65 percent of respondents said that homosexuality should be discouraged by society, compared with 58 percent of the general public who say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

“Mormons like to use the phrase, ‘Be in the world but not of the world,’” Campbell noted. “They are active and involved in their communities, but they have these beliefs and practices that set them apart a little bit, and sometimes that creates conflict or tension. [Homosexuality] is one of those issues where, rightly or wrongly, Mormons just have a different position than most of the rest of America.”

The survey also illustrates how important family life is to most members of the LDS Church. Among life’s priorities, being a good parent (81 percent) and having a successful marriage (73 percent) place higher than career concerns, having free time or even living a religious life. Some 67 percent of Mormon adults are married (compared with 52 percent of the general public), and 85 percent of them are married to another Mormon.

“As the Church and its members are increasingly the focus of media attention, we’re eager to participate in conversations that help the public get to know us better,” said LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy. “Even though the recent Pew study did not survey any of the Church’s eight million members who live outside the U.S., it highlights some important aspects regarding who we are and what we believe.

“For example,” Purdy continued, “the study found that Church members subscribe to traditional Christian beliefs, have high moral standards, are overwhelmingly satisfied with their lives and communities, are active in serving others and have a profound dedication to family. These results reflect the Church’s message that a deep commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ brings lasting happiness.”

Pew Study on Mormons in America

Speaking for the Pew Research Center, Lugo said the idea for the survey was born last summer, “around the time that a Newsweek cover story and a New York Times article declared that the United States was experiencing a ‘Mormon moment.’”

“That got us thinking,” Lugo said in the survey’s preface.

Over the years, numerous polls have gauged public attitudes toward Mormons, who make up about 2 percent of all U.S. adults. But what do Mormons think about their place in American life? With the rising prominence of members of the LDS Church in politics, popular culture and the media, do Mormons feel more secure and accepted in American society? What do they think about other religions? What do they believe, how do they practice their faith and what do they see as essential to being a good Mormon and to leading a good life?

An advisory panel was recruited to help the Pew Forum staff create the survey. The panel featured a number of Latter-day Saints who have professional experience in Mormon studies and research, including Campbell, Cornwall, Matthew Bowman of Hampden-Sydney College, Terryl Givens of the University of Richmond and Allison Pond of the Deseret News.

“We helped them to formulate the questions, and to frame them in the kind of language that Mormons use,” Campbell said.

After a period of testing, the survey was conducted among respondents who identified themselves as Mormons (it also included qualifying questions that made it clear that respondents were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as opposed to other churches whose members may refer to themselves as Mormons).

“Since Mormons represent about 2 percent of the population, you’d have to call 98 people before you’d get a Mormon, and that would be very expensive,” said Cornwall, who is also editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. “But they had a fancy way of finding Mormons, including going back to Mormons they had found in the course of doing previous surveys, so they were able to get their sample in a cost-effective way.”

Care was also taken to make sure the survey included those who had land lines as well as those who have only cell phones — a growing area of concern among those who conduct public opinion research today.

Among other interesting findings of the Pew Forum’s survey of Mormons:

• 71 percent of respondents reside in the American West, including 53 percent who live in the Mountain states and 34 percent who live in Utah;

• 88 percent are white, 7 percent Hispanic, 1 percent black and 4 percent other racial and ethnic backgrounds;

• 50 percent say that evangelical Christians are generally unfriendly to Mormons;

• 54 percent say that the way their religion is portrayed on television and in movies hurts society’s image of Mormons;

• 57 percent of Mormons said that most or all of their close friends are other Mormons (this number was significantly higher in Utah, where the number climbed to 73 percent);

• 65 percent of respondents say they hold a current temple recommend;

• 27 percent say they believe in yoga not just as exercise but as a spiritual practice;

• 11 percent say they believe in reincarnation;

• 74 percent were raised in the LDS Church;

• 59 percent of converts cite the church’s beliefs as the main reason they joined the church;

• 59 percent of converts joined the church between the ages of 18 and 35;

• 27 percent have served a full-time mission, including 43 percent of men and 11 percent of women;

• 82 percent say they have a supply of food in storage, and 58 percent keep at least a three-month supply.

The margin of error for the survey is =/- 4.5 percentage points.

“I think this survey is a really good summary of the hyper-committed Mormon community that shows up at church every week,” Cornwall said. “I’m not sure it captures Mormons on the margins very well, but that’s OK — hopefully we can do that the next time. Meanwhile, this is a pretty good picture — and an interesting picture — of Mormons.”

By Joseph Walker, Deseret News

Additional Resources:

Full original source Deseret News article: Pew Study on Mormons in America.

Learn more about the results of this survey of Mormons in America.

See infographic from the Deseret News article.

Pew Mormon Study Highlights Christianity.

What is a prophet?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the Mormon Church) teaches that there are living prophets today, just as there were in ancient times. The functions of a prophet have not changed and include many responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is to receive revelation from God for the entire world. While most of these revelations are only appreciated by members of the Mormon faith for actually being from God, the prophet still has the responsibility to preach the word of God to the whole world. The living prophet is the only person on the earth who has the authorization to receive revelation for the whole church, as well.

One of the prophet’s most important calls is to testify that Jesus is the Christ and to “make known God’s will and true character. [Prophets] speak boldly and clearly, denouncing sin and warning of its consequences. At times, they may be inspired to prophesy of future events for our benefit” (True to the Faith, p129–130).

We are very blessed to have a living prophet on the earth today, but having one places more accountability on the rest of us. If we do not heed his words and his warnings, which ultimately come from God, then we will be cut off from God’s presence: “And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people” (D&C 1:14).

Despite receiving a calling from God, a prophet is still a man. He is still fallible, he still has his own opinions about things. This can lead to some confusion for outsiders looking in about when a prophet is speaking in his capacity as prophet and when he is speaking as a man. This confusion can be dispelled, however, but looking at the prophet’s actual words. If he is speaking on behalf of the Lord, he will say so. If he does not speak in that capacity, it will be clear.

Joseph Smith as a Prophet

Many critics of Joseph Smith declare that he was either a false prophet or a fallen prophet. Much of the evidence they use to prove their point is records of when Joseph made mistakes or failed financially. These are irrelevant. A brief overview of the Old Testament is full of prophets who felt unworthy or who made mistakes. Moses needed the help of his father-in-law, Jethro, to solve the problem of the people pestering him with their problems. When Moses was called of God, he declared he was slow of speech. When he lacked faith to proceed on his own, though God told Moses He would help him, God gave Moses Aaron as an interpreter. Enoch felt he was too young and slow of speech to be listened to. Jeremiah also felt he was too young to be heeded. Joseph Smith was a young, poorly educated farm boy when he was called. Yet, he remained humble. He was taught by the powers of heaven and there is great power and authority in his words.

Though prophesying of future events is only a small portion of the role of a prophet, looking at Joseph Smith’s prophecies and the fulfillment of them quickly shows he was intelligent beyond his day and beyond his education. Another factor must have been present in his life for him to know the things he knew: he truly was inspired by God.

Below is a list of just a few of the prophecies of Joseph Smith that have been fulfilled. These are things Joseph Smith foresaw which he could have had no knowledge of without divine inspiration. Sure, if somebody makes enough guesses, he is bound to be right sooner or later. Many so-called psychics, astrologers, and self-proclaimed prophets make so many guesses, or are deliberately vague in their predictions, they are bound to hit upon something sometime. A real prophet is different. When a real prophet speaks as the mouthpiece of God, there is no guesswork. Looking at the prophecies Joseph Smith made leaves no room for doubt as to where these prophecies came from. While there are still some of his prophecies which have not been fulfilled, it is certain that they will be fulfilled.

1. Joseph Smith foresaw the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What started as a young church with only six members is now a worldwide church with more than 14 million members. Joseph Smith prophesied that the Mormon Church would grow until it filled the earth and that the gospel would be taken to every nation, tongue, and kindred. This prophecy is continuing to be fulfilled today, but the explosive growth of the Mormon Church (reaching 30,000 members in its first ten years) speaks for itself. Truth resonates with people worldwide, and soon every nation will be open to the gospel.

2. Joseph Smith prophesied that the Civil War would take an unimaginable number of lives, that it would begin in South Carolina, and that slavery would likely play a large role in it. He foresaw these events 20 years before they happened. Looking back, it seems these things are obvious. However, at the time Joseph received this revelation, no one predicted these events.

3. When the Saints were thrust out of Jackson County, Missouri, under the authority of the extermination order issued by Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, Joseph Smith prophesied the destruction of that place. He said to General Alexander Doniphan (not a Mormon himself, but a defender of the people): “God’s wrath hangs over Jackson County. God’s people have been ruthlessly driven from it, and you will live to see the day when it will be visited by fire and sword. The Lord of Hosts will sweep it with the besom of destruction. The fields and farms and houses will be destroyed, and only the chimneys will be left to mark the desolation.”

When the Civil War was fought, many of the most costly battles were fought on Missouri soil. General Doniphan personally witnessed the fulfillment of Joseph Smith’s prophecy. Mr. A. Saxey of Utah wrote a letter to Mr. Junius Wells on August 25, 1902, and recorded the sight that lay before him when he visited the area with his regiment:

“In the spring of 1862 my regiment went south, and it was during that time that ‘Order No. 11′ was issued, but I was back there again in 1864, during the Price raid, and saw the condition of the country. The duty of executing the order was committed to Colossians W. R. Penick’s regiment, and there is no doubt but that he carried it into effect, from the howl the copperhead papers made at the time. I went down the Blue river, we found houses, barns, outbuildings, nearly all burned down, and nothing left standing but the chimneys which had, according to the fashion of the time, been built on the outside of the buildings. I remember very well that the country looked a veritable desolation.”

4. Joseph Smith foresaw that the Saints would flourish in the Rocky Mountains. In 1831, Joseph prophesied: “Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed” (Doctrine and Covenants 49:25).  While this prophecy does not specifically mention the Rocky Mountains, a journal entry from B.H. Roberts includes another time Joseph addressed this matter and did specifically mention the Rockies (Comprehensive History of the Church , Vol. 2, Ch. 51, pp.181–182). In this record, Roberts declares that Joseph described the land in great detail and singled out many of the men present telling them they would have unique roles to play in the development of that land.

At the time Joseph made this declaration, the Rocky Mountains were in virtually unknown and unexplored territory. The Mississippi River was the extreme borders of the frontier for the country. In addition, the Saints were fairly happily settled in Illinois at the time, and many of them thought they would be there permanently. Because Joseph was privy to revelation, however, he knew that the temporary peace would end with the Saints yet again being cast out of their homes. It was Brigham Young who eventually led the Saints to the Rockies and helped them settle in what became the state of Utah, but that was not for another 5 years and not until after the murder of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

5. Not long after Joseph Smith prophesied that the Saints would end up in the Rocky Mountains, the persecution with which they had become so familiar threatened them again. Joseph promised his people peace within 5 years. “[Joseph Smith] prophesied that within five years we should be out of the power of our old enemies, whether they were apostates or of the world; and told the brethren to record it, that when it comes to pass they need not say they had forgotten the saying” (History of the Church , Vol. 6, p. 225).  The Saints began gathering in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 and were virtually all gathered by 1849. Though they did suffer persecution there later, it was from different people and for different reasons; thus, they had escaped the power of old enemies.

6. The last prophecy Joseph Smith ever recorded was that of his own death. On Saturday, June 22, 1844, Joseph recorded in his journal: “I told Stephen Markham that if I and Hyrum were ever taken again we should be massacred, or I was not a prophet of God” (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 546).

Only a few days later, he and Hyrum turned back from fleeing Nauvoo for their own protection. They gave themselves up to the law for yet more unjust charges which had been brought against them. They were placed in Carthage Jail and on June 27, a mob stormed the jail and killed both Hyrum and Joseph. The other two men in the jail with them survived. Joseph foresaw his death and knew what awaited him, even though he had been promised safety and protection by the highest authorities in the region.

What having living prophet means for us today.

These are just a very small sampling of some of Joseph Smith’s prophecies. He received countless more, many of which are recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. Many of the prophecies and revelations he received were in the presence of other people. Some of these people later left the Mormon Church, but they never denied their experiences.

There are many ways to prove that Joseph Smith was who he said he was. Looking at all he did and analyzing it with logic can leave no other viable alternative. However, each member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must receive a personal testimony that Joseph Smith was called of God. This personal testimony must come through the witness and power of the Holy Ghost. Logic is not enough. One must know in one’s heart that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.

The blessing of having a living prophet on the earth today is important and very comforting. Continuous revelation is important, not because God changes, but because people change and society changes. It is essential to have a prophet telling the world God’s will for them in their own time.