Following Christ's death and subsequent resurrection and ascension, Peter and the other apostles sought to guide the Church of Christ through revelation from God. However, because of the wickedness of the people, the persecution of the saints and apostles, and the distances of the saints and lack of reliable communication, the Church of Christ fell into a state of apostasy. The apostles were killed and the priesthood authority (the power to act on God's behalf) was lost.
Centuries of darkness, warfare, and religious domination and confusion resulted. Many noble and righteous individuals sought to reform the church in order to return to New Testament principles. These brave individuals should be praised for their dedication to serve God. However, God did not restore the fullness of His gospel on the earth until the nineteenth century.
In 1820, a 14-year-old boy in Western New York was confused about religion. His name was Joseph Smith. There was a religious movement in the area and many denominations were seeking adherents to their faiths. Young Joseph did not know which church to join, and so, knelt and prayed to God for guidance. In response to this humble prayer, God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph and told him not to join any of the denominations. They told him, that in time, the true Church of Jesus Christ would be restored.Following this remarkable vision, Joseph received other heavenly manifestations, including that of an angel named Moroni. Moroni was an ancient prophet who had lived on the American continent around 400 b.c. Moroni told Joseph of an ancient record that had been abridged by Moroni and his father Mormon. This record told of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and their teachings and testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ. It had been buried by Moroni in a nearby hill in New York. He led Joseph to the record ("the gold plates") which Joseph translated into the English language by the gift and power of God. This book is known as "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ." It serves as a companion scripture to the Holy Bible.
Following the publication of the Book of Mormon, God instructed Joseph to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth. On April 6, 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in Fayette, New York. Joseph Smith was called of God to be the prophet and president of the Church.
The Prophet Joseph Smith was a remarkable man. He led the Church in very difficult times. He was persecuted his entire life for his beliefs. He was often separated from his family as he preached the gospel, visited the members of the Church, and falsely jailed by those who disagreed with him. The early history of the Church is both a glorious and sad history. The Church prospered as the gospel message of the great restoration was preached in America, Canada, and Europe. This message would eventually be taken to the whole world. However, the Church members were persecuted, hated, and driven from state to state for refuge. The Prophet, himself, was tarred and feathered, jailed numerous times, threatened on multiple occassions, and often suffered for his testimony of Jesus. Through all of this, he maintained his faith and his trust in God in leading the Church.
He diligently kept God's commandments, led the Church, and built cities and temples for God. But, his persecutors were never far behind. In June 1844, while falsely imprisoned in Carthage, Illinois, a mob came and killed both Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Many thought that the death of Joseph Smith would be the end of the Church, but it was only the beginning. God called another prophet, the senior apostle, Brigham Young, to lead the Church. Brigham Young led the members of the Church ("Saints") to Utah where they could worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. The Church has grown and prospered ever since as a testimony to the divinity of the work. Each time the prophet dies, the senior apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the next prophet, just as Peter became the prophet following Jesus' ascension.And yet still, today, many persecute the Prophet Joseph Smith. They call him a fraud, a false prophet, a delusional man. While it is certainly true that Joseph Smith was a man with weaknesses, foibles, and prone to make mistakes like the rest of us, the "fruits" of his labors leave no doubt that he was indeed a prophet of God. The Book of Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the millions of testimonies of average citizens, are all fruits of the Prophet Joseph Smith's work on the earth. God always uses the weak and simple to accomplish His work.
Joseph Smith was called by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth. He did just that. While many detractors continue to attack his character, they can never attack his legacy of faith. The Church stands today as a monument to the Prophet's faith and devotion. Members of the Church do not worship Joseph Smith (he was, after all, only a man), but we revere him as a prophet called by God to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. I am grateful for the Prophet's faith, perseverance, righteousness, and willingness to keep all of God's commandments. 
3 comments:
Here’s a million dollar question – If you were to die right now, would you qualify for the celestial kingdom? If you’re like many Mormons, you’re not sure. You try hard to be as good as possible, but you still don’t know if you’ve done enough. If the Book of Mormon is really scripture, this hope will always elude you. Alma 11:37 says God cannot save you in your sins. Are all of your sins forgiven? Moroni 10:32 says you must be perfected in Christ, which can only be done by denying yourself of “all ungodliness”. Have you done that? Do you repent on a regular basis? Is so, then it is clear that you sin on a regular basis, since only those who break the commandments need to repent. 1 Nephi 3:7 states that you are able to keep His commandments. In fact according to D&C 25:15, you are required to keep them continually! Since you haven’t done this so far, why assume you will in the future? Of course, we should all try to be holy; but if you think that sinning less will qualify you to live in God’s presence, you are mistaken (Gal 3:1-11). The assumption that good works are required for forgiveness only cheapens Christ’s atonement, making it nothing more than a partial payment. God chooses to justify us by faith. Jesus alone does the “perfecting” (Heb 10:14). God gives peace to those who trust in Him alone. If you don’t have this peace, it’s probably because at least a part of you trusts in yourself. Questions? Visit us at www.gotforgiveness.com
I understand this comment is not actually a personalized comment for my blog, but is instead, a generalized comment posted on numerous Mormon blogs with the intention of sowing seeds of doubt in Mormon readers.
I will, however, address the question by simply stating that Latter-day Saints ("Mormons") believe that we are saved by grace through the atonement of Jesus Christ after we have done "all that we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23).
We believe that notwithstanding our best efforts to keep the commandments, we will fall short of perfection and require Christ's atonement to save us from sin and death. Applying the healing powers of the atonement requires faith and repentance by the individual. The individual who has faith in Jesus Christ and seeks to do good, repenting when falling short, can rest assured that eternal life will be his because of Jesus Christ's grace and mercy.
The Holy Spirit of promise that fills the hearts of the righteous confirms in our hearts that "Righteous acts, ordinances, have been performed properly, and that the covenants associated with them have been kept(Preach My Gospel, pg.91). God assures us, we know where we stand, and I most certainly do.
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