While deciding whichchurch to join, Josephturned to the Bible forguidance. That time span includes the entire presidencies of Wilford Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow. During this exchange, then, Joseph F. Smith was essentially being examined as a "hostile witness." President Smith was not likely to "cast pearls before swine," by discussing the revelatory process, and the legal requirements of the situation likely made him reply as little as possible to the questions posed. The "very walls have ears," observed James Clove in a letter to Smoot. We collect information at various points in the Website to facilitate its use by our customers. We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of FAIR, its officers, directors or supporters. In response to this prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and told him the true Church of Jesus Christ was not on the earth and They had chosen Joseph to restore it. (d) Transactions: In connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing or acquisition, or in any other situation where Personal Information may be disclosed or transferred as one of our business assets. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? Non-Personal Information: Upon accessing the Website, certain non-personal information will be automatically collected without your knowledge or consent, such as your IP address, location data (which is anonymous) and the referring website (Non-Personal Information). This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We invite you to give back. My father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something to be wrong with me, and told me to go home. This practice is known as interest-based advertising. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. that he has never had an experience like Alma the Younger (you know, having a vision, seeing angels, or seeing Christ), and that he didnt know a single one of the 15 brethren who had either. Joseph F. Smith, "Testimony Bearing . But what was my surprise when again I beheld the same messenger at my bedside, and heard him rehearse or repeat over again to me the same things as before; and added a caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me (in consequence of the indigent circumstances of my fathers family), to get the plates for the purpose of getting rich. As described above, this website may use or transfer Device Data that it directly collects or that it receives from this websites Customers, who may use cookies or non-cookie technologies, to enable advertising that is more tailored to Consumers inferred interests, preferences, and locations. Thats a good point. During the Smoot hearings, Elder B. H. Roberts was asked if he believed the first Manifesto was a revelation. Either you must accept Joseph F. Smith as the prophet of God, ordained to speak falsehoods or truth at his pleasure, ratified by God as a liar or a truth teller to meet the prophet's needs; or, you must consider him a false, deceiving, lying, hypocritical old man, who clings to his power with selfish hands, and who fain would live out the balance Hoar: Was there a revelation in regard to each of them? He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people, but soon would come. In his first address to the Saints as Church President, he declared . I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible. FREE. Your privacy is important. While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. Worthington: What was the last revelation that came to the church from the one authorized to give it as the law of the church? ", https://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/the-secret-code-of-senator-smoot/article_26c890c3-b653-56a1-90b4-cebfebe4849d.html. , he was asked many insightful questions: : What official position do you now hold in the church? You can opt out of participating in interest-based advertising networks but opting out does not mean you will no longer receive online advertising. Learn how your comment data is processed. Well, according to my best recollection, it must have been about 1882. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. [1939], 493). Not according to President Smith. By this time, so deep were the impressions made on my mind, that sleep had fled from my eyes, and I lay overwhelmed in astonishment at what I had both seen and heard. He commenced, and again related the very same things which he had done at his first visit, without the least variation; which having done, he informed me of great judgments which were coming upon the earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence; and that these grievous judgments would come on the earth in this generation. Accordingly, as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each year, and at each time I found the same messenger there, and received instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days. (1:46) As a child I have listened to him preach the gospel that God had committed to his charge. in Washington, D.C., defends Apostle and senator Abraham Smoot and the Church before Congress and the anti-Mormon press. Chairman: You have revelations, have you not? Worthington: What do you mean by being presented to the church? And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. I have retained the witness of the Spirit that I was imbued with, as a child, and that I received from my sainted mother, the firm belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God; that he was inspired as no other man in his generation, or for centuries before, had been inspired; that he had been chosen of God to lay the foundations of Gods Kingdom as well as of Gods Church; that by the power of God he was enabled to bring forth the record of the ancient inhabitants of this [the American] continent, to revive and to reveal to the world the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. This leads to a discussion about revelation. If there was indeed a revelation from God labeling same-sex couples apostate and barring their children from full participation in church, then it must be presented before the church in conference for a sustaining vote. The council of the apostles have had a voice ever since in the selection of their successors. I was shook. How are the apostles selected? Choices and How To Opt Out Of Interest-Based Advertising his jokes on Twitter: @tgilliland789, and his poverty on Venmo: Tanner-Gilliland. This stone was thick and rounding in the middle on the upper side, and thinner towards the edges, so that the middle part of it was visible above the ground, but the edge all around was covered with earth. Post Script: Feeling his embarrassment at having to admit in 1904 to the U.S. Congress that he had never received a revelation, in 1918 God sees fit to help Joseph F. Smith save face and gives him the 138th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants how convenient. The problem becomes more apparent as Senators McComas and Hoar begin questioning him: McComas: I should like to ask one question. Never mind that this contradicts his earlier testimony, here hestates that in the 21 years prior, not a single revelation had been given to the head of the Church. Joseph Smith was such a prophet. On September 21, 1823, after retiring to bed, Joseph prayed to know his standing before the Lord. Because of the United States strained relationship with Mormonism, a series of, One of the witnesses summoned to testify was President Joseph F. Smith. Type and Purpose of Collection Although Joseph accomplished many things during his life, most important was his commitment to being a disciple and witness of Jesus Christ. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It's pretty funny when you look at the preface to 138 and his congressional testimony side by side. In it he described his role in the historic encounter: In December, 1839, the prophet, Joseph Smith, appeared at Washington City and presented his claims to Congress for relief for the losses he and the Mormons sustained in Missouri at the City of the Far West. Faithful members of the Church witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. When reading his testimony, I believe he was being very careful to avoid a perjury charge. Smith: Yes, sir; they can. Testimony of Joseph Smith 'Crucial,' President Nelson Tells New Mission Leaders The 2021 Seminar for New Mission Leaders addresses 109 couples assigned to lead missionary work in 49 countries and 14 U.S. states ,, He also declared that any church officer who performed a plural marriage, as well as the offending couple, would be excommunicated. During these trials a prophet of God was put on trial and given the chance to stand up for his beliefs and tell the world what was up. Returning later as aresurrected being, hetold Joseph Smithabout the ancientrecord, which containsthe fulness of thegospel as delivered bythe Savior to ancientinhabitants of theAmerican continent. I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other times, I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. Smith: I do not now recall any since then except the manifesto. Information Gathered by Third Party Advertisers The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. on April 6, 1830. When asked, he defended his family relationships, telling the committee that he had cohabited with his wives and fathered children with them since 1890. From that day, Joseph labored in Gods service, working to establish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to build up Gods kingdom on earth in the latter days. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. Looking To Cancel Or Unsubscribe From CB SYSPAY FACT Does The Designer. The purport of the revelation was calling to the apostolate or apostleship two men, who are named in the revelation. As a child I have listened to him preach the gospel that God had committed to his charge. Smith: No, sir; not that I know of. If you do this, however, you may have to manually adjust some preferences every time you visit a site and some services and functionalities may not work. Thats just the list of those who admitted to never having a prophetic experience. . The number is probably* too high if you're just using the Temple Lot case, and the number is way, way too low* using all . Hear Him!, It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. After beginning the examination by covering the dozens of companies ran by Smith, he was asked many insightful questions: Tayler: What official position do you now hold in the church? Smith: By reason of being president. : I will say this, Mr. Chairman, that no revelation given through the head of the church ever becomes binding and authoritative upon the members of the church until it has been presented to the church and accepted by them. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the otherThis is My Beloved Son. At the time this narrative begins, he was 14 years old, living with his family in New York, and earnestly considering which church to join. Our cookie policy: salt lake city salt lake tribune publishing company 1905 . Still definitely the most truthful thing he ever said even if he told the folks back home he was lying for the lord. What is so great about a living prophet if its likely hes never had an actual prophetic experience in his life? 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