“I am not learned, but I have as good feelings as any man.” – Joseph Smith Jr. It was Joseph Smith who brought the Mormon religion about again. It was about while Christ was alive but fell away as people only took part of what he said and created their own religion. As time passed it was forgotten and only came about again after God prophesied to Joseph Smith and told him what to do. Joseph Smith became the first prophet and brought the Mormon religion back to the surface. Now the Mormon religion relies on their history to teach of Joseph Smith, the Mormon trail, and of Mormons today. Being raised in a very religious home, young Joseph Smith Jr. was always taught to attend church, pray, read the Bible, and trust in God in hard times. By the age of fourteen he began to have concerns and wondered which church was the true church of god. There were so many churches that he decided to go to each one and see which one made the most sense. As he did he found that when one church said this a different church said the opposite. He was so confused about which church he should attend. Then one evening as he and his family were reading the scriptures, Joseph stumbled upon a scripture in The Epistle of James chapter one, verse five; “If any of lack wisdom, let him ask of god, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” This scripture empowered him so much that he knew he had to ask of god to know what church was true. So after careful consideration, he decided to obey the Epistle of James and to ask of god. On the morning of a beautiful clear day in the year of eighteen hundred and twenty, Joseph Smith retired to the woods where he would not be disturbed. It was the first time in his life he had ever ma... ... middle of paper ... ...and the Rocky Mountains. They mostly traveled by foot as they pushed handcarts and drove wagons that were led by horses and oxen. But they suffered many hardships along the way. Hundreds of saints died from cold, hunger, dehydration, sickness, diseases, and exhaustion. Nevertheless, the Saints still carried undying faith in god and were able to make it. Finally, on July 24, 1847 the first pioneers reached the end of the Mormon trail and looked down on the Salt Lake valley. When Brigham Young led them into the valley he declared; “This is the right place”. The saints had been led to a place where they could live in peace and prosperity, with the right to practice their faith in god. Salt Lake City in now the Capitol and Headquarters to the Mormons. There are over a million members all over the world and more are joining every year because of the lds missionaries.
...leased from prison, Mathews continued his quest for religion by seeking Joseph Smith of the Mormon society, under the alias Joshua the Jewish Minister. The two had a heated discussion of resurrection and reincarnation. On the other hand, Matthews claimed to be both God and the reincarnation of the apostle Matthias. However Matthews his meeting with Smith was unsuccessful because both prophets believed the other was of the devil. Matthews’ s religious journey albeit chaotic and aberrant now serves as subconscious guide for how new religious movements and cults in present day America.
How far was smith to blame for Mormons trouble? Smith founded the religion so in some ways it was all his fault if their was no religion the Mormons wouldn't be in any trouble and
The Oatman’s adventure began as a result of their decision to join a new sect of the Mormon faith. This particular belief, whose followers were named Brewsterites, had its roots in Kirtland, Ohio around 1836. A young boy, about ten years old, named Colin Brewster, showed promise in the eyes of Joseph Smith, the great Mormon prophet. Many had already noticed the boy’s “gift for seeing in vision distant objects not seen by the natural eye” (McGinty 40). Eventually, Brewster’s vision of a round table lead to his acceptance as “a prophet, a seer, a revelator and translator” (McGinty 31), by Joseph Smith Sr. and two other church elders, one of which was referred to as Lord.
Before the founding and organizing of the LDS church and introduction of polygamy, Joseph Smith received bitter persecution. He was tarred and feathered by a mob, but this was nothing compared to the treatment the saints received when their practice of polygamy became well known (Arrington JS 26-7). In order to escape the torture, Joseph Smith led one hundred and fifty or more saints from New York to Kirtland, Ohio in 1831 (Arrington JS 21). After living in harmony with the native Gentiles for several years, the town of Kirtland be...
The history of the Mormon Church goes back to 1863 when its founder, Joseph Smith, II, claimed to have a vision of the angel Moroni, who appeared to him in upper New York State and instructed him to interpret ancient writings on gold plates. The Mormon doctrine states that Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared to the Native Americans. The accounts with the Native Americans were transcribed onto the gold plates according to Moroni, the messenger. One doctrine of the Mormon Church, The Pearl of Great Price, shares a lot of the private journals of founder Joseph Smith. Founder Smith recalls, "He called me by name, and said that he was a messenger...and that his name was Moroni...," (Pearl. II:33) This is one of the main cornerstones of the Mormon doctrine. The Mormon Church had its beginnings from New York and traveled to Kirtland, Ohio, then on to Spring Hill (Independence), Missouri, and finally traveled back to Nauvoo, Illinois. It was at Nauvoo where on, Jun 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, III, his brother Hyrum Smith and friend John Taylor were ambushed at the Nauvoo-Carthage Jail. In the course of events that transpired, Joseph and Hyrum w...
A handsome boy kneels down for prayer beside a tree in his father’s orchard. It is a nice sunny spring day with the warm rays of the radiant sun gently kissing the boy’s face. “God, give me a sign,” he pleads to his heavenly father. He is only 14, yet religion fascinates him. Confused by what Christian faith to believe in, he was not sure whether he wanted to become a Baptist like his parents, or a Methodist, which church’s teachings appealed more to him. A slight cool breeze passes through his chestnut colored hair. In a moment he finds himself paralyzed, unable to move, at the mercy of some evil force. A shadowy mist surrounds him. The boy is afraid and does the only thing he could think of: he prayed, “God save me!” Immediately a pillar of light descends over his head like a crown of gold. A strange calmness overcomes the boy, and the shadows around him recede. To the boy, who questioned God’s existence, this was a sure sign that his heavenly father was still there. That boy was Joseph Smith, who had just experienced the first of a series of visions that he would receive throughout his faithful life. Soon after his first vision, he received another in which he the angel Moroni visited him, who presented him with a map. Smith traveled to a nearby hill where he found several golden tablets, etched with mysterious characters of ancient languages long forgotten. Smith was ordered by the angel to translate the plates into what is now known as the Book of Mormon (from which the Mormons gained their name), the cornerstone of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or simply abbreviated as the LDS Church. (Millet 6-8).
After those heartbreaking years of deaths, Simeon heard of the mormons and became very interested. He named his son Mosiah after the Book of Mormon and it’s people was born on February 19, 1837. The same day, his twin Anariah was born that day but died a few hours after birth. Betsy, who was a healthy child was born March 22,1838. At the time, Simeon’s brother James came to Simeon’s home as a missionary of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. He preached them and Simeon and his wife was baptized by him on April 15,1839. But that wasn’t enough for Simeon. He wanted to see the prophet Joseph in person, and maybe even offer his services to the church. In June 1840, he set off to Nauvoo on foot which was a 500 mile trip. There he saw the prophet Joseph Smith. Simeon was set ap...
Then, it was a six month trip, sometimes longer, and all of that time was on the trail, out in the wilderness. Many died, and when that happened, the family had to immediately get over it; otherwise they would be “a weak link.” Travelers could be attacked by Indians or animals. Wagons could break down and the whole crew would stop. Although it wasn’t often, cannibalism could be the only way to survive.
"Growth of the Church - LDS Newsroom." LDS News | Mormon News - Official Newsroom of the Church. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .
Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack. When he was 14, Joseph Smith received a vision in answer to his prayer about which church to join (Church History). He said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me […] When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17). During his twenties, Joseph Smith suffered persecution and hardship as he translated The Book of Mormon, a set of gold plates that were given to him by the angel Moroni, using the Urim and Thummim (Church History). Early Mormons withstood oppression because they were considered commercial, political and religious threat to their neighbors (mormon.org). In January of 1844 Joseph Smith was nominated at candidate for president of the United States. Later that year, on June 27, Joseph Smith was martyred, along with his brother Hyrum Smith, at Carthage Jail. (Churc...
The Mormon population holds true to their unique religious beliefs. Most Mormons are similar to those who practice Christianity, however there are some differences. Over the past two centuries that Mormonism has been founded by Joseph Smith, this faith has expanded across the United States. Even though the faith has been powerful to many believers it is becoming less frequently practiced. This religion not only practices God and Jesus as separate people but also believes that God is seen in everyone. Since, Mormons are very religious and godlike we have to be competent to these differences when working with this population. There is very little information about how to perform Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with a child that is practicing
A characteristic not many people have is courage. Courage can be difficult to obtain or it can be easy. Acting upon fearful choices makes a person courageous. Courageous figures are the 2000 Stripling Warriors. These young men were morally straight, courageous, faithful, and brave. Anybody can be courageous through actions and morals. One of the most important attributes is courage.
...For Mormonism only being over 200 years old, it already has over 10,000,000 followers. But with every religion come the non-believers, and the non-believers and ex-Mormons believe that Smith was a fraud. There was also a sense of fear of Mormon take over and power. There was fear that Mormons were trying to undermine the American institution of marriage. Americans persecuted the Mormons because they believed that if the Mormons gained too much power that polygamy would be allowed and monogamy would no longer exist. Bushman is a believer who wrote the book for other believers to read, but there is little effort on Bushman’s part to fling Smith in a flawless light. Instead, Bushman sees the controversial issues of Mormonism with polygamy, and Bushman tries to provide information and explain Joseph Smith’s notions in a way that is acceptable by the Mormons’ terms.
“History of Fundamentalist Mormons.” Wheat & Tares. Wheat and Tares, 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
Alma 36 is one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon because of the personal meaning it has in my life. It is a great story filled with lessons, and if you look you can even find a chiasmus. After returning from his mission to the Zoramites Alma calls all of his sons together and spoke with them one by one giving them council and commandments in what could be looked at as a missionary exit interview.