Joseph Smith's First Vision

"The first vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith is bedrock theology to the Church. The adversary knows this and has attacked Joseph Smith's credibility from the day he announced the visitation of the Father and the Son. You should always bear testimony to the truth of the First Vision. Joseph Smith did see the Father and the Son. They conversed with him as he said they did. Any leader who, without reservation, cannot declare his testimony that God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith can never be a true leader, a true shepherd. If we do not accept this truth--if we have not received a witness about this great revelation--we cannot inspire faith in those whom we lead." (Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], p. 101.)

 "Joseph Smith's first vision restored knowledge of God. Of all the great events of the century, none compared with the first vision of Joseph Smith." (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], p. 428.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has given us a clear view of the place of the First Vision in the restoration of the Gospel. 

"This transcendent experience opened the marvelous work of restoration. It lifted the curtain on the long-promised dispensation of the fullness of times. 

 For more than a century and a half, enemies, critics, and some would-be scholars have worn out their lives trying to disprove the validity of that vision. Of course they cannot understand it. The things of God are understood by the Spirit of God. There had been nothing of comparable magnitude since the Son of God walked the earth in mortality. Without it as a foundation stone for our faith and organization, we have nothing. With it, we have everything." (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, November 1984, p. 52; or Conference Report, Oct. 1984, p. 68.)

Joseph Smith's First Vision

Life and Death of Prophet Joseph Smith

Remembering the first Prophet of the Restoration and the Last Dispensation, this week on the anniversary of his assassination and martyrdom. Joseph Smith died for his beliefs on June 27th, 1844 in Cartage, Illinois, when he was murdered by a mob. He sealed his testimony in blood, and left a legacy of undaunted faith and the Fulness of the Gospel, for millions of Church members. I only wish he could see the city of Salt Lake today, the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I imagine tears would roll down his cheeks, as he looked at the beautiful city and Temple Square, whispering in amazement, "Look what the Lord has done!"



Life of the Prophet, Joseph Smith

"The Restoration of All Things"

 

The Restoration of All Things 

 President James E. Faust
 Second Counselor in the First Presidency
May 2006 - Liahona

"We believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restoration of the original Church established by Jesus Christ. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we care about all of God’s children who now live or who have ever lived upon the earth. “Our message,” as stated by the First Presidency in 1978, “is one of special love and concern for the eternal welfare of all men and women, regardless of religious belief, race, or nationality, knowing that we are truly brothers and sisters because we are sons and daughters of the same Eternal Father.” As Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated a few years ago:

 “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has many beliefs in common with other Christian churches. But we have differences, and those differences explain why we send missionaries to other Christians, why we build temples in addition to churches, and why our beliefs bring us such happiness and strength to deal with the challenges of life and death.”

 I wish to testify today of the fulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, which adds to the religious beliefs of other denominations, both Christian and non-Christian. This fulness was originally established by the Savior in His earthly ministry. But then there was a falling away.

 Some of the early Apostles knew that an apostasy would occur before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the Thessalonians, Paul wrote concerning this event, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.” "

  Read Entire Article Here

More information about the Restoration Here

"Come to Zion, the Winds and the Waves"

Author Dean Hughes has written his 99th book, "Come to Zion, the Winds and the Waves".

"The Winds and the Waves by Dean Hughes, the nationally acclaimed writer, is the first in a new series and the 99th book he has published during his 33-year career.

Will Lewis is stuck. the class system in England in the 1840s seems destined to keep him in his place as a poor tenant farmer who cannot improve his lot and will never be able to marry the woman he loves. But the "new religion" that is sweeping through congregations of the United Brethren, Will's church, may hold the key to the better life he longs for. As he listens to the preaching of Wilford Woodruff, he almost dares to hope for the Zion the young Apostle describes.

Will's struggles to believe and to face the rigors of immigrating to an unknown land are paralleled by the modern-day story of Jeff and Abby, a young married couple facing challenges of their own. When Jeff begins digging into his family history, he finds himself particularly drawn to "Grandpa Lewis," an ancestor whose life was more like his than he would have imagined.

The skillful interweaving of these two stories brings Church history to life while demonstrating how much we can learn from those who went before us. Anyone who has ever faced the winds and the waves, in some form, will love this novel."

LDS Living Book Review

Calgary, Alberta Temple

Canada's newest LDS Temple is in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

 The plan to build this Temple was announced by the Presidency in 2008. 

It is now near completion. 

The public is invited to visit the temple during an open house from 29 September through 20 October 2012, excluding Sundays and Saturday, 6 October. 

 Find more details at the Calgary Temple website

The Apostasy

Lately, I've been studying more about The Apostasy. Here is an interesting talk about this LDS doctrine, which examines some little explored thoughts.

"FAIR 2004 conference talk by Roger Keller, a former Presbyterian minister who converted to the LDS Church, speaks about authority and religion. He speaks about the greatness of the Bible, and the great things about other faiths." For more information, go to www.fairlds.org