A light shining in darkness...

Joseph Smith in a grove of trees

What does a young man do when he gets conflicting information regarding his faith? To some, as in my case, you try not to dwell on it and move on with your life with the hope that at some point this fundamental question will be answered. Others might approach it from another perspective and actively seek to find out what the truth is behind these matters. Such was the case with a young boy by the name of Joseph Smith, Jr.

As a young teenager, in upstate New York, Joseph and his family were exposed to a religious revival. Different denominations were vying  for new members in what was the frontier of the United States at the time. Several members of Joseph's family had joined a particular religion and Joseph was feeling pressure to make a decision regarding what his choice would be. It is hard for me to fathom how intense the pressure may have been for him. It would have been very easy for him to choose the faith of his mother and follow in her footsteps. Thousands, if not millions, do that today.
 
     "I was born (fill in faith here); I was raised (fill in faith here); and
      I will die (fill in faith here)."

 Fortunately that wasn't drummed into mine, or my brothers’, heads as we grew up. It was the same with Joseph Smith. In his time the Holy Bible was not only a source of inspiration, from a spiritual perspective, but also used to teach people to read. Joseph, while growing up, was very familiar with the Bible. It was during this period of revival which found the young Joseph pondering about what was occurring around him. In his words he said:

   “My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and              incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists,  and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others. In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?” (Joseph Smith History 1:9-10) 

It is not uncommon to find in the scriptures instances in which a young man is called on to do extraordinary things. David, the youngest of several brothers, was one example of being called of God at young age. This can be found in 1 Samuel 16: 5-13. Another example, found in 1 Samuel 3 (entire chapter), is when the prophet Samuel is called as a child.

Joseph Smith was also young, about 14 years old, when all this was happening around him. One night he read a scripture from the New Testament that rang true in his heart. It was in the Epistle of James:

     "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." (James 1:5)

He took this scripture to heart. Shortly after reading this scripture he went to a secluded place in the woods to ask Heavenly Father which church he should join. What followed was extraordinary.  In Joseph's words:

     "So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods 

     to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the 

     spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had 

     made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the 

     attempt to pray vocally....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!"

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
appearing to Joseph Smith

     (Joseph Smith-History 1:14-17)

Here, in a matter of minutes, the confusion that surrounded the nature of God and Jesus Christ was cleared. My question regarding "3 in 1" was answered. Heavenly Father is a personage, similar in nature to that of His Son, Jesus. He isn't a spirit. He isn't some undefined entity of some mysterious sorts. 

Even more extraordinary to me was that He called Joseph by name!! He is a loving, Heavenly Father who knows His children- by name. Isn't that amazing?

Next....Article 2...

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We believe... Article 1

"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."

This answers one of the fundamental questions that I had when I was growing up. The concept of  "3 in 1" befuddled me (it's not very often that one can use the word 'befuddled' during the course of the day).

The Old Testament teaches somewhat on the concept of oneness as Adam speaks in Chapter 2 of Genesis about "...leav(ing) his  father and his mother, and shall cleave cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (v 24) Although Adam and Eve were two distinct persons they were to become 'one flesh'- united.

Jesus in Gethsemane

The New Testament contains numerous scriptures in which the concept of 'one' or unity is taught. An excellent example can be found in the seventeenth chapter of John. As background: this is the night that Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane where He prays to Heavenly Father regarding those who have served with Him. If He and Heavenly Father were literally 'one' would there be a need for Him to pray to Himself? The Savior speaks of this oneness (unity) in verse 11:
     "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world;
      and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name      
      those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are 
      one." (emphasis mine)

To me this implies unity.

What other items point to distinct, separate beings? Again in the New Testament one can read about the baptism of the Savior. The Gospel of Matthew records the event in Matthew 3 verses 16 and 17:
      "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were
       opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
       And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

When a simple man as I reads something like this in the scriptures it appears plain and easy to understand. So as I grew up it wasn't surprising that I was confused when I read those scriptures, and others teaching the same things, and then being taught during religious instruction that there was only one person but somehow all three were within one entity.

As I have read about Jesus's church, following His death, I found it interesting that what was taught was three distinct beings or entities. It wasn't until after the apostles' deaths did this specific doctrine start to change and become affected by the pressure of outside forces.

Next... a light shining in darkness...

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We believe....

John Wentworth

Why do I find it true? It answered fundamental questions that I had as a youth which then carried over into young adulthood. Such questions regarding the Trinity (God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost), prophets, marriage, priesthood and why in heaven's name did the Lord stop talking to people after the time of Christ. Simple questions that were not being adequately answered by the faith of my youth. I won't elaborate, at this time, how my questions were answered by co-workers and then close friends.

What I would like to do is share, in a small series, what the first prophet of this era, Joseph Smith, Jr., shared in March of 1842. Shortly before this Joseph Smith was asked by the editor of the Chicago Democrat, John Wentworth, to give a brief history of the founding and rise of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The reply that Joseph sent back to Mr. Wentworth has come to be known by Latter-Day Saints as the "Wentworth Letter."

At the very end of the letter he shared the tenets of our faith with Mr. Wentworth. These thirteen points are now known by Latter-Day Saints as the "The Articles of Faith" and are part of our basic scriptures. I would like to share these on this blog over the course of the next week or so. I will try to add some explanatory notes as I see necessary. More to the point I will add notes as to how they answered some of the basic questions that I had as I grew up.

Tomorrow, the Trinity...

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Why?

Metro Manila, Philippines taken from our 12th floor condo

So why do two people leave a comfortable and spacious suburban home in central Indiana to move to a sprawling metropolis and downsize to about 200 square feet? As Marcia and I have talked over the years we thought that we could probably live in a city the size of Chicago- it has a real lake and at least one decent baseball team (go SOX!). We could never have imagined that we would end up exactly half way around the world in metro Manila, Philippines.

So... why? Contrary to popular opinion (I'm just saying that- not sure what popular opinion is on this) we do not get paid for the time that we are here. In fact, for the most part, we (with the help of family members) are footing the bill for our stay here. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) does not have a paid clergy. Those that lead local congregations are volunteers who work a regular job to pay their bills while putting in 20-40 hours a week in providing service to their local congregations called wards. Their are approximately 55,000 missionaries serving around the world. They do not get paid for the work that they do but still they willingly serve for a period of eighteen months to two years. Several hundred, if not several thousand, serve a mission contrary to what their family would have them do. Some are disowned. Senior missionaries leave families behind and, normally, grandchildren. Milestone events are missed- births, baptisms, graduations, weddings, and funerals. So.....why?

We do so because we know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored; that prophets are again on the earth to share with and instruct us regarding revelation from God. We do so because it is true...


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