Mormon Musings

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” Joseph Smith -History of the Church, 3:30; TPJS, 121

worth a repeat post...: "The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence, or ever 'the morning stars sang together' for joy; the past, the present and the future were and are, with Him, one eternal 'now'; He knew of the fall of Adam, the iniquities of the antediluvians, of the depth of iniquity that would be connected with the human family, their weakness and strength, their power and glory, apostasies, their crimes, their righteousness and iniquity; He comprehended the fall of man and his redemption; He knew the Plan of Salvation and pointed it out; He was acquainted with the situation of all nations and with their destiny; He ordered all things according to the council of His own will; He knows the situation of both the living and the dead, and has made  ample provision  for their redemption, according to their several circumstances, and the laws of the kingdo

“Our entire case as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the validity of this glorious First Vision.  It was the parting of the curtain to open this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.  Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration.  I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the  Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true.  This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life.” President Gordon B. Hinckley -”What Are People Asking About Us?”  Ensign,  Nov. 1998, 70

“Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that was written on the subject.” Joseph Smith - History of the Church , 6:50

“What was learned from the First Vision?” The existence of God our Father as a personal being, and proof that man was made in the image of God. That Jesus is a personage, separate and distinct from the Father. That Jesus Christ is declared by the Father to be his Son. That Jesus was the conveyer of revelation as taught in the Bible. The promise of James to ask of God for wisdom was fulfilled. The reality of an actual being from an unseen world who tried to destroy Joseph Smith. That there was a falling away from the Church established by Jesus Christ–Joseph was told not to join any of the sects, for they taught the doctrines of men. Joseph Smith became a witness for God and his Son, Jesus Christ.” President James E. Faust -in Conference Report, Apr. 1984, 92-93;  Ensign,  May 1984, 68

"All beings who have bodies have power of those who have not.  The devil has no power over us only as we permit him."   Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 181)

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” Joseph Smith - History of the Church,  3:30

“More painful to me are the thoughts of annihilation than death.  If I have no expectation of seeing my father, mother, brothers, sisters and friends again, my heart would burst in a moment, and I should go down to my grave. “The expectation of seeing my friends in the morning of the resurrection cheers my soul and makes me bear up against the evils of life.  It is like their taking a long journey, and on their return we meet them with increased joy.” Joseph Smith - History of the Church , 5:362

It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure  a boy , of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily  b labor , should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter  c persecution  and  d reviling . But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself. However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a  a vision . I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was  b mad ; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality

Joseph Smith was born December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont.  "Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xVw6PsSinI

Near the end of his ministry, with so much betrayal about him, the Prophet Joseph said to the members, "I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt LakeCity: Deseret Book Company, 1976], p. 368). His summational statement includes the marvelous Book of Mormon. Though it was not his book, Joseph was its remarkable translator. It was actually the book of prophets who had long preceded him. His intensive labors of translation let these prophets speak so eloquently for themselves-to millions of us!  In fact, more printed pages of scripture have come through Joseph Smith than from anyother human.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell (Ensign, January 1997, p. 41)

Hell may pour forth its rage like the burning lava of Mount Vesuvius . . . and yet shall "Mormonism" stand. . . . God is the author of it. He is our shield. . . . It was by Him we received the Book of Mormon; and it is by Him that we remain unto this day; and by Him we shall remain, if it shall be for our glory; and in His Almighty name we are determined to endure tribulation as good soldiers unto the end. Joseph Smith,  Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,  sel. Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 139.

According to Elder Maxwell, James wrote his famous verses first and foremost for Joseph Smith--it was all part of the Divine Plan leading up to the Restoration: "We know of Joseph Smith's special experience in reading James 1:5, 'Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart (JSH 1:12).' James was inspired to so write and Joseph to so respond to [such] words! Others have benefited and will continue to benefit from James 1:5, but its primary purpose was to be part of the spiritual [awakening] leading to the last dispensation." Elder Neal A. Maxwell, C.E.S. Symposium, August 15, 1991

The Prophet Joseph Smith, in speaking of revelation, said: A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon.  [ TPJS, 151]... To receive spiritual truths, one must be obedient as well as diligent (see D&C 130:19). Spiritual light is received when one follows the doctrine of Christ--that is, the first principles and ordinances of the restored gospel. I challenge you to increase your faith by living gospel principles more precisely, by repenting when you fall short, by taking an active role in your ward, by rendering service to others, and by making prayer and scripture study a part of your everyday life. In this manner you will find true joy. In closing I turn to the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who wrote about the connection between heaven and our intellect

A short while before Gethsemane and Calvary, Jesus prayed, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour." Then, as if in soliloquy, he said, "But for this cause came I unto this hour" (John 12:27). The awful weight of the Atonement had begun to descend upon him. We next find him in Gethsemane. And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy.  [Mark 14:32–33] The Greek for "very heavy" is "depressed, dejected, in anguish." Just as the Psalmist had foreseen, the Savior was "full of heaviness" (Psalms 69:20). The heavy weight of the sins of all mankind were falling upon him. He had been intellectually and otherwise prepared from ages past for this task. He is the creator of this and other worlds. He knew the plan of salva

"Search the scriptures--search the revelations which we publish, and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another."  (The Prophet Joseph Smith)

“Some are willing to set aside the precious gospel truths restored by Joseph Smith because they get diverted on some historical issue or some scientific hypothesis not central to their exaltation, and in so doing they trade their spiritual birthright for a mess of pottage. They exchange the absolute certainty of the Restoration for a doubt, and in that process they fall into the trap of losing faith in the many things they do know because of a few things they do not know.” Tad R. Callister ,  “Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 37

“The devil has no power over us--only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.” ~ Joseph Smith

"What is the object of our coming into existence, then dying and falling away, to be here no more? It is but reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter, and it is a subject we ought to study more than any other. We ought to study it day and night, for the world is ignorant in reference to their true condition and relation [to God].” Joseph Smith

“Intelligence is eternal and exists upon a self-existent principle. It is a spirit from age to age and there is no creation about it. All the minds and spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement...." ~ Joseph Smith