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Joseph Smith - Page 4

Just to thow my two sense in, this is from Ezekiel 37:

Now, to me (and to the rest of the church), these two sticks are the bible and the book of mormon.

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Smith Joseph

Malexander writes:

As an evangelical Christian, there was one matter I had to settle before I could, or would, take Joseph Smith seriously:

1) The matter of an open canon. The real issue is not whether or not we, as evangelicals, should believe in the Book of Mormon; the real issue is whether or not we should violate what we"ve been taught all our lives: the doctrine of a closed canon. Once I settled that issue, I could then take a serious look at Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the restoration gospel.

Lynn

Joseph Smith Studies Doctrine Mormon

malexander, I understand your skepticism about Joseph Smith. When I was starting to return to the LDS faith I didn't believe that he was a prophet, people told me that I need to pray about it, read the Book of Mormon, ETC... the usual stuff. It drove me nuts. So one day I decided to do what no one asked me to do. I went to the nearest D.I. and found all the Books on Joseph Smith, including the Teachings of Joseph Smith. I started reading them before I even started reading the Book of Mormon. I wanted to see what he himself taught, not just what people are telling me.

I found his teachings to make me think of serious things, he actually stumped me with things he taught, while I didn't accept everything he taught at once, some of it took me years to accept, but any man who teaches people to try and get closer to Christ and the Salvation he offers, deserves being put o the same page as the Prophets of the Bible.

Page 4 Smith Joseph

For a critic wanting to reject Joseph's own account, there are, broadly speaking, only two logical alternatives for explaining him:

Either he was a false prophet but thought he was a real one, or he was a false prophet and knew that he was a false prophet. That is to say, again in general terms, that he must have been either dishonest or delusional, or some hybrid of the two. Ref. Source 5

Smith Joseph

DNA solves a Joseph Smith mystery

Historians and critics have struggled for more than a century to identify children Joseph Smith may have had through polygamous marriages in the 1840s. If definitive answers could be found, it would shed light on how plural marriage was introduced to Mormons by Joseph Smith in Illinois. Brigham Young succeeded Joseph Smith as leader of the LDS Church and announced the practice publicly in Utah. The church ended polygamy in 1890. Ref. Source 2

Joseph Smith

Name: Leenancarrow
Country:

Comments: I have been looking into the religion of Mormonism this morning and I like to make sure that I get my facts right.

Is it right that Joseph Smith went out into the woods on his own and encountered Jesus Christ and God the father who told him that all the other religions had got it wrong and he was going to find out the truth.

Then he was visited by the Angel Moroni who gave him magic plates to translate. He then went to a place on his own and translated the plates using magic spectacles.

No one else ever saw the plates in the 21 months he translated them and then he gave them back to the Angel Moroni. Then eventually from this the book of Mormon was born.

What happened to the spectacles?

Can someone just confirm that all this is correct and then tell me what happened to the spectacles.

Joseph Smith - Page 4

The first part is correct. The plates were not magical. There were witnesses who touched and handled the plates. Read the account here: Source 8

Joseph Smith Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 4

I actually suggest you get a copy of the book of mormon Source 4

It talks all about it in the intro to the book of mormon.

For the most part yes.

During this time in upstate New York a lot of preaches would travel through the area. Joseph Smith would make money by selling baked goods at these Religious meetings. So Joseph Smith pretty much heard it all. The problem was is no two preachers would agree on things. So how can everybody be right or are they all wrong together?

Joseph Smith read in James 1:5 that if we need more wisdom that we can ask God (Pray). Joseph Smith realized he could not make the decision of religion on his own. He didn't have enough information to make that type of choice. So he knew fully if he prayed he would get an answer. Thats when Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. Jesus told Joseph Smith that religions of the day had wonder off from what Christ set up in the bible.

After some 3 years Joseph Smith was trying to figure out what is next for him. Again he prayed. This time Angel Moroni appeared to him. (Again you can read all of this on the links provided) Moroni was the last prophet in the book of mormon, and is the one that buried the golden plates.

Moroni gave Joseph Smith instructions of pretty much what was going to come forth. Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith some 4 times during the night and showed him (In vision) where the plates where. Joseph Smith went there the next day, but Joseph Smith couldn't take the plates. It was still 4 years after that Joseph Smith was allowed to have the plates. (Joseph Smith is now 21 years old).

Joseph Smith takes them back to his home and translates them. But most of the time he had some scrib that would write for him. Sometimes it was his wife. Sometimes its others like Oliver Cowdrey.

21 months? Where did you get that date? Joseph Smith did have the plates for around that time, but didn't spend much time on translating. After Oliver Cowdrey came into the picture Joseph Smith spent maybe 60 days on translating. Joseph Smith was able to show the plates to 3 witnesses whose testimony is in the book of mormon. Then after the plates where taken. Angel shows the plates to another 8 people. So 12 (And some others) were shown the plates.

The spectacles were called the Urim and Thummim, kind of like a Urim and Thummim that were used in the Old Testament. Even though that wasn't used for Translating. This Urim and Thummim was prepared for the purpose of translating. It was found with the plates. It is assumed that they were taken with the plates when the plates were returned.

The Mormon or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints sends missionaries all over the world to answer these questions. I suggest it find them, and have a visit. They can answer the questions a lot easier then we can on the internet.