Joseph Smith III

is through this passionate testimony and faithful journey that a faith movement was born. As Joseph responded to his desire to serve God, he was surrounded by a culture that was experiencing great conflict in values and social division. These challenges shaped this prophets leadership and began a journey of discovering the value of all people. From that initial experience in the grove, we can find the impress of the mission of Christ through the hope and vision of Zion. And with each Era, the cause and hope of Zion responds further with a desire to understand God’s grace through Christ for all humankind. Joseph leads a group of people with a new hope for this place called Zion. They were convinced that they were the one and only true church, and any other religion was an apostate. They believed that Zion would be built in the “center place” in Independence, Missouri. Today, I believe the idea of Zion…

Derived from Christianity in 1830, the Mormon Church (also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Due to religious persecution, and after the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844, the newly appointed leader, Brigham Young, led the Mormons out west to a religious safe haven in Salt Lake City. In 1823, Joseph Smith claimed he was visited by an angel named “Moroni”, and this angel told him of an ancient record that contained God’s dealings. In 1827…

personal harem that acts like nothing more than slaves for that man's pleasure? But is that true? To quote Elbert Hubbard “Polygamy: An endeavor to get more out of life than there is in it.” So is polygamy evil as we believe? I believe that though the government has passed many laws that are against polygamy. I believe that it should be legalized. What is polygamy, polygamy is the practice of a man marrying more than one woman. According to the LDS, church polygamy was started in the U.S by a…

One can interpret faith as a subjective experience. Many of us approach religion in our own personal way. Whether that means rejecting the entire idea of religion or following in our family’s religious footsteps, it is a personal choice that we all come to make at some point in our lives. I’ve always been very open to the idea of religion. The air of mystery that surrounded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the reason I chose it as my listening post. The Church of…

Part of the reason that the Pearl of Great Price is so great at preparing people for making further covenants in the temple is because it talks so much about sacrifice. In this paper, I will show was sacrifice means in the Lord’s eyes and how Adam and Eve’s sacrificial behaviors can be applied to other righteous people in the Pearl of Great Price, as well as present day. I will also show the qualifications and blessings of true sacrifice, as well as Satan’s counterfeits for sacrifice,…

When you think of the phrase “seer stone,” there is usually a negative connotation that goes along with it. Why is that? Joseph Smith used a seer stone as one of the primary instruments in his translation of the Book of Mormon, and they are mentioned as legitimate objects throughout the scriptures. So why do we as members of the church hesitate to discuss seer stones, and why do non-members find exceeding criticism in them? I hope to answer these questions in my analysis. I will also explore…

to what they were trying to feed him. Daniel and all who followed his lead were blessed with a fairer countenance and more wisdom and knowledge than the magicians and astrologers that were employed by the king. We tend to focus on the physical aspects of these blessings but there are so many spiritual blessings that we receive if we follow the Word of Wisdom. Some of the blessings are mentioned in its name. If we are obedient we will be able to find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge,…

I believe a large percentage of the Abundant Life Center’s membership would have no idea of the day-to-day needs of the marginalized within the St. Joseph area. Even though our own membership reflects a snapshot of the marginalized in St. Joseph, we frequently respond to the these needs on a project-by-project bases, as opposed to trying to building Zion within the context of the lives of those suffering. For example, I remember gathering several children, with a car full of Christmas…

Joseph Smith played a pivotal role in the Mormon faith as its founder. His upbringing greatly influenced his achievements during the 1830s and 1840s. The Second Great Awakening, a religious revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States, also influenced Smith, in turn, compelling him to believe he was needed for significant religious duties. Joseph Smith’s Church of Christ had many beliefs outside the norm and practiced many ideas that were not considered acceptable by…

Sister Wives, should polygamy be legalized? Polygamy has been around for many years and with the TV show Sister Wives it can now be viewed in our homes weekly with each new season it brings. The show reminds us of the controversy that surrounds plural marriage. Should plural marriage be legalized? There are many opinions on this touchy topic. Should we, as a society, just leave it be, mind our own business as it were? Should we turn a blind eye to the accusations of abuse and underage…