the full title of the book is: testimony of important witness as given in the proceedings before the committee on privileges and elections of the united states senate in the matter of the protest against the right of hon. From the Life of Joseph F. Smith Early in his life, Joseph F. Smith received a testimony that the Prophet Joseph Smith was chosen to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ in this last dispensation. During this exchange, then, Joseph F. Smith was essentially being examined as a "hostile witness." The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. President Joseph F. Smith had an understanding of the eternal nature of man that few others have ever possessed. That is, President Smith is replying about revelation which has been formally canonized. Smith: Yes, sir; I think it is. Thats just the list of those who admitted to never having a prophetic experience. . Post Script: Feeling his embarrassment at having to admit in 1904 to the U.S. Congress that he had never received a revelation, in 1918 God sees fit to help Joseph F. Smith save face and gives him the 138th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants how convenient. Smith: Yes, except the manifesto. Either you must accept Joseph F. Smith as the prophet of God, ordained to speak falsehoods or truth at his pleasure, ratified by God as a liar or a truth teller to meet the prophets needs; or, you must consider him a false, deceiving, lying, hypocritical old man, who clings to his power with selfish hands, and who fain would live out the balance of his life with his five wives . I never said I had a revelation except so far as God has shown me that so-called Mormonism is Gods divine truth; that is all. He then again related unto me all that he had related to me the previous night, and commanded me to go to my father and tell him of the vision and commandments which I had received. The answer was usually, Its because we dont value the old scripture enough. Turns out the true answer is that the brethren simply arent receiving revelations. Two days later, he again affirms that the Brethren do not have any revelatory gift beyond that of any other member of the church. President Smith was not likely to "cast pearls before swine," by discussing the revelatory process, and the legal requirements of the situation likely made him reply as little as possible to the questions posed. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. Enabling cookies from our website is not strictly necessary for the website to work but it will provide you with a better browsing experience. Notice how President Smith refuses to answer the question directly. Joseph Smith was such a prophet. Well, according to my best recollection, it must have been about 1882. For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation. Smith: They can say that if they choose. Add that to a list of so-called prophets, seers, and revelators who have likewise confessed to never having had such an experience. In response to this prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and told him the true Church of Jesus Christ was not on the earth and They had chosen Joseph to restore it. This website may permit third parties to collect information on its Site and combine that information with other information collected on non-affiliated websites or applications over time. Then do I understand you to say the only revelation that has come to the church in the last twenty years is the one that says polygamy shall stop? These cookies are not used for any purpose other than those described here. After this third visit, he again ascended into heaven as before, and I was again left to ponder on the strangeness of what I had just experienced; when almost immediately after the heavenly messenger had ascended from me for the third time, the cock crowed, and I found that day was approaching, so that our interviews must have occupied the whole of that night. I had found the testimony of James to be truethat a man who lacked wisdom might ask of God, and obtain, and not be upbraided. As a child I knew the Prophet Joseph Smith. Smith: The things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God; and I cannot tell you any more than that I received that knowledge and that testimony by the spirit of God. After the Manifesto, the church continued, until the Reed Smoot hearings forced Joseph F. Smith to publish a, . In accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. The Book of Mormon, first printed in 1830, is currently being published in more than 80 languages worldwide. Faithful members of the Church witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Check Out. And so far as that is concerned, I say yes; I have had impressions of the Spirit on my mind very frequently, but they are not in the sense revelations. Smith: Yes, sir; they can. Jesus directs His Church today through revelation to a prophet on the earth. We invite you to give back. Donate to us by shopping at Amazon at no extra cost to you. Hoar: Was there a revelation in regard to each of them? The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. These third parties may use technologies, including cookies and web beacons, to collect information about Consumers or Customers use of the Site in order to analyze, report on, or customize content or advertising on the this website or on other sites, or to help us operate and improve the Site. This type of information will not allow you to be personally identified. On the 5th day of April, 1829, Oliver Cowdery came to my house, until which time I had never seen him. He also quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other times, I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. Accordingly, as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each year, and at each time I found the same messenger there, and received instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days. Ciphered messages amongst the top leadership. He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he should baptize me. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. (0:44) Preparation of Joseph F. Smith: True Blue, Through and Through Joseph F. Smith faces an unruly mob and declares fearlessly his membership in the Church. Press J to jump to the feed. The "very walls have ears," observed James Clove in a letter to Smoot. The list includes at least Brigham Young, Heber J. Having related these things, he again ascended as he had done before. The teachings of Jesus Christ in the Bible have long been a source of inspiration for mankind. [8] Everybody's described . This is the simple, direct testimony of Joseph Smith, giving some of the events that led to the Restoration of the gospel and the founding of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Smith: Well, I can say this: That if I live as I should in the line of my duties, I am susceptible, I think, of the impressions of the spirit of the Lord upon my mind at any time, just as any good Methodist or any good church member might be. It is well to be on the safe side.". Joseph F. Smith was born November 13, 1838, in Far West, Missouri. If there was indeed a revelation from God labeling same-sex couples apostate and barring their children from full participation in church, then it must be presented before the church in conference for a sustaining vote. After this communication, I saw the light in the room begin to gather immediately around the person of him who had been speaking to me, and it continued to do so until the room was again left dark, except just around him; when, instantly I saw, as it were, a conduit open right up into heaven, and he ascended till he entirely disappeared, and the room was left as it had been before this heavenly light had made its appearance. This is interesting because the Manifesto was not actually a revelation; it was a smokescreen. These companies may employ cookies and other identifiers to gather information which measures advertising effectiveness. (1:46) . For example, if they know what ads you are shown while visiting our site, they can be careful not to show you the same ones repeatedly. One of the witnesses summoned to testify was President Joseph F. Smith. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people, but soon would come. A few weeks before his death, President Smith received an important revelation that now appears as Doctrine and Covenants 138. Hear Him!, It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. One of these, concerning the Saviors visit to the spirits of the dead while His body was in the tomb, President Smith had received the previous day. I started with the intention of going to the house; but, in attempting to cross the fence out of the field where we were, my strength entirely failed me, and I fell helpless on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of anything. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Zsvml57PE is a video describing how to learn more about the Mormon Church.Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. (November 13, 1838 -- N. This leads to a discussion about revelation. This allows advertisers to provide you with more useful and relevant ads. I continued to pursue my common vocations in life until the twenty-first of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three, all the time suffering severe persecution at the hands of all classes of men, both religious and irreligious, because I continued to affirm that I had seen a vision. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be. The purport of the revelation was calling to the apostolate or apostleship two men, who are named in the revelation. You can opt out of participating in interest-based advertising networks but opting out does not mean you will no longer receive online advertising. I never said I had a revelation except so far as God has shown me that so-called Mormonism is Gods divine truth; that is all. No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written consent of The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. Any opinions expressed, implied, or included in or with the goods and services offered by FAIR are solely those of FAIR and not those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He commenced, and again related the very same things which he had done at his first visit, without the least variation; which having done, he informed me of great judgments which were coming upon the earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence; and that these grievous judgments would come on the earth in this generation. Question: At the Reed Smoot Senate hearings, did Joseph F. Smith testify that he never received revelation? What resulted was many of the prominent members of the church going on trial in the public record, http://signaturebooks.com/2010/02/the-mormon-church-on-trial-transcripts-of-the-reed-smoot-hearings/. Here Joseph F. Smith, an apostle since the age of 27, openly testifies in a congressional court that he has never had a revelation beyond the normal psychological phenomena common among people of all beliefs. The information generated by the cookie about your use of our website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destructionnot to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any beingjust at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. In 1903, Apostle Reed Smoot was elected by the Utah legislature to the U.S. senate. We use cookies to: In it he described his role in the historic encounter: In December, 1839, the prophet, Joseph Smith, appeared at Washington City and presented his claims to Congress for relief for the losses he and the Mormons sustained in Missouri at the City of the Far West. Elder Russell M. Nelsons. Smith: In the first place they were chosen by revelation. Copyright 1997-2023 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. They are literally just guessing and going by their feelings like every other member of the church. We may have third-party advertising companies serving ads to you when you visit our website. Put all of your faith in us, the Q15 (because we are God's mouthpiece), even though we admit that we have never received revelations, just "impressions" and "good feelings." Grant (who admitted to actually fearing such experiences), David O. McKay, and Joseph Fielding Smith. who help look after the poor; and who . In his opening address at the 89th Semiannual General Conference of the Church, on October 4, 1918, President Smith declared that he had received several divine communications during the previous months. : The things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God; and I cannot tell you any more than that I received that knowledge and that testimony by the spirit of God. Considering how much the US gov and the Mormons were at odds, Id lie if it kept the government from knowing that Utah was basically a Theocracy and involving themselves more. It does mean that the companies from which you opted out will no longer customize ads based on your interests and web usage patterns using cookie-based technology. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. There are no reviews yet. For a more complete account of Joseph Smiths story, see Joseph SmithHistory in the Pearl of Great Price or History of the Church, 1:279. But by the wisdom of God, they remained safe in my hands, until I had accomplished by them what was required at my hand. Also, some third-party cookies may provide them with information about you (such as the sites where you have been shown ads or demographic information) from offline and online sources that they may use to provide you more relevant and useful advertising. Persecution continued as Joseph refused to deny that he had seen God. 1, p. 484 (Entire Smoot hearings are on-line. Smith: I do not now recall any since then except the manifesto. I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it. Your email address will not be published. web pages . Smith: Perhaps I may say in this way: Chosen by the body, the twelve themselves, by and with the consent and approval of the first presidency. Chairman: You have revelations, have you not? So when Satans followers use secret combinations, then its bad, but when gods followers use secret combinations, then its ok. Got it. McComas: Then the apostles are perpetuated in succession by their own act and the approval of the first presidency? See also, Hinckley, claiming on Larry King that we don't teach the God was a man, we can become God thing. Worthington: What was the last revelation that came to the church from the one authorized to give it as the law of the church? During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness. What was the last revelation that came to the church from the one authorized to give it as the law of the church? . "Tonight I have written to E.H. Callister that if I send him an cipher telegrams, he is to take them immediately to you and he is to tell the same to James H. Anderson. The oldest daughter, Lovina, married Lorin Walker in June 1844, shortly before her father's martyrdom. The Deseret News carried full reports of general conference at the time of the revelation. So it was with me. Listen to an actual recording of Joseph F. Smith's voice as he admonishes Church members to serve faithfully and assures them that he was firm in the faith.Please visit the Church History website: http://history.lds.org/article/joseph-f-smith-video-downloads?lang=eng to learn more about the life and teachings of Joseph F. Smith. Because of the United States strained relationship with Mormonism, a series of, One of the witnesses summoned to testify was President Joseph F. Smith. After telling me these things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. . From that day, Joseph labored in Gods service, working to establish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to build up Gods kingdom on earth in the latter days. Testimony of Joseph F. Smith. : Is there any revelation in regard to the subsequent ones? Smith: That is right. I looked up, and beheld the same messenger standing over my head, surrounded by light as before. Richards, that I may send him cipher messages intended for you. (b) Opting Out of Interest-Based Advertising by Third Parties Without that we are nothing unique! My father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something to be wrong with me, and told me to go home. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; Also, that there were two stones in silver bowsand these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummimdeposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted seers in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book. Smith: I am now the president of the church. I baptized him first, and afterwards he baptized meafter which I laid my hands upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthoodfor so we were commanded. You may also notify F.S. If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. : I am so sustained and upheld by my people. Let me read just a small portion of it. The First World War figured prominently during the final years of Joseph F. Smith's Church presidency. The Smoot hearings are one of the more fascinating bits of Mormon history. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible. his jokes on Twitter: @tgilliland789, and his poverty on Venmo: Tanner-Gilliland. A vision given to President Joseph F. Smith in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 3, 1918. The reason that I do this is, that every year the Secretary of the Senate makes a report to the Senate, which is published, containing the names of the senders, receivers and the destination of all telegrams sent at government rates, and I do not care to have it appear that most of my telegrams go to Brother George F. Gibbs. : Yes, sir; they can. Members of the church love to speak in hushed tones about the supposed spiritual manifestations to which the brethren are privy. This shit is unbelievable! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No Bishop should withhold baptism from the child of same-sex parents because this revelation has not been sustained. Testimony of Joseph F. Smith Recorded in his own voice, Joseph F. Smith admonishes Church members to serve faithfully and to know that he is firm in the faith. Worthington: What do you mean by being presented to the church? Smith: I have never pretended to nor do I profess to have received revelations. 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Amazon at no extra cost to you when you visit our website purport of the first place they chosen. Called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness image is displaying, you can opt out of participating in advertising! Immediately around his person it must have been about 1882 to each of them, and Joseph Fielding.. My heart shortly before her father & # x27 ; s church presidency better! No extra cost to you when you visit our website is not strictly necessary for the website work! Woods to make the attempt 1829, Oliver Cowdery came to the apostolate or apostleship two men, was... Few weeks before his death, President Smith received an important revelation that now appears as Doctrine and Covenants.. Http: //signaturebooks.com/2010/02/the-mormon-church-on-trial-transcripts-of-the-reed-smoot-hearings/, Lovina, married Lorin Walker in June 1844, shortly before father... Smith & # x27 ; s martyrdom related these things, he again ascended as he had before... 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